Sarah Creachbaum, American Memorial Park and War in the Pacific National Historical Park superintendent, said the causeway separating the Smiling Cove Marina entrance and the Outer Cove Marina at American Memorial Park sustained significant erosion and undermining.
“Several recent tropical storms in August and October 2006 caused damage to park facilities,” she said, adding that the sheet pile constructed over 40 years ago is badly corroded and failing, causing safety concerns.
Creachbaum said under the preferred alternative, a new sheet pile wall would replace the existing deteriorated sheet pile wall while 70 linear feet of the concrete woven mattress just south of the end of the sheet wall would be replaced with a riprap rock slope.
In her letter to the public, she explained that there would be backfilling and grading at the site.
The causeway surface would be graded to the top of the sheet pile wall and capped with a walkway and handrail, she added.
According to the 132-page environmental assessment, “the existing condition of the causeway has the potential to affect visitor use through deteriorating recreational facilities and public safety.”
The assessment also reported that there are known archeological features near the Smiling Cove Marina.
However, “those archeological features are outside the area of potential effect for the proposed actions. The causeway, which is protected by the steel pile seawall, is human-made and no prehistoric archeological resources are present,” the assessment stated..
The environmental assessment, according to Creachbaum, can be reviewed by the public for 30 days from May 27.
The community is encouraged to provide comments or information directly to Ron Shields at 303-969-2164 or [email protected].
You can also post comments online on the National Park Service planning page at: http://parkplanning.nps.gov.
