Responding to residents' concerns, Marathon will fund a study to track where Sombrero Beach sand goes before embarking on a full-scale renourishment project.

The Marathon City Council passed a resolution at Tuesday night's general meeting to authorize up to about $57,000 for Weiler Engineering Corporation to conduct a study of sand migration patterns at Sombrero Beach to determine if sand from the beach is filling up the canals of nearby Treasure Island.

The resolution was a reauthorization of an identical measure passed in February 2009. That study was stopped before it began when grant funding was pulled by the Florida Legislature. This time, residents were able to impress upon city officials at a meeting between the two the need for such a study before Federal Emergency Management Agency funding was used for a dune renourishment project.

"It was a very productive meeting," said Treasure Island resident Michelle Brossard.

City Manager Roger Hernstadt, who has held a series of these super-local meetings with concerned residents since starting on the job in February, agreed that a compromise was found. "I want to thank the residents for coming in and going over the scope of the project."

According to the project agreement submitted by staff, the work will proceed immediately and take approximately five months. In that time, Weiler will study conditions and use GPS mapping to determine migration patterns. Weiler is also tasked with determining "the preferred project alternative to prevent the canals from shoaling and control beach erosion."

Steve Errera, who lives in the Treasure Road area and has spoken at a number of council meetings on the subject of the canals filling with sand, said he was satisfied the city was moving in the right direction.

"We're very happy that the city is taking responsibility to maintain the sand on the beach," Errera said. "I think what they are going to find is what the state found out many years ago, which is the westerly and southwesterly winds erode the beach ... and push the sand into the Treasure Road canals. Once they fill up, the sand moves around to the other canals."

Errera said more than $450,000 has been spent over the years -- all by residents, save for one FEMA project 10 years ago -- to dredge the canals. Without the dredging, the canals are nearly unusable in all but the highest of tides.

"I'm hoping they'll find the best solution," Errera said. "Most people feel that some form of jetty or multiple jetties would capture the sand, and then the sand could be used to replenishing the beach again."

At least Errera has spoken with Weiler about recycling the sand, and hopes that would be a possibility. For now, the study will proceed while the funding slated to be used to renourish Sombrero Beach dunes -- $42,000 -- will instead repair Coco Plum Beach dunes and a handful of areas at the western end of Sombrero Beach.

The motion to spend those funds passed, 4-1, with Councilman Pete Worthington dissenting. Worthington believed staff could have done more to direct the funds to a local contractor.

"Here we go again, sending money out of the city when I have two local contractors who want to bid on this," Worthington said. "I'd sure like to see this money stay local."

Under further questioning from Vice Mayor Mike Cinque, staff members explained that local preference ordinances that would have tipped the scales to favor area businesses didn't apply because the project was FEMA funded.

The city also made it a requirement that contractors have Department of Environmental Protection dune restoration experience. Councilman Richard Keating asked if that may have pushed out local bidders.

"We had some local bidders," Hernstadt said, but noted their price was higher while their experience was less.

The dune restoration will be completed by Universal Beach Services.

mphelps@keysnews.com