City presents Hawkins Cove restoration plan, seeks roughly $950,000 to start construction
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Summary
City planners described a multi-year Hawkins Cove restoration — living shoreline, pier replacement, boardwalk connector — and said project design is complete but construction hinges on roughly $950,000 in additional funding and pending permits from state and federal agencies.
City staff on Jan. 8 briefed the Environmental Matters Committee on a multimodal, nature-based plan to restore Hawkins Cove and formalize a boardwalk trail connection between the Truxton area and Truxton Park.
"I'm Mike Rosberg. I'm the stormwater program manager in public works," said Mike Rosberg, who, with Anne Rotor, the stormwater engineer and project manager, and Eric Leshinski, the chief of comprehensive planning, outlined the plan and the rationale for the project. The project combines three priorities: shoreline resilience and habitat restoration, stormwater management, and improved public water access and neighborhood connectivity.
Staff described three core elements: a living shoreline and removal of the existing bulkhead with a regenerative step-pool stormwater conveyance to treat runoff before it reaches the cove; replacement and extension of the existing pier with an accessible pier and floating dock to reach navigable water; and the Truxton Green Network connector, a timber boardwalk and trail improvements to formalize an informal route linking Truxton Park to Primrose Circle and the broader trail network.
On dredging and navigation, staff said the pier extension will require some dredging to reach navigable depths and that dredging is costly and disruptive to habitat. "Dredging is permitted by the Maryland Department of the Environment and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers," staff said, and they are coordinating with those agencies to find a balance between pier length and dredge extent.
Committee members pressed staff for quantification of expected water-quality benefits and MS4 credits. Staff responded that the regenerative step-pool stormwater system and the living shoreline components generate restoration credits and that "there are concept-level estimates as far as acreage treated" in the project documents; exact nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment reduction figures were not provided at the meeting but staff said those calculations exist and can be supplied later.
The presentation included historical imagery and geotechnical context; staff said earlier geotechnical testing has been completed in preliminary design phases but that dredged material from the cove is not of a quality suitable for beneficial reuse and will require off-site disposal.
On schedule and budget, staff said the smaller Truxton Green Network connector has been submitted for grading permit review and could be bid this summer. Hawkins Cove requires a joint permit application (MDE and U.S. Army Corps) and more time; presenters said they are aiming for a 2026 construction start with a 2027 completion target. The packet figures shown in the presentation list a total project cost number presented as "1.921" and staff noted $974,000 already allocated, leaving a construction deficit presented as approximately $950,000. Staff said two pending grant applications are in with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (one for dredging/waterway improvements and one for water-quality trust funding) but neither is guaranteed.
Committee members recommended further technical follow-up (for example, sediment core results and precise nutrient/sediment reduction estimates) before advanced procurement, and discussed coordination with Parks for kayak racks and management of the site. Staff said Parks would share operations responsibility and that meetings to coordinate site amenities are scheduled.
The committee did not take a formal vote on Hawkins Cove at this meeting. Staff said they would return with additional funding detail and technical clarifications in future briefings.
