Hurricane Sandy , Camp Ellis, Ferry Beach –Our Future
Having grown up in Ferry Beach-Saco, I can’t help but think
back to all the storms and erosion I have seen in my lifetime. If you travel to the breakwater in Camp Ellis
and arrive at low tide, you will still see piping inside the small arm that was
built off the main breakwater. Some of
that piping belonged to my grandparent’s home.
Today at high tide it is more than 10 feet deep at that spot. That is a historical accounting to help you
realize how much erosion has taken place in the last 50 years.
The City of Saco has painstakingly repaired roads, removed
debris, sandbagged and barricaded for years.
Surf Street that travels along the beach through Ferry Beach was a
popular road used to catch a beautiful view of Saco Bay. Now it is walkable at best and “Sandy” did
her best to do damage once more.
The point for bringing this issue up is that we need to
enter into a serious discussion. What
are we going to do to minimize future damage while at the same time, capitalize
on encouraging visitors to come to our beaches-especially Camp Ellis and Ferry
Beach? For many years, the Army Corps of
Engineers have studied and studied and studied the erosion problem. They have built scale models and can show how
the wave action impacts the coast. The
latest conclusion is to build a rock structure that runs parallel to the
beach. In theory, this structure would
slow down the wave velocity before it hit the shoreline and create a water flow
that would swirl the sand in behind the structure and replenish the beach. Of course, this comes with costs such as
building the structure, which may be absorbed by the Army Corps via Federal
funding and long term costs of maintenance that would fall on the City. Other costs
could include buying up some property in order to create a barrier between the
ocean and the taxable properties. I know I am barely scratching the surface of
this complex issue but I think you see the picture.
The City has received a report from Charles Lawton of
Planning Decisions that makes three suggestions. Greatly paraphrasing, the
three solutions are: do nothing, do something or accept the Army corps
suggestions. Here is a link to the
report so you can read it: http://www.sacomaine.org/archives/campellisfiles/camp_ellis_fiscal_impact_analysis.pdf
For this article, let’s chose to do what the Army Corps
suggested. Let’s get the breakwater built,
let’s add dredging the river and replenishing the sand so we get a head start
on rebuilding the beach and let’s get public works down on the beach picking up
rocks and debris, rebuilding rock walls and making Surf Street safe for
pedestrians.
Here is where the Chamber plays a role. Soon, the Chamber, the two cities, Saco
Spirit, Heart of Biddeford and Biddeford Saco Area Economic Development
Corporation will be unveiling and implementing a new regional brand. Better stated- a new positive community image
that will be used to promote economic development as well as renewed community
pride. This brand will be used by the
Chamber as we develop new marketing materials to encourage visitors to come to
our beautiful region. We will capitalize
on our participation in Maine Beaches Association and get our materials in
front of over 100,000 individuals attending 8 tourism trade shows between
Montreal Canada and Philadelphia. We can
work with the City of Saco to create incentives for start up businesses –even
if they are seasonal. The Chamber can
invest in kiosks around town and at the Camp Ellis Pier that will have maps and
brochures identifying businesses and beautiful sights. We can promote the Eastern Trail and
encourage people to bike and walk to the beach to ease some traffic
burden. We can promote Biddeford-Saco on
the trains and buses. The cities will also be launching a wayfinding project
with unique signage connecting the cities and promoting great places, like our
beaches, to visit. The Chamber will
encourage people to visit Ferry Beach State Park and enjoy one of the most
unique State Parks in Maine-one where you can walk wooded trails on one side of
the street and then walk safely through a tunnel under Seaside Ave. onto a
beautiful relaxing beach.
I think you see my point.
By taking a positive approach and recognizing that all our businesses
need customers and investing in one of our greatest assets- beaches. We can
encourage growth and prosperity in Biddeford-Saco. We can increase business
which will help spread out tax revenues across a larger population. This action is long over-due. We cannot sit back and watch such a
productive and beautiful area wash away.
Let’s find a path to accomplish this goal.
Best,
Craig A. Pendleton
