Posted on August 17, 2017
By Suzanne Marino, ShoreNewsToday
The revitalization of the Bay Avenue area took a big leap forward Thursday when City Council here passed several resolutions that pave the way for a transient marina to be constructed at the Higbee Pier site.
According to Somers Point City Administrator Wes Swain, the marina will provide an excellent facility for New Jersey boaters as well as travelers utilizing the intercoastal waterway along the eastern seaboard to make Somers Point a stop along their route for a meal, shopping, a visit to a tavern or to go to the theater.
Paramount to a marina being constructed is the dredging of the shipping channel within the bay. Where to move the material dredged has been the problem in the past. City engineers and planners have been approved to construct a resiliency embankment along the north side of Somers Point-Mays Landing Road with the dredged material, according to Swain.
The funds for the proposed marina, a National Boating Infrastructure Grant totaling $1,448,449 from the New Jersey Department of Transportation will fund 75 percent of the cost of the marina. A National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Grant will partially fund the dredging of the Great Egg Harbor Bay adjacent to the proposed marina.
The resiliency embankment will be constructed along the north side of Somers Point-Mays Landing Road between the bridge and the Garden State Parkway. According to Swain it will be approximately 2,500 feet in length, 3 feet hit and 9 feet wide. It will be constructed using approximately 7,500 cubic yards of dredge material the city engineer anticipates will be available from the dredged channel.
The two resolutions passed unanimously establish the agreement between the City of Somers Point and Atlantic County for right of way and occupancy for the construction of an embankment that will be made from the material dredged from the proposed marina site. The second resolution is a licensing agreement between the city and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. Both the Atlantic County Engineer and the NJ Turnpike Authority engineers have given their approval to the plans.
Gregg Sykora of the city’s economic development committee said projects like the marina and generating tourism interest in Somers Point’s history all fits with the findings of the Angelou Economic report for Atlantic County that recognizes the need for municipalities to identify projects and improvements that will help guide the area from a casino centric economy to one that is also fueled by tourism, technology, education and healthcare.
Council along with the economic development committee and the arts commission have been working toward making significant improvements along Bay Avenue that will benefit the city for years to come like renovating the Gateway Playhouse that is set to open its doors later this week and the addition of the marina has long been talked about by council members as another draw to the waterfront area.
The transient marina as proposed will include 22 slips plus one for an emergency vessel and one for fishing trips. Currently the Duke of Fluke has a contract through 2022. It is anticipated that the marina would be ready for boaters to pull up and tie off by spring 2019.
Mayor Jack Glasser said it is an exciting time in Somers Point with so many people working together to make the city’s waterfront a destination.
Source: ShoreNewsToday
