Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/336863
Two individuals who immediately come to mind are Stanley R. Riggs, distinguished pro- fessor of geology at East Carolina University in Greenville, NC, and Orrin H. Pilkey, pro- fessor emeritus at the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University. Both are acknowledged experts in coastal geol- ogy, especially the unique geology of barrier islands, with decades of experience. The county should seek out either of these men to evaluate the ACOE plan. Their agree- ment with the ACOE's assertions would remove most objections to the proposal. However, their objection to the accuracy of the plan would be a vital warning to find other alternatives for preserving Lido's beaches. The ACOE has presented a draft plan that relies excessively on models that are outdated and not specific to the wind and tidal forces of the southwest gulf coast. It almost seems "reverse engineered": The supporting data was crafted to buttress the conclusion, which actually was offered at the outset. And given the checkered history of the ACOE, with envi- ronmental disasters too numerous to catalog here, the decision-makers of Sarasota County must err on the side of caution. New Orleans, one of the oldest cities in the nation, was nearly obliterated by Hurricane Katrina because of the ACOE's miscalcu- lations about the effectiveness of its flood control systems for that city. We should not invite a similar catastrophe for Sarasota County by blindly trusting that the ACOE is more "right" in its calculations for the preser- vation of our fragile barrier islands. % To the Editor: Regarding the article Decision to shelter home- less is delayed (Sarasota Herald-Tribune, June 24): The City Commission unanimously opposed creating an adult shelter that would accept people who are drunk or on drugs at the site of the Harvest Tabernacle Church on Lime Avenue. Board members said they HOMELESS SHELTER SHOULD BE BUILT ON LIME AVENUE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR disapproved of the location because the area is slated for redevelopment, even though it is very close to the jail and other services that homeless people need, as recommended by the county's and city's homelessness consul- tant, Dr. Robert Marbut. The cost for a shelter on that property is the lowest by far of the three top proposed locations. OPINION Sarasota News Leader June 27, 2014 Page 90