By Howard Koplowitz
After being hit hard by Hurricane Ida and other storms, Rockaway Beach will be getting an emergency infusion of sand from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the city Parks Department, U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Forest Hills) said last week.
“The decision by the Army Corps and city Parks is not a permanent fix, but it is the first step in securing the safety of Rockaway Beach and its residents,” Weiner said in a statement. “We can’t stand idly by while these important parts of the city’s coastline erode before our eyes.”
The work is scheduled to begin next month and be completed by April 1, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.
The Army Corps of Engineers and the Parks Department will dredge sand from the Rockaway East Inlet to start off the work, Weiner said. Parks agreed to pay an extra $1.5 million to place 150,000 cubic yards of dredged sand between Beach 81st and Beach 110th streets in Rockaway, where visitors flock in the summer to swim, the congressman said.
Eight feet of sand was lost from Rockaway Beach during Hurricane Ida and other storms, Weiner said.
Weiner toured the damaged beach in November with Col. John R. Boule III, the commander of the Army Corps of Engineer’s New York District, and Queens Parks Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski.
The congressman said it was during the tour that he asked the Army Corps of Engineers and the Parks Department to work together to dump drudged sand on the beach.
Reach reporter Howard Koplowitz by e-mail at hkoplowitz@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 173.
