SJPBAC MEETING SET FOR FEBRUARY, UPDATE ON PROJECT

We hope all of you enjoyed a wonderful holiday season and are off to a prosperous and pleasant New Year!  Although you've not heard a lot from the SJPBAC in the last few months, the work on our beach restoration project continues, and we are still anticipating an on-time successful project start date this fall, approximately nine to ten months from now.  We've received several emails asking for a general update, so we'd like to just touch on some progress that has been made in recent months:

·        Our bonding process was completed as of December 28, 2006.  The funds are now in an interest-bearing account and available for the specific purposes outlined in the MSTU ordinances.

·        The ECL (Erosion Control Line) surveys have been completed and we are now in the process of developing drawings of the survey. The FDEP's process provides for two public meetings on the ECL, and it is anticipated those meetings will be scheduled for sometime in the next few months. We will send out notification prior to these public meetings.

·        Construction Easements continue to come in from gulf-front property owners to the TDC office.  We are at or above a 70% return rate, so thank you to all of you who have taken the time to return them!  If you haven't sent yours back, please take a moment to execute and return it now. Remeber all easements need two witnesses and must be notarized.

·        Our next SJPBAC meeting has been scheduled for Friday, February 16, 2007, at 1:00 EST at the Gulf County Administration Complex in the BOCC meeting room.  We will be having more regular meetings this spring, and we'll send out an E-blast once additional dates are set.

·        The necessary work on our beach access points has been budgeted and is scheduled to be accomplished in accordance with FDEP deadlines to maximize our State Matching Funds.

·        Members of the committee and our engineer, Michael Dombrowski, will be attending the Florida Beaches and Shores Preservation Association conference later this month.  Meetings have been scheduled during the conference with several of the dredging companies to begin discussing our project with them in anticipation of the bid process.

As important developments occur, we'll be sure to keep you updated via e-blast.  Additionally, the website is going to be updated and new information added in the months ahead.  If you have any questions, as always, please send them to info@savethecape.com or call 850.229.7800.

Thank you for your continued support of this project!  We can all be proud of how much we have accomplished as a community, and very soon our restored beach will become a reality.