To the Editor:
Your March 20 photo and report [MV Marina raises office building to avoid high tide, March 19] about jacking up MV Marina (on Lagoon Pond Road) deserves greater explanation. True, the new pilings will hold the building about seven feet higher, making it safer from high tides and storm surges. But, only temporarily.
Climate change, if we allow it to continue, will cause the sea to steadily rise, and that means that the marina (and all other low-lying buildings, including Stop & Shop) will become increasingly threatened by the sea.
Experts estimate a six foot rise by 2100, so the marina’s floorboards will likely be soaked on a daily basis and pounded during storms. Then, we’ll again need to set up the jacks, and/or take other steps. (The Union Of Concerned Scientists, ucs.usa.org, is a good source of additional info.)
Chris Fried
Vineyard Haven
