Sea Bright Businesses Looking into Building Boardwalk

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By John Burton
SEA BRIGHT – The local business association sees a real benefit in building a beachfront boardwalk. So much so, it’s looking to undertake the project itself.
Members of the Businesses of Sea Bright, the business association, are looking at ways they can raise money to develop the project and eventually construct the boardwalk.
While discussions are in the very preliminary stages, business owners and Mayor Dina Long acknowledged they are looking to move forward with the idea as a benefit for the business and overall community.
“I think the businesses want to do it to help the town, and I think it will,” said Brett McQuillen, who owns and operates Navesink Marina and other commercial properties in the borough.
The plan, Long said, is to eventually construct an elevated boardwalk separating the beachfront from the former borough-owned parking areas. It would be roughly 1,500 linear feet, running from Chapel Beach Club at 1023 Ocean Ave. to the existing approximately 75-foot boardwalk overlooking the public beach.
As it currently stands, the project would be undertaken by the Businesses of Sea Bright with the association seeking the needed financing, according to Long. However, she said, the borough engineer would assist in obtaining the needed Coastal Area Facility Review Act (CAFRA) permit from the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), needed for such a project.
The CAFRA permit is necessary for any development affecting a beach or dune area.