Long Branch Council Wants Boardwalk Construction To Begin In Spring

By Christopher Sheldon

Long Branch Business Administrator Howard Woolley said the city council has made it clear that it wants construction of the Long Branch's boardwalk to begin in the spring.

Woolley said the city is currently taking the steps needed to rebuild the structure that was severely damaged by Hurricane Sandy last October.

The council recently introduced an ordinance that will bond $1 million for a design for the boardwalk. The design will also include repairs to the city's bluff and some roads that were also damaged by Sandy. 

Long Branch officials have called for a raised boardwalk, similar to the one in Pier Village which fared well during Hurricane Sandy. Mayor Adam Schneider has said if the city rebuilds the boardwalk to the same specifications it was before Sandy, that FEMA would not likely reimburse the city if it was destroyed by a future hurricane.

The city has applied to FEMA to help fund its boardwalk rebuild and related repairs, but has not yet received any funding. 

Officials have also said they would not build anything until the Army Corps of Engineers completes its beach replenishment project, which is scheduled to finish by mid-May.