Sea-wall repair plans advance

To pay for this, the Town of Palm Beach would assess 15 private property owners and the Town would pay for its share along public right-of-way. And realize that this is not a major rebuilding effort and even then the cost is high. Imagine getting hit with this kind of assessment, even if it is Palm Beach. Oh, and what condition is our seawall in by the new Casino building? Click title for link.

George Cloutier, 240 N. Ocean Blvd., whose assessment would be nearly $196,000 under the town’s plan, noted that his was among the highest on the list. “The bulk of the assessments on here fall on four or five property owners,” he said. “Keep in mind these are large sums of money.”
He questioned the necessity of the repairs, given that there’s no imminent danger of failure and that, according to the town, sand from the upcoming nourishment will cover most of the wall. Brazil replied that the sand fill will provide some protection but won’t prevent further deterioration.
Harvey Kinzelberg, 260 N. Ocean Blvd., is facing a nearly $308,000 assessment, the highest on the list. He questioned the distribution of the cost. Four properties representing 30 percent of the lineal footage of the wall would pay about $850,000, or more than half of the total cost, he said.
He suggested the cost be divided on a per-lineal-foot basis instead of by parcel.
Brazil said that approach also would be valid, “but our way is most logical to us.”