The Wareham Land Trust will hold a public hearing on March 13 to receive community input on the deteriorating seawall along North Water Street Beach in Onset.

Last year the trust received an $85,000 grant from the state office of Coastal Zone Management to conduct a feasibility study on replacing the seawall.

The grant allowed the trust to bring in the Woods Hole Group, a Bourne-based environmental engineering firm to assess the condition of the seawall.

The Land Trust will have to apply for two additional grants for design and construction costs.

At the upcoming hearing Land Trust representatives will introduce stakeholders to the project, solicit feedback on the existing condition and usage, review known vulnerabilities and exposures and discuss the community’s vision for the site.

In October 2024 Ryan Semple, who serves on the Land Trust Board of Directors, explained that the initial grant was an important first step in the process of rehabilitating the seawall.

"This funding from the state is critical for ensuring that the health of the coastal habitat is guaranteed and that the adjacent community remains protected against dangers such as sea level rise and storm surge, and North Water Street Beach remains safely accessible to the public," Semple said last year.

Potential alternatives to the seawall will be discussed at a second meeting to be held in May or June.

The hearing will be held in Room 27 of Town Hall at 6 p.m.