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PRCAC discusses Maple Beach seawall risk and funding; past county estimate cited at $3 million
Summary
Committee members discussed chronic undermining of the Maple Beach seawall, a late-1990s/early-2000s county estimate of about $3,000,000 to replace it, and the need to pursue state or county grants; a Birch Bay comparison put ultimate costs much higher for larger projects.
Allison updated the PRCAC that the Maple Beach seawall continues to be undermined by wave action and said a county estimate from the late 1990s/early 2000s put the cost to remove the vertical armament and replace it with a natural shoreline at about $3,000,000. She said the seawall also supports a roadway and that loss of the wall could endanger that road.
A committee member noted Birch Bay’s armament-removal effort ultimately cost about $16,000,000 and the local share approached $8,000,000, underscoring that even modest-looking shorelines can be expensive to repair. Allison said she will continue to look for state grant funding and coordinate with the new public works director to identify options; members suggested the county’s fisheries-related grant programs and other state funding as possible avenues.
No funding commitments or formal votes were made; PRCAC members asked that Allison and public works keep the committee apprised of any grant leads and possible project scopes.
