Seaside Park Appropriates $300K for Design of Marina Reconstruction Project

J Street Municipal Marina, Seaside Park, N.J. (Photo: Shorebeat)

Seaside Park officials last week appropriated $300,000 which will go toward the engineering and design of an ambitious reconstruction of the municipal marina at J Street, which they say will be funded through slip tenants rather than taxpayers.

The ordinance, which was adopted on second reading, authorizes the expenditure of $300,000 from the Marina Capital Improvement Fund to kick off what will likely be a $6 million project to rebuild the marina. The appropriated funds are not yet committed to a specific proposal, and will be used to fund the initial stages of the long-planned project. Councilman William Kraft said the $300,000 figure “is the estimated cost for the permitting, survey, plans and specs for the marina effort.”

“Reconstruction is estimated to be, perhaps, around $6 million,” Kraft said. “This is coming out of the marina utility, which is self-liquidating, so taxpayers do not fund this.”

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Last month, Kraft said three engineering firms were competing to design the marina reconstruction project, which will also include a study as to how much the ultimate effort is expected to cost. The project, as currently envisioned, would include the replacement of 2,300 linear feet of bulkhead, the installation of new finger piers, a revamped electrical system, and a new water system. It would not affect the existing office and bathhouse.

The Seaside Park Municipal Marina at J Street, Aug. 2025. (Photo: Shorebeat)

The borough’s 2025 capital budget included a $5 million appropriation for marina bulkhead and pier replacements, encompassing full or partial finger pier overhauls to address aging structures and “enhance resilience.” Additional related funding included the recent project to replace the breakwaters that surround the marina entrance, and $75,000 for marina water distribution.

Officials are targeted a late 2026 start for construction, assuming permits are obtained in time.

“Of course it would need to be completed, for that phase, by March 31 [2027] since the marina opens April 1,” Wilk said previously.