Camp Arcadia - Beach Erosion Committee

PROCESS:  We are committed to a collaboratively developed solution including working with ACCA and the Arcadia Township.  We value these relationships and want to build on them.  When we receive the new proposals, we will seek input from the ACCA shoreline representatives and the township.

ACCA COLLABORATION:  To assure the LCA Board of Directors collaboratively develops a solution, we will continue to work with ACCA’s shoreline representatives and the township of Arcadia to accommodate their needs while addressing our own needs.  To that end, an LCA subcommittee has been named to directly communicate with ACCA members via letter, email, and phone to keep them updated. 

1. Gather information related to technologies & communicate information to membership -- Fall 2005 to Fall 2007
2. Conduct Peer Consultation-- August 10 and 11, 2006 at Camp Arcadia.  The consultant conducting the peer review is Westshore Consulting.  Five experts retained to serve as panelists.
3. Ongoing meetings with shoreline cottage owners September 2007.
4. Present recommendation to membership at annual meeting for vote.  Motion approved -- October 2007
5. Have Shoreline Survey done to establish a shoreline profile and a benchmark  for the design, and something for us to compare against once a system is installed.
6. Pursue dredged sand from the Arcadia channel.
7. Receive updated proposals from suppliers of underwater stabilizer system to include the following
       a.       Reduce the size of the system
       b.      Move the system away from the shoreline cottages.
       c.       Nourish the system.
8. Proposal evaluation with input from our neighbors (ACCA & Township)
9. Engage in the permit process through to approval
10. Fundraise for system
11. Implementation of system

Tasks Completed or In Process

 1)  Approved Beach Motion – October 20, 2007 – LCA Annual Membership      Meeting

 2)  The membership of LCA authorizes the LCA Board of Directors  to proceed with regulatory approval of, installation of and fundraising for an underwater stabilizer system fronting the property owned by the LCA, and, furthermore, to replace, as necessary,  the existing wood and concrete groin system; the total cost is not to exceed $ 1 Million.

 3)  Project Engineer contract: With the help of the Beach Committee and our environmental attorney, we presented the contract to David Schultz to serve as our project engineer, including developing the system design, overseeing the permitting process, and implementing the system.  He has extensive experience designing, permitting, and installing shore protection systems on the Lake Michigan shoreline, and we anticipate having our contract with him signed soon.

 4)  Channel dredging:  The experts we have engaged have encouraged us to nourish our beaches with sand, to restore what the Arcadia channel pier blocks from naturally nourishing our beach and those to our north.  The Army Corps of Engineers is scheduling the dredging of Lake Michigan coastline harbor channels to occur this spring.  That includes the Arcadia channel.  We asked the Corps if we could participate in the dredging in order to have the dredged sand put in front of our beach for nourishment.  According to the advice of Dr. David Barnes (Western Michigan University) and other experts we’ve consulted, the camp’s beach, and properties immediately to the north, will have quick and long term benefit from such sand nourishment.

5)  Shoreline survey: As soon as Lake Michigan is clear of ice and the weather improves, the shoreline survey of camp’s beach will be completed by Ledy and Associates, thus providing us with documented shoreline profile.  Then we will have a benchmark for the design, and something for us to compare against once a system is installed.