STONE HARBOR – Stone Harbor Council, at its Aug. 15 meeting, debated how the borough would handle the beach feasibility report submitted by coastal consultant Douglas Gaffney, of Mott MacDonald.
Councilwoman Robin Casper said the governing body’s Natural Resources (NR) Committee planned a meeting on the report, which was scheduled for Aug. 21. She said the committee would discuss the findings and come back to the full council with recommendations for next steps at the council’s first meeting in September.
The three members of the standing committee on Administration and Finance (A&F) raised concerns, with Councilwoman Jennifer Gensemer, A&F chair, saying she did not consider the report complete and final.
Councilman Frank Dallahan, A&F member, said he felt the discussion should involve the whole council, which would, if acted upon, require an open public meeting. Councilman Reese Moore, A&F member, expressed concern about how the report would be reviewed since many of its recommendations went beyond the expertise of members of the governing body.
Councilwoman Bunny Parzych, a member of Casper’s NR Committee, defended the normal process used by council of having the first review done by the appropriate standing committee. Recommended actions from the committee may include a need for more professional assistance in interpreting and evaluating the report findings.
The development of the feasibility report also involved the creation of a numerical model, but the model was not mentioned in the council discussion.
The agenda item ended with agreement that the NR Committee would proceed with its Monday meeting. The report’s findings and the committee’s recommendations will be before the full council as a discussion item in September.
Contact the author, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.
