Beach replenishment, equipment buys get council OK

Last Updated on Monday, February 11, 2013 05:15 pm Written by Christie Rotondo Monday, February 11, 2013 05:14 pm

NORTH WILDWOOD - City Council recently authorized the city’s lawyer to begin the bid process for a beach replenishment project.

Council also approved the purchase of three new pieces of equipment for public works at the Feb. 5 meeting.

After Hurricane Sandy, Stewart Farrell of Richard Stockton College's Coastal Research Center determined the city had lost 150,000 cubic yards of sand. Prior to the storm, the city had also lost an additional 75,000 cubic yards from beach erosion.

Mayor Bill Henfey said that 75 percent of the total cost of the project will be reimbursed through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. On Jan. 23, the city awarded a $7,500 engineering contract to Van Note-Harvey Associates to determine the specifications needed for the replenishment, write the bid project, and oversee the project’s completion.

This beach replenishment project, Henfey said, will bring the city’s square footage of beach back to where it was last summer, after it completed a previous beach replenishment project. The city transferred sand from Wildwood Crest to its beaches to replenish them.

Council also passed three resolutions to purchase equipment for public works. A tractor, wheel loader, and Vactor truck (a brand name for a kind of sewer and storm drain cleaning truck) were awarded contract of purchase, totaling $569,011.

The wheel loader is not to exceed $66,395 and is covered by a grant, Henfey said. The loader, he explained, will be used to clear snow from access ramps and the city was awarded a grant to offset the purchase of the equipment.

The tractor is not to exceed $121,922 and will be used for beach maintenance during the summer and snow plowing in the winter, he said.

The most expensive purchase is Vactor truck, which is used to clean sewers and storm drains. The price of the truck is not to exceed $380,694, according to the resolution.

“We currently don’t have one,” said Patrick Rosenello, city council president. “We had been relying on Wildwood or the county, and they aren’t always available.”

Henfey said that these three pieces of equipment were not for the city’s beach replenishment project, but did say that the tractor would be used for beach maintenance in the summer.

The next city council meeting is set for Feb. 19 at 10 a.m. at 901 Atlantic Ave.

Christie Rotondo can be emailed at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or you can comment on this story at www.wildwood.shorenewstoday.com.