Beach Access Brings Crowd To Lower Council Meeting

VILLAS – Well over 100 Lower Township residents packed township hall Feb. 1 to hear the proposed public beach access plan developed by Hatch Mott MacDonald.
This plan identifies several safety and environmental problems that may be remediated if the plan is ultimately approved by Township Council.
Steven Morey of the firm who surveyed the bay beaches from Lincoln Avenue to Ocean Avenue, described steep slopes at access points, slippery and damaged wooden roll-outs that endanger people with carriages or wheelchairs, a lack of fencing to protect dunes, insufficient emergency vehicle access, and effects of tunneling and “scouring” that dumps sand from beaches onto the roadway and clogs storm drains.
Morey provided copies of detailed plans that identify 31 access points leading to public beaches that will be addressed. He produced sketches that depict the split-rail fencing that will mark and protect those access points, and described a special I-5 soil aggregate that consists of irregularly shaped sand, clay and silt particles that will be used as a base covering over the sand to stabilize footing and reduce erosion and scouring. 
Details of the specific plans for each access point will be available for inspection throughout this proposal and public comment process. Budget for materials is estimated to be $21,161; labor will be completed by the Public Works Department.
Township Budget
Lower Township presented its proposed 2016 budget as required by law. 
Although still a work in progress, the budget is projected to be $27,113,754 and includes use of approximately $2,118,000 of a $5 million-plus surplus to avoid any tax increase to the residents. The increase over 2015’s spending plan is $480,925.
There will be a public hearing on the budget at 7 p.m. March 7 that will refine and discuss the proposed budget before a vote is taken.
To contact Jim McCarty, email jmccarty@cmcherald.com.