Hurricane Sandy

Belmar Council To Decide $1.4M More For Boardwalk After Redesign Issue

Meeting originally scheduled for March 6

Belmar's Boardwalk is expected to cost $1.4 million more than the original bid after an engineer's original design was changed. The cost of a diagonal board layout, accounting for areas wider than 25-feet  not in the original bid, and ramps that better accommodate wheelchairs, will add $1,401,651.55 to the original $6.59 million cost of rebuilding Belmar's boardwalk. The change order is part of the March 13 council agenda. The Belmar Borough Council will now meet March 13 after a nor'easter canceled Wednesday's scheduled meeting. The borough's engineer for the project, Birdsall Engineering Group, explained the increased cost for not factoring in wider sections, saying the original bid was made with a "standard" 25-feet width. However, …

•  13 Comments
• Photos (3)

charlie

12:16 pm on Wednesday, March 13, 2013

So the design for the whole project was wrong not just the ramps because changing only the ramps should increase the cost of each ramp by 50%. What part of the cost was for ramps? Even at $6,000 a ramp at 22 ramps shouldn't be more than $132,000. So where's the other 1.2 million going?   more ›

Hurricane Sandy

Entire Borough of Belmar Labeled 'Area in Need of Rehabilitation'

And Belmar's Ocean Ave. Labeled Area of Redevelopment

Belmar Council voted to label the entire borough an area in need of rehabilitation, a term that would eventually allow tax abatements for commercial and residential property, officials said. The designation required the explanation of special counsel for Belmar, who explained the label "area in need of rehabilitation" would allow taxpayers to seek tax abatements when they complete improvements on their property. Mayor Matt Doherty said Belmar was moving forward with this label to help taxpayers impacted by Hurricane Sandy, who may have seen widespread damage to the older homes in Belmar and are now decided if its the time to not just repair but improve their property. "A lot of homes in Belmar are very old...as they do repairs maybe they …

• Photos (3)

Hurricane Sandy

Kicking Off 2013, Belmar Plows Forward on Rebuilding Beachfront

Year ahead focuses on rebuilding Belmar

Between homes, businesses, infrastructure and public facilities such as the boardwalk, Belmar has an estimated $130 million in damage from Hurricane Sandy, officials said. The year ahead will be doing the hard work of rebuilding and perhaps the harder work determining what to do and how to fund it, said Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty in his 2013 address at Thursday's reorganization meeting. But some of the biggest milestones in rebuilding Belmar are here. Doherty said the first pilings for the new boardwalk will be erected Jan. 9. "This is a huge milestone," said the mayor, to audience applause. Contractor Epic Construction will build in three sections — north, middle and south. Doherty said 400 pilings a week will be driven into the Belmar …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

$1 Increase to Daily Beach Badge in Belmar A Possibility

Increase is on the table as a way to fund rebuild after Hurricane Sandy

Facing varied expenses to rebuild the beachfront after Hurricane Sandy, Belmar may consider upping the price of its beach badges. In addition to bonds, debt service and donations, a higher beach badge fee is a possible way to fund projects such as a $6.6 million boardwalk rebuild, Belmar Matt Doherty said. Here's what the mayor and council could consider: Beach badges are part of a separate municipal budget for the beach, and the money can only be used for beach expenses. "Right now our beach utility has no debt whatsoever," Doherty said. In addition to the annual costs of paying lifeguards, raking sand, hiring badge checkers and more, this winter the borough is preparing for the mounting costs of debris removal and boardwalk rebuild after…

•  2 Comments
• Photos (1)

At $6.5M, Belmar Boardwalk Bid Comes in Less Than Half of Original Estimate

Borough estimated $17 million originally, but Epic Construction gets contract of lowest bidder

Rebuilding Belmar's boardwalk will cost less than half what was originally estimated. The borough approved a $6.59 million contract to rebuild the boardwalk as it was, but with increased hurricane protection. Belmar planned to spend $17 million to rebuild its boardwalk, destroyed in Hurricane Sandy. On top of the favorable bid, the lowest of 23 submitted, winning contractor Epic Construction could net a $100,000 bonus if the work is complete by April 30. Mayor and council aim to have the boardwalk open by Memorial Day, in what Mayor Matt Doherty called an aggressive push to be at the front of the line of towns hoping to rebuild their boardwalk. Epic Construction, of Piscataway, also faces a $7,500 daily penalty for every day after April 30…

•  3 Comments
• Photos (1)

Belmar Set to Award Boardwalk Rebuild Contract

Council will vote at meeting tonight in borough hall

The next step in rebuilding the battered Belmar boardwalk may be decided tonight in borough hall, when the council votes at its regular meeting at 6 p.m. At its previous meeting, Belmar Council unanimously agreed to fund a $20 million bond ordinance to rebuild the boardwalk and clear the area of debris. The plans were previously posted online as the borough solicited qualified contractors to bid on the project, which will rebuild nearly 1.2 miles of boardwalk in Belmar. The award is the main item of business on tonight's agenda, but the council will also hear the 2013 special improvement district budget. In 2012, the budget narrowly passed council muster: the Belmar Business Partnership, which manages the SID, presented the council and …

• Photos (1)