THE BLOGFINGER ARTICLE BELOW IS FROM MARCH 19, 2014. Read it to see where we were over 3 years ago.
It was a fun game of musical shovels as officials tried to spell “Neptune.” By Paul Goldfinger ©
This is where the project will end—at Founders’ Park. Desilting is a separate project from the wall restoration seen above. Blogfinger photo March, 2014.
AP Sun photo March 19, 2014. © Read the thermometer. Mayor Bradley presides. Vito Gadaleta is in the tan jacket.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger
March 19, 2014, Ocean Grove: A chilly groundbreaking ceremony was held today next to the broken-down cement retaining wall adjacent to Founders’ Park. Officials from the Wesley Lake Commission, Asbury Park, and Neptune Township came together to officially announce that the $1.5 million project to rebuild portions of the wall in Ocean Grove and to desilt the Lake are now in full swing. The event was chaired by Neptune Mayor Michael Brantley who has a long interest in trying to improve the situation at Wesley Lake. After years of frustration, he seemed almost giddy today as he organized a photo-op of officials with ceremonial shovels trying to spell “Neptune.”
Wesley Lake is one of a number of coastal lakes in this vicinity, including Fletcher Lake, which have been deteriorating over time due to a multitude of ecologic issues including storm water running off the streets containing chemicals and bacteria and then streaming into the lakes. Contamination causing degradation of natural conditions endangers the health of fish and causes promotion of weeds as well as silt buildup on the bottom. Oxygenation of the water becomes impaired and there is the accumulation of garbage on the bottom or just floating by.
Wesley Lake. Paul Goldfinger photo 2013 ©
The Wesley Lake Commission is composed of representatives of both towns (there is a similar cooperative group at Fletcher Lake,) but in the case of Wesley Lake, the Commission has been wrestling with these current issues for at least the last ten years, with efforts being frustrated by lack of adequate funding to reverse some of the problems.
I attended a meeting several years ago of the Friends of Wesley Lake, a now defunct group of concerned citizens that tried to motivate residents to make the Lake better, but the best that they could come up with was to sponsor a cleanup day–to pick up garbage in and around the Lake.
We heard some activists from Ocean Grove and Asbury Park speak at that meeting who expressed their frustration over a problem that seemingly was insurmountable due to financial issues and which included a worrisome situation involving oil and gasoline contamination of the soil on the Asbury side.
A few years ago, the Commission determined that it would cost about $12 million to fix Wesley Lake and its related problems such as the streetscape along the lake, the OG wall, the condition of the fish, and storm water management. Neptune Township recently commissioned a survey of the depth of sediment buildup in the entire lake. They found that silt accumulation was minimal on the Asbury side due to dredging that was evidently done when AP built their metal retaining wall about 5 years ago. But on the Ocean Grove side, the silt buildup had to become part of the current project. Desilting will also be done at Fletcher Lake to complete the dredging goals.
Then came Sandy, and that superstorm caused further deterioration in the Lake and in the crumbling cement retaining wall on the Ocean Grove side which has been declining for years.
At today’s event, the Mayor told us that $1.5 million had been raised (beginning in 2013) in the form of grants, mostly from a Federal agency, the National Resource Conservation Service (Dept. of Agriculture). Other sources brought the funds to well over $2 million. So now we are seeing reconstruction of 400 linear feet of wall which will extend from the boardwalk end to the Founders’ Park end. The remaining cement wall to the west will have to wait for more funds at another time.
The current project, being done by Precise Construction, will rebuild the wall by using temporary steel sheet pilings, front and rear, to hold back the dirt and the water, while the permanent structure is restored using reenforced concrete which, according to Neptune Engineering Chief Leanne Hoffmann, should last at least 50 years. A separate project will be done now to desilt along the Ocean Grove wall out to 30 feet. Desilting is another way to say “dredging. ” The new terminology is preferred by the DEP. 45,000 cubic yards will be removed and dumped somewhere. The project should be done by Memorial Day.
Among the speakers today were Vito Gadaleta, the Township Business Administrator and Peter Avakian, the Commission Engineer. Also present was Neptune Committeeman Randy Bishop of Ocean Grove. The mood was happy because these officials and the citizens of Ocean Grove and Asbury Park have waited so long to see meaningful progress.
The meeting concluded with participants heading over to the west end of the Lake to check out a big thermometer which will track future financing towards the $12 million needed for future continued progress which, by the way, will include restocking with fish.
When this project is over, church bells may ring in the Grove (you know what’s coming)
THE FIREBIRDS (no, not the Willows or the Diamonds)