Traders Cove Marina, Brick, N.J. (Photo: Shorebeat)
Brick Township officials introduced their annual capital budget Tuesday night, maintaining spending at $8.5 million as part of a long-term plan to reduce the township’s debt load.
The capital budget, proposed and adopted each year, funds “big ticket” items in town such as road paving projects and major improvements and maintenance for township facilities. The capital budget is funded through several bond measures which correspond to the estimated life cycle of the improvements being funded, ranging from five to fifteen years.
In addition to setting aside funds for regular projects such as road maintenance, the budget funds a number of individual items revolving around township infrastructure and improvements. This year, two of the projects receiving funding include improvements or a replacement of the T-dock at Windward Beach Park, and maintenance dredging of Traders Cove Marina under the existing boat slips.
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The T-dock at Windward Beach Park. (Credit: Google Earth)
Sunset over the Metedeconk River, from Windward Beach, Brick, N.J., Sept. 26, 2022. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
The T-dock at Windward is a pier located near the west side of the park that juts out into the Metedeconk River and is popular with anglers, crabbers and those seeking out a good place to view the sunset.
“It’s getting old and need some attention, so we need to evaluate the situation so we know what we have to do moving forward,” said Business Administrator Joanne Bergin.
The budget will fund a study by an engineering firm to probe the current condition of the dock so it can be determined whether it is due for maintenance or a full replacement. The township will ultimately award a contract to a firm to complete the study, and will decide in the future how any improvements should be handled.
“Sometimes things look a bit worse than they are, so we need a professional eye to examine it,” she said.
The dredging project at Traders Cove is part of the regular maintenance of the marina, said Bergin.
“It’s long-overdue” for dredging, said Bergin. “We had to get the permits, which we recently jut received from the state.”
The dredging would ensure silt and shoaling is not occurring in the area where slips are located and where boaters navigate through the marina itself. The budget also includes some funding for the replacement of some floating docks the Traders Cove.
Addition items included in the capital budget are:
- Construction of a vestibule and covered patio at the new Senior Center.
- Structural evaluation of the concession building at Brick Beach III.
- Replacement of microphones and videorecording equipment for council and land use board meetings.
- HVAC installation at the new Brick Police Special Operations Building behind the municipal complex.
- Two “power cots” for the township EMS squad, replacing models that are now nine years old.
- A new drone for the police department.
- Emergency radios to replace some which are no longer supported by Motorola, their manufacturer.
- A new side-arm garbage truck.
- A new patching machine for the Public Works Department’s road paving crew.
The bond measures were introduced with the unanimous support of the township council Tuesday night. They are subject to a public hearing and second vote before adoption, which is scheduled for the May 23 council meeting.
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