Long Branch Mayor Adam Schneider gets ready for a June 4 groundbreaking ceremony marking the beginning of the reconstruction of the Long Branch boardwalk. FRANK GALIPO LONG BRANCH — The clock is officially ticking on the replacement of the Long Branch boardwalk now that city officials symbolically broke ground on the project last week.
During a June 4 groundbreaking and press conference, Mayor Adam Schneider acknowledged the long delay between the October 2012 superstorm that tore up the boardwalk and the start of the rebuild.
“Two-and-a-half years ago, we were standing there and [City Engineer] Jerry [Freda] said, ‘You are not going to have a boardwalk this summer,’ ” Schneider said. “If he had told me how long it would take, I’m not sure what my reaction would have been.
“When you started to get the sense of damage and how bad it was and what we needed to accomplish, a month later we were telling people it’s not about getting it done quickly — it’s about getting it done right.”
In April, the City Council authorized a $14.4 million contract with Howell-based George Harms Construction Co. for the replacement of the boardwalk, which will be rebuilt twice as wide in some areas.
The work is expected to take about one year, and the majority of the boardwalk is expected to be ready by the 2016 summer.
The contract also funds repairs to the protective bluff east of the boardwalk, as well as a 40-foot-deep protective metal wall and roadwork on Ocean Avenue.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is funding 90 percent of the contract, with city funds being used for the remaining 10 percent.
The boardwalk, which was about 10 feet wide, will be 16 feet wide from Brighton to South Bath avenues and 20 feet wide from South Bath to Morris avenues.
Business Administrator Howard Woolley Jr. said the damage to the protective bluff is what made the city’s boardwalk project different from other towns that rebuilt more quickly.
“If you haven’t seen this situation from the beach, take a look at it from down there to see the true magnitude,” he said.
Despite construction ongoing during the summer, Schneider expects a successful beach season.
“People are going to get on and off the beach, and they are going to have a great time,” he said. “Every critical issue has been taken care of.”
Schneider, dressed in business attire, joked that he will be dressed differently next summer when city officials celebrate the completion of the boardwalk.
“My one promise is whatever day we actually cut the ribbon on the boardwalk, I’ll be in flip-flops,” he said.
Woolley said there were several groups and people responsible for getting the funding and permits in place, including city officials and employees as well as state and federal agencies.
“All these people worked very diligently to get this project approved through the numerous processes,” he said. “There is a lot of work to get something like this done.
“We wanted to do this accurately and thoroughly because we did not want to get into any problems with funding.”
Schneider said the boardwalk and other issues related to superstorm Sandy are always being worked on.
“There hasn’t been a day since about 10 days before the storm hit that we haven’t been working on Sandy-related issues,” Schneider said.
One of the reasons for the delay is that the city argued successfully for FEMA to fund a wider boardwalk because of a previously issued permit under the Coastal Area Facilities Review Act for a wider boardwalk.
There is also funding in place for three pavilions that will include restrooms and concessions, and a fourth for an unspecified use.
City officials opened the bids on the project on April 16, and Freda said 15 companies submitted bids.
George Harms Construction was the lowest bidder of the 15 bids received, which ranged from $14.4 million to $24.9 million.
The Howell-based construction firm has been awarded several contracts throughout the state, including work on Routes 9, 35 and 70; the Garden State Parkway; and various NJ Transit train station sites.