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Town of Jupiter approves repair, replacement to beach crossovers

Posted at 5:42 PM, Aug 29, 2019
and last updated 2019-08-29 18:04:16-04

JUPITER, Fla. — If you like hanging out at the beach in Jupiter, mark your calendars.

Several wooden crossovers to access the beach will be under construction this winter.

The town is waiting until hurricane season ends to make more repairs on the aging structures and some will even be replaced.

Camille D’Angelo loves coming to the Jupiter beach with her little dog, Rosie.

“I’m here like five days out of seven,” she said.

However, she says some of the crossovers are a bit questionable for her and her little dog to cross. So, she’s happy to hear that repairs are underway.

“I think we’re overdue, we’re in desperate need of it really,” she said.

Vandalism, age and weather have deteriorated these wooden crossovers over time.

“The saltwater just warps the boards,” said Larry Limerick, who was enjoying a day at the beach on Wednesday.

He walked through one crossover north Marcinski Road with boards falling off of it. He said he’s careful about where he steps, showing us his padded sandals.

“These are board protectors so I don’t get splinters!” he joked.

Town councilman Ilan Kaufer said the town is repairing 24 in total. Several were completed nearly a year ago before hurricane season began, with sturdy materials.

“As we look at the potential forecast in the next week or so, we know storms are a regular occurrence,” he said.

About $475,000 for this new phase of replacement and repairs on the crossovers was just approved by town council this month and work will begin this November.

“Our investment is to make sure that we have the longest impact we can,” said Kaufer.

Kaufer also has a special goal of making at least a few of the new crossovers compliant for people with disabilities. So far, none within town limits are ADA compliant.

However, a popular access point at Marcinski Road that is managed by Palm Beach County has a wheel chair ramp. There are also other entrances that have trails over flat ground for ease of access as well.

“It’s important for everyone to have access to these great beaches,” said Kaufer.

The sand dunes and vegetation pose a problem for ramps but Kaufer is confident his proposal will make it.

“I’m pretty confident that the Florida Department of environmental protection will work with us. Obviously there’s a balancing act between protecting the environment and constructing one of these structures,” he said. “We will be working with DEP to try and accomplish that goal over the next two years.”

The crossovers up for total replacement are 23, 28, 29, 46, 51, 53 and 65.

The town of Jupiter can’t say exactly when the entire crossover project will be finished but construction will be ongoing at least until 2021.