10th District Legislators Plead with Governor Murphy to Allocate Funds for Beach Replenishment

Senator Jim Holzapfel and Assemblymen Greg McGuckin and John Catalano have sent a letter to Governor Phil Murphy requesting that his administration allocate funds to cover costs associated with the United States Army Corps of Engineers beach replenishment project.

Various shore municipalities such as Bay Head, Mantoloking, Point Pleasant Beach, Toms River, and Brick are expected to pay the remainder of the costs which total over $7.5 million and would ultimately drain local budgets.

The legislators are requesting that a portion of the record surplus the State has collected over the past year or remaining pandemic relief funds be used to relieve the financial burden of this project.

The municipalities on the Barrier Island of Ocean County experienced severe beach erosion and are in desperate need of the USACoE beach replenishment project, scheduled to begin in late 2022 or early 2023.

The text of the letter is included below (click here for PDF):

September 20, 2022

Dear Governor Murphy,

As you are aware, many of our Mayors in the 10th Legislative District recently wrote to you due to their obligation to pay the remainder of the costs associated with the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACoE) beach replenishment project scheduled to begin late 2022 or early 2023. While the Department of Environmental Protection has stated that the Federal government will be covering a majority of the project, after the State contributes its share of the costs, shore municipalities will be required to pay over $7.5M. For small beach towns such as Bay Head, Mantoloking, Toms River, and Point Pleasant Beach, the overwhelming cost of the project will drain local budgets.

We write you today to request that the State assist these municipalities by covering the remaining costs of the project with the record surplus the State has collected over the past year. More than $1 billion of State revenue remains totally unallocated. This is an opportunity for your administration to use this money to ensure that the Barrier Island of Ocean County be restored and protected from future storms.

With hurricane season underway and the 10th anniversary of Superstorm Sandy approaching, it is imperative that these coastal towns on the barrier island receive adequate protection from flooding and future environmental events. If the State has the opportunity to allocate funds to help complete the USACoE project without placing a severe financial burden on our small shore communities, they should do so immediately and without hesitation.

On behalf of the 10th Legislative District, we respectfully request that remaining costs of this essential project be fully funded by the State. We look forward to hearing from you and your office regarding the outcome of this request.

Sincerely,

James W. Holzapfel
Senator, 10th Legislative District

Gregory P. McGuckin
Assemblyman, 10th District

John A. Catalano
Assemblyman, 10th District