Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Arm Project topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
ARM Project approved by state; town awaits Army Corps federal mitigation plan
Summary
Hampton’s ARM Project received Governor and Council approval for project funds; the Conservation Commission said federal mitigation plan responses to Army Corps questions must be completed before federal approval and access to funds, and town staff hope to use existing academic data to reduce upfront engineering costs.
The ARM Project received approval from the Governor and Council for project funding, but town staff told the Conservation Commission the project cannot move forward until the Army Corps of Engineers is satisfied with a federal mitigation plan.
Conservation Coordinator Brianna Hagan said the state’s approval is complete but that federal approval requires a mitigation plan addressing Army Corps questions. Hagan said she will seek to limit upfront engineering costs by leaning on existing data and academic experts at the University of New Hampshire to answer technical questions. She advised the commission that sand sourcing is also unresolved: Harbor dredge material is unlikely to be placed directly on the project site because of equipment constraints, and stockpiling dredge material would require a lengthy real estate/easement process with the Army Corps.
Hagan said the town had budgeted for a 2028 start in earlier plans but that federal approvals and permitting are likely to take additional time. The commission noted the project remains complicated but moving forward informally while permit details and logistics are finalized.
The commission discussed that engineers could be funded from approved project funds if needed for the mitigation plan, but Hagan preferred using available scientific contacts and existing datasets to answer the Army Corps’ questions and delay engineering expenditures until necessary.
