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SoWalSally

Beach Fanatic
Feb 19, 2005
649
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By Gabriel Tynes

The Walton County Tourist Development Council is pushing for the construction of a first-of-its-kind removable or retractable dune walkover in Seagrove. Since the project was granted approval at the Board of County Commissioners meeting on Oct. 24, the TDC plans to award the contract to American Incline Inc. of Dawsonville, Ga.

TDC Director of Beach Management Brad Pickel said the new aluminum walkover will replace the old wooden structure on Greenwood Avenue that was destroyed by Hurricane Dennis last year. American Incline typically builds aluminum, handicap accessible ramps or temporary stair and porch structures.

In an e-mail written Oct. 23, Pickel said some of the key features of the walkover are that it requires no machinery to remove it, no section weighs more than 150 pounds, it can be removed by two men in two hours, and it can be removed from the bottom up so it can be removed as the water is rising.

?The installation will be one of the fi rst of its kind and as such we will monitor its effectiveness closely,? Pickel wrote.

If approved by the BCC, the TDC will begin the permitting process with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, with the expectation that it will be installed and functional by spring 2007.

?We are cautiously optimistic about the reliability of this system and excited about the opportunity to continue to make our beach access systems more storm resistant,? Pickel said.

At this time, there are no plans to station lifeguards at the access, but there are two guard towers within two miles of either side of Greenwood Avenue. The access would primarily serve an older part of Seagrove that is speckled with single family permanent and vacation homes.

The TDC evaluated three companies on the basis of cost, schedule, warranty, weight and creative approach. At the BCC meeting where the project was pitched, TDC Director Kriss Titus said American Incline excelled in all categories, and said the total cost would be $69,000.

The public beach access at Greenwood Avenue in Seagrove has been closed since July 2005, when it was destroyed by Hurricane Dennis. The TDC is planning to build a removable aluminum structure in its stead.(Gabriel Tynes/The Sun).
 
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