|
The Board of Friends of Green Hill Pond (FGHP)
hopes that everyone is well and staying safe in this trying
time. We thought you might appreciate a little good news
on another front.
On April 8th, the University of Rhode Island (URI)
and FGHP submitted a pre-proposal to the National Coastal
Resilience Fund (NCRF). Our proposal would develop
detailed designs to restore highly vulnerable dunes along a
1,400-foot undeveloped section of Green Hill Beach using sand
dredged from a shoaled area of Green Hill Pond. A
simplified aerial view of this project is included in this
email. From a URI study in 2018, we know that removing the
shoaling at the sole inlet to Green Hill Pond will modestly
increase tidal flushing. So, this project is important because
it will both improve water quality and better protect our
community from storm surge. We are seeking $125,000 in
grant money to conduct the design phase. URI will be
contributing $74,000 worth of services by its professors to
lead the design work. FGHP has pledged $4,900 in matching
funds towards this project and will be leading the community
outreach.
Submitting this pre-proposal is an important step
but only one step in a lengthy process. We should hear by
late May whether we will be invited to submit a full proposal
by late June. Again, this is the design
phase. The next phase will be applying for permits and
conducting the actual construction. Like similar
projects elsewhere, the construction phase will require
landowner consents, Town leadership in applying for permits,
applying for and receiving additional grant money, and CRMC
leadership on the construction. We are taking this
one step at a time.
This project is one of several that we are
pursuing to preserve and protect Green Hill Pond. We will
provide further updates on this and other projects when there
are significant milestones to report. Thank you
again for your support! Stay safe everyone.
Dennis Bowman
President
Friends of Green Hill Pond
Isodjb12@gmail.com
|
