Life is What Happens
People ask me all the time what it’s like to live “down the shore” all winter. My answer is always the same: “Why don’t you come visit and find out?”
Right after Labor Day, we kick off the “locals’ summer” – the usually gorgeous September weather when the beach and Boardwalk offer everything they did at the height of the season. From fall on through winter and spring, we enjoy easy parking, restaurant specials and a sense of community among us year-rounders. It’s really easy living.
On the other hand, sometimes it feels like it’s just us and every contractor, builder, plumber and electrician waiting for the minimal winter days of good weather to maintain and improve the summer homes for the coming season. This year, you can add the City of Ventnor itself to that list.
With summer residents gone for much of the fall, all the winter, public works projects unfold in full view. We live on Somerset Avenue, so the massive Phase 1 Boardwalk renovation – running from Suffolk avenues to Cambridge Avenue – was impossible to miss. Exciting, yes, though it meant spending the winter walking in the street. The Boardwalk stretch was closed from Surrey Avenue to the Fishing Pier access ramp, beginning last November.
The scope of the project was approximately $12 million, of which $7.1 million came from the New Jersey Boardwalk Preservation Fund, a $100 million state initiative supporting shoreline communities. The fund was created by legislation signed by Gov. Phil Murphy and financed with federal American Rescue Plan COVID-19 relief money.
The work was something to watch unfold, especially during a robust winter of cold temperatures and several snowstorms. When crews could work, they demolished the existing Boardwalk, excavated the sand that had accumulated beneath it, then drove new support pilings into the ground – the most time-consuming part of the process. In good weather, 20 to 24 pilings could be installed in a day; after snow or ice, only nine.
The new Ventnor Boardwalk alignment uncovered old pilings from the historic Municipal Pier at Cambridge Avenue – creating unexpected challenges for the construction team. The popular public complex was in use from the late 1920s, hosting dances, concerts, community events and city activities until storms destroyed it in 1962-63.
One thing old-timers and Boardwalk lovers will notice: The signature herringbone decking pattern is gone; replaced by straight planking, which is easier to replace than the diagonal design. My son noticed that it also extends a bit beyond the railings, giving it added width. The sturdy beams atop the pilings are topped with Cumaru, a dense tropical hardwood.
“We’re thrilled that the Boardwalk came out so well, on time and in such great shape,” said Lance B. Landgraf Jr., city commissioner in charge of public works, construction and code enforcement. “We owe a lot to Schiavone Construction, our city engineer, Ed Stinson, and DeBlasio Engineering, which designed the project. We’re also thankful to the state of New Jersey for granting us the funds and the state Legislature for supporting the whole process.”
Additional improvements include shorter light poles placed at more frequent intervals, more accessible ramps and reconstructed pavilions and railings. A ribbon-cutting celebration was held April 29 at the Suffolk Avenue entrance – right on schedule. Phase 2 of the Boardwalk renovation, running from Suffolk Avenue to Jackson Avenue (the Atlantic City border), is set to begin after Labor Day.
Equally thrilling – at least for those of us with a racket in hand – is the renovation of the pickleball and tennis courts on Atlantic Avenue, between Suffolk and Somerset.
To accommodate one of the nation’s fastest-growing sports, the new layout will feature four tennis courts and 10 pickleball courts. The question on everyone’s mind: Will it be done by Memorial Day? The answer is yes. On the day I stopped by, Sports and Tennis Construction was laying the acrylic coating and All Vinyl Fencing was completing the cyclone fence.
Then there was the morning my husband and I heard the most extraordinary sound – a loud hissing and pounding – and wandered across the Dorset Avenue Bridge to find the source. It was the Surrey Avenue Water Tower being rehabilitated and repainted, with structural, coating, lighting and safety upgrades happening simultaneously.
“Ventnor has had a very productive offseason,” said Mayor Tim Kriebel. “I’m grateful to Commissioners Landgraf and Santoro, their staffs, our Public Works team and our contractors for their hard work this winter and spring. I’m also proud of every city employee whose teamwork on this project contributed to making this a wonderful town to live in, visit and enjoy year-round.”
The Boardwalk, water tower and courts are just the projects you can see and hear. Behind the scenes, the city is also replacing thousands of lead service lines, resurfacing Ventnor Avenue with new curbs and ADA-compliant ramps, upgrading stormwater infrastructure in Ventnor Heights to reduce flooding and optimizing traffic signals along Atlantic Avenue.
Has it been inconvenient to live through all this construction? Of course. But I keep thinking of those old signs you used to see on congested roadways: “Temporary inconvenience, permanent improvement.”
Come Memorial Day weekend, when summer residents and visitors arrive and marvel at the gleaming new Boardwalk and freshly painted courts, we’ll smile – grateful for all of it. It’s worth noting that Ventnor’s mayor and commissioners receive only a small stipend for their service.
What they accomplished, essentially on a part-time basis, is impressive by any measure.
“Our tax dollars at work” is a very good feeling. We know what it took. We were here, hearing it and seeing it – all year long.
Lisa is an advertising copywriter (think ‘Madmen’ without the men), journalist and columnist. Claim to fame: Lou’s waitress for four teenage summers. For column comments, story ideas, or to get on her “quote” list for future columns: redshoeslzs@gmail.com
