Boardwalk’s a ‘Good Use of State Money’

WILDWOOD – Gov. Phil Murphy surveyed a section of the Wildwood Boardwalk April 21, where a recent storm caused severe damage to the city’s biggest tourist attraction.
After spending the morning touring a pop-up hospital at the Atlantic City Convention Center, Murphy was joined in Wildwood by Mayor Peter Byron and Sen. Michael Testa (R-1st) at 11 a.m. U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-2nd) was originally joining Murphy’s visit; however, he was unable to attend to a last minute conflict.
What Murphy saw appeared to surprise him. Full sections of the boardwalk, benches and railings still intact, overturned on other sections of the boardwalk.
In several places, loose boards, with exposed nails and metal railings, littered the tram path. The scene was largely untouched since the damage occurred April 13.
“Was there a particular reason right here? Was it a little burst or twister?” Murphy asked Byron, as the two walked the boards. “Golly.”
Byron noted that most of the damage, estimated at $400,000, will be covered through insurance.
“I didn’t hear that we got hit by a tornado,” Byron said later, in an interview with the Herald. “From what was explained to me by the engineer, it was just the way the winds circled and happened to catch that corner of the boardwalk.”
Freak accident or not, it got Trenton’s attention. Something Wildwoods’ officials have been trying to do for years.
“We were pretty surprised but very grateful at the same time that we’re getting some exposure,” said Wildwood Commissioner Krista Fitzsimmons, adding the boardwalk is “the lifeblood of our economy.”
In August, Murphy vetoed a bill that would have sent $56 million from Trenton to be spent on the Wildwood Boardwalk. Fitzsimmons said it never should have taken an event like this to get this attention.
“It shouldn’t have, but it did,” said Fitzsimmons, in an interview with the Herald. “Sometimes, it does take an emergency to look at things differently. It really is unfortunate that it had to take that.”
Byron credited Murphy for being a proactive governor and for “stepping up.” He said he wasn’t surprised that Murphy came to town, and that doing so, even during the COVID-19 crisis, speaks to how the governor feels about Wildwood.
“I think the governor is aware of this now. He said he’s going to do everything he can to find the funding we need to replace the whole boardwalk,” Byron said.
“No doubt about it, one of the good uses of [state money] would be right where we’re standing,” Murphy said. “God willing, we can find our way through to it.”
He asked Byron if any other sections of the boardwalk sustained damage from the storm. The mayor didn’t report any other particularly problematic areas.
The boardwalk has been closed for a few weeks now to discourage second homeowners and visitors from coming to the Wildwoods, according to officials. It was closed the day of the windstorm, a lucky coincidence that may have saved serious injury.
“It certainly was. If this happens, even in the end of May or June, when you have more people down here, it could have been catastrophic,” Byron said. “The timing helped. The fact that the boardwalk was closed helped.”
“We’ll take it. We’ll take whatever we can get at this point,” Fitzsimmons said.
The part of the boardwalk that was damaged is unique, in that it’s the biggest open space of the boardwalk, exposed from both sides, with no shops along it, in that several-block section.
However, there was nothing identified as particularly problematic about it before the storm. Byron said the city has engineers reviewing the entire span, but it brings the boardwalk’s structural integrity in other sections further into the spotlight.
“I think this was an eye-opener for the governor,” said Byron. “God forbid, this happened in the middle of the summer, it could have been a lot worse than it was. I think this is a foreshadowing of things to come with regards to this boardwalk. I think the governor is aware of it now.”
To contact Shay Roddy, email sroddy@cmcherald.com.