Manatee County Commission Chair Carol Whitmore is seeking a report on whether the pier removed from Manatee Public Beach had helped control beach erosion.
Whitmore, a resident of Holmes Beach and former mayor, recently pressed county staff for information in a memo. “I am just worried that this will be dropped when we told the cities before we took (the pier) down that it would be replaced,” Whitmore wrote in the memo.
The pier at the public beach was removed in the winter of 2009 because of safety concerns. The pier had been closed in the months prior to its removal.
At the time of demolition, the county natural resources department had artistic renderings for two replacement options — a 312-foot pier and a 700-foot pier. However, county officials also expressed concern for costs to replace the structure.
Last week, Whitmore reminded county staff and other elected officials that “I have made a commitment to Holmes Beach commissioners and many other citizens that I would not let replacement of the pier fall by the wayside.”
She said the county was to study whether the pier controlled beach erosion at the site, 4000 Gulf Drive, and whether renourishment money could be used for a new structure.
“Is someone looking into this?” Whitmore asked.
County administrator Ed Hunzeker said last week that staff is monitoring state and federal commitments to renourishment for fiscal 2014, when an Islandwide project is planned.
“If it is determined that there is an erosion problem and the governments continue to share in the cost of renourishment, then we can determine what type of pier is appropriate,” Hunzeker told Whitmore.