Ocean City Considering Shelter Road Recycling Yard For Temporary Solution To Dredging Issues

OCEAN CITY, NJ — Ocean City officials are looking at cleaning up a recycling yard on Shelter Road as a temporary solution as litigation continues over the use of a site near 34th Street to store the spoils as part of the $20 million plan to dredge lagoons and bayfront areas too shallow for boating in the city.

Ongoing litigation is due to the bidding process. ACT Engineering President Carol Beske explained to residents that gathered at a recent town hall meeting that the low bidder on the dredging project didn’t meet certain qualifications, so the bid was awarded to the second lowest bidder.

A lawsuit ensued, which the city won. It is now in the appeals process, and there is no way to tell how long that will last. In the interim, the project can’t move forward.

In the southern portion of the island, ACT has proposed a process for bringing spoils to the recycling yard through a mechanical de-watering process via a temporary pipeline. The material would then be taken by truck to a permanent site outside the city.

Areas covered by this portion of the project include the Carnival, Venetian, South Harbor, Bluefish and Clubhouse lagoons.

ACT said the spoils wouldn’t remain at the recycling yard, and that nothing was set in stone. City officials reiterated that point during Tuesday night’s meeting at City Hall.

Residents have voiced concern about the noise created by the trucks. There are new playing fields that were just installed in that area, which is near Tennessee Avenue.

Officials have said there may be 25 trucks coming in and out of the area. They also said the hours of operation aren’t set, as that would be part of the specifications of any proposed contract.

Councilman Bob Barr suggested some kind of counter to determine what traffic in the area is and how it may be impacted by the project.

The recycling yard is also used to store Public Works equipment. It is also filled with abandoned bicycles and discarded TVs, according to ocnjdaily.com.

The city and ACT Engineering are collecting input from the public. It is unknown when a final decision will be made.