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Col. Jeffrey Palazzini, Alaska USACE district commander, signed the project partnership agreement for the Kenai River Bluffs Erosion Project during a ceremony at the Kenai Senior Citizens Center on September 25.
Michael Connor, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, and Terry Eubank, city manager of Kenai, also provided their signatures to the documents.
Governor Mike Dunleavy and Brian Gabriel, mayor of Kenai, witnessed the signing and provided remarks during the event.
Prior to the ceremony, Ronnie Barcak, project manager, and Randy Bowker, chief of the Programs and Project Management Division, guided Palazzini and Connor on a tour of the site.
The current erosion at the Kenai Bluffs threatens important infrastructure and public safety, said USACE.
The project will establish a protective berm of 5,000 feet to shield the lower portion of the land from storm damage and tidal activity.
USACE said that the overall height of the bluffs ranges between 55 and 70 feet, while the face is receding at a rate of three feet per year.