Friends of the Margate Boardwalk paid a visit to the newly completed, Atlantic City Boardwalk along the inlet. Very impressive, much needed work by the ACOE. [Army Corp of Engineers]
Life-long resident, Glenn Klotz, is leading a group of concerned citizens who want a Margate Boardwalk. ‘This would help connect Absecon Island from Gardners Basin in AC, all the way to Longport.’
Klotz: An ocean view is not the primary reason why Margate needs a boardwalk. Rather, Margate needs a boardwalk for better access to the beach. With the recent dune & outfall pipe project, Margate lost a substantial amount of ADA compliant, beach access points. A Boardwalk would fix that critical problem.
The Downbeach dune project was one particular ACOE effort that nobody in Margate & Ventnor wanted. Except for Congressman Frank Lobiondo and a small handful of local politicians.
“A lot of people come to the Boardwalk from all over the country and say, ‘Where’s the ocean?’
Atlantic City Boardwalk: made of expensive but long-lasting, ipe wood.
Most ipe (pronounced ee-pay) comes from rain forests in Brazil and Peru. Like redwood, ipe lumber resists decay. Extremely hard and dense.
Ipe was the wood of choice for the Coney Island and Atlantic City Boardwalks.
In 2010, the DEP – N.J. Department of Environmental Protection considered decreasing the size of AC’s beach dunes so visitors can admire dramatic ocean views from the Boardwalk.
Mark Bolner: Now more than ever, those unsightly Atlantic City dunes need to be lowered. Too tall dunes: another reason tourists are keeping away from AC. After paying $25+ to park, they get to walk a boardwalk without an ocean view.
Did ya know? Many Margate homeowners use the Ventnor boardwalk on a daily basis. That’s an irrefutable fact. Margate residents and visitors love boardwalks.
Boardwalk with an ocean view, boosts local values and quality of life.
“It doesn’t make sense to have a coastal tourism attraction where you can’t see the coast,” state Assemblyman Vince Polistina, R-Atlantic, said.
The first boardwalk was built in 1870 in an effort to help hotel owners keep sand out of their lobbies. Because of its effectiveness and popularity, the boardwalk was expanded in length and width, and modified several times in subsequent years. The historic length of the boardwalk, before the destructive 1944 Great Atlantic Hurricane, was about 7 miles. It extended from Atlantic City to Longport, through Ventnor and Margate.
1,700 feet of the new Absecon Inlet Boardwalk is protected by a steel bulkhead & tons of jetty rock. Constructed over the last three years, this section of the Boardwalk was paid for by grants. Margate should be paying attention to this.
- A Margate boardwalk won’t require so much reinforcement. Concrete pilings, steel bulkheads and jetty rock would be overkill.
- A $8.5 million price tag for 1,700 ft of new Atlantic City Boardwalk. Most of that length features 50 ft widths.
- A Margate boardwalk would probably be 20 to 25 ft. wide. Margate would need about 5,500 ft. in length (1.6 miles)
- Note: Ventnor’s boardwalk is 20 ft wide, and 1.6 miles length.
In Margate, many older people, young families & the disabled, have sadly discovered the reduced access to beaches.
How did this happen? All 3 Margate Commissioners voted YES to join the beach replenishment project. [possible violation of city ordinance] In addition, the Army Corp reduced the number of ADA compliant access points from 20, down to 4.
Man-made dunes grow higher over time. Most dunes are so high, the ocean can’t be seen from a Boardwalk or beachfront home. Real Estate valuations have suffered.
Carol A: I’ve walked Margate’s beaches for over 60 years. It makes me sick to look at it now. I’d be for a Margate boardwalk if it would help to access the beach, or view [the ocean]. I’d love to walk the length of Margate.
When the dune grass grows, the dune will get higher. See what happened to portions of Ventnor’s boardwalk. You can’t see over the dune. The same is true in AC. Dunes grow higher [over time].
Diana P says: I know someone who prefers a beachfront rental because their husband has some health issues. He has difficulty with ambulating. Sadly, I had to discourage her from renting in Margate because of the current beach situation. The husband would have trouble walking on the mats and getting over the dunes. It’s a real problem that a boardwalk resolves!
Atlantic City Inlet Boardwalk:
[foogallery id=”44870″]
Jay W says: Not one ramp up…. or down…. is ADA compliant… any where on the beaches of Margate. A boardwalk will solve many problems.
Judy K says: A boardwalk would be amazing. We would enjoy seeing the beach all year round. I found it very difficult climbing up the steep ‘sand mountain’ from S. Kenyon Ave. It’s supposed to be a handicapped accessible entrance.