Beach Haven officials prepare for upcoming beach replenishment

The last property easement required for beach replenishment in Beach Haven was signed just before the monthly borough council meeting held Monday evening, Sept. 8. The town had been waiting several months for the easement on the foreclosed property, located on block 91 lot 4 on Atlantic Avenue, said Borough Manager Richard Crane.

“It looks very definite that beach replenishment is coming to Long Beach Island, specifically Beach Haven, at some point during calendar year 2015,” he said.

The town has not received federal beach replenishment in the past. Beach Haven officials had their first meeting with the state Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regarding the project about 10 days ago. During that time, the DEP “surprised the town” with four other required residential easements that need to be finalized by Sept. 19, Borough Clerk Sherry Mason told The SandPaper in a phone interview Tuesday. She said the town will most likely not be able to adhere to the DEP’s “extremely short” deadline. Therefore, the four properties will be subject to eminent domain legal action “because the Army Corps is coming with this project, whether we like it or not,” she said.

Photo via WOBM
Beach replenishment takes place in Harvey Cedars. 

The state and federal governments require beachfront property owners to sign specific easements to allow beach replenishment construction crews on their land. The legal requirement, resisted by some property owners, has caused substantial delays in the storm hazard mitigation project that Congress approved for Long Beach Island nearly 10 years ago.

“Quite honestly, I personally never thought we’d see this day,” Crane said at the Sept. 8 council meeting. “I was one of the ones that really became involved in this when it was first talked about back in 2005. At that time, just the idea of getting all the necessary easements signed, and all the other paperwork that was originally required, just seemed beyond anything.”

Crane said the push for final easements, which was a struggle particularly over the past couple years, was most likely due to Superstorm Sandy, which “probably educated a lot of folks that may not have been accustomed to mother nature’s fury during the winter months, of what it can bring.

“Many times during the summer months, we have a more placid ocean out there. But it can really churn things up,” he said.

Another positive note is that the beach replenishment funding formula has changed, allowing for the local project to be fully covered by the federal program, Crane said. Three handicap accessible locations will also be fully funded, which will include mats that will lead all the way out to the ocean. The replenishment will be reviewed in seven years.

When the plan was originally presented to town officials, a local match of 8.75 percent of the total project was expected. However, that match will only be required if nourishment is needed after the review.

Officials are also waiting on a final approval letter from the DEP regarding the town’s water pump station, which was severely damaged by Sandy. Although it was temporarily restored, it will be torn down during the off-season and reconstructed. The town will use Holgate (Long Beach Township) water probably for most of the winter.

“We will have a brand new, much smaller, much more efficient facility ready for the 2015 season,” Crane said. “The pumps themselves will be up high enough that they will never again be affected by flooding.”

The process of re-sheathing the bulkhead in front of the borough’s Emergency Operations Center, a $303,492 project led by KG Marine Contracting of Manahawkin, started in early July and is nearly complete, Crane announced. The front entrance to the center is expected to be reopened to cars by the end of this week.

A N.J. Department of Transportation Trust Fund project for reconstruction of the 300 block of Sixth Street, including drainage, is expected to begin within the next week. It was postponed over the summer so it would not burden local residents and visitors.

Bids will be accepted Sept. 17 to repave about six oceanfront tops that were damaged by Sandy. The project should finish no later than Dec. 15.

Bidding to replace a water main on Coral Street, another DOT project, is anticipated to begin around mid-October.

In other meeting news, an ordinance amendment to provide an additional handicapped space on Third Street was passed on final reading.

An ordinance to add two locations with no parking provisions, including within 50 feet of the west end of the paved portion on both sides of Fifth Street as well as west of Delaware Avenue on both sides of Sixth Street, was introduced.

Crane gave the final beach badge report for the summer of 2014.

“It was a very robust year for us as well as, I believe, most of the folks in town in terms of business over the summer,” he said.

Beach badge sales reached $480,260, an increase of $62,600 (15 percent) over 2013. Daily badges saw the biggest increase, he said; 18,466 dailies were sold, which generated an additional $26,100 in revenue, a 40 percent increase over last year.

“Anybody that tried to get off the Island many times, particularly Thursday and Friday on a nice day, you knew there were a lot of daily people here – which is a wonderful thing,” said Crane.

He attributed the revenue increase to the extra badge checkers hired this year, as well as the beautiful weather.

“Let’s hope 2015 matches this,” he said.

During public comment, local resident Michael Davis challenged the council to place badge checkers at every beach entrance during designated hours next year. He suggested hiring someone to run the program instead of leaving it up to the beach patrol.

“Their job is to deal with the beach, not deal with the checkers,” he said. “My plea to you is to continue to pursue this. I think next year we can reach over $1 million if we do it right.”

Councilwoman Nancy Taggart Davis suggested the new summer shuttle buses – a Long Beach Township initiative for which Beach Haven contributed $10,000 – should incorporate bicycle racks next year.

Councilman James White urged the council to review the “significant amount” of calls coming in to the police regarding noise complaints due to tent weddings.

“It’s on the list,” replied Mayor Robert Keeler.

The public was also encouraged to attend the celebration of the New Jersey Maritime Museum annual fundraiser, Saturday, Sept. 13, from 5 to 11 p.m., as well as the 90th anniversary celebration of the Beach Haven Library on Sunday, Sept. 14, from 1 to 3 p.m.

— Kelley Anne Essinger


This article was published in The SandPaper.