Seaside Park to Survey Municipal Marina to Gauge Maintenance Needs

The Seaside Park borough council has awarded a contract to an engineering firm to conduct a survey and inspection of the municipal marina at J Street to get a better idea of where future maintenance might be required.

The council, at a meeting last Thursday, awarded a contract to CME Associates to conduct the study for $19,200.

J Street Municipal Marina, Seaside Park, N.J. (Photo: Shorebeat)

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“This goes back to some issues we’ve had over a period of time,” said Borough Administrator Karen Kroon, adding that the borough’s marina manager suggested an inspection of the facility. “The bulkheading, as far as he knows, hasn’t been improved in at least 30 years. And for the part that comes into the marina, most of the bulkhead is still wood.”

Officials determined that most of the bulkheading is about 38 years old, however the treated timber pilings are known to outlast some of the modern materials used in bulkhead construction.

Kroon said the study will help “determine a replacement plan so we don’t all of the sudden discover the entire thing has to be done at once.”

The borough has been performing regular, periodic maintenance at the marina in recent years, having replaced many finger piers, lights and electrical hookups that are positioned near the boat slips.

“We replaced a lot of the pilings and finger piers in the last couple of years,” Kroon said. “This [study] is for the big-ticket opening.”

Fortunately, while there are some rusted bolts and items that need to be replaced, there are no major signs of deterioration within the bulkheading itself, officials said. That could translate to a more gradual – and affordable – plan for regular maintenance rather than facing a major cost all at once.

“Usually when the bulkheading fails, you can tell from land because it spills through, and we hadn’t noticed that,” said Councilman William Kraft.

The borough has been considering an inspection and survey of the marina for some time. CME, the successful bidder on the contract, submitted their proposal in January.