By Wilson Conde and John Burton
State administered grants totaling $2.5 million will be used for repairs of a Sandy-damaged marina as well as preparing some coastal communities to better withstand future flooding and storm damage.
The state will spend $1.5 million for capital repair work to the Leonardo State Marina in Middletown, which underwent severe damage following Super Storm Sandy in 2012.
The storm damaged, and in some parts, destroyed the Marina’s docks, concession building, boat ramp, gas pumps, and entire electrical system, among other things.
“Leonardo sustained significant damage due to impacts from Sandy,” said Bob Considine, press director for the NJ Department of Environmental Protection.
The money will go toward engineering and design plans, and securing the necessary permitting from the DEP and U.S. Army Corps of Engineering for the bulkhead and rip-rap repair and replacement. About 600 feet of bulkhead and 250 feet of stone rip-rap along the Marina will be repaired. It sustained damage when it was flooded with six feet of water above the bulkhead during Sandy.
Considine said the DEP has already dredged the Marina to accommodate boats, and also restored the electrical system and boat ramp during the Spring following Super Storm Sandy; but has decided not to replace the gas pumps or the concession building.
The grant package includes approximately $900,000 in funds the National Oceanic and Administrative Administration (NOAA) is making available to the DEP for the New Jersey Fostering Regional Adaptation through Municipal Economic Scenarios (NJ FRAMES) initiative, which aims to study how to adapt and better protect the infrastructure in communities located between the Navesink and Shrewsbury Rivers against future coastal hazards.
NJ FRAMES partners the Department of Environmental Protection’s Coastal Management Program with the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve (JC NERR), the Louis Berger Group, the Rutgers Climate Institute and the Borough of Oceanport as the representative of the Two River Council of Mayors.
“It is something that will benefit all 15 towns of the Two River Council of Mayors and Highlands,” said Oceanport Mayor Jay Coffey.
The funds will be used to draft a Regional Adaption Planning Project, which will look how to establish an interrelated plan for the communities to better withstand significant weather events, which are getting more severe, according to Coffey.
“Flooding is the number one issues,” for these communities, like Highlands, Oceanport, Monmouth Beach and Sea Bright and others, he said. That is is becoming increasingly apparent with each storm, Coffey stressed. “Obviously, things are different now, with each storm, with high tides,” Coffey said.
The study, the mayor explained, will also take into consideration public interest, economic implications and actual costs.
The project is expected to begin next month and take approximately 36 months.
In exchange for the funds, communities are expected to provide in-kind support, with the use of municipal facilities for public outreach and contributions from municipal professionals, such as their engineers.
The partnering groups will use a scenario-based approach to help the Two Rivers Council determine and understand the range of costs and benefits of planning resiliency decisions in communities surrounding the Navesink and Shrewsbury rivers. Using a vigorous public stakeholder process that includes the visions of the involved communities, the NJ FRAMES project is expected to produce a plan identifying independent and regional measures that maximize efforts to improve resiliency.
“The expertise of coastal scientists, combined with the input of affected communities and residents will help us identify these important next steps to be taken to protect this region from the effects of devastating floods,” said DEP Commissioner Bob Martin
Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ-06), said that the grants give a major boost for local efforts to recover from Sandy’s impact, as well as protect against future storms like Sandy.
“As we continue to rebuild from Superstorm Sandy, we have the unique opportunity to improve our infrastructure in Monmouth County to ensure that we are better prepared for the next storm,” Pallone said. “Grants like these for the Leonardo State Marina and the Two Rivers region will make our community more resilient in the future, while also providing critical funds to continue these ongoing repair efforts.”
Jason Reimer, a resident of Middletown, said that Sandy hurt the Marina, and that any repairs and upgrades that could be done there would be a boost to the neighborhood. “The marina is definitely in need of repair and upgrades for sure,” Reimer said. “It will bring a lot more people to the area (once it’s repaired).”
Leonardo resident Joseph Giliberto said he’s hoping that the project will address the flooding issues that have frequently battered the neighborhood around the marina during most storms, especially when there’s a high tide.
“Anything they can do about it to stop the flooding would be more than welcome,” Giliberto said.
Joan Marchetta said she used to greatly enjoy the Marina’s aesthetic elements, such as the vegetation and the glassed in information center that was in front of the harbormaster’s house, until they were both damaged by Sandy and demolished afterward. She is disappointed by how the Marina currently looks compared to before Sandy, particularly the placement of a portable toiled in front of a neighbor’s house. “The Marina is a mess, and has been since Sandy,” she said. “I hope there’s something in the plans to make it beautiful again.”
Middletown Township Administrator Anthony Mercantante said that although he had no specific knowledge of the Marina repair project’s details because the NJ DEP is running that project, he believes that any work to repair the Marina would be beneficial for Middletown.
“It’s an integral part of the (Middletown) economy,” Mercantante said of the Marina. “A lot of residents use it, so seeing it restored would definitely improve the local economy.”
