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Mostly Cloudy Kaminsky urges dredging in Jones Inlet after fatal boating accident near Point Lookout
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State Sen. Todd Kaminsky is urging the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to start dredging in the Jones Inlet and look at other safety measures to better ensure the safety of boaters this summer.
Kaminsky’s action comes a week after 54-year-old, John Costa, was killed after his boat overturned in rough waters in Jones Beach Inlet, off Point Lookout. Another passenger on the water vessel, Joseph Sparacio, remains missing and two other passengers were rescued by the U.S Coast Guard.
In a letter to Lt. Gen. Todd T. Semonite from the Army Corps of Engineers, Kaminsky stressed, “the near impossibility to navigate the inlet under certain weather conditions.”
"As we approach the summer season, more boaters will be forced to run this gauntlet, and, I fear, subject to the same harrowing and life-threatening conditions," Kaminsky wrote. "It is imperative that we assist boaters in navigating this highly trafficked federal channel in order to prevent future tragic events.
The letter added that the Army Corps has maintained dredged in 6-year intervals, removing 700,000 cubic yards of sand in January 2008 and 665,000 in 2014. Kaminsky said, “the inlet is overdue for dredging.”
James Bernstein contributed to this story
