Huron plans more safety improvements for Nickel Plate

HURON — Huron recently approved a resolution to hire KS Associates, a civil engineering firm, to study Nickel Plate Beach.The city is looking for ways to make the beach safer after the deaths of two swimmers earlier this year.The beach, which is operated by the city, is known to develop dangerous rip currents that can carry swimmers into the lake when wind comes in from the Northeast.Following the deaths of Alvin Martin, 18, and Brittany Young, 29, in two separate incidences, the city started a red flag system to indicate when swimming was prohibited and added signs warning of the dangerous currents."The flag was one component of several upgrades made in a short timeframe to improve safety at the beach," city manager Andy White said.The city stopped monitoring the wind conditions to know when to raise the flag after Labor Day, which is the end of the beach's season. But city council members expressed concerns and wondered whether the flag system could be extended."All options are on the table at this point, including the extension of the flag system," White said. "In addition to extending the flag system, there was a suggestion to post signage prohibiting swimming at the beach outside the normal season."White said the council and its safety committee are committed to finding ways to make the beach safer for the 2020 season. The council recently approved the resolution to enter an agreement with KS Associates."It will collect information on the wave energy, water levels and wind patterns and analyze how it would be affected by the physical aspects of the topography and nearby infrastructure to mark out the safest location for a swimming area," White said.The survey is broken down into two phases:• Phase I: A survey of the of the beach topography to provide a profile of the lake bottom in a 1,500-foot by 1,000-foot area of the beach. To be completed in 30 days.• Phase II: A water and weather analysis, swim area assessment and recommendations completed as a supplement to Phase I. To be completed in 60 days.Other improvements the city is considering is designating a police officer to patrol the beach and adding an automated alarm system to replace the flag.When to raise the flag, is currently decided upon by city officials, but White would like a more objective approach by installing an alert system connected to an anemometer, a device that measures wind."An automated system could alert people of dangerous conditions immediately based on continuously collected data," White said. "It would make the decision to restrict swimming objectively based on preset conditions, such as wind direction and speed, that would automatically active when those conditions were recorded."The survey's completion will most likely result in recommendations for additional improvements. The final cost of these safety improvements aren't finalized, but White believes there could be opportunities to offset the costs.Possible opportunities include grants and the expansion of the bed tax, or the amount the city collects from people staying at hotels and bed and breakfasts."The bed tax is currently not applicable to short-term rentals — VRBO and AirBnB — in the city but has been discussed," White said. "If expanded to include this market, additional dollars could be allocated to offset these new programs."Reach reporter Michael Harrington at michaelharrington@sanduskyregister.com, follow the Register at Facebook.com/SanduskyRegisterA sign posted for visitors at Nickel Plate Beach in Huron on July 11, 2019.