Community Corner

Brick Official Says FEMA Paid $3.9M Of $10M Sandy Tab

Posted by Bill Borden

Hurricane Sandy's devastation was far-reaching and the bills are still accumulating for the township, which has received $3.9 million of the $10 million that it is seeking from FEMA to cover the costs of the storm, Business Administrator Scott Pezarras said Tuesday.

Pezarras said the township aims to recover all the costs and he has a person working full-time on seeking reimbursement and tracking Hurricane Sandy costs, which reimburse 90 percent of local government costs.

The Township Council took actions to make progress on a beach protection project and also put some work from a contractor out to rebid after Hurricane Sandy cleanup work was incomplete.

Find out what's happening in Brickwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Township Council authorized the receipt of bids for 50,000 to 200,000 cubic yards of sand to be placed from Mantoloking to the end of Brick and Normandy Beach.  The volume of sand needed will depend upon the weather this winter to cover steel used in a revetment to protect against beach erosion. The vote was 5-0.

The sand  is not an official replenishment and that means it might fall outside the scope of getting reimbursement, officials said at the Township Council meeting.  The $40 million revetment project, which aims to protect one of the hardest hit sections of the barrier island, is scheduled to start in January.

Find out what's happening in Brickwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Council Vice President Susan Lydecker said the township should explore getting sand from Bay Head's Twilight Lake, which is being cleaned up after the October 2012 hurricane.  This may be a cheaper option than facing the possibility of spending $1 million on sand, she said.

The council also approved an ordinance that will allow the township to obtain "certain interests in real properties in negotiations or eminent domain."  The ordinance is a response to gain easements needed to complete beach protection and replenishment projects.

Township Attorney Jean Cipriani said the law requires property owners to be compensated if negotiations are conducted in good faith.  She noted that easements to complete the revetment project are coming in daily with 71 being completed so far, but another 47 are needed.

The Council approved with a 4-1 vote the rebid of the demolition of 11 homes and debris removal from nine properties after T. Fiore, an approved contractor, failed to complete the work.  The contractor submitted invoices for about $450,000, but payments will only be made to subcontractors that completed the work. Council President Bob Moore voted against the rebid.

Councilmen Jim Fozman and John Ducey were not present at the meeting. Lydecker read a letter at the meeting from Ducey, the township's mayor-elect, explaining that his absence was due to a long-planned vacation. 


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