Ventnor Beach Work Eroding, Margate’s New Drainage Project.


Those newly widened Ventnor beaches are quickly getting washed away. Who da thunk it? And over in Margate, those ‘selfish’ homeowners are enduring yet another invasive and ham-handed drainage project by the Army Corp of Engineers. Just another day in paradise along the Downbeach area of Absecon Island.

I thought I was braced for this after seeing everything online, but seeing this in person was a whole different thing!

At Frontenac in Margate, the beach access walkway is turning into quick sand, as well as a public safety hazard. Installation of outfall pipes and drainage wells on Margate’s beaches is a sloppy and dangerous maneuver during the peak summer season, especially Labor Day weekend. Watch video>

We drove down the beach block of Jerome Avenue late this afternoon and all we saw from the car were dunes…no umbrellas, no people, no seagulls. Send in the camels… :(

The beach block of Kenyon Avenue . Depressing and non-inviting .

The Army Corps of Engineers AUG 31 2017 report, looks to have ignored ANOTHER sub-project going on now: major installation of drainage pipes and buried, concrete / grated drainage wells. These are being installed within many of the Margate dead zones (area between dune & bulkhead).

Who’s gonna pay for all this extra work? Will the Army Corp or the contractor; Weeks Marine? Probably not, is our guess. To date, Congressman Frank LoBiondo has been quiet about this economic duneboggle in his own back yard. LoBiondo, along with Governor Christie and the NJ DEP are the big 3 that pushed hard for this expensive beach project. That gives the Army Corp of Engineers something to fix, that doesn’t need fixing, but can be re-fixed every 3-4 years.

Lisa Furman McLeod: I sadly report, we can no longer sit on the benches/ deck adjacent to the Martin Bloom Pavillon and gaze at the Atlantic Ocean.

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Residents have documented the failure of The Army Corp & DEP not pumping out contaminated water that’s 4 inches or deeper, as per a court order.

Indeed, never before has so much incompetence and wasteful spending been documented by digital media along the South Jersey shore.

AUG 30: Noticeable beach erosion & treacherous ‘cliffing’ and ‘sloping’ can be seen on the southern beaches of Ventnor. (between pier & Fredericksburg Ave.) 



If you listen closely…. even the contractors are getting frustrated with the beach project. Incidents of foul language and growing disrespect for those trying to bring their kids to the beach have been noted.

Patti Shavelson Deroo > Early the other morning my dog and I walked in an area that was not fenced off – believe me, I’m there twice a day and wouldn’t dare get close to their machines/work- anyway, this guy starts yelling at me. I said I was walking up to a certain spot- another man came and started yelling- I walked on and told them to call the cops. There was no security guard and no orange fence. I was the only one on the beach and these guys are screaming like lunatics They’re getting rude and frustrated.

margate dune
pic: karen.s.seltzer

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