Town manager requests sand input

The town of Longboat Key is urging its residents to tell commissioners what kind of sand they want for the town’s island-wide beach project, which will begin in November 2011.

Recognizing that the cost of the sand for the next beach project will be more than double the cost of the last project, Town Manager Bruce St. Denis wants residents to let the Town Commission know what kind of sand they want before the commission makes its final decision at its regular meeting at 7 p.m.. Monday, June 7.

Four of the seven Longboat Key commissioners tentatively gave the town manager direction to use finer, whiter sand for its beach.

But St. Denis points out in his memorandum to residents, which has been placed on www.longboatkey.org and is available for viewing here, that the finer, whiter sand will cost taxpayers approximately $40 million to $50 million. The town’s last beach project cost approximately $25 million.

A slightly larger and less white sand also being considered would cost 15% less. The town also has a chance to recover up to $5 million of its sand costs if it goes with the darker sand because the sand sits in an area where Port Dolphin LLC plans to place a natural gas pipeline in the Gulf. Port Dolphin has agreed to reimburse the town if it removes that sand by next year.

Mayor George Spoll, former commissioner Gene Jaleski and Commissioners Robert Siekmann and Lynn Larson supported the whiter sand at the May 20 regular workshop.

Vice Mayor Jim Brown and Commissioners David Brenner and Hal Lenobel did not support the whiter sand because they wanted more time to think about the two options and poll their constituents.

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].