Beach Patrol Building in Holding Pattern

STONE HARBOR – Two years ago, at the Oct. 16 Stone Harbor Borough Council meeting, plans were discussed for a new beach patrol building, at 95th Street and the beach. Those discussions spoke of having the building completed and in use by spring 2020.
Two years later, the Oct. 20 meeting of the council witnessed continued discussions regarding the building that is not designed beyond a conceptual level. The hope is “shovels in the ground” after Labor Day 2021.
The delay was caused, in large part, by cost considerations. A $4.2 million price tag for the new building, construction of nearby public restrooms, and extensive outdoor work, including a waiting area for beach tag buyers, was higher than most on council expected. The new public restrooms were scaled down to a modular building and the outdoor reconfigurations were reduced.
The issue is the actual cost for the building, which faces a new delay. A borough plan for the acquisition of property, referred to as Stone Harbor West, in a neighboring municipality to utilize for storage of large items that sit in borough parking lots needs to be finalized before consideration of the building’s budget can take place.
The new schedule calls for the final numbers on Stone Harbor West to be known in a matter of weeks, allowing the borough to proceed with the building design, which will clarify costs for its eventual construction. The earliest the new building would be ready for occupancy is summer 2022.