With the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers expecting to go out to bid on the Hereford Inlet to Cape May Inlet Dune and Beach Berm Project this coming spring, three communities are concerned that they might lose too much existing beach area if they provide sand needed at the north end of Five Mile Island.
Wildwood Crest Mayor Don Cabrera, Wildwood Mayor Ernie Troiano Jr. and Lower Township Manager Mike Laffey all said that their towns were worried about possible loss of beach area, and had other concerns as well.
Cabrera said at the Dec. 18 Borough Commission meeting that the borough had presented objections to the DEP at a closed meeting in the Wildwoods Convention Center on Dec. 16.
“The borough sent a letter opposing the project and listed concerns as to the reasons why,” Cabrera told the Herald.
The dune project, to be done jointly by the Army Corps and the state Department of Environmental Protection, has been on the drawing board since 2013. It calls for constructing a 16-foot dune from Hereford Inlet in North Wildwood to Cape May Inlet at the other end of the island.
The dune would be about 75 feet wide and include a berm of varying widths with an elevation of 6.5 feet. The project would essentially provide the shore protection North Wildwood has been seeking.
Cabrera said the communities affected by the project, North Wildwood, Wildwood, Wildwood Crest and Lower Township, were asked to submit any concerns prior to the Dec. 16 meeting. He said that at the meeting the communities had the opportunity to clarify their concerns, which he said he did, and that there would be a follow-up meeting in January.
“Hopefully, there are things we can agree on or work things out,” the mayor said. “If we can’t they have been put on notice we are against the project.”
Cabrera said one of the issues that concerns Wildwood Crest is the borrow area from which the Corps plans to harvest sand.
“They are going to pull sand off Crest beaches to the extent that it will significantly reduce Crest beaches – by 800 feet,” he said.
The mayor said the Crest’s beaches are crowded enough, and reducing with width by 800 feet would make the beach experience less enjoyable.
“The way I framed (the Crest’s concerns) is Wildwood Crest is known for its beaches,” he said. “It’s our brand, and when you start tinkering with our brand we are taking a big risk.”
Cabrera said that years ago the Crest allowed North Wildwood to take out sand, and it took four years for the beaches to return to what they are today. He said there are no guarantees the town’s beaches would return to what they now are, after the project.
He said the borrowing could result in a drop-off, sometimes called a shore break, a sharp slope at the water’s edge. He said he is also concerned about accessibility to the beach, saying the borough just spent millions of dollars to improve street-end access to the beach, and the project would construct a 16-foot-wide dune.
The mayor said the ramps would have to go up over the dunes in order not to compromise the project. He also believes the dunes could grow over the ramps, even impeding Americans With Disabilities Act access.
“Dunes don’t stay the same size,” he said.
Cabrera said he is also interested in bringing back the fishing pier, which might be hindered by the project.
He said he believes the proposed dune is not necessary. He said Wildwood Crest has an adequate system of dunes that were created over the years by placing live Christmas trees and snow fencing on the beaches to help create dunes, until the DEP ended the tree program.
Something the mayor said he found out about a month ago is the beach access at Cresse Avenue, which he said would be a “big opening” in the dune for access to events, which he said is understandable. However, he said the access seems contrary to the stated purpose of the dune project, which is shore protection.
“If you allow a big opening, didn’t you just defeat purpose of having the dune?” he asked.
Cabrera also questioned what entity would be responsible for maintenance of the dune, wondering whether the borough’s taxpayers would be responsible for the cost of rebuilding it should it be washed away by a storm.
“The bottom line is, our oceanfront is protected [now],” Cabrera said.
He said he feels bad for North Wildwood’s situation, often taking the brunt of storms, but he doesn’t want to risk the brand created in the Crest to save North Wildwood. He said his responsibility is to his constituents.
Cabrera said he believes the project does not have to be done on such a large scale and that he will discuss that at the January meeting. He added that he actually thought the project was going to die until it was resurrected.
He said he raised the issue at the Dec. 18 Wildwood Crest Commission meeting because he thinks it’s important for borough staff and residents to know the position the governing body is taking.
“It’s important because, at the end of the day, whether it happens or not there needs to be more public input,” Cabrera said.
Troiano also said he feels there are concerns that need to be addressed, one of the primary ones being the loss of beach area.
“I’m not a big fan of moving the ocean in around Convention Hall by about 900 feet – ‘worst-case scenario,’” Troiano said, quoting the DEP. “Why would I want to bring the ocean in on top of us? They say it’s the worst-case scenario. Why would I want the worst-case scenario?”
The mayor said when big storms come, now, the waves break 1,500 to 1,600 feet from the boardwalk.
“Why bring them 900 feet closer?” he asked.
He said the dune project would obviously have a negative impact on Wildwood’s ability to host beach events.
Troiano said he is also concerned about an approximately 100-foot area that will be created between the boardwalk and the dune that he called a dead zone and where water can accumulate. Such a space in North Wildwood was declared a “freshwater wetland” by the DEP. The city identified places in the DEP plans where this might occur.
He said the dune will be a visual impediment to officers patrolling the beach, making it impossible to see under the boardwalk.
The city is also concerned, he said, about gates to be constructed at the amusement piers where there would be a break in the dune. He asked who would be responsible for opening and closing the gates.
“We are team players and want to help the other communities out, but I have to look at the impact on our beaches,” Troiano said. “And not only the impact on the Wildwoods, but on Cape May County and the state.”
He said Cape May County is the second-largest contributor of tourism tax revenue to the state after Atlantic County.
Lower Township governs the area known as Diamond Beach, which includes the Icona-Diamond Beach Hotel. Township Manager Laffey said that, in addition to concerns about the sand borrow areas, the township was worried about how Diamond Beach would be affected into the future.
North Wildwood Mayor Patrick Rosenello responded by referring questions to the DEP. North Wildwood has long had to deal with severe beach erosion, while communities to the south have had their beaches grow wider.
In June, North Wildwood was the recipient of a mostly state-funded beach replenishment project under the state Department of Transportation. The City Council had established a ban on certain beach umbrellas and cabanas because the beaches were too narrow to accommodate the devices. The ban was rescinded after the beach fill project was completed.
The DEP was asked to comment on the sand borrow sites and the moving of the mean high water lines, but had not responded prior to deadline.
Contact the reporter, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcherald.com or call 609-886-8600, ext.128.
