We wanted the historic boardwalk to rise once again atop the dune at Humiston Beach – and it appears that this time, the nostalgic dreams of many Vero residents are going to be fulfilled.
“You can’t deny what’s happening,” Vero Beach Mayor John Cotugno said of the momentum that has been building since Vero Beach 32963 publicly championed the boardwalk cause last month.
“There seems to be a real push from the community to do this, and I think the council is excited about everything that has happened since our last meeting,” Vero Beach City Manager Monte Falls added. “With the way the public has responded, I’d say there’s a real chance we can rebuild a boardwalk at Humiston Beach.”
Cotugno said last week he expected the City Council – in response to a rapidly spreading grassroots campaign that already has generated more than$170,000 in promised contributions from the private sector – to approve the reconstruction of the storm-damaged and later-demolished boardwalk at Tuesday’s meeting.
To officially kick off a city-endorsed community fundraiser, in fact, the mayor said he will ask the council to adopt a resolution establishing the highly regarded Indian River Community Foundation as the fund’s administrator.
Vero Beach 32963 launched the fund-raising effort with a $5,000 contribution after Council Members John Carroll and Aaron Vos each offered to write checks for $3,500.
It was John’s Island resident and local philanthropist Tom Corr, however, who two weeks ago provided the headline-grabbing, message-sending jolt necessary to make sure the community took the fundraising effort seriously.
Corr said he would contribute $100,000.
Then, last week, the City Council received another big-money pledge: Grand Harbor resident Charlene Friedman, a Vero Beach-based real-estate developer and another local philanthropist, wrote a letter pledging $50,000 to the boardwalk fund.
Describing herself as a “concerned citizen,” Friedman urged the council to “please reconsider the historical significance of this (Humiston Beach) area and honor it.”
She emphasized that her contribution was to help build a boardwalk – “NOT a sidewalk.”
The council, citing budget limitations, voted in June to replace the boardwalk with a less-costly sidewalk to be built on a berm along the western edge of the dunes. The project was to include two pavilions and four dune crossovers.
In recent weeks, however, council members have expressed a willingness to reconsider their decision, after witnessing a sudden surge in community sentiment and financial support for a boardwalk.
City officials estimate the cost of building a boardwalk to be at least $2.2 million, saying the price could increase depending on whether the structure is made of concrete or a faux-wood composite.
Cotugno said the city has budgeted $1 million for the sidewalk project it approved last summer.
Prompted by Councilman Taylor Dingle, Falls asked the County Commission last month to partner with Vero Beach to build a boardwalk, explaining that segments of the community weren’t satisfied with the proposed sidewalk.
The commissioners rebuffed his request with a 3-2 vote – Laura Moss and Joe Earman wanted to help build a boardwalk, while Chairman Joe Flescher, Vice Chairman Deryl Loar and Susan Adams were opposed – but they said they would consider providing funds for the council-approved sidewalk.
Two weeks later, the commissioners voted 4-1 to give the city $400,000 for the council-approved sidewalk. Adams refused to approve any amount above $200,000.
The commission, though, imposed one significant condition: Any federal, state or private grant dollars the city might receive would reduce the county’s contribution.
City officials are hoping the commission removes the condition and allows the entire $400,000 to be used to rebuild the boardwalk, if the county refuses to respond favorably to public calls to increase its funding for the project.
Moss, whose district spans the barrier island from the Wabasso Causeway to the St. Lucie County line, said she favors a boardwalk and remains hopeful that her fellow commissioners will ultimately embrace the synergy developing between the city and community.
“My position hasn’t changed,” Moss said in a phone interview last weekend. “Humiston Beach should have a boardwalk. And, speaking for myself, it should be a joint project between the city and county.
“If it can be a public-private partnership, too – one that removes the city’s financial limitations – that’s even better.”
Corr has said he would encourage the commission to support the rebuild-the-boardwalk movement, which he sees as an opportunity for a feel-good, joint venture involving both local governments and the community.
The commission’s next meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, but Moss said the commissioners, if they want to amend their contribution to the city, might delay taking action until after the council formally approves the switch from a sidewalk to boardwalk.
Falls said last week he was “hearing positive things from the county,” but he would not elaborate.
He said he planned to discuss the boardwalk issue with council members this week.
Falls said Friday he was keeping a ledger – containing the donors’ names and the amounts of their pledges to the yet-to-be-created boardwalk fund – and the contributions totaled nearly $175,000.
“And we haven’t even asked anybody to contribute,” he added.
Cotugno said he had confirmed the Indian River Community Foundation’s interest in overseeing the boardwalk contributions and participating in the effort to raise money.
He said Jeff Pickering, president and CEO of the 17-year-old foundation, already had contacted Corr and planned to contact the commissioners to discuss the county’s potential contribution.
Corr said the city still needs to define in detail the type of boardwalk it wants to build and start getting realistic cost estimates. He suggested city officials consult with local contractors who might be willing to donate supplies or offer to do the work at a discount.
“This all came together quickly, so we’re just getting started,” Cotugno said. “A lot has happened since our last meeting, and a lot is going to have to happen at Tuesday’s meeting.
“It appears we’re now looking at an alternative to a sidewalk,” he added. “Some people didn’t give up – and it just happened to be the right people.”