Polymeric sand bonding to wood

I have steps about 4ft high built of interlocking pavers leading up to my front door. The sill on my front door is a nice piece of 2" oak. When I had the steps rebuilt about 4 years ago, I didn’t notice that the contractor had raised the steps about 1". This means that the interlocking brick now butts against the wooden sill (instead of underneath the sill), and polymeric sand has bonded between the wooden sill and the brick.

The paint on the sill is beginning to peel, so it needs to be repainted. But what do I do where the polymeric sand is bonded to the sill? Should I dig out the sand, repaint the sill and replace the sand? I’d like to be sure the oak is sealed so that I don’t have problems with the wood rotting.

I suppose another option would be to rebuild the steps to lower them back down 1" so that the sill will be clear of the brick. This seems like an expensive solution!