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Town administrator reports state-ordered pause on mechanical beach raking; Onset pier reconstruction underway
Summary
Mr. Sullivan told the Wareham Select Board that the Division of Marine Fisheries has ordered a halt to mechanical beach raking until July 1 to protect horseshoe crabs and that Little Harbor is closed to raking until Aug. 1 for piping plover nesting. He also updated the board on Onset pier reconstruction and an almost $4 million ADA grant that must be spent before July 1.
At the June 2 meeting, Mr. Sullivan provided operational updates about beaches and infrastructure.
He said the Division of Marine Fisheries directed the town to stop mechanical beach cleaning until July 1 due to concerns about declines in the horseshoe crab population. "They believe that beach cleaning, aka the raking, has a direct relationship with the decline in the horseshoe crab population," Mr. Sullivan said. He added that Little Harbor has an additional restriction until Aug. 1 for piping plover nesting and that the town must refrain from machine raking there.
Mr. Sullivan said work has moved from demolition to reconstruction at the band shell and that the sidewalk and turnaround reconstruction in front of the Onset pier is underway; engineering updates were expected imminently. He said the town had been short roughly $250,000 to start the project but received an ADA grant (about $4 million) late, which required bids to be issued quickly to ensure the funds are spent before the grant deadline.
The board and staff discussed parking and construction timing near the pier and noted the temporary loss of parking will be disruptive during work. A liaison later reported that the Wareham Veterans Council will place 250 flags at the town memorial the week before July 4 and keep them in place through the following week; volunteers will be sought via the town website.
The transcript records these updates and does not show additional public comment or a separate board vote on these operational items at the June 2 meeting.
