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.