The Pass Christian Board of Aldermen voted unanimously Tuesday night to stop construction on a beach boardwalk that some hailed as a safety improvement but also drew stark criticism from dozens of residents.
Citizens who spoke at a packed meeting mostly opposed the boardwalk. They said they fear a knee-wall included in the plans would ruin their view of the beach, are worried the boardwalk would limit beach access and complained that city leaders had not shared enough information with the public.
Supporters of the boardwalk at the meeting argued it would make the beach walkway safer and more pleasant for pedestrians who walk and bike beside busy U.S.90 traffic.
Mayor Jimmy Rafferty, who has long supported the project, also argued the knee-wall would stop sand from blowing across the highway.
The aldermen voted 5-0 Tuesday night to ask the Department of Marine Resources, which is funding the project through federal grants, to stop future construction phases. A portion of the project under construction will continue as a boardwalk only, with no knee-wall, if the DMR allows it.
Alderman Kenny Torgeson argued the original plans would “take away the concept of our little town.”
“The concept,” he said, “is all wrong.”
Pass Christian’s section of the boardwalk is part of a larger plan for a 26-mile walkway from Bay St. Louis to Biloxi. Rafferty hailed that development as good for the Coast.
“I want to be able to ride a bicycle the whole way down the Coast in a safe way,” Rafferty said. “It’s all about safety first.”
But when construction began this summer, some Pass Christian residents took a stand.
“Every single day I’m getting phone calls about how they don’t like it,” Torgeson said. “They don’t want their seawall to change.”
Rafferty began the meeting by reading praise for the plan from several residents. He said the boardwalk’s opponents were a small but vocal group and said he would like to listen to residents and find a “win-win solution.”
He argued the current path is dangerous because pedestrians walk and bike in close proximity to 45-mph traffic. Plans first called for a 10-foot wide concrete boardwalk with a 15-inch knee wall, and steps to the beach every 300 feet. Rafferty has also said the work would strengthen the seawall and better protect Pass Christian from hurricane storm surges. A boardwalk with a knee-wall would save some of the more than $1 million spent each year on sand control, he said.
The project costs $10 million and is funded entirely by federal GOMESA funds , which are intended to restore and conserve the Coast environment. The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources has already awarded the city $5 million for the boardwalk’s first two phases.
“People are concerned,” said Barry Dreyfus, a Pass Christian citizen who bought a collection of “Stop the Seawall” signs and distributed them among residents. “There’s significant opposition that should be considered.”
Rafferty said earlier Tuesday that the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources was listening to residents’ worries and could change their plans. The DMR is open to creating steps to the beach at each street and parking bay to ensure access, Rafferty said. He also suggested leaders could also create an advisory group of citizens to decide whether even more steps are needed.
And while a 15-inch knee-wall is best to stop sand from blowing across U.S. 90, Rafferty said it could be lowered to 12 inches if requested by citizens.
Alderwoman Regina Charlot said she was open to the walkway, but questioned its safety benefits.
“How safe,” she said, “is a walkway actually on a highway?”
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