Dear Editor:

As an abutting property owner, I support protecting Beach Road and improving public infrastructure. However, I oppose the proposed 12-foot by 6-foot concrete box culvert because the project documents do not demonstrate why a structure of this size is necessary.

The existing culvert is only 18 inches in diameter. A 6-foot by 6-foot box culvert would increase the opening area about twenty-fold, while the proposed 12-foot by 6-foot culvert would increase it nearly forty-fold. Although the reports conclude the existing culvert is undersized, they never explain why increasing the opening area by nearly forty times is required or why intermediate-sized alternatives were never evaluated.

Also, the documents fail to provide quantitative evidence showing why doubling the culvert width is necessary or how much additional environmental benefit it would provide.

The project makes increasingly ambitious environmental claims, but the supporting quantitative analyses have never been made available to the public.

The reports also fail to quantify expected changes in salinity, groundwater, vegetation, fish and wildlife habitat, or the number of wetland acres expected to improve. While the hydraulic model evaluates surface-water flooding, it does not assess groundwater, saltwater intrusion, or potential impacts to neighboring wells, septic systems, or private property. Nor do the project documents explain what corrective actions would be taken or who would be financially responsible if unforeseen impacts occur.

Finally, this is a significant public investment at a time when construction costs continue to rise. Taxpayers deserve to know what safeguards are in place if the project exceeds its budget, if heavy construction traffic damages Beach Road, or if the completed project fails to perform as predicted and requires additional repairs. Before committing public funds, the Town should explain how these risks will be managed and who will bear the financial responsibility.

Before committing significant taxpayer dollars, the Town should demonstrate that the proposed culvert is the smallest size necessary to achieve the project's goals, clearly quantify the environmental benefits it expects to deliver, and explain how taxpayers and neighboring property owners will be protected if costs escalate or the project does not perform as predicted.

Christine Dillman

Southport