OCEAN PINES – Representatives of a local organization will provide an update on the Jenkins Point restoration project next week.
On Monday, Jan. 29, the Maryland Coastal Bays Program (MCBP) will host a meeting on the Jenkins Point restoration project. Officials are expected to update community members on the project and present a revised design for which feedback will be solicited.
“Maryland Coastal Bays Program will host a second public meeting on the Jenkins Point restoration project on Monday, January 29 at 6 p.m. in the clubhouse,” Association President Rick Farr said in last Saturday’s board meeting. “There will be more news on that on social media, so take a peek at that for those details.”
In 2020, MCBP applied for funding from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to reestablish the eroding Jenkins Point Peninsula, located in the Isle of Wight Bay just offshore of the Ocean Pines Yacht Club. As part of that effort, the agency also approached the association with plans to pursue grant funding for the project.
While MCBP was not successful in its funding efforts, officials were encouraged to reapply. And later that year, the Ocean Pines Board of Directors voted to provide a $10,000 cost share as part of the reapplication process.
In 2022, Maryland DNR announced MCBP was awarded grant funds for the Jenkins Point restoration project. In a meeting last May, Executive Director Kevin Smith said $62,000 would be used to proceed with the design and permitting phase.
“If everything were to fall together perfectly, we could potentially be under construction for a project like this in December of 2024,” he said at the time.
Once an unbroken peninsula, Jenkins Point is now a fragmented peninsula including two small islands near Ocean Pines and other waterfront communities near the Route 90 bridge.
Once it is restored to its original state, officials say Jenkins Point has the potential to protect residential properties and community infrastructure in those areas filled with residential development and recreational amenities, including the Yacht Club, the Osprey Point condominium community and the Pines Point community.
MCBP will host its second public meeting on Jan. 29, during which officials will present a revised project design.
A link to attend the meeting virtually can be found on the association’s website. The meeting will also be recorded and available for viewing at a later date.
