Blustery winds and rough surf generated by Tropical Storm Eta’s zigzagging fly-bys have compounded the battering of our beaches by predecessors Isaias and Teddy, pushing piles of sand into the parking area next to the Conn Beach boardwalk.
Unlike at Humiston Park and Sexton Plaza, there is no sand fence lining the boardwalk at Conn Beach to contain beach sand, so Vero Beach public works director Matthew Mitts says workers must use manpower to put the sand back where it belongs.
“Manpower, hand tools, and a small Bobcat/Skid Steer piece of equipment to shovel the sand off the parking area and push it back on the dune underneath the boardwalk,” Mitts wrote in an email to Vero Beach 32963.
Mitts said the city will repair the Conn Beach boardwalk sometime in early 2021–including installation of a new sand fence extending the length of the boardwalk. The fence, he wrote, will be installed below the deck so it won’t obstruct anyone’s passage or view of the ocean. The city had received complaints earlier this fall that the sand fence at Humiston Park was blocking beachgoers’ view, so workers folded it down to half-mast.
While Indian River County takes the lead on managing the island’s 26 miles of beaches, the city is focused on the dunes that protects its beachfront parks. So far, Mitts said, “we are not concerned with the dune being eroded to a point where our infrastructure is threatened.”
