Many of our local businesses are on the verge of closing their doors for good. Those that hold on will depend heavily on the upcoming summer season. Sea wall or not, I can’t imagine that we will have a 2.2 mile boardwalk back up and running by summer. We need a plan. We need to be ready for a summer without a boardwalk. We need to make sure the beach remains an attraction regardless of whether or not there is a boardwalk and that our infrastructure supports businesses in all parts of town.

Mr. Kramer states “there would have been zero ocean damage if the city had approved the Army Corps plan in 2006.” I know he will disagree, but to me, this is opinion, not fact. Here is a fact: If we had approved the plan in 2006, it would have done nothing to prevent the tremendous damage along the bay caused by Tropical Storm Irene and Hurricane Sandy. The federal government is releasing funding for mitigation now, and yet we have no plan on the table for bayside protection. We need to work together with the other communities on the island to create a plan and solicit funding now.

We could spend the rest of our lives arguing back and forth about what would have happened if we had accepted the plan in 2006. It’s time to stop; it’s a waste of time. Every time we blame each other, we only further divide the community. Let’s move forward with the boardwalk, the beach, the bay, and the corps responsibly. It’s time to work together.

Kupferman is the president of the Long Beach Surfer’s Association