What’s an Ideal Bulkhead Height?

PETERSBURG – Paul Dietrich, Upper Township municipal engineer, briefed Upper Township Committee May 29 on findings related to the Strathmere bulkhead study he recently carried out.
“We carried out this study because we really didn’t have all the facts in response to inquiries by Strathmere residents. We found that for soundings and elevation, most bulkheads don’t comply and that for compliance it would cost anywhere from $60,000-$100,000 per property owner to remedy the situation,” Dietrich said.
“There are about 3,500 linear feet to consider of other municipal bulkheads at a cost of $2,000-$2,500 per linear foot, so that’s about $6 million to $7.5 million and then an engineering fee of about $500,000. Our current ordinance is for bulkheads to be at seven feet and we were considering a new requirement to make them eight feet,” Dietrich said.
“These costs don’t include issues of preparing rights documents for state environmental officials, and although even with other significant expenses to retain a license for riparian rights or a grant for land use, it might turn out that property owners are not in a better position and might lose boat slips for example,” added Solicitor Daniel Young.
“We started all this because a couple of Strathmere residents were asking what the costs would be if bulkhead heights were increased and whether that would influence insurance costs. We really can’t continue consideration until we consult with the residents to see if any of this is feasible in a town-hall meeting or something of that nature,” said Mayor Richard Palombo.
Young added, “Originally there was a push by residents to get out of the Coastal A Zone, but they learned this designation was not as severe as they thought and that it has no impact on insurance costs even if bulkhead heights are raised to eight feet which would get them out of the Coastal A Zone.”
During public comments, Linda Bateman, president of the Strathmere Improvement Association, stressed that the mayor, solicitor, and engineer meet with residents which the municipal clerk will arrange as soon as possible.
Ted Kingston, a Strathmere resident, said, “We should really think not about today, but what will the situation be in 25 years? We need to really explore what is the proper height throughout all locations in Strathmere.”
To contact Camille Sailer, email csailer@cmcherald.com.