Shifting Sands at Traders Cove
Tweak to park plan could help police department
Some tweaks to the Traders Cove project could improve the bayside site while helping the township's police department.
Mayor Stephen C. Acropolis said Tuesday that work is continuing at the site, but there are now plans to transport fill that was delivered to the site last year to Ridge Road in order to shore up the police firing range there.
The range needs continuous maintenance in order to avoid bullet ricochets, police officials have said. Plans to reconstruct the range are currently stalled as the township capital budget is under consideration by the township council.
The fill – which the township received mostly free of charge from a lake dredging project in Point Pleasant Beach – will be replaced by soil more sandy in nature that is coming from a project at Ocean County College. The OCC soil will help with drainage at the Traders Cove site and be a better fit for the property, the mayor said.
"They'd like to have more of a sandy soil in the area where the clam shell is going to be and where the boat trailer parking will be," Acropolis said, adding that the sandy soil will also become more compact over time.
"It's even better than the soil that we had, and the soil that we had can be used up at the firing range."
Delays in handing out contracts for the site have pushed the project's completion date back to November 2012, Acropolis said, though the marina will be open this summer, as will the boardwalk that runs along the bay.
Additionally, the public boat ramp at the site will be open all summer as well.
The public will be able to access the site from the county's portion of the park, which includes a parking lot and fishing pier closer to the south side of the Mantoloking Bridge.
Following a round of political wrangling earlier this year, plans to construct a splash park at the site were scuttled. An unintended consequence of canceling the splash park was that plans for bathrooms were also thrown out. The township is currently pursuing a $1.2 million grant that will pay for the construction of bathrooms there, Acropolis said.
Traders Cove, a former derelict marina on Barnegat Bay, is being turned into a park by the township.
Mickey
6:40 am on Friday, March 23, 2012
does anyone know if the Mayors friend and nephew are still assigned to Traders Cove site ? just wondering what township employee's could possibly be doing there all day, beside playing cards and drinking coffee.
can't say who
7:30 am on Friday, March 23, 2012
Brings up an interesting point -are the police using lead bullets? If so we are looking at a VERY expensive clean up of the firing range when they stop using it.
National Guard, State police at Sea Girt and US army at Ft Dix had real problems getting the lead out.
JHill
7:55 am on Friday, March 23, 2012
So we are taking dirt that was already dumped and moving it somewhere else?
Make the site engineers or the GC pay for it since it was obviously their screw up--I certainly don't want my taxpayer money paying to move dirt twice.
JHill
7:56 am on Friday, March 23, 2012
1.2 million for bathrooms? Can we name the facility after our mayor?
Oscar Wilde
9:17 am on Friday, March 23, 2012
Acrapolis
DennyD
9:06 am on Friday, March 23, 2012
This was going to be and has become another MONEY PIT. What a waste, unless your job is sitting there watching the windblown sand. How's FoodTown going?
JHill
11:06 am on Friday, March 23, 2012
Yep, in a year or two this "park" is going to 500k/year in the red...just like every other business gov't tries to get involved with.
That, and it is going to be overrun with the Leeches from Lakewood.
Oscar Wilde
9:14 am on Friday, March 23, 2012
ahhh, the old shell game switcharoo........
iCanoe2
9:47 am on Friday, March 23, 2012
No one thought about the soil type/quality when they were spreading it there? Who was the Engineer, who planned the park? Just wondering.
jim
11:17 am on Friday, March 23, 2012
@JHill you are absolutely right!
patch
11:55 am on Friday, March 23, 2012
county part of park looks great! Brick part looks just like foodtown lot! what happened to banner exclaiming new mall on trailer at foodtown lot right around elections?
Tom Cular
12:06 pm on Friday, March 23, 2012
The trailer and sign were only there for possible B.S before the election. The voters saw past the flimsy attempt by the mayor and his cronies.
DennyD
5:05 pm on Friday, March 23, 2012
I'd still like to know who put that trailer there and who had that vinyl sign made. Exactly who owns that property anyway? Mr. Pezzaras do you wish to reply? Who was paid from whose account for the demolition of that building 4 years ago? Mr. Pezzaras you are the highest paid Brick Township official. What's up?
Ryan Meyers
4:47 pm on Saturday, March 24, 2012
Very interesting DennyD, you asked Mr P. a question about the trailers & FoodTown costs and he doesn't respond, yet several hours later comments on another subject. I'm still waiting to see who actually gets an additional "stipend" in the township besides their salary and why ? Also with gas prices so high, how many township employee's have cars they take home with them ? What are the chances of ever getting an honest, straight answer ?
Joe D
8:45 am on Thursday, May 3, 2012
No one in power seems to want to answer the question of why the taxpayers paid for the demolition of the old foodtown structure at a time when resources were already very scarce and taxes were already out of control. Shouldn't the demolition have been the reponsibility of the new owner? Anyone have the answer?
IGGY
3:22 pm on Friday, March 23, 2012
IT'S ALL MORE SMOKE AND MIRRORS !!!!!
Jim
3:59 pm on Friday, March 23, 2012
I want my water park by the bay d_mmit!
Minimew726
9:10 pm on Saturday, March 24, 2012
Funny how every township dump truck was working today. I guess they are moving all the dirt yo DPW. I guess doing that job during the week was out if the question.