City to Extend Bulkhead; Mayor Decries Federal Interference

NORTH WILDWOOD – “If their (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) mission is to protect fish and wildlife, they are failing miserably,” Mayor Patrick Rosenello said Oct. 15.
The mayor, along with members of North Wildwood City Council, expressed dismay regarding the expansion of the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA). Enacted in 1982, the CBRA protects natural reefs along the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Nine states, affected by Hurricane Sandy (2012), have come under review.
According to Rosenello, the expansion forbids the use of federal funds to borrow sand from Hereford Inlet. After the recent nor’easter, the beaches from 7th to 10th avenues were decimated.
In a phone interview Oct. 17, City Administrator Ronald Simone said only the declaration of an emergency would allow the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to fund beach repairs. FEMA is a federal agency, thus its funds can’t be used for projects currently under the map expansion.
Rosenello announced plans for the existing bulkhead. Due to the emergency, the bulkhead will stretch to 15th Avenue. According to the mayor, a sharp drop off in the sand poses safety issues, forcing the city to act.
The storm also forced changes to beach access points. Handicap ramps, installed to cross over former dunes, must be relocated. Rosenello said the ramps cost “hundreds of thousands.”
The Army Corps of Engineers will commence a $35 million project off of Avalon, Stone Harbor, and Ocean City, which should include North Wildwood, according to the mayor.
 “We’re (city) getting the short end of the stick,” Rosenello said.
Regarding the cost of the bulkhead expansion, Simone said an exact figure has not been calculated, as of Oct. 18. Work is expected to begin in the next few weeks, he said.
He added that endangered bird nesting sites were not successful in 2019. Repairing nesting areas can’t be done with federal funds.
City officials said protecting infrastructure, public and private property, and John F. Kennedy Boulevard is paramount. In 2018, the estimated value of city buildings was $3 billion, adding sewer, water and utility lines.
Rosenello, along with representatives from Stone Harbor and Avalon, was scheduled to meet with David L. Bernhardt, secretary of the interior, in Washington to discuss the crisis.  
In response to the city’s outcry, Fish and Wildlife Public Affairs Officer David Eisenhauer said that “there are several exceptions to CBRA’s prohibitions on federal expenditures.”
In a prepared statement Oct. 17, Eisenhauer wrote, “Some exceptions allow for dredging of federal navigation channels, beach nourishment, and shoreline stabilization projects under limited circumstances.”
Exceptions can be read by the public on Fish and Wildlife’s website, http://bit.ly/368x1Be and http://bit.ly/2BKX8Aw.
According to Eisenhauer, Hereford Inlet was added to the CBRA in 1990, supported by state lawmakers at the time. Fish and Wildlife is preparing a response to concerns received in 2018 for “congressional consideration.” Any revised expansions would become effective once approved by Congress.
The proposed boundary, according to Fish and Wildlife, was “drawn to follow the northern shoreline of North Wildwood with an approximate 20-foot buffer off the North Wildwood seawall.”
The boundary would provide an “undeveloped sandy beach and the remainder of the open water in the vicinity of Hereford Inlet.”
Eisenhauer stressed that dredging is not banned in Hereford Inlet. City, state, or private funds can be used to harvest sand from that location.
Rosenello said he does not want taxpayers to shoulder the burden of beach repair and replenishment. The mayor also questioned Fish and Wildlife’s argument.
If protecting the environment is the agency’s duty, then why are federal funds not being used to do so, he asked. Rosenello said the situation is a “sad irony.”
To contact Rachel Rogish, email rrogish@cmcherald.com.