APP
LONG BRANCH It is full steam ahead for the city's plan to rebuild its oceanfront pier, complete with high-speed ferry service as the council expressed support of a proposal by Mayor Adam Schneider to produce a "shovel-ready" project tailor-made to qualify for federal stimulus money.
Schneider said more than a month ago that he was working with Rep. Frank J. Pallone Jr., D-N.J., on ways to attract stimulus money to Long Branch. On Wednesday, Schneider met with officials to finalize a proposal they believe will stand out above others competing for the same pool of federal cash.
They are pitching a $89 million pier project divided into three segments: The core pier for $36.3 million, the ferry dock and terminal for $20.2 million and amenities for $32.5 million.
Amenities, which would include retail uses, restaurants, an "innovative" children's play area, event space, amphitheater, winter garden, entertainment space and fishing areas, would be self-supporting and so, officials are not seeking any public money for those aspects of the project, according to the proposal.
Councilman Anthony Giordano said the pier would be built 900 feet out into the ocean, way past where the waves break, minimizing concerns about oceanfront ferry service although it is likely weather conditions would shut down ferry service up to 20 days a year. Ferries would deposit riders in Lower Manhattan 40 minutes after they board in Long Branch.
"We've been working on a presentation to make to the necessary decision makers at the federal and state levels that we will begin to roll out in a matter of weeks, if not days," said Giordano.
Schneider said Tuesday's introduction of a $1 million bond ordinance to pay for the pier's "preliminary design and engineering expenses" are far beyond a first step, saying the city has been working on the pier project since 1998 and has spent nearly $4 million thus far.