By MADDY VITALE
Ocean City prides itself on the beaches, the bay and, of course, the 2.5-mile Boardwalk, which is a prime attraction for residents and tourists.
Earlier this month, Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill establishing a Boardwalk Preservation Fund for New Jersey’s shore communities. The fund appropriates $100 million for the renovation and repair of boardwalks in beach towns across the state.
Ocean City has a robust plan in place to maintain the Boardwalk and replace and re-deck it in areas when needed. Funds to help with the year-round work would be helpful, city officials said.
There is a Boardwalk Preservation Fund application process, which is being managed by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs and will remain open until Oct. 31.
“Our Operations and Engineering team is still looking at all possibilities, but one priority that would meet the application criteria will be the replacement of the Boardwalk ramp at Moorlyn Terrace leading to the Music Pier and making it ADA compliant,” Ocean City Public Information Officer Doug Bergen said Tuesday.
While workers continually patch up and repair parts of the Ocean City Boardwalk, there is always something to be done.
Murphy said in a statement earlier this month, after signing the legislation, that the boardwalks are vital to the shore economy.
“From Atlantic City to Asbury Park, for decades our state’s boardwalks have served as iconic fixtures in our shore communities, contributing not just to their local economies but to their unique histories and cultural fabric as well,” Murphy said.
He continued, “Maximizing the potential of our boardwalks requires robust, forward-looking investments that will prepare them to endure the test of time and the intensifying impacts of the climate crisis.”
Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian said in a prior interview that the Boardwalk Preservation Fund legislation is so important because, “Boardwalks are a tourism generator. They affect all of the taxpayers of New Jersey, not just certain cities, in all different ways, from sales tax to the health benefits of a Boardwalk. Everybody benefits.”
Jody Levchuk, an Ocean City councilman and also co-owner of the Jilly’s Boardwalk and downtown shops, said he would like to see the Boardwalk gradually changed over to hardwoods instead of the pine planks used now. He believes it would help with durability.
While he acknowledged in an interview Tuesday that he is not clear on how the application process will work for the Boardwalk Preservation Fund, he addressed some of his interests as a merchant.
He also said he is pleased that Murphy sees the importance of the boardwalks.
“I am very happy to see that our governor cares about our boardwalks and sees that they are a major part of the tax base of New Jersey,” Levchuk noted. “Aside from the general maintenance of the Boardwalk, there is a lot that our Boardwalk could use.”
He said the town already does a great job with having a secure and safe Boardwalk and one that is aesthetically pleasing, has proper signage, clean restroom facilities and clean beaches. But there are also what he described as “the wants.”
“You don’t have to have these, but it would be nice to have flowers, or new American flags, new lights and a new sound speaker on the light posts,” he pointed out.
And being a longtime merchant on the Boardwalk, he has spoken to other business owners who would like to see hardwoods used instead of the pine planks used to make up the main part of the Boardwalk.
“What I would really like to see is the hardwood that Ocean City wanted to use 10 to 15 years ago. We had groups opposed to it, but any Boardwalk merchant would tell you it was a good project that didn’t happen,” he said.
Levchuk continued, “Fortunately, we did get a brand new Boardwalk, but the maintenance of it can be a challenge. It weathers quickly. Everything was done right when we got the new Boardwalk, the pilings and supports, but not the material for the Boardwalk.”
