Progress on the initial Seaside Heights boardwalk replacement project, Feb. 7, 2023. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
Seaside Heights is in the midst of the first phase of its large-scale boardwalk replacement project, creating excitement for the summer of 2025, but for some residents, the presence of fresh boards will be bittersweet.
Last installed after Superstorm Sandy, some boards were inscribed with dedications to individuals who have passed away and families whose relatives hoped to keep their loved one’s memories alive in a location they loved. But the harsh marine environment, not to mention millions of visitors walking the boards every year, has taken its toll, and they cannot be re-used with the new boardwalk infrastructure. The borough, however, has come up with a plan to recognize those whose memorial boards will be “retired” in favor of new timber.
The inscribed boards themselves, in the mean time, are being kept for family members who would like to keep them.
“The boards have been removed and are being stored,” said Borough Administrator Christopher Vaz. “The [Business Improvement District] is going to make arrangement for people who want to pick their boards up, because some people might want them and do something at home. They’re not being put back on the boardwalk.”
What will appear on the boardwalk, however, is a monument that officials are planning to recognize the inscriptions that were purchased.
“The folks who purchased the boards will have a plaque with the same message as they had on the boards,” said Vaz. “The boardwalk plaques are going to be going on a memory wall. There is going to be a big wall, like a mural, and that same message will be on an individualized plaque.”
People who purchased plaques that were attached to benches on the boardwalk will have their messages reattached to new or refurbished benches when they return.
Vaz said the location of the memorial wall has yet to be determined.
“We haven’t decided yet, but we’re thinking we’re going to have one on the north side and one on the south side,” he said.
The first phase of the boardwalk replacement project, a $1,021,773 portion funded through state grants, is now underway. The area to be covered by the initial phase of work will begin at Hiering Avenue at the northern end of the boardwalk and, most likely, run as far south as Sheridan Avenue depending on the cost of materials. A second, larger phase is scheduled to begin after the first phase is completed.
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