Margate Beach, Dune, Outfall Pipe & Boardwalk Update

Dan Klein Radio. WOND 1400am

It’s an excellent bet that one or more of the five planned outfalls are going to degrade the beach in such a way, that we’re going to need a boardwalk to provide not just better vertical access from the street ends, but also better lateral access along the shore. From beach to beach. Come Summer 2019 and beyond.

The outfalls will solve one problem: flooding on the back beach in a few areas and some street ends. But the outfalls also create an entirely different set of serious problems on the recreational beach.

There’s just NO free lunch down there.

It was inevitable when the Army started smashing apart our beach with it’s project, that everything was going to change and now with the outfalls. it’s going to change again.

The truth is, we face years of change ahead down there. A boardwalk, in my opinion, is eventually going to be one of those options that will offer us a vastly improved situation when the time comes. In the mean time though, we are going to go through a wrenching period of adjustment to our new beach reality.

Summer 2017 was sadly just an introduction to the changes that we’re now going through on our beach.

More than half of Margate didn’t experience the “new” beachscape last summer.

There were enjoying their last summer on the old, flat & wide white quartz sand beach. Not this year.

When the summer visitors return this Memorial Day, they’re going to be greeted with the “new” coarse grey sand and shell beach and two “new” storm drainage outfalls.

Quite a few people are in for a real shock. If things go as planned with the outfalls, by Summer 2019, the entire beach project will be complete. So even this summer, we still won’t be experiencing the full impact of the new beach design.

Margate: Commission & Boardwalk 2018

Recently, I’ve come to the conclusion that the present Commission is probably not going to simply put a “new” boardwalk up for a vote this year. We don’t seem to have the necessary two votes there to do it.

My guess is if we want a referendum now were going to have to get an actual paper petition going to get one. Even then, personally, my experience is we don’t want to go that route. Having a hostile or even neutral Commission is a serious problem. We might even win and find ourselves immediately facing a Commission that refuses to act on our victory. Been there, done that. It’s a rude awakening.

We need at least two solid YES votes on the Commission to really move forward on this project. Honestly, none of this is any surprise to me having already helped run three referendums in two communities around here. All of this was expected. Generally speaking, nothing good comes easily or quickly, especially in Margate. If the community wants a boardwalk (I believe they eventually will) those of us that want it are going to have to organize and fight for it.

GLENN KLOTZ