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It's Seaside Fiesta surf contest
time! We'll be at the foot of Flagler Ave. on June 19. and there's
still time to register. Please click on "Coming
Events" for more information. VERY IMPORTANT NEWS ALERT: As plans to extend the Ponce Inlet jetty progress, Surfari Club Co-Chair, Doug Feindt, wants everyone that loves surfing to get all the information. Many (all?) in the surfing community think the jetty extension is an extremely expensive bad idea. Following is an e-mail series. 1. Co-Chair Doug Feindt You must read today's newspaper regarding a meeting yesterday in Port Orange about the new plans for a jetty extension for our inlet. U.S. Rep Susanne Kosmas was there along with all the city, country, Corp of Engineers people to discuss future plans to extend the south jetty. Surfari Club member and long time surfer/resident, Mike Martin, was there to defend the surfers and our rights regarding this misconstrued government project. Mike & Kate Cumiskey were also there in support of the local surfing community. We as a club will discuss this at our next meeting and invite some city and county people to explain what is happening to our surf spot. Click here to see the Daytona News Journal article 2. E-mail from Bob Dees, June 5, 2010. I was interviewed today by Ch 13, on the beach. Told the reporter that extending the south jetty will totally destroy the best and most popular surf spot on the east coast. And, that the extension will not replace having to dredge. There's a helluva lot more surfers at The Inlet on a given day than boaters! Hope It makes a difference! Bobby Dees 3. E-mail from Mike Martin, June 5, 2010. Well done Bobby, Having attended Friday's meeting and also interviewed by the media, it is clear that there remains a large amount of public skepticism regarding this jetty extension project. The purpose of that meeting was for the Army Corps of Engineers to present a whittled-down budget for the project in hopes that Congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas could come up with Federal funds. This is because the cost must be split between the Feds and the County. Council Chairman Bruno says the County's share is in place, at least at this moment. County Manager Dineen and Joe Nolin of the Coastal Division were vehement in their priority for the project, going so far as to call it "the highest priority Federal project in the County". They took pains to paint the current channel as virtually a life-or-death hazard for area boaters. The majority of the meeting proceeded as a pep rally for all the parties in favor to try and work out the funding shortfall, as well as an extension of the project permit, which expires next year. Fortunately NSB Mayor Barringer brought up the fact that the local surfing community still has concerns about the wisdom of the project. This gave myself and Mike and Kate Cumisky an opportunity to speak. I said that we were not convinced that this costly project would produce a permanently safe boating channel, as it's proponents in the room were describing as an accepted fact. I said that we did feel very worried that it would have a negative affect on the Inlet surf break. To my actual surprise Mr. Dineen and Mr. Nolin, as well as Ms. Trulock, of the Army Corps became very defensive about the surfer's (my) opinion. Ms. Trulock suggested that some workshops could be scheduled to address any remaining public concerns about the project. Mr. Dineen and Mr. Nolin felt this was unnecessary. They were clearly miffed that surfers were still there to voice concerns about the impact on the surfing area since as Nolin said, "We dealt with this in 2005, and even straightened the angle of the jetty design to minimize the impact on the surf spot". Congresswoman Kosmas even asked me, "How can you be sure it might not make the surf better?" I said I can't be sure that wouldn't happen, but I was also not convinced that the Corps of Engineers could be sure that their project would stabilize the channel, since that was the same assurance they gave us 40 years ago. Methinks they dost protest too much. Two things became clear to me at that meeting: 1) This project is NOT a done deal, even though the County would like it to be. They don't have the matching Federal funds yet and their permit will run out before they can get them. 2) Even the Army Corps of Engineers realizes that a large and (potentially) vocal segment of the community remains unconvinced that the Army Corps of Engineers knows what they are doing. Congresswoman Kosmas lives on votes. As long as she thinks that the majority of Volusia County voters are also convinced that the extension of the south inlet jetty is the "Highest Federal priority on the County agenda" she will saddle her horse and, in her words. "Go back to Washington to get that money." The surfers who love the Inlet break, and/or have a vested interest in the waves there remaining undisturbed, are the only people in her Congressional District who think this project is not a good idea. Our time is now. Her e-mail address is: < www.kosmas.house.gov > Her Field Representative is: Lisa Hamilton < Lisa.Hamilton@mail.house.gov > Mike Surfers and Surfarians: Get involved before it's too late. Once nearly 15 million dollars has been invested, it will be to late to change direction no matter what the results are. |
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