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Wildwood Crest hears multi-million-dollar plan to restore and extend historic fishing pier; grants would cover most costs
Summary
A public presentation described a plan to replace the Crest Fishing Pier substructure and extend the pier 1,000–1,250 feet; consultants estimated total project costs at $5.5–$6.0 million, with roughly $4.0 million in secured and anticipated grants and a borough match of about $1.5–$2.0 million.
Commissioners received a historical overview and an engineer's briefing on plans to restore and extend the Wildwood Crest Fishing Pier.
Local historian Carl Schmoyer reviewed the pier's origins as a fishermen's club formed in July 1917, early fundraising and membership, clubhouse and fishing contests, and damage and repairs across the 20th century. Schmoyer said the club built and maintained the pier through the decades before ownership and the borough's involvement changed the structure's status and use.
Project consultant Mark de Blasio presented the borough's permitted concept and a value-engineered design. He said the work would replace pilings, substructure and decking, provide access stairs, add ADA fishing opportunities and bollard lighting, and include benches and trash/recycling stations. The originally permitted project allowed 16-foot-wide decking outside the dune; the project team now plans an 8-foot width through the dune and a 12-foot flare outside the dune, with the base bid extending the pier 1,000 feet and an alternate to reach the permitted 1,250-foot extension.
De Blasio estimated the total project at $5.5–$6.0 million. He said the borough has obtained or anticipated approximately $4.0 million in grants: a Cape May County Open Space award (about $2.5 million), the NJDCA Boardwalk Preservation Fund (about $1.1 million) and an expected NJDCA small-cities award (about $400,000). That funding would leave the borough responsible for roughly $1.5–$2.0 million in matching or local share. De Blasio said the design is under way, DEP CAFRA permitting is secured for the permitted length, the borough intends to advertise for public bids in the summer, and construction could begin in the fall with completion the following spring.
During public Q&A residents asked whether the pier would be gated or require fishing fees; borough staff said the plan includes a fenced, fee-managed fishing area with a promenade open to non-fishing visitors up to a gate. Commissioners said the project will be scaled back if anticipated grants do not materialize and stressed the Boardwalk Preservation funding is time-sensitive.
What happens next: design continues, the borough will advertise bid solicitations in summer, and the governing body will finalize the approach to fees and public access as part of subsequent permitting and procurement steps.
