Letters to the Editor
In Deale, Will a Jetty Open the Floodgates?
Dear Bay Weekly:
I own three and one-half acres and several hundred feet of waterfront on the north side of Rockhold Creek. I have witnessed severe storms from the southeast, causing erosion and loss of my wetlands. I have lost about an acre and a half of wetlands. Once the jetty is in, my property will be much better protected from storm damage and the wetlands protected from further loss.
I will look at both jetties from my property, and I believe the view will be better than it is now.
Raising the existing jetty and building a new jetty is a wise investment for our community, which lives and works on the water. The jetty will make our area a better place to live, work and boat. This year’s hurricane season is predicted to be twice as bad as years past. If a southeast hurricane hits Rockhold Creek, the cost of the damage and potential for loss of life will be too high to measure.
The job that was started when the other jetty was built in the 1940s should be finished by raising the existing jetty and building the new jetty that is so desperately needed.
— Ozzie Wilson, Marathon, Florida
Dear Bay Weekly:
Which way Deale?
In every community there comes an event that serves as the tipping point and determines which way the future will unfold. I believe the proposed jetty at the mouth of Rockhold Creek is one such event.
For 60 years, the entrance to Rockhold Creek has not changed. It is an expansive and inviting view that is in character with the charm that is Deale. While other towns have signed on to rapid development, Deale stands out as a model of controlled growth with a sense of itself and its history.
Now the forces of development have come calling, presenting the community with a $3.2 million pork-barrel gift from Uncle Sam. Proponents argue that this will keep the channel clear. Yet the channel will still have to be dredged. And there is credible scientific evidence that the jetty will cause more siltation of the channel and erosion and littering of neighboring lands. The Corps of Engineers states that reduced dredging represents less than one percent of the benefits from the jetty.
So who reaps the other 99 percent? Primarily one user: Herrington Harbour North. What is the benefit? Protecting boats that could be dry docked during a rare storm. [Owner] Steuart Chaney knew he was building his marina on an exposed site, and now he wants the taxpayers to pay for his decision.
This jetty is an attempt to make Deale more attractive to the elite rich who can afford deep-keeled boats. This makes Deale ripe for development, sprawl and condominiums, forcing longtime citizens to pay the higher rents and taxes or get out. And you can bet that the same folks who are behind this jetty are the ones who will be in on this ‘New Deale.’
— Seth Tibbott, Tracy’s Landing
We welcome your letters and opinions. We will edit when necessary. Include your name, address and phone number for verification. Mail them to Bay Weekly, P.O. Box 358, Deale, MD 20751 • E-mail them to us at [email protected].
