Summary of Public Meeting for Proposed West End Berm - Submitted by Bill Harper, President - DIPOA

May 15th, 2009 6:41 PM

Summary of Public Meeting on Bienville Blvd Berm Concept

Several members of the Board of the Dauphin Island Property Owners Association attended this important public hearing last night. The following provides a summary of what took place. At the end of this message, we have created a method to affect a quick straw poll to help our elected officials come to a decision on this difficult decision.

Meeting Summary

Mayor Jeff Collier opened the Public Hearing at 6:05 PM. All of the Town Council were in attendance. Hand-outs were provided to attendees outlining the course of the evening, and the ground rules for the question and answer period. We estimate that 150-175 people attended the hearing. A show of hands during the latter part of the evening indicated that the crowd appeared to about 60% West End property owners, and most of those were from the south side of Bienville Blvd.

Mayor Collier began the discussion with a history of the situation that is now facing the Island. The Berm on the shoreline constructed after Katrina was destroyed by Gustav and Ike. The Town submitted a request to FEMA for a replacement which was denied. The Town was denied this request for lack of a stable shoreline. The Town appealed, suggesting the shoreline was adequate, with this being denied too. Town staff/representatives met with the State EMA to consider alternatives with an idea to relocate the berm to parallel the south side of Bienville Blvd in the road right-of-way.

The berm’s purpose is to protect infrastructure, mainly the road and associated drainage/utilities, plus to adhere to FEMA regulations for Emergency Protective Methods. The Town must submit a second appeal no later than June 28, 2009 for FEMA to make a determination on the proposal. The Town has one final chance to approve or opt out. If the Town submits the appeal, FEMA will then decide to fund or not to fund.

Mayor Collier outlined the following benefits and challenges associated with the berm proposal:

BENEFITS:

· Placing berm away from the surface zone would likely increase its life expectancy

· Cost of berm construction will be shared, 75% Federal, 10% State and 15% Town of DI

· Easy access for berm maintenance

· Future post-disaster support for Bienville Blvd. infrastructure

CHALLENGES:

· Future post-disaster support for Bienville Blvd. infrastructure

· Providing vehicular/pedestrian access to the South side of berm

· Emergency response, fire, medical

· Cost to construct a service road on the South of the berm for which the Town would pay 100%

· Infrastructure South of the berm no longer eligible for post-disaster funds

· Access and maintenance of all utilities, water/sewer and electricity

· Adverse economic impacts, rentals, property taxes, reduced tourism

· Legal issues

Mayor Collier briefly discussed each of the benefits and challenges. The main focus was that if the berm is built, FEMA will continue to support repairs of future storm damages to the Town's infrastructure north of the berm. If it is not built, the Town can expect short-term support, but in the long term this is questionable.

Mayor Collier stressed that no engineering design or cost information had been developed to date and that the berm had not progressed past the concept stage.

At this point in the hearing, the floor was opened to a question and answer period. Some of the more important questions and answers are highlighted below.

Mr. Jim Hartman stated that a berm in this location will create constant standing water in and around homes south of the berm, plus create a 40% drop in property values.

David Graves was concerned that there was not enough right-of-way to create an access road on the South-side of the proposed berm.

A lady who traveled from Canada lamented that south side property owners would be walled off and that their investments would not be protected.

Stan Graves pointed out that the berm would be north of the main sewer line on the south side of the road, thus not really protecting it.

Laura Martin stated that a sand berm is not really a stable structure. She suggested creating a reef offshore would be a better idea.

Glen Coffee provided information on the Comprehensive Barrier Island Restoration Plan (CBIP) being prepared by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in connection with the Mississippi Coastal Improvements Program. The CBIP could provide a long-term solution in lieu of the short term benefits of a berm proposal. Since the CBIP is presently limited to the barrier islands located in Mississippi and Dauphin Island is excluded, the Town and many other interests are working to have Dauphin Island added to the Plan. Mr. Coffee requested all property owners to contact their Congressional delegations (specifically Congressman Jo Bonner and Senators Jeff Sessions and Richard Shelby) requesting that they take action in Congress to have Dauphin Island included. A draft letter for this purpose was previously provided to the DIPOA membership for this purpose. It is not too late to send letters on this matter since the Corps has not finalized their study.

Mr. Coffee also suggested two other “challenges” be added to the Town’s list for consideration: (1) need to include drainage between the road and the proposed berm; and (2) the construction method to minimize disruption of activities on the south side of the road. Mayor Collier stated that the sand would likely be trucked in instead of pumped as was the case with the two prior berms.

Lisa Young pointed out that the sand movement from Pelican Island is massive and will ultimately move westward, and asked who would maintain the berm? Mayor Collier replied that the Town would be responsible for maintaining the berm.

A resident north of Bienville Blvd stated that a good storm will move the berm sand to the canals that were recently dredged.

Several people talked about jetties and devices for protecting the shoreline. The answer stated these approaches would be costly and permitting could be problematic.

Joy Russell elegantly said, "we are damned if we do, and maybe damned if we don't"

Jeff McFarland asked the Town Council members how they will vote. Although most said that they were undecided and still considering information and public comments, most of the members indicated they did not favor this option. Sherry Carney said she would vote no. Council members are facing a difficult vote, and they know it.

The meeting ended around 8:30 PM

Bienville Blvd Berm Straw Poll

The DIPOA is conducting a straw poll of our membership on the Bienville Blvd berm concept. We will tally the replies received and forward the results to the Town Council for its consideration. We will also inform the DIPOA membership of the results of this poll.

The poll will be conducted by depending upon each DIPOA member sending a reply to this message by following the below instructions:

If you are in favor of the West End Berm: (1) vote “Yes” and (2) state if you have property on the West End or East End of the Island

If you are opposed to the West End Berm, (1) vote “No” and (2) state if you have property on West End or East End of the Island

Please send your votes in by May 18th, so the results can be tallied and provided to the Town Council in a timely manner. Thanks so much.

Mobile Press-Register Article Regarding Rate Hike for Beach Pool Policy Holders

May 29th, 2009 11:31 AM

Mobile Bay Blog

 

Rates for policyholders of Alabama's insurer of last resort will go up 5.5 percent on average, beginning July 1, the Alabama Insurance Underwriting Association said in a letter dated Tuesday.

Rates are going up in Mobile, Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Fort Morgan and Dauphin Island, while they will decline in south Mobile County, the Eastern Shore, and areas of south Baldwin County including Magnolia Springs, Perdido Beach, Josephine, Elberta and Lillian. They'll stay flat elsewhere in Mobile and Baldwin.

The group, commonly known as the Beach Pool, charged $2,173 on average for a residential policy at the end of April. A 5.5 percent increase would bump that by $120 to $2,293.

Individual customers will see rates change at their annual renewal. Changes will vary based on location and type of construction.

Manager Bob Groves said that models showed that the pool's risks had increased as it grew to more than 11,700 policies in Mobile and Baldwin counties, and it needed to charge higher rates.

"We believe the rate change we are implementing is very modest," he said.

The pool initially applied to the Alabama Insurance Department for a 7.4 percent increase, but cut its request during regulatory talks.

The Beach Pool passes on much of its risk to firms that do business elsewhere in the state but shun the coast. It writes bare-bones policies.

Hardest hit will be customers in Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Fort Morgan and Dauphin Island, who will see rates increase by 9.9 percent.

State regulators capped the increase for any single policyholder at 15 percent. The pool plans to impose the maximum on 1,575 customers, more than 13 percent of its policyholders.

The pool has traditionally used three rating zones, but a fourth zone consisting solely of the Mobile city limits was added along with the rate changes. Groves said that was meant to match the pool's territories more closely with those used by the Insurance Services Office, a group that draws zones for carriers.

Rates in Mobile will go up 5 percent on average. But for more than 400 policyholders in the area south of Interstate 10, rates should fall substantially, Groves said.

Pool board member Jay Ison, a Mobile insurance agent, said the group has taken on many older homes in Mobile. "That zone needed a rate increase because of a higher concentration of risk," he said.

Mobile had almost 20 percent, or 2,198, of the pool policies at the end of April, the most of any city but Gulf Shores. Mobile traditionally made up a much smaller share of the policy total.

Charges will go down 3.3 percent in the rest of south Mobile County's mainland and in parts of Baldwin including the Eastern Shore, Magnolia Springs, Perdido Beach, Josephine, Elberta and Lillian.

Gulf Shores resident and former State Farm employee Davey Jones, who pays the pool more than $3,000 a year for wind coverage alone, said he doesn't understand the need for an increase, considering the pool hasn't faced any major hurricanes since 2005. He said he'd like a more public explanation of how the pool spends its $26 million in premium income.

The Beach Pool will spend most of this year's premiums, almost $15 million, on reinsurance. Reinsurance prices rose this year, and the pool is buying less coverage than in 2008, leaving member firms more at risk.

After the member companies pay for the first $100 million in losses, reinsurance would cover the next $235 million. Al Carlson, a spokesman for All Churches Together, or ACT-II, which lobbies for more affordable insurance, said the increases are a "wake-up call" to policyholders who hoped rates would drop or stay level.

Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft, the lone member of the 11-person pool board who doesn't work in the insurance business, took a leave of absence from the panel starting in January as he recovered from brain surgery, and wasn't part of rate increase talks. It's doubtful, though, that his lone vote or protest would have made a difference.

"As mayor, it certainly is not good news for our city," Craft said. "Unfortunately, I don't know how you fight it."

Mobile Press-Register Article - Dauphin Island nixes berm plan; looks for bigger beach renourishment project

May 29th, 2009 10:17 AM

Town of Dauphin Island - Summer Employment Position Open

May 16th, 2009 12:30 PM

Annual Island Mystics Crawfish Boil

May 15th, 2009 4:16 PM

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