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Business & Tech

Businesses, Residents To Battle Erosion 'Emergency'

Coastal storms continue to threaten Matunuck Beach, prompting efforts to restore the land and protect local businesses.

Although spared a direct hit this summer from Hurricane Irene and her sister Katia, local beaches, public and private waterfront properties continue to suffer from increased coastal erosion.

Of particular concern and at critical stage is one area of Matunuck Beach Road encompassing about 675 feet of beach headland. Seemingly small, the strip hosts several local businesses, private homes and crucial road infrastructure.

One such business — , a favored beach bar and restaurant frequented by locals, university students and tourists — is at risk due to several decades of persistent erosion.

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“It’s not like other areas of the state,” explained Kevin Finnegan, owner of the Ocean Mist. “Matunuck is unique in the number of businesses and homes, how close one house is to another and the beach.”

Sitting on a waning piece of property, its deck frequently surrounded by tidal waters to the south, “the Mist” is at the center of attention in an on-going search for a permanent and viable property protection solution.

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Hurricanes, Nor’easters and coastal storms have eroded the property to the South, facing the Atlantic, as well as the adjacent lot to the West, threatening both buildings and road infrastructure.

“It’s not just hurricanes anymore,” said Finnegan, who also calls Matunuck home. “It’s every day, now — every storm.”

Just a month after Hurricane Irene threatened to sweep his business into the ocean, Finnegan made it clear that he is not alone in his quest to keep the ocean at bay.  “It’s not just the Ocean Mist. There’s a community here – homes, businesses and families. If the businesses go, people will lose jobs.”

Next door to the Ocean Mist on the East stands , also known as “the Joyce.” A traditional Irish Pub, Tara’s is also a Matunuck staple standing strong against the tide. Providing all who come with a cold pint and traditional Irish Fare, the pub has been in existence for more than 70 years.

Co-owner Francis O’Brien has appeared at several meetings with the Town and Coastal Resources Management Council in an effort to find a permanent solution to the erosion issue affording private owners the ability to protect their properties.

The two businesses alone employ more than 50 people. If you calculate the number of bands, musicians and entertainers booked at the two venues weekly, that number grows into the hundreds.

The erosion issue is not new to the business owners and residents along the shoreline, as the tug of war between environmental, community and resident concerns has been a topic of discussion for over 15 years.

“This isn’t new material,” said Finnegan. “The town needs to protect the road. We need to protect our property. This is a community. We live here and the people need their jobs to live.”

The last year has brought movement on the issue, as public meetings and dialogue began in earnest in February due to CRMC violations issued to private property owners in April of 2010. Several owners, Finnegan included, had erected temporary protective structures in response to severe winter storms, that damaged several properties.

A resolution filed by the Town Council in opposition to the violations brought the issue to light again, and over a course of eight months, the CRMC and the town have made headway, with CRMC making recommendations for both private property owners and the town.

The town of South Kingstown filed an application in September to move utility poles in the area in question to the north side of the road. The application was approved and National Grid has issued a work order for the project. An additional application, construction of a sheet pile wall within the town's right of way, adjacent to the Ocean Mist property to the west, has not received CRMC approval.

Finnegan and O’Brien, in response to CRMC recommendations, hired marine construction specialists Narragansett Dock Works, Inc. The company, located in Narragansett and familiar with Rhode Island coastal regulations designed a combination sheet pile and rip rap [stone] structure, with the primary purpose of protecting the properties from the ocean on the south.

The proposed structure affords further protection against an ocean breach of Matunuck Beach Road, lending support to the efforts of the town to preserve the road and emergency services access to the more than 500 homes.

Requests for Preliminary Determination based on the design were filed with CRMC in April. A subsequent staff determination report from CRMC notes that due to the nature of the project, the applicants will need to apply for a special exception. The requirement is based on the premise that protective structural changes to the coastline of Type 1 waters, the tidal waters in which the properties now lie, does not specifically apply to private property.

According to Finnegan, applications will be filed within the next few weeks. "The residents and business owners along the strip want to resolve the issues - work with CRMC and the town," Finnegan said. "It's 675 feet of shoreline with manmade structures on either side. It's 675 feet that generates a lot of tourism and tax revenue. Without [it], there will be a breach."

"Here we are in an emergency situation," said state Sen. Susan Sosnowski, a former member of CRMC, during a public hearing in May. "No question about it, the town knows it, the governor knows it, the Legislature knows it and CRMC knows it. I'm hoping it won't, but maybe it will take an executive order by the governor to direct CRMC to [move forward]."

As of this writing, applications had not been received on behalf of the businesses or private residences.

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