Phillipsburg, NJ – Five communities in Cape May, Atlantic and Ocean counties can now embark on coastal infrastructure and resiliency projects to combat tidal flooding and erosion issues that negatively impact residents’ public health and safety, thanks to grants totaling $2.8 million from the independent Ocean Wind Pro-NJ Grantor Trust.
“The Jersey Shore and its communities are on the frontline of rising sea levels, from sunny-day, nuisance flooding to dangerous storm surge. Infrastructure projects like those supported by the Trust are necessary to maintain resiliency in these communities, keep businesses open and keep residents in their homes and out of harm’s way,” said Beverly McCall, Esquire, chair of the Pro-NJ Grantor Trust. “We are proud to provide funding for these important resiliency efforts.”
Grant recipients and funded projects, several of which are also receiving matching funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), are as follows:
- Township of Little Egg Harbor – $719,250 to support resiliency improvements along several waterfront streets off of Great Bay Boulevard, include the bulkheading of Daddy Tucker Drive, installation of new storm drainage infrastructure and tidal valves, and the reconstruction of roadways to elevate them above flood levels;
- Borough of Longport – $368,750 to replace and upgrade stormwater piping along Winchester Avenue and sections of 34th Avenue, in addition to replacing pumping equipment and the construction of a new pumping station by 31st Avenue and the bay;
- City of Margate – $446,880 to construct a new, submersible stormwater pump station near the intersection of Adams Avenue and Amherst Avenue, and to construct a sewer interconnection from Washington Avenue to the underground vault;
- City of Ventnor – $546,003 to replace 500 linear feet of failing bulkhead that protects a residential area and water infrastructure under Winchester Avenue and reconstruct the roadway, including sidewalk and curbing replacement;
- City of Wildwood – $678,015 to build upon a FEMA-funded pump station, completed in 2020, with the addition of three elements, including: a living shoreline along Mediterranean Avenue and West Andrews Avenue; the replacement and supplementation of failing bulkheads with vinyl bulkheads at several points along Otten’s Harbor; and the replacement of a crushed drainage pipe in the vicinity of the project.
All five projects have expected completion dates on or before May 2025.
During this second round of Trust funding, dedicated to supporting coastal infrastructure improvements, the Trust had originally earmarked $3.5 million to help mitigate the impacts of severe weather occurrences and flooding to increase resiliency and help municipalities and counties better respond to natural disasters.
The initial call for expressions of interest resulted in 17 requests totaling nearly $19 million, more than five times the amount the Trust set aside for the resiliency round. The initial responding municipalities include: Avalon, North Wildwood, Ocean City, Sea Isle City, Wildwood and Wildwood Crest in Cape May County; Atlantic City, Hammonton, Longport, Margate and Ventnor in Atlantic County; and Brick, Little Egg Harbor, Township of Ocean Pine Beach and Stafford Township in Ocean County.
Seven of the 17 applicants were invited to submit formal applications. Following a comprehensive review led by the Trustees and the Trust’s nine-person volunteer Advisory Committee, the Trust decided to increase the allocated funds to $3.9 million to fully fund all seven requests and bring the projects to completion. In December, the Trust announced it would be awarding seven municipalities in Cape May, Atlantic and Ocean counties with a total of $3.9 million to support their projects. The Borough of Avalon and City of North Wildwood were also named as recipients but have yet to file all required paperwork.
The Trust is an independent fund established by Ocean Wind 1 with a pledge of $15 million over a 7-year period. In addition to providing funding for coastal resiliency projects, the Trust offers small, women-owned and minority-owned businesses support in reconfiguring or adapting their businesses to participate in the developing offshore wind industry, with the goal of ensuring that the offshore wind industry in New Jersey is developed in a sustainable and inclusive way.
Details surrounding the Trust’s next Request for Expressions for Interest directed toward New Jersey’s small, women-owned and minority-owned businesses will be published soon at www.pronjtrust.org.