Mystic — A large group of Masons Island residents are opposing a proposal by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the St. Edmund’s Retreat Center to replace the deteriorating 700-foot-long sea wall that protects Enders Island from storms.

The application states the current seawall is in poor condition and has been overtopped at times. In one section it has collapsed. The Army Corps states erosion behind the wall now threatens its stability and the functioning of the island’s septic system.

Without the permanent protection of a seawall, the Army Corps predicts the erosion will continue, the septic system will fail and the wall will collapse.

“Once the walls collapse, the entire island will be exposed to eroding wave energy and will cease to function as a retreat and a public passive recreation area,” it states.

But some Masons Island homeowners are using the Army Corps public comment period (which expired Aug. 6) to renew their long-running charge that the retreat center violates town zoning regulations and has illegally expanded its uses over the years. In addition, they warn that while the island is currently open to the public, provisions in its convenant would return it to private ownership if the retreat center is used for public and not solely religious uses, which they maintain is now happening. If the property reverted to a list of private owners, federal taxpayers would have helped fund a sea wall that would then protect a private island.

"We strongly urge the Army Corps of Engineers to stop work on and withdraw funding for this project," wrote Michael Deangelis and Lydia Herd in a letter to the Corps.

At the minimum, they wrote, residents' questions and concerns should be addressed and a local public hearing held. 

The town, though, has maintained that the retreat center is a legal nonconforming use. Stonington Director of Planning Jason Vincent has also cautioned the town that if it did take action against St. Edmund's it could face legal action for violating the federal Religious Land Use and Institutional Person Act, which trumps local zoning regulations.

The application states that federal law allows the Army Corps to appropriate money for the planning and construction of shoreline erosion projects that involve public facilities or facilities owned by nonproft organizations that provide public services, that are under imminent threat of danger or failure by natural erosion processes.

The estimated $2 million cost of the project would be split by the Army Corps paying 65 percent and St. Edmund’s contributing 35 percent. Even though the town will be a co-sponsor of the project to satisfy Army Corps requirements, Stonington First Selectman Rob Simmons assured residents that no town money would be used for the project. The 9.7-acre island is open to the public and hosts about 17,000 visitors a year for retreats, religious services, substance abuse treatment and events.

The original wall was built in 1922 of loosely laid natural stones that were cemented into place after the 1938 hurricane. Plans call for replacing it with a 30-foot-wide, 8-foot-tall sea wall that would follow the course of the existing wall from a small chapel near the parking lot and extend along the east- and south-facing shorelines.

The Army Corps states that it considered a number of alternatives, such as relocating the retreat center or connecting the island to the town's sewer system before settling on one of several versions of a seawall. The Corps said the design was based on recent damage from Hurricane Irene and Superstorm Sandy, the impact of various hurricanes, and the need to reduce the potential impact of construction on eel grass beds at the southern tip of the island.

The Corps has found that the project would have no significant impact on public health and safety. The work would take place over the course of four to six months with trucks using private roads through Masons Island to get to Enders Island, primarily during daylight hours.

According to Corps spokesman Tim Dugan, agency staff will review the letters and emails it has received about the project and then try to resolve some of the issues.  He said the proposal would then be sent to Army Corps headquarters in New York for a decision on whether to move forward with the project and funding. He said it is possible the design work could begin in early 2018 unless Corps planners determine changes need to be made.

Masons Island contains a total of 293 homes with an average value of $814,000. Property owners pay $3.8 million in real estate taxes to the town each year.

Masons Island Property Owners Association President Robert Martin has submitted a lengthy letter to the Army Corps asking it if it considered numerous details about the project such as economic impact, zoning compliance, the viability of the existing septic system, and how the island protects Masons Island.  It also pointed out that trucks would be using the private road on Masons Island to access the construction site. 

In letter to the Army Corps and Board of Selectmen, Masons Island resident Penelope Townsend maintained the project does not meet the criteria for the agency's participation while the retreat center is in violation of the deed that conveyed the property, as public use is not allowed. She also pointed out that the Masons Island causeway, which retreat visitors need to access, has been identified in the town's Coastal Resiliency Plan as needing replacement because it could be washed out in a storm.

Other residents have written to the Corps and the retreat center in support of the project.

In an email placed in the town's file on the project, Masons Island resident Angelo Messina said the rebuilt sea wall will protect Masons Island and the Masons Island Yacht Club. He added that supporting the project is about being a good neighbor.

"We have the opportunity to assist a neighbor against the ravages of nature without it costing the landowners of Masons Island anything," he wrote. 

j.wojtas@theday.com