Emergency Dune Repair Start Date
On January 5 at 3 p.m. Indian River County held a pre-construction meeting at which the Town of Orchid was invited to participate for the purpose of setting a schedule for each agency's forthcoming emergency dune repair project. This coordination is necessary because the Town does not have access to its beach from Highway A1A within its own boundaries, but instead relies on an interlocal agreement with Indian River County to utilize Golden Sands Beach Park. This is one of five public beaches that Indian River County will be repairing following the impacts of Hurricanes Ian and Nicole in late 2022. The Town's project, to repair its own dune system, will be attended to in tandem with Indian River County's repair of Golden Sands Beach Park.
The anticipated schedule for the Town‘s emergency dune repair project has been determined as follows: Mobilization at Golden Sands Beach Park is to begin on Monday, January 9. From the very next day, on Tuesday, January 10, Guettler Brothers Construction, LLC will be bringing sand onto the beach in Orchid. The construction team will work from the south of Orchid northward. The entirety of the Town's project is expected to be complete by the end of January. The contractor, which has also been selected by Indian River County for repair of its five beach parks, is motivated to do the work expeditiously and will explore opportunities to shorten the necessary timeframe, such as working on Saturdays.
The beach will be closed during the project to the extent that the contractor finds necessary to ensure public safety. Please heed the contractor's signage and instructions throughout the project. The contractor plans to allow access to repaired portions of the beach as the project progresses from south to north, as is determined to be safe.
It is acknowledged that longer notice in regard to the project's scheduling would have been preferable to provide residents with more time to adjust plans as may be needed. However, the start date could not have been known sooner in advance, due to the aforementioned coordination with Indian River County pertaining to granting the Town access. The good news is that with the Town's project at the top of the contractor's priorities, the project is much less at risk of being affected by sea turtle nesting season. From March 1, no equipment or repair activity is permitted on the beach because of the conservation efforts pertaining to these endangered marine creatures and their nesting territory. This means that dune repair projects always coincide with "season" for our residents. Additionally, the timing also coincides with the timeframe during which Nor'easter storms are prevalent - it is the Town's hope that such storm activity does not negatively impact the success or timing of this project.
Your patience is appreciated as the Town endeavors to shore up the fragile dune system within its boundaries in its efforts to support this protective barrier for the benefit of the safety of our community.
