By Jim Melican, GSAC Board Member
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Update August 21, 2023
Since our last report in April a great deal of progress has been made in repairing the beach walk which extends from Horizon House to Le Parc along the Park Shore waterfront. The concrete path has now been fully restored along the full length of the walk. To the west (the Gulf side) of the walk Collier County has constructed a three-foot sand berm in the beach area to provide some protection from high tide waters. The County’s plan is to plant native vegetation on the beach sand berm just prior to the start of the 2024 rainy season.
In the section to the north of the Park Shore Association (PSA) Beach Park, the three beach commons associations in that area have themselves constructed a 13-foot berm that extends all the way north to the public beach access point at Seagate Drive. This entire area, extending from the Regent to Le Parc, has been newly planted with native vegetation. A permit has been issued to permit temporary irrigation of these plants.
Currently, the only benches remaining along the beach walk are in the PSA park. However, at least some of the five beach commons associations have initiated plans to replace the benches that were previously there once the brick paver foundations have been restored or reconstructed.
The signage that formerly existed along the beach walk limiting its usage, all of which was washed away by Hurricane Ian, is being reconstituted, and new signage will be erected within the next several weeks.
Perhaps the most difficult part of the reconstruction has involved the bollard lights, nearly all of which were destroyed by Hurricane Ian. Both City and State permits were required, and there were restrictions on new lighting due to the sea turtle nesting sites. A permit from the City has recently been granted and action from the state DEP is expected in the near future.
Many thanks are due to the five beach commons associations for the many hours spent on this reconstruction project and for their collaborative efforts to restore what many residents regard as a very valuable amenity in our community.
Update April 21, 2023
Since the last update in our February newsletter regarding the Park Shore Beach Walk, there has been a great deal of progress made.
The concrete walkway at the southern end of Park Shore, between Horizon House and Lutgert park has now been fully repaired, and the planting and sodding of the interior areas will follow soon. Further north, the permits were recently approved for the three beach commons areas running from the Regent to Le Parc.
The concrete footer trenching is underway and the pouring of the concrete should commence next week. Once that is completed, the full length of the beach promenade will be restored, much to the joy of those who walked it daily. The 13.5-foot sand dune that was constructed in the northern segment will be planted with vegetation to help protect it from erosion and the plan is to construct dune overpasses to facilitate beach access.
The one remaining issue concerns the replacement of the bollard lighting. The City permitting authorities are still considering designs that will be turtle-friendly.
Update February 16, 2023
GSAC is continuing to follow the huge project of rebuilding the beach walk/promenade and dunes, and replacing the lighting and landscaping on the five beach commons that span from Le Parc to Horizon House. Incredible progress has been made and each of the Commons’ boards deserve our thanks for their hard work.
Starting at the north, Commons W, V and T & U had the biggest challenge. Rebuilding of the roughly 13-foot storm dune is essentially complete. Nearly $1 million of pristine sand was trucked in from a DEP approved mine in Immokalee and distributed to bring the dune back to its original design from the 1970s.
The top of the dune has been compacted and hardened in preparation for rebuilding the beach walk. Concrete specs have been finalized and bids received. The plan is to begin construction immediately upon receipt of the required permits.
Permit applications and plans have been filed with the City of Naples and Florida DEP. In addition to the concrete work the plans include new turtle friendly lighting bollards, a palate of plants that will be installed to protect the new dune from erosion, and new dune overpasses to replace those that were destroyed by Ian.
Moving south to Commons S and R, there was less damage to the beach walk itself, though there too the dune vegetation, bollard lighting and interior landscaping were destroyed. Commons S, which begins at the south end of Lutgert Park at La Mer, is waiting for a permit from the City which would include the sidewalk, lighting and landscaping. Commons S has approximately 1050 square feet of sidewalk to replace. Commons R has obtained the necessary permit to pour its 400-foot portion of the beach walk in front of Surfsedge and that is expected to be completed in one or two weeks. Horizon House has framed its 175-foot section, and pouring is expected by the end of this week.
Obviously, there is much work left to do. But all of the five beach commons associations are working diligently to return this wonderful asset to its pre-Ian beauty as quickly as possible.
Update January 18, 2023
The overall project is moving along at a good pace considering the amount of planning and work involved. We are approaching completion of the restored dune (berm). Nearly 17,000 tons of new sand from a DEP-approved mine in Immokalee has been installed to date. The top of the perm is being compacted in preparation for installation of the concrete beach walk.
Construction plans for the beach walk, plantings, and lighting have been developed and submitted to the appropriate authorities for approval… hopefully approval will be soon.
The next phase will include staking out the beach walk with construction to follow. The beach walk rebuild is projected to be completed early summer of this year.
Original article posted December 15, 2022
As most of us know, the Park Shore promenade (beachwalk or boardwalk, as some people call it) and adjacent landscaping which ran along the shoreline from Horizon House to LeParc was very badly damaged by Hurricane Ian. Recovery began almost immediately, and the work accomplished to date has been impressive. Thousands of tons of sand have been moved and relocated.
We have received a number of questions from residents as to when reconstruction will be completed and by whom. Some had the impression that GSAC has an ownership interest in the promenade, which is not correct. The property is owned by the five beach commons associations which were originally established by the Lutgert organization in 1972 when it was developing Park Shore. Each is governed by its own board of directors, with the individual board members being appointed by the condominium properties which comprise that commons association.
Shortly after the Hurricane passed through, Dave Feight, GSAC’s president, arranged a meeting with the leadership of the five independent commons associations to help coordinate and encourage cooperation on the cleanup and reconstruction efforts.
The City of Naples had put in place an emergency order which permitted the initial cleanup to proceed very expeditiously. Kavalo, an experienced earth moving contractor, was engaged by the three commons associations north of Lutgert Park which had sustained the most damage. They have been working for the last month in removing and carting away the concrete sidewalk, as well as in rebuilding the 13.5 foot storm dune and berm in preparation for construction of a new beachwalk.
Because the property is within the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Coastal Construction Control Line, permits are needed before replacement or repair of the walkway, landscaping and lighting can proceed. All five beach commons associations have now retained a very knowledgeable and experienced coastal engineer, Brett Moore of Humiston & Moore, to assist in obtaining the necessary permits for the next phase of the process from the City of Naples Natural Resources Department and the Florida DEP. In addition, where needed, other experts with long experience on shoreline projects are being consulted, including a civil engineering firm, Agnoli, Barber & Brundage, and a landscape architect, Architectural Land Design, to prepare the specifications and drawings required to obtain the permits and proceed with the restoration.
So, while much progress has been made since September 28, there is a great deal of work that remains to be done to return the beachwalk and surrounding area to its former beauty. Although it will regrettably likely be months before the residents of the five beach commons will be able to again enjoy the full length of the promenade, we know that they are looking forward to that day. We will keep you posted on a regular basis regarding future progress on the rebuild of this important amenity.
