Dauphin Island Times

Tuesday, Feb. 21, 7:00pm at the Dauphin Island Town Hall

The council will vote on whether to accept or reject the berm proposal. Although not a permanent solution, the proposal will help the island's recovery until a more desirable solution can be brought about.

Please plan to attend. All ideas, suggestions and opinions are welcome. If you cannot attend the meeting, you're invited to e-mail the Mayor and Town Council.

Udate:
The Mobile Register picked up the story in today's edition. The article provides good background on the decision for those not completely familiar with all the various aspects of the decision.

Council set to vote on berm funding tonight

Dauphin Island leaders plan to decide today whether to pursue building a taxpayer-funded, $4 million protective sand wall as a second man-made attempt to fortify the island's storm-ravaged west end.

The Town Council decision is an urgent one for hundreds of west end property owners anxious to decide whether to rebuild houses damaged or wiped out five months ago by Hurricane Katrina.

Town Council members Monday disagreed about whether the government of the tiny, 1,300-resident town can afford to pay the local $600,000 match necessary to receive a $4 million federal grant.

They also disagreed about whether promising to pay the match will halt a current grass-roots effort to raise those matching funds.

Two groups, the Dauphin Island Foundation and the island Property Owners Association, began fund raising last month with the aim of paying the match entirely or reimbursing the town. So far, each group has raised more than $60,000, bringing the latest fund-raising total to more than $120,000.

Added to the $60,000 the foundation already had waiting in its coffers -- left over money raised for the previous berm, which was built in 2000 -- the groups have stored up more than $180,000.
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