SANDWICH – Sandwich has received the final permit needed from the Army Corps of Engineers to start the Town Neck Beach re-nourishment project.
The project calls for 150,000 cubic yards of sand dredged from the canal to be placed on the beach on town owned property.
Sandwich Department of Natural Resources Director Mark Galkowski says the dredging is expected to start the first week of December.
“This project will be huge,” Galkowski said. “I know people are very excited about it in town but I don’t think they understand how much material we are talking about. The permitted project will be one of the biggest beach restoration projects in the country.”
The town will receive some help paying for the project and is expected to receive a $1 million grant from the state today.
Voters approved $1.2 million in Community Preservation Funds for the project last month.
“[The grant] money will help us offset any costs overruns,” Galkowski said. “Barring any overruns, it will also help us offset some of that CPA money that was voted, and we’ll be able to refund CPA once the project is complete and the bills are paid.”
The project seemed to have stalled when private property owners along the beach refused to grant the Army Corps of Engineers permanent easements over their land earlier this summer.
The Army Corps said for the project to move forward the easements were necessary.
Town officials continued to discuss a solution to get the sand after the deadline for the permanent easements had passed.
Galkowski said he expects the bids for the work to be submitted in about a month.
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