Plans for Ortley Beach Boardwalk, Pavilion, and Parking Project Released

The former Joey Harrison’s Surf Club property, still undeveloped in July 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)

Toms River Township has formally submitted its Ortley Beach boardwalk expansion and parking improvement plans to potential bidders, with hundreds of pages detailing the project contained within a package released to the public this week. The long-planned project will expand the boardwalk along the now-vacant site of the former Joey Harrison’s Surf Club, which was destroyed in Superstorm Sandy. The property was subsequently purchased by the township, utilizing state Blue Acres funding in partnership with Ocean County.

The information is contained within the bid specifications, and confirms the township will utilize a project-labor agreement (PLA) authorized under an ordinance proposed by former Mayor Thomas Kelaher but never utilized until now. The project will consist of a 300-foot long boardwalk extension plus a pavilion and adjacent parking and pedestrian access improvements.

Plans for the Ortley Beach boardwalk, pavilion and parking reconstruction project at the former Surf Club site. (Planning Document)

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According to the application, the proposed elevated boardwalk will measure approximately 50-feet wide by 300-feet long and be elevated about 15-feet above the existing parking lot grade. It will stand about 5-feet above the dune crest elevation set by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during the recent beach replenishment project. The proposed pavilion will be situated atop the elevated boardwalk and will measure approximately 50-by-100 feet. The boardwalk and pavilion are anticipated to be made with wood-framed construction and will be supported on timber piles having a minimum capacity of 10 tons.

The boardwalk will run between Sixth Avenue and Seventh Avenue, and will connect to the existing boardwalk which is located to the south. While township officials had attempted previously to design a full connection to the separate boardwalk that begins at Fifth Avenue, it was ultimately deemed unfeasible due to a combination of the presence of privately-owned condominiums to the north of the Surf Club site. Environmental regulations precluded the boardwalk from being moved further east into the dunes to avoid touching the private property.

As the application stated, the boardwalk will be supported by timber piles that were recommended by an engineer to be driven 20-feet into the sand. They can withstand 10 tons of weight and 5 tons of uplift. The piles will have a 12-inch diameter. Additionally, the township’s state CAFRA (Coastal Areas Facilities Review Act) permit calls for enhancement of a portion of the existing dune with about 75 cubic yards of beach sand and native plantings and the additional planting of 4,110 square yards of native vegetation.

Plans for the Ortley Beach boardwalk, pavilion and parking reconstruction project at the former Surf Club site. (Planning Document)

Plans for the Ortley Beach boardwalk, pavilion and parking reconstruction project at the former Surf Club site. (Planning Document)

The pavilion will be located at about the midpoint of the boardwalk extension and measure 3,040 square feet in area, while the boardwalk itself will measure approximately 13,220 square feet in area. The parking lot will be reconstructed in the parcel that was originally used as the Surf Club’s parking lot, spanning the area between Sixth and Seventh avenues.

Bids for the project are due Nov. 12. The project differs from others in town in that it utilizes a project-labor agreement, or PLA. The township’s PLA ordinance was adopted in 2019 during the waning days of the administration of former Mayor Thomas Kelaher, but has never been utilized. The ordinance allows for a requirement to use only union labor for projects exceeding $5 million. PLAs are sometimes controversial in that critics contend they lock out small businesses from public projects and raises their overall cost, but supporters argue a PLA helps local governments avoid labor disputes, speeds up project planning, and ensures qualified workers are hired. The PLA also requires that workers be approved using the e-Verify system, which guarantees they are legal residents of the United States.

The project is also subject to several environmental regulations, with the CAFRA permit requiring inspections to ensure migrating birds are not present at the site during construction. The timeline for construction will be set during pre-construction meetings after the bid is awarded by the township.