Snubbed by State, Seaside Park Will Look to Finance Boardwalk Replacement

Seaside Park officials say that after being snubbed by the state’s $100 million round of grant funding to replace boardwalks, they will look toward financing a replacement of the borough’s boardwalk with low-interest loans from a state infrastructure bank.

New Jersey utilized $100 million of federal infrastructure funding to create a Boardwalk Preservation Fund that had been aimed at providing resources to coastal communities to rehabilitate or rebuild boardwalks that were in need of repair. But only three towns in Ocean County – which boasts the most waterfront of any county statewide – received funding. Local leaders have quietly expressed frustrations that the funding awards were politically motivated, with $40 million of the fund going to two municipalities – Asbury Park and Atlantic City – that are more politically friendly to Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration.

The Seaside Park boardwalk, March 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)

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“Lavallette wasn’t on the list either, and they felt they had demonstrated their need too,” said Seaside Park Mayor John Peterson. “Under the rating system that was involved, there were a number of towns where we offered a better rating, but they received the grants and we did not. We were very disappointed, and we even made inquiries as to how the calculations were made.”

The lack of funding does not mean Seaside Park can forget about a new boardwalk. In fact, it makes the borough’s efforts to find alternative funding and to get the project underway even more crucial. There are 17 blocks of the boardwalk, between 5th Avenue and K Street, that are in the most dire need to replacement. This is mainly the portion of the boardwalk that is made up of timber decking rather than “Trex” style decking. Previously, borough officials have said replacing the entire boardwalk would cost about $6 million if it included a planned electrical conduit pipe, improvements to restroom facilities and access points.

Work Will Not Be in Vain

One of the most disappointing facets of being denied state funding for the project, officials said, is the fact that the borough’s professionals performed a significant amount of work to map out the scope of the project, the justification of its need, and the plans that would bring the boardwalk back to optimal condition.

Those plans will not go to waste, Peterson said, with Seaside Park officials now looking toward the state Infrastructure Bank, commonly known as “the I-Bank,” to provide the funding that had been hoped to have been obtained through the grant.

“They offer 40-year long-term loans, well below market rate and often with 50 percent forgiveness, and we believe we will qualify for that,” said Peterson. “We’re going to submit that, but obviously it’s a delay in the entire process of getting shovels in the ground to get the project up and running.”

The Seaside Park boardwalk, March 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)

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The Seaside Park boardwalk, March 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)

Unlike a simple redecking project, the 17-block portion of Seaside Park’s boardwalk most in need of work requires the replacement of additional infrastructure.

“We need to actually dig out and reconfigure the infrastructure, including the support pilings, cross beams and stringers,” said Peterson.

The borough will also require a CAFRA (Coastal Areas Facilities Review Act) permit from the state Department of Environmental Protection before any work can begin, a notoriously lengthy process that is required for development in coastal areas of New Jersey.

“Since all the preliminary work has been done, we’re going to move forward with a CAFRA approval application,” the mayor said. “Once it is approved, those permits are good for a five-year time period, and in the worst case scenario you can apply for an extension thereafter. That would have had to be done anyway, so we’re going to have the engineer’s office make that application so all of the research and work we did will not go in vain.”

The size of the project means it is off the table for the 2024 season, but officials are hopeful they may be able to move on the project before the summer of 2025.

“It’s definitely not going to make this summer,” said Peterson. “We’re certainly going to make any and all necessary immediate repairs, as we always have done, but the scope of breadth of this really requires a bigger project.”

The Seaside Park boardwalk, March 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)

The Seaside Park boardwalk, March 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)

Peterson and members of the borough council reached something of a consensus on the matter at a recent meeting.

“What we’re going to do is redirect the application – because we’ve done all the work in terms of preliminary demonstration of need, the application, surveys and estimated cost – to be submitted to the I-Bank,” Peterson said.