Rosewood Beach Sand Replenished, Breakwater Reinforced

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — Construction crews have delivered sand and rock to Rosewood Beach over the past two weeks as part of the park district's efforts to protect the beach from erosion amid record high Lake Michigan water levels.

The project has reinforced the inside of the breakwater with additional stone to reduce the amount of sand that slips away, director of planning and projects Jeff Smith told park district commissioners Tuesday at a workshop meeting.

Crews have also replenished the sand at the recreation cove on the south end of the beach, bringing in larger-gauge "birdseye" sand to protect the cove, boardwalk and playground from rising lake levels.

The measures follows a similar effort carried out in October 2019 at the beach's nature and swimming coves, which managed to protect the buildings and boardwalk adjacent to both coves during the winter at a cost of just over $400,000, according to park district officials.

"The work we did last fall at Rosewood Beach prevented significant damage that could have been caused by the intense storms we experienced in fall and winter," Executive Director Brian Romes said.

According to Smith, this year's work at the recreation cove was budgeted to cost $350,000. The construction and engineering had come in under budget, he told commissioners, but it turned out the district's contractors had underestimated the amount of sand needed. The result was an increase in the total cost of the project to more than $380,000.

"One of the reasons being that their estimates were based on photos and site visits rather than survey, so now that this material has been delivered we did some surveying [Tuesday] afternoon and it looks like we would want to bring in some more material," Smith said. "So SmithGroup is recommending that we bring in a minimum of 2,000 additional tons of sand."

All beaches and park district facilities in Highland Park have been closed during Gov. J.B. Pritzker's statewide stay-at-home order in response to the spread of the new coronavirus in the state. Congregating in parks with any number of people is prohibited, according to the park district.

Water levels on Lake Michigan have broken records in each of the first three months of the year and are continuing to rise.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reported Friday that water levels are 4 inches higher than a month earlier, 14 inches higher than a year ago, and expected to rise another 4 inches by the middle of May.

Park district staff said the shoreline protection project at Rosewood Beach's recreation cove was expected to be complete by April 25. Commissioners have yet to determine if more work will be done at the beach in the fall.

Earlier: Emergency Sand Replenishment Project Begins At Rosewood Beach