Latest Updates.......05/06/09

Our (Sand) Tax Dollars at Work!! (PHOTOS)

The sand pumping is finished, the beach is done!!!!!

Symbolic fencing has been installed on the ocean side of the snow fence to provide nesting areas for the piping plover.
This will remain in place until the end of June.
Please keep all dogs leashed and out of the area, and stay out yourselves.
NOTE: Please no KITE FLYING until the 'symbolic fence' is down. Our feathered friends are unduly sensitive to kites, as they perceive them to be predators.....

for further information, click here....

 

RE: 05-06-09 FI Renourishment Update

The weather appears to be favorable next week on Monday and Tuesday for Weeks Marine Inc to move their equipment off the beach, and the contractor is planning accordingly. With favorable waves and winds, the contractor will move the submerged line from Ocean Beach and his pipeline and other equipment from Seaview beach.

Steve Keehn, PE
Coastal Planning & Engineering Inc.

As of 04/29/09

The following is an update of the FI nourishment project following events over the weekend:

1. On Friday, WMI planned to relocate the subline to shorten the pump distance, to decrease pumping pressures and increase efficiency. However, during the move, a connection in the line broke, necessitating repair of an 800-foot section of subline over the weekend. WMI halted dredging on Friday 4/24 at 9am to begin the subline move, and dredging did not commence until 2pm on Sunday 4/26. To mitigate for the loss of time, WMI is keeping both dredges (RN Weeks and BE Lindholm) on site working until midnight 4/29. The RN Weeks was originally scheduled to leave on 4/26.
2. Construction is moving swiftly with the shortened pipe. The weather report looks good through Wednesday, so there should be no further delays.
3. Dune fence installation was completed in Ocean Bay Park and Seaview over the weekend. Ocean Beach dune fence in over half done, with the remainder scheduled for installation within the next few days, prior to equipment removal and installation of symbolic fencing.
4. Symbolic fencing was installed from the eastern border in Ocean Bay Park west to Ivy Ave in Seaview. Just west of Ivy Ave, WMI has pipe stored for demobilization (see below). AHW in this section was 102-183’ from toe of dune; symbolic fencing was installed 69-101’ from toe of dune.
5. WMI is still finalizing demobilization plans and location. Installation of the remainder of symbolic fencing in CFI will proceed according to the following draft plans:
a. If demobilization occurs in Seaview (near Gale Ave), symbolic fencing will be installed at the western border of FI Summer Club and proceed east as far as possible, once construction is complete and equipment is removed from the area.
b. If demobilization occurs in Ocean Beach (between the groins), symbolic fence installation will continue west from Ivy Ave as far as possible, as soon as equipment is removed. Fence would also be installed at the western border of FISC and proceed east as far as possible as soon as equipment is removed from the area.

As of 04/26/09

From: Steve Keehn [mailto:Skeehn@coastalplanning.net]
Sent: Sunday, April 26, 2009 9:06 PM

Subject: RE: FI Renourishment Update

Dredge and fill operations re-started at 2 pm today, once the sub-line was repaired by the bull gang. Both dredges are working, and Weeks Marine will keep them here until midnight on April 29. Fill operations are going on between the Ocean Beach jetties, with the upper and lower discharges at each jetty. Dunes have been pushed up thru most of Corneille Estates and Summer Club.

Steve Keehn, PE

Coastal Planning & Engineering Inc.

561-441-5499

as of 04/15/09

Pumping operations finished to the east in Ocean Bay Park yesterday evening. Beach fill operations are currently in Seaview and extend from Fairway Avenue to Crescent Avenue. The RN Weeks left early this morning for repairs. The BE Lindholm stopped pumping around noon due to rough seas and will return once the seas calm.
Nicole Sharp
Coastal Planning & Engineering
631-387-7320

as of 04/01/09

Driving on the beach is now closed (with exception to emergency vehicles) between Ocean Beach and Ocean Bay Park. Please plan accordingly. The cut in Ocean Bay Park is closed as well. We will reopen the Ocean Bay Park cut when the far eastern section is complete, with a bit of luck within a week.

Pumping has begun in central Fire Island. The R.N. Weeks pumped one load (2,300 cy bin volume) before midnight last night and has been pumping ever since. There are two sub lines, the central line is between Fairway and Gate Avenues in Seaview and the east line is at Oneida Street in Ocean Bay Park. Pumping will occur to the east of the central line until the eastern half is finished. The east line is waiting for the mono buoy to be installed, which will happen during the next favorable weather window. The B.E. Lindholm is currently having multiple turbos on the generator that drives the pumps replaced. Weeks expects the Lindholm to be working shortly to enable double pumping of the central reach with two sub lines. The eastern and central sub line will work towards each other to finish the eastern half as soon as possible.

___________________________

Quin Robertson, Ph.D.

Coastal Planning & Engineering

(631) 387-7320

cpeny@coastalplanning.net

Note on change of schedule and order of Beach Project dredging activity: The original plan for the FI Renourishment project was to complete the dredging at the Western communities ( Fair Harbor, Saltaire and Lonelyville), and then move to Fire Island Pines. After the Pines work, the dredges were to move back to complete the "Central Reach" ( Ocean Beach, Corneille and Summer Club, Seaview and Ocean Bay Park). The dredging at Davis Park would be the final segment of the project.
The permits for the project stipulated that all three sections of the Island ( West, Central and East) had to be completed by March 30, 2009. This cut-off date was established to protect the Piping Plover nesting habitat, especially on the Eastern End of the Island.
Because of delays caused by weather and equipment problems, it became clear by the end of January that the full project could not be completed by March 30th. After consultation with the permitting agencies involved, the communities requested and received an extension for the dredging until April 25th, 2009.

Because there is no record of Piping Plover nesting activity on the beaches of the Central Reach, it was decided to reverse the project order and finish the work at Davis Park by the March 30th deadline. The dredges will now move back to renourish the beaches in the center of the Island, where there is no risk of disturbing Plover habitat.

NOTICE!!.......As of 5 AM March 29th 2009, dredging in Fire Island Pines and Davis Park has stopped due to weather. The weather is expected to last through tomorrow night which takes us past the stop dredge date for both reaches, thus dredging for Fire Island Pines and Davis Park is finished. Weeks & Co. will be dressing both beaches today to complete the sand placement process.

Weeks will be moving all equipment from the eastern reaches to the central reach over the next three days to comply with permit requirements.

Transport of the Davis Park sub line to the central reach will occur during the next favorable weather window, and pumping will resume immediately following sub line installation.

___________________________

Quin Robertson, Ph.D.

Coastal Planning & Engineering

(631) 387-7320

cpeny@coastalplanning.net

Previous info:
Here is the update (1/27/09) on the Beach

Weeks Marine, Inc (WMI) began pumping sand onto the beach this morning at 11:35 AM near the Fair Harbor/Saltaire border (see attached photo). The first load of sand placed approximately 2500 cubic yards onto the beach. Pumping will now continue 24 hours a day, seven days a week, unless shut down due to unfavorable weather conditions. The beach is now closed, except for emergency vehicles, in between the Kismet Cut and the Town of Islip Beach. Please use the interior road detour while in the western communities.

Coastal Planning & Engineering

update (1/16/09) on the Beach Project

….. (click on image on left for larger image)

It looks like the delays in moving the equipment up the east coast will end this weekend!

Two crane barges including submerged pipe line departed 1-16-09 (today) from Manasquan Inlet and should arrive around first light tomorrow morning. 3 tug boats should be accompanying them. The tow has both the pipeline and the barges (anchor/derrick) for taking apart the tow. Once the pipeline tow is in the Inlet, WMI will anchor it, and the following day start to shake apart and get ready to put on tanks, take
out blanks, ready for mobilization offshore.

In Weeks Marine’s (WMI) Jersey City yard is the project crane barge (WMI566) and a
spud deck barge. By Monday WMI will have 4 dozers, one rubber tired loader, one
dump shack, misc elbow’s/supplies to load on the two barges. The equipment is waiting
to be barge loaded and floated to Fire Island sometime next week. The dozers and other
heavy equipment will be offloaded directly to Fire Island, and move down the beach to
the first construction reach (Western Fire Island)

There is 4,200 feet of pipeline already stock piled at Fire Island.
The physical pre-construction survey is complete, and the data is being reduced. The
initial update of the plans for the Western community have been completed.
The work boats and hopper dredges are in Long Branch NJ, and will move to start
dredging as soon as the submerged line is set offshore of western Fair Harbor,
approximate 500 feet from Saltaire.

Start of dredging is a 7-10 days in the future, subject to weather conditions. There will
be a detour around the beach for Saltaire, Fair Harbor, Dunewood and Lonelyville
starting shortly before construction begins – near the end of next week.
A construction announcement will go out to announce the detour.

Contact info

Dredging for the 2008-2009 Fire Island Beach Renourishment project is predicted to start as early as Saturday evening, or more likely sometime on Sunday, January 25, 2009, weather allowing. Construction will start in Fair Harbor, and move west initially. During the first day or two of pumping, the beach will be open to traffic. Once a substantial amount of sand is placed upon the beach, traffic must be detoured around the construction area, except for emergency vehicles. Traffic will be detoured to the inland road between Kismet Cut and the Town of Islip Beach cut to the east of Lonelyville. A detour sign will be placed at the Kismet cut.

The construction project is scheduled to last a couple months, and detours and beach closures should be anticipated during that time. The order of work is as follows, and beach closures will occur in the following order: Western Fire Island Communities (Saltaire to Lonelyville), Fire Island Pines, Central Fire Island Communities (Cornelle Estates & Summer Club to Ocean Bay Park), and Davis Park. This notice is accompanied by a figure illustrating the four reaches for the project.

Coastal Planning & Engineering Inc will have a field representative (N. Sharp or Q. Robertson) on site during construction and can be reached locally at 631-387-7320 or at their main office 561-391-8102.

Alternating Points of contact for the dredger (Weeks Marine Inc.) are as follows:

Dean Robinson: 985-705-2970 for the next two weeks

Mike Ward: 985-237-5037

Weeks Marine can also be reached at their office in Bayshore at the following number: 631-328-5821

If you would like to be informed of daily updates, please email cpeny@coastalplanning.net to be placed on the distribution list.