15 April, 2026
Dear Black Point Community,
Your Board of Governors recently received some astoundingly good news – news that will make profound differences in how we are now able to sustainably, affordably protect our invaluable coastal and estuary assets.
That news came from the Connecticut Port Authority regarding its Small Harbor Improvement Projects Program (SHIPP) matching-grant program.
In late February, in coordination with the Town of East Lyme, our governing municipality, we had submitted grant requests to support several eastern coastal pier and groin restoration projects, plus construction of the proposed kayak walkway and viewing platform at our patch of property along Black Point Road.
Our Member, Meg Parulis, led the complicated grant application process, supported by our Waterfront Task Force Board members – Peter Baril, Bill Bayne, and David Weiss. Their efforts were further supported by Members Scott Bayne and Larry Connors.
It was a team effort – a team of experts in navigating complex bureaucratic requirements, as well as the challenging details of working with coastal engineers to produce the needed surveys and schematics to articulate the plans, and costs, of our coastal and estuary projects.
For our eastern piers and groins restoration work, we requested the maximum $400,000 matching grant to address pier and groin repairs estimated at over $800,000 by our consultants.
For our estuary walkway and viewing platform construction, we requested $118,500, against an estimate of $237,000 to complete that permitting and construction work.
And, lo and behold, the Connecticut Port Authority announced at the end of March that we were awarded $400,000 for the eastern pier and groin restoration projects, and $105,250 for the estuary walkway and viewing platform construction.
It is this Board’s continued commitment to support projects that help to protect, and preserve, our critical waterline resources. This SHIPP grant funding helps us to realize this mission with greater efficiency and effectiveness than otherwise would have been possible.
In summary: The good news is that we now have $505,250 in matching-grant funds to help us meet that mission.
The immediate challenge: Since these are matching-grant funds, in the short term we will need to begin to launch some projects very soon, and over the next several fiscal years – placing some pressures on us to make investments in the very near term.
Our budget for the coming Fiscal Year, 2026/2027, to support several immediate efforts, will be detailed in our budget proposal for our Member vote at our Saturday, May 23rd, Annual Meeting. Your Board and Treasurer, Al Capozza, are proposing a budget that I believe will responsibly address the costs and benefits of how we invest and spend on behalf of all our Members.
It is essential that, as a community, we act quickly now to address our coastal needs in meaningful, measurable ways. Postponing projects will only raise their costs later when they return, in worse and more expensive conditions, for our attention.
We hope that you can join us then, in person or virtually, to share your support of our efforts and the proposed FY 2026/2027 budget.
Sincerely and gratefully,
Jim Schepker
Chair, BPBCA