AVALON — Avalon Mayor Martin Pagliughi announced this evening that an emergency beach fill project being conducted in Avalon and Sea Isle City this spring will receive major funding from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Pagliughi received a phone call on May 11th from Ben Keiser, Manager, NJDEP Bureau of Coastal Engineering. Keiser informed Pagliughi that the state will reimburse both communities for 75 percent of the costs associated with the beach fill project, according to a release.
“This is terrific news for residents of both Avalon and Sea Isle City”, Pagliughi said. “I thanked Mr. Keiser for the good news, and for the recognition by the state of New Jersey that neighboring communities can come together, replenish beaches, and save taxpayers millions of dollars,” he added.
Avalon and Sea Isle City decided to conduct a joint emergency beach fill project to replenish beaches that were washed away during repeated coastal storms that began in September, 2009 and concluded on the weekend of March 13th, 2010. Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company, LLC of Oak Brook, Illinois was the low bidder for the project at $10.406 million. Both communities committed local dollars to the project, and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection will pay for 75 percent of the beach fill.
Great Lakes has already begun to mobilize equipment to the Avalon beachfront, and is scheduled to begin the actual pumping of sand on or about Saturday, May 15th. The beach fill operation will be conducted 24 hours a day, seven days a week through June 2nd. During a one day mobilization of equipment, the dredge will head north to Sea Isle City for a major beach project in that community.
Avalon’s portion of the beach fill project will result in 500,000 cubic yards of sand being pumped onto the north end beaches from 9th Street south to 26th Street. If more sand is available in the “borrow” area offshore, it’s possible some additional sand may be pumped onto the beachfront. This beach fill will compliment a major dune restoration program that the Borough initiated following the March nor’easter. That project resulted in new dunes being constructed from 17th Street, south to 22nd Street.
On April 21st, Avalon and Sea Isle City officials met on the apex of the Townsend’s Inlet Bridge for a ceremonial coin flip to determine which community would go first in the beach fill. Avalon won the coin flip, and elected to have its beaches nourished first during this emergency project.
“In our eyes, both communities are winners,” Pagliughi said. “We combined our efforts and resources and the result will be a protective and recreational beach in Avalon for the summer of 2010, and beyond. I’m grateful the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection recognized that both communities believed so strongly in the project that they were willing to put up their own local dollars. Our reimbursement request was granted, and the result of our hard work results in a new beach, and millions of dollars in relief to Avalon and Sea Isle City taxpayers,” he added.
“I am also thankful to Governor Chris Christie for adding money to the state budget for beach projects through the state,” Pagliughi said. “Beaches drive our economy, and Governor Christie recognizes that”.
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