BEESLEY’S POINT – The smokestack at the former B.L. England Generating Station, a landmark that stood for more than three decades, came down in a matter of seconds Thursday morning, Oct. 26. A single blast from 350 pounds of explosives caused the 463-foot tower to fall over like a felled tree at about 10:05 a.m.
People came to an observation area at the end of North Shore Road by car, bicycle or on foot to see the demolition. People also parked on the Great Egg Harbor Bridge on the Garden State Parkway to get a good view. Many others were on boats in the harbor, which offered an unobstructed view of the event.
Dave Kreutz, executive vice president and director of economic development for Beesley’s Point Development Group, noted that some people were attached to the smokestack, which was constructed to resemble a lighthouse.
Upper Township Committeeman Curtis Corson, who attended the event, said the smokestack was a landmark and navigation guide, especially when smoke was coming out of it.
“My son was a commercial fisherman for a while, and he said it could be seen from a long distance,” Corson said.
The demolition was the third and final explosion to bring down structures at the old power plant. The cooling tower and boilers were imploded in separate events.
Chad Parks, executive vice president of real estate and development for the development group, told the crowd there would be a siren two minutes before the explosion, another at one minute, and then a 10-second countdown before the switch was hit. The first siren went off a couple minutes after 10 a.m., and after another minute or so there was a loud bang and the tower slowly fell to the west, away from any observers.
Corson said a landmark was gone, but that there would be a new landmark for people to see – a better one. Kreutz said he felt that, for the most part, people were excited about what would come next. What that will be is yet to be determined, but it would surely include a hotel, marina, retail and dining, he said.
Mayor Jay Newman, who attended the event as a Marmora firefighter, said the demolition and the future development are win-wins for the township.
“The site is clean, it’s a clean slate, a clean pallette, and the developers can paint whatever they want,” he said.
The redevelopment plans are expected to be unveiled sometime next year.
Contact the author, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcherald.com or 609-886-8600, ext. 128.
