Bayshore Communities Recovery Committee Offers Assessment of 26-Project Plan

VINELAND – On March 3, the Bayshore Communities Recovery Committee presented a full assessment of the 26-project Recovery Plan introduced in the winter of 2014. The event was held at Cumberland County College and included presentations from the Bayshore Center at Bivalve, the American Littoral Society, the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, and the International Economic Development Council and the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs.
The Bayshore Communities Recovery Committee is a coalition that comprises federal, state, county and local governments, non-profit organizations and other Bayshore region stakeholders. Formed in the summer of 2013 in response to the damage of Superstorm Sandy, the group’s mission was to formulate and implement a comprehensive recovery plan that would not only address the immediate effects of the storm but also work to build resiliency and sustainability in the areas of shoreline protection, infrastructure, economic development and intergovernmental relations.
The 26 projects are ranked by importance as a way to prioritize the projects and make sure that the most important ones get done first. ‘Vital’ projects take precedence over ‘important,’ ‘of interest’ and ‘community interest’ projects.
The goals of the recovery are to save and sustain the economy, environment and small communities, support existing commercial businesses such as marinas and shellfisheries, and stabilize the local economy.
Four committees have been created to handle the different categories of projects. The Intergovernmental Relations committee will deal with issues pertaining to permitting, shared services and communications with Federal, state and non-governmental organizations.
The Tourism and Economic Development committee handles issues related to industry recovery, business recruitment and retention, tourism development and promotion, design and recreation as well as long-term recovery needs of basic utilities such as roads.
The Infrastructure committee covers drinking water, telecommunications and sewer. The Shoreline and Coastal Management committee includes issues related to beach replenishment, wetlands restoration, levees, etc.
One of the goals of the intergovernmental relations committee is to inform elected officials of the unique needs of Cumberland County’s Bayshore region. Getting the government to speak with one voice will allow the projects to run more smoothly. The tourism and economic development committee has goals that aim to make the Cumberland County Bayshore region a more desirable destination for family now and future. Part of that goal is building new attractions and getting rid of undesirable defunct businesses.
Since these projects are aimed at protection from storms such as Sandy, part of the recovery projects include providing safe emergency shelters for those evacuated from storm-troubled areas. These shelters are to be located outside of known flood areas, but still within the townships from which the evacuees come.
The need for these projects comes not only as a result of Superstorm Sandy, but also because of six other storms that occurred in a two-year period. Those storms included extreme high-tide events and Sandy hit at a time when the Bayshore Communities were already suffering.
After all of the projects have been presented, the issues of how they are going to be implemented are addressed. According to the plan, not all of the projects will be implemented immediately or simultaneously and some projects, like shoreline protection, will take years to accomplish.
To contact Jennifer Post, email jpost@cmcherald.com.