It's not the usual day at the beach in Strathmere

It's not the usual day at the beach in Strathmere
Dredges and bulldozers working on sand replenishment

By MICHAEL MILLER, Staff Writer, 609-463-6712 Posted: Thursday, July 23, 2009


UPPER TOWNSHIP - When Amy Clauer's family rented a beachfront vacation home weeks ago, they envisioned 180-degree ocean views and the tranquility only Strathmere can provide.
But when the family of 12 arrived from Alloway Township in Salem County, a bustling construction site greeted them.
Great Lakes Dredge & Dock is rebuilding Strathmere's beaches this summer as part of a $6 million state project. The north end of the island is buzzing with the commotion of backhoes, pipe movers and bulldozers. The heavy equipment spreads sand pumped by an enormous dredge moored off Corsons Inlet.
Perhaps the worst part, Clauer said, were the twin portable potties, the doors of which face the family's deck. "We had no knowledge this was going on. The Realtor
didn't say anything about it," she said. Clauer said she does not mind so much. She finds the project endlessly fascinating. "They move like clockwork. They all have a job to do and do it," she said. "All the security guys have been wonderful answering questions."

Clauer is not alone in her interest. Dozens of people strolled along Neptune Avenue on Wednesday to get a closer look at the project as it creeps north to Corsons Inlet State Park, which was devastated by northeasters last winter.

The contractor will pump 200,000 cubic yards of sand on the northern tip of the island to rebuild at least some of the 80 acres of parkland that were eaten away by the tides.
The beach reconstruction gives summer visitors a rare diversion on this natural beach. This shore town has always been a place for beach purists. Here there are no amusement rides, boardwalks, carnival games or promenades to distract from the joy of reclining on the beach with only the sun, the surf and the sand.
"We go out in the ocean, jump in the waves. All the neighbors I have met are very cordial. Last year we collected clamshells and painted and decorated them," Clauer said.
Upper Township resident Dave Palmer watched the crews work from Seaview Avenue. The activity on the island looks so out of place here, he said.
"This is crazy. It's usually so quiet but as soon as I got out of my car it was the noise of generators and back-up beepers," he said.
Mayor Richard Palombo spent last weekend enjoying the beach.
"It's amazing how much sand they can pile on in a single day. People are charting it, watching its progress," he said.
Strathmere is unique among Cape May County beach towns because of its natural charm, he said.
"There isn't a multitude of other activities beyond fishing and enjoying the beach and quietness," he said. "It's a relatively merchant-free community. You don't have people selling Fudgie Wudgies or renting umbrellas. People like the solitude."
Randy and Alex Enterline of Hillsborough Township, Somerset County, agreed, saying they enjoy Strathmere because of its relative peace compared to other shore towns in southern New Jersey.
The crowds are fewer here and the township requires no beach tags. They took a walk to the north end Wednesday to survey the dredging project.
"We're an engineering family," Alex Enterline said. "We find it fascinating just how huge the job is. We liked the tripod that goes out into the ocean."
The towering vehicle resembling the alien machine in "War of the Worlds" monitors beach elevation.
Ron Parks of Medford, Burlington County, peered through binoculars at the dredge pipes and the steel cage the contractors use as a screen to keep unwanted debris off the beach. The state began requiring this screening after an unrelated dredging project accidentally pumped World War II military munitions onto Long Beach Island beaches in 2007.
Parks said he is a metal-detector hobbyist. Dredging projects such as this one sometimes offer a bounty of rare artifacts.
"Last time they had a project here, someone found some Spanish coins, pieces of eight," he said. "I'm curious about what it might dig up."
Parks said he planned to return to the beach to explore the sand himself with his metal detector. Once while scanning a field in Paulsboro, he found a cannonball stamped with an English crown - no doubt fired from a British ship in the Delaware Bay during the Revolutionary War, he said.
Beachgoers have access to the surf despite the giant rusty pipes stretching north and south on the beach. Contractors built small sand ramps over the pipes at regular intervals.
Once the north end is complete, contractors will work from Sherman Avenue south to the border of Sea Isle City. The work is part of an ambitious $20 million state project to rebuild beaches in Sea Isle City, North Wildwood and Stone Harbor.
The Strathmere project is expected to continue through the summer.

E-mail Michael Miller:
MMiller@pressofac.com



(p.s. the Realtor had no idea when the dredging would take when most Summer vacations were booked)

Citizens for Strathmere and Whale Beach organization is having both "silent" and "Chinese" auctions at the Firehouse beginning at 7:00 pm.

Citizens for Strathmere and Whale Beach

Fundraising Auction
Date: July 25th
Time: 7PM
Strathmere Firehouse

Join us for a fun evening and a chance to win exciting items .... boating,
fishing trips, dinner cruise, and photos, Sports tickets, radio, Maui Jim
sunglasses, jewelry, baskets galore, and so much more. Kids' table!
Bring your family, friends, neighbors, and the new renter next door,
anybody looking for fun. Come out for a chance to win a great prize!

Cash, checks and credit cards accepted.
Wine, beer, soda, cheese & crackers, coffee & dessert provided.

The highlight of the evening will be the 8:30 PM Auction of "Out on the Bar"
painted by the talented local artist-and our good friend-Greg Bennett.
This is your chance to own an original, one of a kind painting.

(questions 609-263-1407)

Beach Patrol Six-Mile Bay Race for Multiple Sclerosis - photos courtesy of the Strathmere Improvement Association

From the Strathmere Improvement Association -
If you missed seeing the start of the Beach Patrol Six-Mile Bay Race for Multiple Sclerosis this Monday, you missed an exciting time! Here are a few pictures of the action:

If you missed it, make plans to see it next year! Two Avalon boats finished first and second in the race. The winning boat's time was one hour, 12 minutes and 23 seconds.

More beach-work photos

Trucking up the beach, they are now pumping sand out at Winthrop -




Starting to rebuild the dunes along Neptune at the ends of Seacliff and Seaview -




Standing behind the rocks on Seaview, looking towards the ocean, slightly south, then straight out to the dredge and then towards the rough water at the inlet -

Sunday morning dredging

The crew is working 24 hours a day, and it looks like they are moving along pretty quickly. Yesterday morning they were pumping sand onto the beach at Tecumseh, this morning they are up to Williams. click images for larger views

Photos taken from the dune at Winthrop -

Beach Replenishment 7/18/09

Boats and dredge equipment off the coast of Winthrop and Seacliff - click images for larger views





The AT-AT out in the water around Whittier (I don't know what it's really called, it just reminds me of the AT-AT walkers from Star Wars)
***INFO added 7/21: I've been told that the AT-AT is actually called a - 'Coastal Research Amphibious Buggy' or CRAB. It is a GPS system to monitor hourly changes to the ocean floor, and pipe position






Looking south from Whittier at the work going on




Sand being pumped onto the beach at Tecumseh -




More equipment at Tecumseh beach and looking south at the pipes -




The work going on at Sumner Beach -