ORCHID Dune restoration along Orchid beaches got a shot in the arm Thursday when the Orchid Town Board voted to cover about 30 percent of the cost of 20,000 cubic yards of new sand.

Up to $138,604 in dune restoration costs will be paid by the town out of reserve funds originally earmarked for the building of a new town hall. The remainder of the $462,000 will come from beachfront homeowners, condominium owners and the Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club.

The beach and dunes lost about 10 to 12 feet of sand in Hurricane Sandy, according to Orchid Mayor Hal Ofstie. The damage was defined by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection as "Condition IV, Major Dune Erosion," and includes most of the sand put on the beach by the county in 2012.

On Oct. 26, the hurricane grazed Florida's Atlantic coast, causing widespread erosion and destruction of dune crossovers, beaches and boardwalks. The state Department of Environmental Protection on Oct. 31 issued an emergency order allowing municipalities to repair such damage without state permits.

"It appears that neither the county, state nor FEMA will provide any funding to replace the sand lost, or to provide any other protective measures for Orchid beaches in 2013," said Ofstie. "The dunes appear to be vulnerable should a hurricane or similar event occur this year. While the county has the responsibility for the beaches on an ongoing basis, for this year at a minimum, any repair effort would be Orchid's effort."

The Town Board took action on dune restoration after their attorney, Anthony Garganese, advised Thursday that it would be legal as long as there was a "municipal purpose" for the expenditure.

"Declaring dune preservation would serve as a municipal purpose," said Garganese. "There is currently a declaration of emergency and the expenditures would be authorized."

Council member Bud Oatway asked Garganese what specific public purpose would be served by the expenditure since the town has no assets other than streetlights, and all of the property where the dunes are located are private lands.

"I'm having trouble getting my hands around what the public purpose is," said Oatway.

After the hurricanes of 2004, homeowners along Orchid's beaches had to pay for dune restoration without any help from the town. Orchid resident Joe Lawyer said he thought it was "appalling" that homeowners paid to protect an asset of the entire community.

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Orchid to chip in on dune restoration on beaches