Recovery Under Way for Beach Parking
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Posted By Admin on February 4, 2010
By Windy Mason and Robert Boswell
Taking into account the economic impact of Assateague Beach to Chincoteague Island and all of Accomack County, the parking lots buried under 3 feet of sand by the powerful November storm, will be restored for use by summer; paid for by the National Park Service.
Lou Hinds, manager of the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, said the cost is expected to run $600,000, somewhat less than previously thought. Mr. Hinds said at a meeting with community leaders on December 14 he gave a slide shown presentation, “This was the first time a lot of them had gotten the chance to see the actual damage.”
He said representatives of the park service attended and announced a plan for restoring the parking lots. Also involved in the decision was the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “The plan for lots 1 and 2 was to dig out the parking lots, pull the shell and clay out, put the sand back down, and then put the clay and shell back on top of the sand.” He said, “Instead of them always getting covered with sand, actually raise them up.” Lots 1 and 2 will also be moved back a bit from the shoreline to lessen the impact of future storms. Three and 4 are to be dug out and remain as they were. Currently, there are 961 spaces in being restored for visitor parking.
Mr.Hinds said discussion at the meeting was about making sure that whatever they do out there is sustainable in the face of sea level rise, and is responsible for the American taxpayers dollars. “There was acknowledgment from the Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, and I that not only does the town of Chincoteague’s economic base rest on the national seashore, but also the entire Accomack County,” he said. “There is a large tourism industry in Accomack County, and it is also based somewhat on this shoreline out here. We want the community to be part of the future development and planning for those parking lots.” Said Mr. Hinds.
“This was a storm of historic proportion for many communities, Chincoteague being one of them,” He said, “It has given the community an opportunity to talk openly about its future and not just the future of the community, but also of Assateague Island, and how we’re going to plan for our economic development into the future. My first responsibility is still to the wildlife here on the refuge but that responsibility is also in full awareness of the economic tie to the communities.”
Future plans will apparently include an alternative transportation plan. Mr. Hinds explained, “The alternative transportation plan is very close to completion and the partners, which are the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Town of Chincoteague, the County of Accomack, and Northampton-Accomack Planning Commission, are getting the different chapters to read as we speak.” “Once all of the chapters have been reviewed, we’re planning on having a full blown public meeting tentatively scheduled for sometime in February,” he said.
This alternative transportation plan is not simply talking about parking cars and transporting people to the beach. “That’s one of the alternatives,” said Mr. Hinds. But the plan may include offsite parking, biking, city or public transportation and possibly water taxies to move people around to different parts of the island.
Mr. Hinds said he expected some of the ideas to be met with resistance because over generations, we’ve been trained to take our cars to the national parks and wildlife refuges, and have been encouraged to do that. But we’re learning that this love affair with the automobile, which is really just a hundred years old, is not sustainable, said Mr. Hinds. “It was a great idea. It brought the national parks and the American public together. However, we are realizing now, after a hundred years, that it may not be sustainable,” he said. “If you make the parking at a remote location, and then the ride to the beach is an experience of the beach itself, people will say, ‘Wow! That was cool!’ And, that’s what we’re striving for,” he said. Mr. Hinds said that the experience will begin wherever that parking may be. He also said there might be a trained interpreter, and your arrival out there would be part of the experience of seeing wildlife, seeing the beach.
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