Ocean City designates a third surfing beach

By MICHAEL MILLER Staff Writer, (609) 463-6712
Press of Atlantic City

Published: Friday, May 26, 2006

Updated: Friday, May 26, 2006

OCEAN CITY — Surfers will have their pick of three guarded beaches this summer.

The city on Thursday designated 16th Street for surfing to complement Waverly Avenue and the popular Seventh Street.

The move is expected to take some pressure off Seventh Street, which on busy days can be like a regatta with surfboards.

City Council initially wanted to staff a surfing beach in each of the city's four wards. This summer the Beach Patrol will guard a designated surfing beach in three of the four. The less populated Fourth Ward has ample unguarded beaches south of 37th Street for surfers, Deputy Fire Chief Charlie Bowman said.

Surfers may paddle out between any swimming areas south of here, he said. But surfers generally favor beaches near jetties where conditions are better, Bowman said.

“If you're a football player, you don't need new tennis courts,” Bowman said. “Surfers need waves to surf.”

The beach at 16th Street will work well, he said.

The city has more than seven miles of beachfront. For safety reasons, the city separates certain activities such as ocean kayaking, surfing, sailing, fishing, skim-boarding and its most popular activity — swimming.

Guarding a third surfing beach will cost about $20,000 more this year, Bowman estimated.

He plans to hire four more lifeguards this season.

But guarding a surfing beach presents unique challenges. Bowman said surfing injuries can be more dangerous than swimming injuries.

“You see more cuts and more fractures,” he said.

Bowman said parents he spoke to feel better about letting their children try surfing if lifeguards are nearby.

The change in beach use was announced at Thursday's council meeting. But it was Mayor Bud Knight and his staff who made the final decision, Councilman Jody Alessandrine noted.

“Last year there was a tug-of-war over who was responsible (for the beaches),” Alessandrine said. “It remains an administrative decision.”

With a resource as finite and popular as the beach, some people are bound to be unhappy with new restrictions. Residents along Waverly Avenue protested the city's decision in April to move surfers from East Atlantic Boulevard to their nearest beach this summer.

Bowman said the move to Waverly would displace the fewest resident bathers. The Waverly beach is smaller than East Atlantic, he said.

Meanwhile, East Atlantic residents complained last year about public nudity, littering, noise and other unruly behavior among some surfers there.

Business Administrator Richard Deaney on Thursday said police would respond to any nuisance complaints.

“We need to separate that problem from the surfing question,” he said. “There's no reason to tarnish everyone who surfs.”

To e-mail Michael Miller at The Press:MMiller@pressofac.com

Top of Page

---

Rt. 52 Causeway gets more lanes for summer traffic

Thursday, May 18, 2006

BY RUDOLPH LARINI

Star-Ledger Staff

Motorists headed to Ocean City this summer will find improved access with less congestion now that the state Department of Transportation has widened the Route 52 Causeway to four lanes.

The bridge, which connects Ocean City and Somers Point and is an important evacuation route for the region, previously was restricted to one lane of traffic in each direction because of safety concerns related to the bridge's railings.

"NJDOT recognizes that tourism is the driving force behind the local economy, and our bridge rehabilitation project will enable Ocean City to support additional tourism this summer," said state Transportation Commissioner Kris Kolluri in a statement announcing the new lanes.

The Route 52 Causeway will remain open to four lanes of traffic through Labor Day.

The NJDOT provided the additional lanes in each direction by repainting and reconfiguring the lane dividers, rehabilitating guide rails and bolting temporary barrier curbs to support the sides of the bridge.

The causeway now consists of two 10-foot center lanes and two 9-foot outer lanes. The transportation department also installed a rumble strip in the center of the bridge to separate the four travel lanes. The $1 million safety repair project was completed before the Memorial Day holiday weekend in order to support peak summer tourism traffic that is expected in Ocean City.

In order to ensure safety, nonconstruction vehicles weighing more than four tons will be prohibited from the bridge. Construction vehicles and NJ Transit buses will be restricted from the outer lanes of the bridge. The current speed limit of 35 mph will remain in effect.

Late this summer NJDOT will begin the replacement of the existing Route 52 Causeway with a 55-foot clearance fixed bridge.

NJDOT will accept bids on the first phase of this project, which will also eliminate the Somers Point Circle on June 1. The new northbound section of Route 52 is scheduled for completion by Memorial Day 2008.

At that time, traffic will be shifted from the existing causeway, which will be demolished so that the new southbound roadway can be constructed. The project is scheduled for substantial completion by the fall of 2009

Ocean City kills deal for lifesaving station

OCEAN CITY — The city scuttled a plan to accept a former lifesaving station that the owner offered to move to the Sixth Street beach.

The city learned it would be more difficult and costly than expected to obtain coastal permits for the new location, Mayor Bud Knight said.

City Council struck a deal with developer Pansini Custom Design to accept as a gift the Fourth Street lifesaving station. Pansini offered to move the building at his expense and pay the city $300,000 for the building's restoration.

The deal was contingent upon getting coastal permits from the state Department of Environmental Protection and approval from the city's Historic Preservation Commission.

Pansini wants to move the building to make room for three new duplex condominiums.

The state's objections came as a surprise, Knight said.

“It's my opinion that pressure was placed on various state agencies through political connections to make the city's application more complicated and convoluted and throw obstacles into the city's path,” he said. “There was interference by people locally to stonewall our application. I don't think politics should be involved in historic preservation.”

The Saving Our Station Coalition lobbied the state to reject the city's application. The nonprofit group would prefer to keep the building on Atlantic Avenue.

“Their application was not going to stand up. Rather than get denied, they pulled it,” group President Charlie London said.

Meanwhile, the developer was expected to appear before the commission today at a special meeting to seal the deal. Instead, the developer asked that the item be removed from the agenda and the meeting was canceled.

On Wednesday, Knight said the city withdrew its coastal application from the DEP.

“We're back to stage one,” the mayor said. “We have some options. The city can reapply at some future time, or we can do nothing, or we can sit down and negotiate a lower price and buy it that way.”

Under the city's preservation rules, Pansini could ask the commission for permission to demolish this converted four-bedroom home. If the commission refuses, he must try to sell the home for fair-market value. If he gets no takers after six months, he could demolish the building.

For now, the next move belongs to the developer, Knight said.

Council this year voted 4-3 to accept Pansini's offer to move the station. Some residents said the building would lose its historic value if it were moved from Atlantic Avenue.

“My fear is we'd lose the lifesaving station totally,” said Councilman Larry Carnuccio, who cast the deciding vote.

Carnuccio said he doubts there will be public will to spend tax money to buy the station

Ocean City's Route 52 closed nightly for repairs

To e-mail Michael Miller at The Press: MMiller@pressofac.com