Highlands Set To Demolish ‘Shorehenge’ In Days

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Story and photos by Joseph Sapia
HIGHLANDS – After more than a year of controversy, the Super Storm Sandy memorial – dubbed “Shorehenge” – is expected to be demolished within days.
“It looks like they’re going to get it done by the first of year,” said Borough Councilman Doug Card.
“We’re moving forward with the demolition.”
Nothing could be resolved regarding moving the 1,100-square-foot gazebo else-where from the shore of Sandy Hook Bay, behind the Robert D. Wilson Memorial Community Center, Card said. Only the exact date of demolition needs to be determined, he said, speaking earlier in the week.
The controversy began when Shorehenge was erected in the fall of 2015, because of its look and the way it blocks the view of the bay. Then, in December 2015, the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) said the borough never got approval through the state Coastal Area Facilities Review Act (CAFRA) to build the structure.
The Tilt-Up Concrete Association, a trade group based in Iowa, constructed the memorial, using donated goods and labor, along with equipment valued at $250,000. At the time, Tilt-Up was holding its annual meeting in New Jersey and was looking to make a gesture of good will in the area. Highlands was picked because it was heavily hit during the 2012 storm.
The controversy continued over whether the borough actually OK’d the structure in advance or simply explored the idea of building it. The borough did not stop its construction once underway.
With the controversy, the structure was dubbed “Shorehenge” by critics, after the prehistoric Stonehenge stone structure in England.
The DEP has held off on action against the borough.
“The Borough of Highlands has kept the Department of Environmental Protection advised of their intent to remove the structure, which should be completed shortly,” said Caryn Shinske, a DEP spokesperson. “DEP supports their efforts to remove the structure and will continue to work with the community to ensure the site is restored through the structure’s removal.”
A Tilt-Up representative could not be reached for comment.