Letter to the Editor (Guilford Courier), Jacob's Beach Improvement Plan, Guilford

Regarding the Jacob's Beach Improvement Plan (the plan), I believe insufficient consideration has been paid to sections of the Connecticut General Statues, Chapter 444 (CGS) and the Town of Guilford Zoning Code, Chapter 273 (GZC) which provide guidance for development and development impacts in coastal access zones.

After attending Guilford Parks and Recreation Department (PRD) and Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) meetings since September 2012 regarding the plan, I have heard no cogent discussion regarding the long term impacts of changes contained within the plan: architect and landscape engineer Will Thompson and John Cunningham, who present the plan on behalf of the PRD, avoid giving detail on the long term impacts of the plan. In presentation of the plan, no member of the PRD has demonstrated credentials supporting education or certification in a coastal zone management or beach resource management specialization by an accredited agency or institution. Furthermore, the PRD seems to neglect the impacts a living-beach such as Jacob's Beach will have on aspects of the plan and the impacts the plan will have on a living-beach such as Jacob's Beach.

It is my opinion that some aspects of the plan will be substantially altered or damaged during a flooding event that may occur in a coastal velocity zone such as Jacob's Beach and has been demonstrated to occur during tropical storm Irene and hurricane Sandy. I believe that these aspects should be identified, studied further, and modified or eliminated.

In conclusion, it is my opinion that adherence to the CGS and GZC and consideration of the impacts the plan's changes may have over time to a living-beach such as Jacob's will lend decades of enjoyment for town residents.

Harland Christofferson

Guilford, CT

The following photos taken on Nov. 5, 2012, show the overturned and half-buried benches and playground structures at Jacob's Beach in Guilford. Access to the bathhouse is now impaired by sand. These pictures show that a great deal of sand was moved all the way to the parking lot side of the beach, affecting all structures and terrain farthest from the water. The height of the beach near the parking lot is now significantly raised. Resulting poor drainage in the parking lot has created a sea of mud. The pictures also show damage to fixed structures such as the kayak racks and the roof over the picnic table area. A small crew of about 3 with very limited equipment (including shovels!) was attempting to deal with the mammoth task of responding to the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. It would be prudent to avoid enhancements to the beach which could have a similar fate.

Jacob's Beach Post-Sandy

The following pics are of the border of the beach and parking lot where the boardwalk, artificial sand dunes, shade trees, and grassy area are planned. The area is inundated with sand from the storm surge (existing benches are gone or damaged). Bear in mind, Jacob's Beach is a coastal velocity zone and this is typical w/ storm damage. Also, Milford has a boardwalk along Silver Sands to Walnut beach that is now decimated due to storm damage.

Boardwalk in Milford post-Sandy

These photos are post-Sandy.

The Walnut Beach / Silver Sands Boardwalk sustained damage during Irene ... and is now decimated after Sandy ... and Sandy was classified as a Nor'easter officially after it made landfall.

Parks and Recreation has the budget to replace a $100K boardwalk annually?

Proposed Reduction of Sandy Beach Area

The following plan views depict the loss of sandy beach area due to the improvement plan:

Impacts of Sand Dunes, Dune Planting, and Trees on a beach

Part of the improvement plan is to install sand dunes and vegetation at the parking lot/beach boundary. The problem (and apparently no impact study was done) is that the vegetation will capture windblown sand and the dunes will grow over time. Then, these growing dunes will lift the sea winds off of the beach. This inhibits the beach's self-repair mechanism: the sand wont dry, the wet sand wont blow and the system is damaged.

http://www.seafriends.org.nz/oceano/beachdun.htm#effects

Trees on a beach also contribute to beach damage.

http://www.seafriends.org.nz/oceano/beachblo.htm

Jacobs Beach views from the road, and views for local residences will be blocked with current plan

We all want improvements to Jacobs Beach for the good of the local community.  I was very excited when I viewed the preliminary drawing of the plans in August, 2011.  What I didn't understand from the aerial view (which was not drawn to scale to the current plans, see below) is that the grassy area, the boardwalk, the trees and the shade structure will be placed on top of the current sand at the beach, making the beach smaller. 

I didn't understand the impact of the trees and shade structure from these skewed aerial views.  The shade structure will be 80 feet wide, with 20 foot tall poles and the shade will encompass 5,000 square feet of shade directly on the sandy beach.  The cost of this shade structure alone will be over $110,000. 

I didn't understand that the narrow strip with the boardwalk (which in the original plan  looked like the length of a parking space) would be 35 feet in width over the current sandy beach area, with trees aligning the area.  Why are we planting maple trees in sand?  This is not an indigenous tree for sandy areas.  Why are we trying to change our little 2 acre public beach, the only sandy public beach in Guilford into yet another grassy park, with beautiful views of the water blocked by trees?  People go to the beach for the sand and water, not for shade!
The planners point to Surf Club in Madison as a great beach with trees.  Madison Surf club is 45 acres and blocks the views of the golf course, only in the smallest of sections. 

We know that the primary issue with Jacobs Beach is the poor sand quality.   A sand thresher should be the primary purchase with this beach renovation.  The bathrooms should be updated.  Beautifying the parking lot with trees should not be a primary concern! 

I am all for improvements, but I am against turning the sandy beach and beautiful water vista into a grassy park.  We have one 2 acre parcel of sand for the entire town.  Let's not ruin it!
I took photos of other public beaches in the area, and none of them have trees blocking their beautiful vistas.  Please do your own research about the impact that this change is going to make.  You have until November 7th to send your thoughts, for or against, to Guilford Planning and Zoning.  Email  planning.zoning@ci.guilford.ct.us
Thank you,
Lisa Gugliotti, Guilford resident





Public Beach at Branford Point, Branford, CT

Public Beach in East Haven, CT



Original Plans for Jacobs Beach, August, 2011
Does the shade structure look to be 5,000 sq feet and 20 feet tall?
Does the boardwalk and grassy area look like it's going to be placed on the sand?
Does it look like it's going to be 35 feet wide?



Stony Creek Public Beach, Branford, CT

Jacobs Beach from Road,
Grass and Trees are being planned where the concrete benches now sit, 35 feet wide in some sections.  Vista will be impacted.

Parks and Recreation Meeting October 29th

The Guilford Parks and Recreation Department (PRD) is hosting a meeting with the community at the Community Center on October 29 at 5:00 pm. The PRD intends to review concerns raised at the October 10th Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) meeting. The PRD will discuss any design changes with the public at the October 29th meeting. The PZC will vote on the plan as presented by the PRD at their November 7th meeting.