Beach nourishment at Pass-A-Grille Beach underway
PASS-A-GRILLE BEACH, Fla. - Pass-A-Grille Beach's latest beach re-nourishment project to protect against erosion started Monday.
The project will be completed in two parts and is expected to last through October. About 10 blocks of the beach will be shut down during each phase.
During the first phase, which started Monday, Pass-A-Grille Beach will be closed between First and Ninth Avenues. The fishing pier will also be closed. Work is expected to be completed in August. Then, that section of the beach will reopen and phase two will start, closing the beach between Ninth Avenue and 22nd Avenue until October.
Businesses, however, will remain open.
MORE INFO: Pass-a-Grille Beach renourishment project will lead to months of beach closures
The plan is to make the beach about 165 feet wide by dredging from the Grand Canal and Pass-A-Grille Inlet. It’s a $6 million project. The county is spending a little more than $4 million from its tourist tax fund on the project. The rest of the money comes from a federal grant.
The work will overlap with sea turtle nesting season, but officials say they're closely monitoring the beach for nests and will relocate any that are laid within the project area.
They also tell FOX 13 they're hoping to have a significant amount of work done before the peak of what's expected to be an above-average hurricane season.
"This project really has to happen now. It may be peak [beach] season, but it's also before the hurricane season. So, we need to try to get as much protection out here as we can prior to the next storm season. This is supposed to be a very active storm season. So, I think this is very well-timed," Dr. John Bishop, Pinellas County's Coastal Management Coordinator, said.
"Pass-A-Grille itself, the businesses here, the community really depends on this beach as a source of tourism, as a source of enjoyment, and a source of nesting ground for the turtles and shorebirds. So, I think it's vital that we put it back," Bishop said.
Amy Loughery has had a business on Eighth Avenue in Pass-a-Grille for 25 years. She has lived in the area for 50, and seen several beach renourishment projects.
Loughery said, despite the latest project closing parts of the beach, she doesn’t mind, and agrees with Bishop.
"I feel that it's a positive situation," she said. "We may lose just a little business on the short run, but I think this putting the sand on the beach for the tourists to enjoy is going to pay off in spades in the long run."
"It’s necessary. I mean, we're in the tourist business, you know, we have a beautiful beach, so it is necessary," she said. "I believe we'll just weather the storm like we always have," Loughery said.
That dredging is going to impact boaters, as well; they need to be aware of slow-moving dredging equipment within the area, use caution, and slow down to create minimum wake.
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