Trucked Sand Will Start to Build South End Beaches

City Council on Thursday approved two resolutions related to restoring Ocean City's eroded beaches.

The first requests bids for a contractor to install fencing around dunes (in late May and June) and dune grass (in the fall 2013 planting season).

The other awards a $1.1 millon contract to South State Inc. of Bridgeton to haul sand by truck to the south end of Ocean City.

The resolution referred to the construction of an "emergency sand dune," but Ocean City Finance Director Frank Donato told City Council on Thursday that with a large protective berm already taking shape under a previous contract, the city hopes most of the new sand will land on the "towel area" of the beach between 49th and 59th streets.

About 30,000 cubic yards has already been trucked in to shore up the berm. The new contract will add another 60,000 cubic yards (at $17.44 per cubic yard), according to Donato.

He said the city will see if spring storms affect the existing berm, and how much of the new sand can be devoted to rebuilding the beach.

"We're hopeful that the whole 60,000 will be beach," Donato said.

Work remains on schedule to be completed before Memorial Day.

Public Works Director Mike Rossbach earlier in the City Council meeting had reported that there will be no dune cuts through the protective berm for the summer, but there will be marked and groomed paths over the berm.

In related reports to City Council on Thursday, Donato said the the north-end beach replenishment project remains on schedule despite delays as the dredge was moved from its harvest site in the ocean to the bay behind Longport during recent storms. Donato said the project schedule has built in "weather days" that anticipate such delays. He did acknowledge that the "weather days" were being used up.

City Solicitor Dorothy McCrosson said the city continues to seek easements from beachfront property owners in anticipation of a possible federal Army Corps of Engineers beach replenishment project between 34th and 59th streets that could possibly come in 2014.

She said the city sent out letters in January and follow-ups in February, and she said about 50 percent have returned agreements. She said the city is trying to work with owners who have questions or have refused to sign easements (primarily in the streets numbered in the 30s and 40s). But she said the city is gearing up for what would be the next step, condemnation of the easement, a legal process she described as long and expensive.