Like most towns on Long Beach Island, Beach Haven suffered extensive damage due to Superstorm Sandy. The borough’s ongoing recovery process is continuing with some major construction currently under way.
The municipality’s beach patrol headquarters, located on the beachfront of Centre Street, was recently knocked down to make room for a new, upgraded building. The facility’s pilings have been installed, and the construction phase is now in progress. Midwest Construction and Paint of Southampton Township is heading the project, which will cost $428,757.
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| Photo by Ryan Morrill Pilings are set for the new facility in Beach Haven |
The former building’s storage and office areas were completely destroyed by the storm. However, the public restroom facilities were rehabilitated last summer to allow for community access. The decision, “made on the fly, relatively close to the summer season,” kept visitors from being forced to use Porta-Potties, said Richard Crane, borough manager. The new bathrooms, which cost about $3,000, were a temporary fix for the season after officials decided to replace the building with a brand new facility. The former building was rebuilt in 1989.
“It was not completely washed away, but it was pretty well destroyed,” said Crane.
The new building will have the same general footprint as the former structure, but it is designed to have two stories, compared to only one. Alongside an observation deck for lifeguards to obtain a better view of the beach, the office area will be moved upstairs to free up space on the ground floor. The first floor will have expanded restroom facilities, and beach badge sales will also be permanently located on the ground floor.
“That structure on Centre Street we always consider to be the gateway to our beaches,” said Crane. “We think it’s going to be a very visually appealing structure, and we believe it’s going to make us stand out from the other municipalities on the Island. Quite frankly, we’re all marketing for the same people to come down to enjoy the beach,” he explained.
The project is expected to be completed in time for this year’s summer tourist season.
The town’s public works garage on Amber Street, which suffered about 5 feet of floodwater damage, was also recently demolished.
“Given the age and the overall shape of the facility pre-storm, that kind of was the last straw. It was not worth trying to rehabilitate it. We thought it was most cost-effective to build a new structure,” said Crane.
To avoid disturbing summer visitors, construction for the new building will not begin until after the summer season. Officials are contemplating the decision to relocate the building across the street, to a higher, more functional area.
Beach Haven officials are in the process of developing a plan for a new municipal building. The building located at Bay and Engleside avenues was also damaged during the storm and needs to be replaced. An application for funding from the Stronger NJ Neighborhood and Community Revitalization Program is currently pending.
“We try to prioritize. The reason some of these larger projects have sat idle for over a year is our emphasis last year was simply getting our recreational facilities up and running so our summer folks could enjoy summer season 2013,” said Crane. “Now we’re moving ahead with the more permanent projects, and a lot of these are buildings. I can’t say any one of the three has a greater priority than the other. They’re just coming together at different times.”
— Kelley Anne Essinger
This article was published in The SandPaper.
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