Crest Casts Plan for Iconic Fishing Pier

WILDWOOD CREST – Major changes may be coming to the Wildwood Crest fishing pier at Heather Road and the beach. 
The pressure is on to complete the project prior to an Army Corps of Engineers dune elevation project, scheduled to be completed in 2021 or 2022, according to Borough Administrator Constance Mahon. 
The dune project could accelerate the timeline of what would be a major pier renovation, which borough officials hope will create an iconic tourist landmark.
“We have an untapped gem with the pier,” Mayor Don Cabrera said. “We have an opportunity to make it one of the best on the East Coast.”
“We want to attract some surfing competitions, volleyball competitions, something that will attract people to the area to expand on our season,” Mahon told the Herald. “We really want this to be a destination. You see other piers around Florida, California, South Carolina and the piers become a focal point and a tourist destination, and that’s what we’re hoping to build here.”
Army Corps’ Plan
The Army Corps of Engineers will raise the dune height to 14-feet along the Five-Mile Beach. The pier sits at eight feet, cutting through the area where the dunes will be raised, according to Mahon. The pier would need to be raised at least six feet to match the dune height and provide storm protection, Mahon said. 
The pier, which the borough obtained from a private fishing club in 2006, is not a functional fishing pier. During high tide, it falls far short of the ocean. The plan is to turn it into a fishing pier that anglers can use by extending it 500-1,000 feet, Mahon explained. 
Longer, Wider, Wetter
The structure must be extended at least 500 feet to allow for fishing, according to Cabrera. 
The pier would also be widened from six feet to 12-to-16-feet, which would help accommodate bicycles and wheelchair users, Mahon said. 
“People who are in wheelchairs have a difficult time getting out onto the sand. It isn’t fair to them.” Mahon said. “By having a pier, they can ride their wheelchair on their own directly over the water, which is where really everybody wants to be.” 
While the pier is presently wheelchair accessible, traffic in the summer months can make it difficult to navigate, given its width. 
Other proposed improvements include creating stair-access from the beach, installing public restrooms, offering fishing rod rentals, and adding a shaded structure at the pier’s end that could function as a wedding venue, Mahon said. 
Cost Considerations
The plans are designed to coincide with the necessity of raising the height. Completing everything in one project, rather than incrementally, would be a cost-saver, according to Mahon. 
“We would have to build this prior to the dune going in. Construction cost over water is so much more expensive than construction cost over land,” explained Mahon. 
If the borough waits until after the dune project is completed, the beach would be shorter due to sand harvesting to build the dune, forcing more of the pier extension to be done over water, exponentially increasing its cost, Mahon said. 
Mahon submitted an inquiry to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Coastal Engineering about the possibility of sharing the cost to raise the pier with the agency. 
At the present, there are no cost estimates for the project and the budget could affect the scope of the renovation, Mahon said. 
In addition to the request for financial assistance from the Army Corps of Engineers for the raising of the pier, Mahon said she plans to submit an application to the county’s Open Space Board in January to secure additional funding for the overall project. Such a project would go before that board and, if approved, would be forwarded to freeholders for final funding approval.
One of a Kind
Mahon hopes the project would create something unique in Wildwood Crest. 
“We totally lack public fishing piers (in New Jersey),” Mahon said, adding she hopes the renovation “will bring that destination feature to Wildwood Crest. We think it will be a great amenity.”
“It’s a very expensive proposition, but we’re hoping to get different avenues of funding so this can be a nice public amenity without being a burden to the taxpayer,” Mahon said.
A presentation detailing the proposed project will be made soon, according to Cabrera.