The beach in Orchid has officially been reopened today, Tuesday, February 11, 2020, following the successful completion of the post-Dorian dune repair project. We thank you for your patience during the repair effort and invite you to enjoy the beautiful shorefront at your leisure.
Revision posted on February 7:
At the Town Council meeting of February 5, Coastal Engineer Steve Boehning addressed various setbacks that have plagued the ongoing dune repair project. He shared that, prior to the commencement of the project, a destructive king tide event occurred and that this had been followed by a multi-day nor’easter during the first week of the repair, which together effectively lowered the beach berm by an additional 2 to 4 feet and eroded the dunes by a further 3 to 7 feet on average.
The Town Council voted to place an additional volume of sand on the dunes to maintain the integrity of the project under these new and unexpected circumstances. There is a new tentative beach reopening date of Tuesday, February 11, to allow the contractor time to place the necessary sand. Please continue to keep off the entirety of the beach in Orchid until it is officially reopened.
We appreciate your ongoing patience and invite you to reach out to Town Hall with any questions.
Revision posted on January 15:
The Town Council voted in September to repair the damaged dune system in Orchid shortly after the threat of Hurricane Dorian had finally passed. The emergency repair project aims to replace the sand that was lost across the length of the dune system in that slow-moving and impactful storm.
The contractor will start mobilizing for the project at Indian River County's Golden Sands Park, where sand will be delivered by trucks. That sand will then be brought down to Orchid, where it will be placed on the dunes to create a slope. The entirety of the beach in Orchid shall be closed until the end of the repair and may not be entered from any access point within the boundaries of Orchid during the closure period. This includes parts of the beach that may not yet be directly affected by the repair work or after work for the day has ended. The beach is effectively a construction site during the project. The contractor has indicated that work may continue through the weekends.
The beach in Orchid will be closed from Wednesday, January 22. The project is estimated to be completed at the end of the first week in February, with a tentative reopening date for the beach on Sunday, February 9, barring any unexpected delays.
The Town apologizes for any inconvenience during the project, but looks forward to providing residents with a safe and attractive shoreline once more. Feel free to reach out to Town Hall with any questions at all.
Original text posted on January 14:
The Town Council voted in September to repair the damaged dune system in Orchid shortly after the threat of Hurricane Dorian had finally passed. The emergency repair project aims to replace the sand that was lost across the length of the dune system in that slow-moving and impactful storm.
The contractor will start mobilizing for the project at Indian River County's Golden Sands Park, where sand will be delivered by trucks. That sand will then be brought down to Orchid, where it will be placed on the dunes to create a slope. The entirety of the beach in Orchid shall be closed until the end of the repair and may not be entered from any access point within the boundaries of Orchid during the closure period. This includes parts of the beach that may not yet be directly affected by the repair work or after work for the day has ended. The beach is effectively a construction site during the project. The contractor has indicated that work may continue through the weekends.
The beach in Orchid will be closed from Wednesday, January 15. The project is estimated to be completed at the end of the same month, with a tentative reopening date for the beach on Saturday, February 1, barring any unexpected delays.
The Town apologizes for any inconvenience during the project, but looks forward to providing residents with a safe and attractive shoreline once more. Feel free to reach out to Town Hall with any questions at all.