By KIMBERLY ACEVEDO
We prepared a letter of intent on the condition of our review of the cooperation agreement, councilman Denis Kelly said. We were hoping within that agreement that we were going to see the details.
City officials were hoping, after signing a letter of intent in November, that project details would be included in the State Local Agreement, which is scheduled to be received within 2 to 3 weeks.
According to city council president Joel Crystal, Army Corps and state officials met with the new city manager, Harold Porr, last week to brief him on the project.
He was under the impression that they are going to mail us the final report as to what Long Beach was to expect from the Army Corps of Engineers on the engineering of our beaches within two weeks, Crystal said.
And most council members expected the same.
I was expecting that the project details were going to be in this Project Cooperation Agreement, councilman Scott Nigro said. I still want to see project details at some point before the ultimate approval is made.
Nigro said after the letter of intent was sent to the state, the Project Cooperation Agreement was expected to follow.
But during a Point Lookout Civic Association meeting with Army Corps and state officials last week, Rackoczy said that isn't the case.
When asked if the project details would be included in the State Local Agreement, Rackoczy said, Not in detail. It will have a reference to the reports in the documents prepared. Certainly it's not going to be a technical presentation.
And, USACE project manager Anthony Ciorra said I'm not sure. To be honest with you, our agreement doesn't. It probably doesn't.
Ciorra said since he hasn't seen the State Local Agreement, he wasn't sure and, in fact, he said he has never seen one.
Project details include installing a new dune 15 feet above sea level along the back of the beach across Long Beach, Lido and Point Lookout; a 110-foot-wide berm of sand will be added to 10 feet above sea level, refurbishing the beach with dredged sand; and Long Beach's 15 jetties will be refurbished with four new jetties added to the Eastern End of the island. The estimated 3-year construction project could begin as early as spring 2004 and would most likely start in Point Lookout, but all the construction details have not been completed, Rackoczy said.
City officials say they are anxious to see the project details in the Cooperation agreement, with the possibility that they may poll the public for their opinion, Crystal said.
Last October, the League of Women Voters held a meeting with Army Corps and state officials concerning the beach project. Still, Crystal felt that the entire community was not represented.
Meanwhile at the Point Lookout meeting, Rackoczy repeatedly stated that Long Beach is on board with the project, he also said that a resolution on the beach project by the Long Beach City Council was virtually put to sleep.
Not so, said several city council members.
In our letter of intent that was sent back to the state to proceed, We made it clear that we were awaiting the project cooperation agreement with the project details, Nigro said. At that point a resolution would be put on the agenda.
Putting pressure on the city council to move forward in the project, officials say, worries them. While no decision of the city's participation has been made, city officials say, without the details, no one is certain.
We are waiting for the project agreement and we're still seeking as much information as we can, Porr said.
