Even as dredged sand has covered most of the beach breakwater system, the cost and historical cover-ups continues.
By all accounts, the breakwater system was a success, managing to use parabola shaped cutaways to rebuild sand and essentially keep the boardwalk from failing. The overall cost is still murky. The Mirror contacted town treasurer Debra Pocock to attempt to get a final number. Oddly, the figures were not readily available, so Pocock had to perform a fairly exhaustive search to piece the numbers together. Here is what the town has provided so far:
There is still one part being left out. Page 9 of the 1991 annexation agreement between the town, county and Brown&Root explicitly states that the developer is responsible for paying the entirety of the grant match for the engineering design of the breakwater system:
So far, no payments by the developers, past or present have been found. Given that Bay Creek South is on the hook for the full 11$ million for the harbor connector road, as well as its share of the Wastewater Treatment Plant, the amount owed the taxpayer is starting to stack up.
The question becomes, why are the citizens being left out to dry, and why has there been no effort to defend their interests at the town, county and state levels?
Off the record, sources are telling the Mirror that the answer possibly lies at the end of the yellow brick road, home of yachts, marine terminals and Swedish concrete.
Eventually, someone will have some explaining to do. The Annexation Agreement, Law No. 27 is a legislative act of the State, and it does not expire. The agreement runs with the land.
Town elections are next spring.
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