Wildwood Crest faces March 18 deadline as residents and council clash over Army Corps dune project

Wildwood Crest officials presented an Army Corps of Engineers dune-and-beach plan and fielded extensive public comment on March 12 after the borough said it received a Department of Environmental Protection letter setting a March 18 deadline to decide whether to participate.

The presiding official said the borough received a letter from DEP commissioner Sean Lauterrett that requires a decision by March 18 and explained that the borough previously signed a state-aid agreement to keep the project moving. The council played a 58–59 second aerial video showing proposed dune footprints, labeled borrow areas A, B and C, and graphics the borough said illustrate how the mean high-water line and beach width would change under the plan.

"I think this video . . . will help the public and anyone understand what is happening and what is being presented as part of this project," the presiding official said while describing the graphics and noting that the proposal would build dunes roughly 16 feet high in places and that one stretch of the plan showed a roughly 650-foot difference between existing and proposed mean high-water lines in the graphic.

Residents at the meeting raised concerns about beach narrowing, public access, safety and long‑term effects. "Beautiful beaches are wonderful, but there's more to it. There are homes and there are people," said Joyce Gould, a former mayor and deputy mayor of the borough, who warned that a major storm could devastate property and livelihoods and said she opposed the plan. "If that big one comes and this town is destroyed, they will hang you," she said, urging caution.

Other residents questioned technical details and past outcomes after sand was previously removed to assist neighboring communities. Carl Schmoyer said ponding persisted after past sand transfers and that removing dune areas would harm wildlife and the naturally developed dune system. David McWilliams and another resident asked whether the borough’s withdrawal would stop the project; borough staff replied that Army Corps funding for the location would be reallocated if Wildwood Crest declines to participate.

Several speakers also discussed alternatives. Some suggested sourcing sand offshore or from distant borrow sites instead of taking material from Wildwood Crest, or investing in locally controlled dune-building or emergency replenishment measures to preserve beach character and tourism value.

For context, borough staff said the state-aid agreement was signed to keep the project viable while plans progressed; the presiding official stated that the borough has pressed for alternatives during meetings with the Corps and DEP but that, at the current stage, the project plan is essentially fixed. The borough asked staff to post the presentation materials and video on the municipal website for broader public review.

The meeting concluded with the council closing public comment and moving into a closed executive session to discuss three items, including potential litigation related to the dunes. The presiding official said the DEP letter establishes March 18 as the date by which the borough must indicate whether it will participate, and citizens and officials said the borough needs more dialogue and clarity before deciding.

What happens next: the council must weigh resident opposition, technical analyses and contractual obligations ahead of the DEP deadline. Borough staff indicated they will prepare the requested formal correspondence and continue to post information publicly; the council entered closed session to consider potential litigation and related next steps.