By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

NAPLES — The contractor who applied sealant to the Causeway boardwalk last fall has been busy, removing the peeling material when the weather conditions are right.

“Caretake America has already begun the process of cleaning up the peeling stain that was applied to the walk last fall. Everything that is loose has been cleaned up,” Naples Town Manager John Hawley said before the snowstorm in early April.

Hawley talked about the steps that are being taken to find a sealant that works on the stamped concrete boardwalk. This was discussed during the Naples Board of Selectme’s meeting on April 8.

“The product was a total failure and Caretake America is working with Sherwin Williams and other concrete experts to determine the next best steps for resurfacing,” he said.

Hawley said that a citizen reached out with a remedy.

“I received a phone call from someone who was watching the cleanup. They said what we were doing was absolutely wrong. It will continue to peel, they said. It all has to be removed. A professional person has to come in. You have to start over. Not just what was chipped — all of it has to be removed,” Hawley said, conveying the citizen’s advice.

“At this point, we have to make sure we get it right by removing everything that was there,” Hawley said.

A number two soda blast is the product that was recommended for removing the sealant.

However, it has not yet been decided which product will be used to seal the boardwalk.

A taxpayer who was present at the April 8 meeting said it would be advisable to do a test area before sealing the entire boardwalk with the new product.

Hawley said a test patch could prove ineffective since the concrete was made in batches and the concrete could differ slightly from area to area.