The Scarborough Town Council has appointed an ad hoc committee to study whether the town should repair or replace the Higgins Beach seawall, which was badly damaged in last year’s Patriot’s Day storm.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has promised $200,000 to repair the storm damage, but town officials are considering spending an additional $450,000 more to replace the wall entirely.

The Town Council will need to make a decision whether to repair or replace the seawall quickly, Town Manager Ron Owens said, because repairs would need to be completed before summer.

If the council opts to replace the structure, construction would likely begin in the fall. The project would not increase taxes because money is set aside every year for capital improvement projects, Owens said.

The seawall dates to the 1960s, when boulders were placed along the beach to stem erosion. In 1992, the wall was capped with a protective concrete barrier, but town officials worry it still not strong enough to survive future storms.

A new wall would have to meet a number of Environmental Protection Agency regulations, including that it not be more damaging to the environment than the existing structure.