Sandals to build a JETTY on the 7 mile beach?

[SweetSue]

I still see people calling this a JETTY project and objecting how the unspoiled beach view will be ruined.
Was my first thought too, based on the title of the Thread, and posts on this board and others.
But that was before I read the proposal from the Sandals' consultants.

In a nutshell, here is the situation.
Because of where they are located on the beach, just south of a huge, natural sand-flow blocker (the Point Village land mass that separates Bloody Bay and Long Bay compounded by Booby Cay Island) it is as if they are on the downward side of massive natural jetty and the sand-flow to their beach is not as good as other areas of the beach.
Because of this, sand they have replenished their beach with in the past simply eroded away way too quickly.
They don't think they can run a multi-million dollar beachfront mega-resort without a decent beach and they can't wait possibly years for mother nature to swing their way and deposit it naturally.
So they either have to move to a better beach location - or find a longer term fix to the situation than just continually transplanting sand.

In a nutshell, here is their solution.
The plan is to put in off-shore underwater wave-breaks to keep the sand they are going to transplant from an off-shore site from being eroded away so quickly.

This is way better than the simplest solution - a huge jetty at the south end of their property that would essentially "steal" the sand flow from their downstream neighbors and ruin the view to boot.

To me, this seems like a minimally intrusive way for them to do it. I think we're lucky they have the money to spend to do it in a responsible way. A smaller resort without their resources would have probably gone with the cheap fix of a huge jetty we all THOUGHT they were planning.

When I started this thread, you will note that the title ends with a QUESTION mark (?) and I put the petition out there along with the request for "ANY THOUGHTS?" Well, plenty of those were presented, some of which did give me food for thought. It is unfortunate that some people felt the need to denigrate others and I don't think anyone should be put down for signing the petition as a "knee jerk reaction." I read the proposal and as I am not an engineer, I am not ashamed to state that I do not fully understand all of the ramifications of the proposed actions. However, I do understand enough to be concerned. LARGER CORPORATIONS can afford to have things written up in a way that sounds friendly but might not really be. Also, chances are the biggest beneficiary of the proposed action will be Sandals Resort - obviously that is the plan, it's their money. BUT is what is good for the resort necessarily going to be as good for all of its neighbors? I don't see any harm in asking questions and encouraging oversight.

I have been coming to Negril for a few years now. I often travel alone. That gives me a lot of opportunity to observe and to meet people in a way I would not have if I was part of a group or a couple. I have befriend people who work and live there full time, i.e. native Jamaicans - that too serves to give me different perspectives. One thing that always bothered me from day one was when I would take a tour and as other participants were picked up from the various all inclusive resorts, they would be shocked to see me alone and would tell me that the resort management had cautioned them against leaving the resort property unless on an approved tour or properly escorted. I have met many couples who were afraid to leave the properties to explore the local culture and cuisine because of what they were told at the all inclusive resorts. In addition to the other feelings this gives me, it causes me to suspect that there is an attitude that is not conducive to really caring about their host country or anything outside of their own corporate interests. Hence my tendency to go along with the petition and to encourage further discussion so that more people are aware. Of course I am glad to read all view points and hope that the discussion will continue in the places it needs to.

Peace & Blessings to All.