|
From: Gail Whipple
To: buyocean
Sent: Mon, Jan 16, 2012 2:58 pm
Subject: Beach update and letter-writing campaign
The attached email contains the letters that should be sent to our federally elected officials to secure funding for a BEACH renourishment project next season. Since the federal appropriations bills are underway, we need to get these letters out ASAP.
In response to anyone asking about the current DUNE renourishment project, it is a county-sponsored project funded by the county (PBC), Jupiter Inlet District (JID) and the Town of Jupiter. The project was estimated to cost $1.5M. Palm Beach County (PBC) is contributing $1.1M, JID $.2M, Town of Jupiter $.2M. Any overrun will be funded by PBC. The sand is being trucked in and deposited at a place on Jupiter Beach being used as a staging area, not far from the north end of the Ocean Trail property. From Jupiter Inlet to Carlin Park, the dune will be reinforced with the trucked-in sand from an area in central Florida, and planted with sea oats to hold it. We lobbied aggressively with all three government entities for the past 6+ months to ensure project funding. This is a measure to hold us until the major beach renourishment project, next year at this time (hopefully).
Please ask your readers to send the suggested letters.
Thanks for your help.
Gail
________________________________________________________________________
LETTERS FOLLOW.......
______________________
Congressman Allen West
U.S. Representative FL-22
1708 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Congressman West,
I am writing to ask your assistance in maintaining critical infrastructure in your district that directly affects our property and enjoyment of the environment.
Palm Beach County depends on its beaches, not just for its name, but for the strength of its economy. It depends too, on State and Federal assistance to support its Shoreline Protection Program and its goal of restoring and maintaining the local beaches. The Palm Beach County, Florida Shore Protection Project was authorized in 1962 (87-874) as a reimbursable project. The Project is designed to provide hurricane and storm damage reduction, mitigate for inlet impacts, provide tourism infrastructure, and provide habitat and recreational benefits for your District, and the entire state of Florida.
Palm Beach County and State of Florida have made a long-term commitment to maintain the beaches as detailed in the General Design Memorandum and the Project Cooperation Agreements developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, but without line-item appropriations, reimbursement projects are no longer being funded at the Federal level.
In order to replace that critical funding mechanism as well as reduce the costs of these projects, we ask for your assistance in promoting directive language to be included in the next WRDA bill, or possibly into any Energy and Water appropriations bill you deem appropriate. The following language is offered as a suggestion:
· The Secretary of the Army is authorized and directed to maintain reimbursement of local sponsors as the highest priority in the Corp’s Annual Work Plan.
Reimbursement project funding, if included in the Plan, is presently afforded a low priority and therefore not maintained throughout the budget process.
· The Secretary of the Army is authorized and directed to develop Project Partnership Agreements that encompass work anticipated through the end of the Project’s Authorized Lifetime.
The present system of requiring decision documents (i.e. LRR, Section 934 report) for every phase of the project adds to the project costs and often delays project implementation.
- The Secretary of the Army, or his designee, is authorized and directed to include in future Project Partnership Agreements, retroactive reimbursement of local interests for work which is integral to the authorized Federal projects.
As federal funding for both design and construction of CAP beach projects has previously been provided through line-item appropriations that are not expected to be available in a timely fashion, and funding agreements can be delayed by the required federal process, this language would allow the local sponsor to undertake the work already Authorized with the anticipation of future reimbursement.
As property owners living directly on the beach south of the Jupiter Inlet, we have experienced significant delays of several years in our regularly scheduled infrastructure beach projects. Consequently we are at a critical stage in which beach renourishment is long overdue and the ocean is threatening our property.
Your assistance in including the language we suggest in the federal appropriations bills will allow us to effectively work with our local, county and state officials to complete these projects in a responsible and expeditious fashion.
Many thanks for your help.
_________________________
__________________________
_______Ocean Trail Way,_____
Jupiter, FL 33477
____________________________________________________________
January 20, 2012
Senator Marco Rubio
317 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON DC 20510
Dear Senator Rubio,
I am writing to ask your assistance in maintaining critical infrastructure in your district that directly affects our property and enjoyment of the environment.
Palm Beach County depends on its beaches, not just for its name, but for the strength of its economy. It depends too, on State and Federal assistance to support its Shoreline Protection Program and its goal of restoring and maintaining the local beaches. The Palm Beach County, Florida Shore Protection Project was authorized in 1962 (87-874) as a reimbursable project. The Project is designed to provide hurricane and storm damage reduction, mitigate for inlet impacts, provide tourism infrastructure, and provide habitat and recreational benefits for your District, and the entire state of Florida.
Palm Beach County and State of Florida have made a long-term commitment to maintain the beaches as detailed in the General Design Memorandum and the Project Cooperation Agreements developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, but without line-item appropriations, reimbursement projects are no longer being funded at the Federal level.
In order to replace that critical funding mechanism as well as reduce the costs of these projects, we ask for your assistance in promoting directive language to be included in the next WRDA bill, or possibly into any Energy and Water appropriations bill you deem appropriate. The following language is offered as a suggestion:
· The Secretary of the Army is authorized and directed to maintain reimbursement of local sponsors as the highest priority in the Corp’s Annual Work Plan.
Reimbursement project funding, if included in the Plan, is presently afforded a low priority and therefore not maintained throughout the budget process.
· The Secretary of the Army is authorized and directed to develop Project Partnership Agreements that encompass work anticipated through the end of the Project’s Authorized Lifetime.
The present system of requiring decision documents (i.e. LRR, Section 934 report) for every phase of the project adds to the project costs and often delays project implementation.
- The Secretary of the Army, or his designee, is authorized and directed to include in future Project Partnership Agreements, retroactive reimbursement of local interests for work which is integral to the authorized Federal projects.
As federal funding for both design and construction of CAP beach projects has previously been provided through line-item appropriations that are not expected to be available in a timely fashion, and funding agreements can be delayed by the required federal process, this language would allow the local sponsor to undertake the work already Authorized with the anticipation of future reimbursement.
As property owners living directly on the beach south of the Jupiter Inlet, we have experienced significant delays of several years in our regularly scheduled infrastructure beach projects. Consequently we are at a critical stage in which beach renourishment is long overdue and the ocean is threatening our property.
Your assistance in including the language we suggest in the federal appropriations bills will allow us to effectively work with our local, county and state officials to complete these projects in a responsible and expeditious fashion.
Many thanks for your help.
_
__________________________
__________________________
_______Ocean Trail Way,_____
Jupiter, FL 33477
________________________________________________________
January 20, 2012
Senator Bill Nelson
716 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON DC 20510
Dear Senator Nelson,
I am writing to ask your assistance in maintaining critical infrastructure in your district that directly affects our property and enjoyment of the environment.
Palm Beach County depends on its beaches, not just for its name, but for the strength of its economy. It depends too, on State and Federal assistance to support its Shoreline Protection Program and its goal of restoring and maintaining the local beaches. The Palm Beach County, Florida Shore Protection Project was authorized in 1962 (87-874) as a reimbursable project. The Project is designed to provide hurricane and storm damage reduction, mitigate for inlet impacts, provide tourism infrastructure, and provide habitat and recreational benefits for your District, and the entire state of Florida.
Palm Beach County and State of Florida have made a long-term commitment to maintain the beaches as detailed in the General Design Memorandum and the Project Cooperation Agreements developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, but without line-item appropriations, reimbursement projects are no longer being funded at the Federal level.
In order to replace that critical funding mechanism as well as reduce the costs of these projects, we ask for your assistance in promoting directive language to be included in the next WRDA bill, or possibly into any Energy and Water appropriations bill you deem appropriate. The following language is offered as a suggestion:
· The Secretary of the Army is authorized and directed to maintain reimbursement of local sponsors as the highest priority in the Corp’s Annual Work Plan.
Reimbursement project funding, if included in the Plan, is presently afforded a low priority and therefore not maintained throughout the budget process.
· The Secretary of the Army is authorized and directed to develop Project Partnership Agreements that encompass work anticipated through the end of the Project’s Authorized Lifetime.
The present system of requiring decision documents (i.e. LRR, Section 934 report) for every phase of the project adds to the project costs and often delays project implementation.
- The Secretary of the Army, or his designee, is authorized and directed to include in future Project Partnership Agreements, retroactive reimbursement of local interests for work which is integral to the authorized Federal projects.
As federal funding for both design and construction of CAP beach projects has previously been provided through line-item appropriations that are not expected to be available in a timely fashion, and funding agreements can be delayed by the required federal process, this language would allow the local sponsor to undertake the work already Authorized with the anticipation of future reimbursement.
As property owners living directly on the beach south of the Jupiter Inlet, we have experienced significant delays of several years in our regularly scheduled infrastructure beach projects. Consequently we are at a critical stage in which beach renourishment is long overdue and the ocean is threatening our property.
Your assistance in including the language we suggest in the federal appropriations bills will allow us to effectively work with our local, county and state officials to complete these projects in a responsible and expeditious fashion.
Many thanks for your help.
__________________________
__________________________
_______Ocean Trail Way,_____
Jupiter, FL 33477
________________________________
|
