Portion of boardwalk needs entirely new substructure
Council picks B&B Hi Tech for survey, design work
The substructure of part of the boardwalk needs complete replacement in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, according to city engineer Joe Cunha. The city council started the repair process by selecting a contractor for preliminary work at the Dec. 19 council meeting.
“Essentially, the entire north section of the boardwalk remains relatively unscathed due to Sandy,” city engineer Joe Cunha said. “The south is a different story.”
Improvements will include the 600-foot section of the boardwalk immediately south of Convention Hall, Cunha said, essentially the space between Sunset Avenue and Fourth Avenue.
The substructure — the supporting beams, stringers and piles that hold the boardwalk planks — needs replacement. Workers will try to salvage any pilings they can, “but it’s a fat chance,” Cunha said.
The city council awarded the contract for preliminary work, such as surveying, design and bidding, to B&B Hi Tech Solutions of West Berlin at approximately $123,000. The total cost of boardwalk repairs is expected to reach about $4.5 million.
The council also introduced four ordinances to fund other repairs at its Dec. 19 meeting. An emergency appropriation for $7.1 million was approved at the Dec. 5 meeting, and the ordinances introduced on Dec. 19 allocate the funds to specific projects.
The amount spent on repairs will likely be reduced as money from either FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency] or insurance companies comes in, Reidy said.
The four bond ordinances consist of $3.3 million for improvements to the sewer plant; $4.5 million for repairs to the boardwalk; $800,000 for new parking pay stations; and $250,000 for repairs to the Sunset Lake foot bridge, city external auditor Dave Kaplan said at the Dec. 19 meeting.
The city immediately applied for FEMA reimbursement after the storm, and filed claims with its insurance carrier, Reidy said. Adjusters flew out from California to survey the damage.
FEMA already provided just over $1 million for debris removal to the city. FEMA stepped in for that expense because debris removal is not eligible for insurance, Reidy said. FEMA may reimburse the city’s other expenses from 75 to 100 percent, Reidy said.
