FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Manatee Pocket Project Team Seeks Community Event Info

Port Salerno, Fla. October 16, 2009 - One of the goals of the Manatee Pocket dredging project is to minimize the impacts of dredging operations on community events and activities taking place in or near the Manatee Pocket from the last quarter of 2009 through February 2011.

As the project is expected to take about a year to complete, the Manatee Pocket Project Team is seeking information about any planned activities such as fishing tournaments, boat shows, festivals, parades and fundraisers anywhere along the Manatee Pocket in Pt. Salerno - whether those activities are in the water or along the shoreline. The dredging is not expected to interfere with land-based construction projects, or private property land and water construction.

“Our goal is to have coordinated communications with citizens so that the impacts and inconveniences of the dredging operations are minimized to the greatest extent possible,” explained Martin County Coastal Engineer Kathy FitzPatrick.

Citizens can stay informed about the Manatee Pocket Project by visiting the project website at www.manateepocketproject.com where timely updates will be available. Interested parties can also sign up to be on the project email list to receive information about the project’s progress. The project team will also be pleased to make a presentation to any business, civic, environmental or neighborhood groups interested in learning more about the Manatee Pocket dredging project and its benefits to the community.

Anyone with knowledge of an event already set or in the planning stages in the Manatee Pocket area is encouraged to contact Nancy McCarthy with dates, times, and event details at 772-287-5272 or nancy@fireflyforyou.com.

About the Manatee Pocket Project

The Manatee Pocket Project is a dredging project that entails the removal of about 280,000 cubic yards of sediment in the Manatee Pocket in Port Salerno, executed by Ft. Pierce based Dickerson Florida. Once completed, the project will result in a clean, 100-foot-wide channel that will provide navigational, economic and environmental enhancements to the Manatee Pocket and its adjacent waterways.

The goals of the project are to:

• Increase the draft and size of vessels that will be able to access the Pocket
• Define a channel to minimize impacts to adjacent shallow water areas and benefit manatee protection
• Remove sediments
• Improve the ability of marine life to re-establish in the Pocket
• Improve the water quality in the Pocket

For more information visit www.manateepocketproject.com. For comments and questions call 1-800-580-9149.

Contact:
Kathy Fitzpatrick
Martin County Coastal Engineer
772-288-5429
kfitzpat@martin.fl.us

Richard E. Czlapinski
Coastal Engineering – Tetra Tech EC
561.735.0482 Ext: 202
richard.czlapinski@tteci.com

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