New Marina to Make Somers Point a Premier Boating and Tourist Destination

New Marina to Make Somers Point a Premier Boating and Tourist Destination

By Ryan Gerace

For the first time in 31 years, a new marina will be created in state of New Jersey. The city of Somers Point has been fortunate enough to receive all the necessary state grants to dredge and build a new marina for easy boating access to the already famous Bay Avenue in Somers Point.

“We’re calling it the Somers Point Dock & Dine” said Greg Sykora, the chairman for economic development in Somers Point, “it’s all about creating a great destination.”

The dredging and construction have been taking place on the Somers Point beach and the Duke O’ Fluke pier since mid-February. The dredging has already been completed ahead of their April 1st deadline and now parts are being delivered to the dredged area to begin building the actual marina. Greg Sykora hopes to have the marina completed in time for the Somers Point Bayfest on April 27th, but if not, the goal is to be open by this Memorial Day.

“Now people can come to our community from other communities” explained Sykora, “all by boat.”

Somers Point is separated by the Great Egg Harbor Bay from well know New Jersey shore towns such as Ocean City and Margate. For those who have personal boats, kiosks will be available upon arriving at the marina to claim your spot. For those who don’t have a boat, a water taxi service is currently in development for easy water transportation from the island towns to the new Somers Point marina. Recreational activities such as kayaking and paddle boarding will also be available for rent at the marina once completed. The Duke O’ Fluke will fortunately not be going anywhere as they will return to the marina with their fishing excursions once it has been completed.

It was not an easy task to make this project come to fruition. It took a lot of negotiations and compromise between different organizations and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection in order to make the new marina a reality. Sykora accredits much of the success to Jim Rutala of Rutala Associates, LLC. Sykora says that Jim Rutala was a crucial asset in acquiring the necessary grants for this project.

“We really wanted to show the DEP (Department of Environmental Protection) that we were serious about this project” explained Greg Sykora.

Sykora states how ecologically cautious the dredging crew has been in order to abide by the state environmental laws. This is nothing new for the city of Somers Point, as the city is currently pioneering an environmentally friendly movement for the Mainland. The currently underway “Spruce Up, Clean Up” event, pioneered by the Somers Point Economic Development Commission, is a city wide clean up campaign, partnering with the ACUA, that targets cleaning the local roads, bike path, historical sites, and more. The entire city of Somers Point collectively want to show how beautiful their city truly is, especially once the new marina becomes open to the public.

“I am excited to be able to show the beauty of Somers Point’s Bay Avenue” said Sykora as he looks forward to the opening of the first new marina in New Jersey in three decades.

Somers Point is slated for an exciting year with a plethora of events coming up in the next few months into the summer. Check out the newly remodeled Somers Point website www.visitsomerspoint.com to check out upcoming events, news feed, local restaurants, activities, and take a virtual tour of the town. The summer of 2019 is looking to be huge for the city of Somers Point.