Varn Park to Close for Three Months During Sand Project

PALM COAST – Varn Park on the northern end of Flagler County will be closed for three months while contractors carry out sand operations, the county government announced Thursday. Starting March 27th, it will be inaccessible to the public until work is completed. The first sand operation will take place in Painters Hill and Beverly Beach. The second covers territory even further north, particularly the Hammock Dunes area. As coastal Flagler County residents eagerly await an exhaustive beach project from the Army Corps of Engineers, this project will serve as a stopgap of sorts. County officials say it’s an emergency measure to tide things over until something more permanent can be enacted. “Those who live in Painter’s Hill should know that the dune restoration project will extend from the first house south of Varn Park through the Town of Beverly Beach,” said County Engineer Faith Alkhatib. “We want the residents to know that we will only be placing this emergency sand in front of houses – not in front of undeveloped lots unless it fills a gap in between two adjacent houses and is not in front of seawalls.”