BRICK – Restrictions for winter flounder protection are in place each year from January 1 until May 31, so the residents of Nejecho Beach Lagoon had to wait until June 1 for dredging to begin there.
The lagoon, located off the Metedeconk River, had become unnavigable due to shoaling at its entrance, and some of the boat owners had repeatedly asked the township for help.
Help came in the form of a township-wide dredging permit that took years to obtain, said township business administrator Joanne Bergin. The permit enables any lagoon neighborhood in need of dredging to proceed without procuring their own permit. Nejecho Beach Lagoon is the first waterfront area to utilize the permit.
The $298,870 contract was awarded during the May 24 Council meeting to Spectraserv Inc. of Kearny, which was the lowest of six bids, which ranged up to $653,431.
The waterfront homeowners of Nejecho Beach Lagoon will be assessed for the dredging since the township cannot pay for improvements on private property.
“This is our awesome dredging project…and we can’t wait to finally use our township-wide permit for our first project and have everybody have a safe and fun boating season,” said Mayor John G. Ducey during the Council meeting.
An estimated 2,200 cubic yard of material will be dredged, and the spoils will be used to replenish the beach at Windward Beach Park.
