Jan. 8, 2020
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Happy New Year! Please see the two attachments that detail work in the following two weeks in Basin 1 (vicinity of the Duck Pond) and Basin 2 (vicinity of Southside Park).
Basin 1
We’ve been fortunate to have great weather which has facilitated an aggressive schedule this past week. The coffer dam in the vicinity of Rodgers Drive has been removed. The concrete wall caps covering the steel sheet pile wall are about 300 feet from completion. Work on Jane Way has been finished, and the footbridge at the west end of the Duck Pond has been built while awaiting connection to the soon-to-be-constructed sidewalk. All drainage continues to function exactly as designed, and we believe drainage will continue to improve.
Next week, the tidal flap gates will be calibrated and activated, which will act as a tide regulator particularly during extreme weather events. This will significantly reduce opportunities for flooding in all cases except for major hurricanes. Battery Creek Road and First Blvd. will continue to be improved and the Spanish Moss Trail will be graded and prepared for the installation of a new concrete walkway. Once the concrete is installed and the entire trail inspected, the Spanish Moss Trail will be reopened for bike and pedestrian traffic. We expect the Spanish Moss Trail between Rodgers and Broome to reopen by Feb. 1. The most disruptive parts of the project are now behind us.
Basin 2
The contractor will be here in approximately two weeks to complete finishing items in the Broad Street area. This work should take about five days to complete. The drainage system in the Broad Street and Battery Creek area is completely functional and operating as designed.
The coffer dam from Basin 1 is being installed in Basin 2 in the vicinity of Riverside Drive. This will create the dry conditions allowing workers to install three massive headwalls, and three 60-inch drainage pipes with tidal flap gates. Once those items have been completed, a concrete wall cap will be installed, and the Spanish Moss Trail will be repaved and returned to its original condition.
Safety!
While we’ve enjoyed a perfect safety record so far, we need to remain vigilant and finish strong. This means remaining situationally aware and avoiding circumstances that lead to accidents. Please continue to show great judgement when transiting the area. Our law enforcement personnel in general and the Beaufort Police Department in particular have done a great job supporting the project with extra patrols and signage and for that we remain grateful.
Stay informed
I’ve had the pleasure to communicate with many residents over the past weeks to address comments, concerns or questions. Please do not hesitate to call, email or text so that I can address your issues as rapidly as possible. No issue is too big or too small. Please encourage all those affected or interested in the Mossy Oaks Project to register with the “Notify Me” application found on the City of Beaufort website (https://www.cityofbeaufort.org/list.aspx) and subscribe to the Mossy Oaks Stormwater Project updates.
We thank residents for their continued patience. This project is on schedule and on budget.
Have a terrific week!
Neal Pugliese, Col USMC (Ret)
Chairman
Mossy Oaks Multijurisdictional Drainage Task Force
npugliese@cityofbeaufort.org