tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-909873906945302299.post6482973911762182173..comments2023-06-04T08:20:57.435-04:00Comments on Port Reporter Unlimited: Newbury gets emergency certificationGillian Swarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16075628273664457571noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-909873906945302299.post-80149824394282348862010-03-22T00:26:20.298-04:002010-03-22T00:26:20.298-04:00It's not the rentals (of which there aren'...It's not the rentals (of which there aren't that many these days), it's the big old houses that have replaced the little cottages. In some cases, people bought a summer cottage, knocked it down, and built a big old year-round residence closer to the water (on the dune, of course). Newburyport has an, I think, 250-foot setback but Newbury does not. If I recall correctly, the cost-benefit ratio for the beach nourishment project as stated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was not that much on the side of "benefit."Gillian Swarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16075628273664457571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-909873906945302299.post-74802879792589568052010-03-22T00:16:02.116-04:002010-03-22T00:16:02.116-04:00Don't know who said the above, but I (kind of)...Don't know who said the above, but I (kind of) second it. In an ideal world? I lean more toward the Socialist end: seize those damn houses. Whose idiotic idea was it to build there anyway?!? I do not resent paying more in taxes for folks who don't have health insurance, but for saving houses that are erected in the very face of Mother Nature? Forget it. Is there truly a significant rental community on PI in the summertime, bringing in millions? 'cuz it would have to be millions.<br />http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/ns/nightly_news#35919637<br />http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/ns/nightly_news#35918805Sarah Swartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-909873906945302299.post-36607587964919148862010-03-20T20:03:07.956-04:002010-03-20T20:03:07.956-04:00Somehow, "shoveling sand against the tide&quo...Somehow, "shoveling sand against the tide" seems singularly appropriate when discussing the "stability" of a barrier beach.<br /><br />When God decides it is time to re-arrange the furniture....who is going to stop it?<br /><br />That aspect aside, the simplest solution I can come up with is this:<br /><br />1. Declare what stabilization methods (scraping the sand, filling those big coconut husk bags, riprap, or whatever) are permissible.<br /><br />2. Declare a concise amount of beach that a property owner can stabilize (on a line 15 feet to seaward of his foundation wall, for example)<br /><br />3. Make the permit process for undertaking stabilization simple and inexpensive ($15 or so for the permit). Make it easy for a home owner to obtain the necessary permit to authorize the necessary (pre-approved method of) stabilization.<br /><br />Generally I believe that you get what you get when you perch your home on a sand dune on a barrier island (Somewhere I believe that there is a biblical quote about building your house on sand, instead of rock...but I am too lazy to look it up)And I think you own the problem of beach erosion that might threaten your home...<br /><br />But I also believe that the town/state/federal government needs to make the allowable fix both well defined and readily available, with an absolute minimum amount of bureaucratic run around...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com