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| Photo via Google Replenishment in Beach Haven is now expected to begin sometime at the end of the year. |
Multiple residents and visitors of Beach Haven stood before the town council during the regular monthly meeting Monday, Aug. 10, to express their concerns regarding the borough’s beach replenishment, adding that many of them like the beaches “just the way they are.” The project, which was last said to begin shortly after Labor Day, has again been pushed back due to the dredge having to be redeployed elsewhere, Borough Manager Richard Crane announced. Officials expect it to return sometime between September and November, or as late as early December.
John Weber, a member of the Surfrider Foundation, urged the council members to think of themselves as customers of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and N.J. Department of Environmental Protection. He suggested the ocean beach at Centre Street have a gentler slope because it is the “most populated beach” in town.
Local resident Doris Tuder said she was worried about steep inclines that would make it difficult for older people to get onto the beach.
Councilman Don Kakstis assured her that there would be three handicap-accessible beaches, at Centre, Fifth and Pearl streets, that will have ramps with side rails and wheelchair-accessible mats down to the water.
“There have been some problems in the projects they’ve done before in this respect, and they are fixing them,” Mayor Nancy Taggart Davis stated. “It is a concern, but you do have to remember the whole reason for this is the protection of the properties.”
Charles Barkley Jr. said the town needs to offer more than three handicap beaches. He also said the sand brought into other local towns is “too much” and of “poor quality.”
Taggart Davis explained that extra sand is put down at the beginning of replenishment and that it should level out within one to three years.
Councilman Chuck Maschal added that sand will be taken out of the inlet and put onto the beaches during other cycles.
In response to another concern about the dangers of the sand covering the jetties, Taggart Davis explained that the jetties will be re-exposed over time.
Weber supported the idea of moving the town’s “nice sand” aside and putting it back on top of the sand laid down for the project, a process known as back-passing. He said the state has done this in other instances and should pay for it.
“I think you can, and you should, ask the DEP for that,” he urged.
Ron Pospisol and Ed Seith both denounced the idea of back-passing since officials claimed most of the sand would wash away during erosion.
Pospisol added that most of the destruction from Superstorm Sandy came from flooding from the bay, not the ocean.
“Let’s not do anything to our sand,” he urged. “Just leave it there, and let it be ours. What’s made us Beach Haven is the sand, the quality.”
Ginny Fine, a member of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society who also works for Long Beach Township, expressed concern for the project’s effects on the environment, including where the sand is being mined.
John Hammer, a fourth-generation resident and surfer, asked the council to consider the town’s surfing and tourism communities.
A town meeting to discuss concerns with representatives of the Army Corps and DEP will be held at the old Coast Guard station on Sept. 1, at 7 p.m. Weber praised the council for hosting the discussion, adding that he believes this is the first town to do so.
“We’re all still keeping on top of this,” stated Taggart Davis, who added that Maschal has been attending all project meetings with the Army Corps and DEP. “We feel fortunate that they’re starting Beach Haven sort of late in the game so that we can inspect the other beaches. ... We really appreciate everybody that is concerned about this because we want the best beaches.”
In other meeting news, the borough’s public tax rate recently proposed by the county is $1.26, which is an overall increase of 6.9 cents from 2014. The county rate increased by 1.3 cents or $268,007; the regional school tax increased by 2.9 cents or $518,215; and the municipal tax rate increased by 2.6 cents or $484,322. The total amount to be raised by taxation for municipal and county schools is $21,210,097, which is an increase of approximately $1,306,771.
Because the county tax rate was struck later than usual, the deadline has been extended by resolution to Sept. 10.
Beach badge sales so far have surpassed sales for this time last year, Crane noted. Total sales to date are $448,693, an increase of $12,643 over last year at the same time.
“We hope this continues for the following 3-plus weeks of the season,” said Crane.
The council honored members of the local beach patrol, police department and first aid squad for “a very big life-saving effort on the beach” Tuesday, Aug. 4. Details of the incident were not made available.
Crane also welcomed Lauren Campellone as the borough’s new court administrator. Campellone previously worked in Manchester Township and has over four years of experience in the municipal court system, he said.
The council adopted a bond ordinance authorizing $310,000 for various water system improvements as well as another bond ordinance of $700,000 and the issuance of $523,500 in bonds or notes to finance various capital improvements and acquisitions.
On first reading, the council passed a 2015 salary ordinance as well as a mercantile license amendment.
A public meeting regarding the construction of the new municipal building will be held at the old Coast Guard station on Aug. 26, at 7 p.m. Demolition of the existing building will begin after Labor Day.
— Kelley Anne Essinger
This article was published in The SandPaper.
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