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Hurricane Sandy levelled the dunes at North End Beach when the storm rolled through the city on Oct. 29, and locals are now examining how to replenish the sand.

North End is used by fishermen, surfers and dog owners, as well as regular beachgoers. Tall dunes separated the parking lot from the sand [pictured above], but the storm virtually destroyed those dunes.

Pam Lamberton, who chairs the city’s sustainability committee, suggested the city start looking at its options “sooner rather than later” at the Dec. 5 council meeting.

“The dunes at the Fisherman’s Beach [North Beach] are pretty decimated,” Lamberton said. “The fencing is gone. If you get something organized, we’ll get volunteers there.”

Deputy Mayor John G. Loffredo said the city should think about bringing the dunes further north and south.

The city could take a cue from Bradley Beach, which buried used Christmas trees in the dunes to fortify them several years ago, Lamberton said today.

The dunes were previously built with financial aid from the Asbury Park Fishermen’s Club, and some grass was planted by local school children, Lamberton said. She believes people would be happy to volunteer to reconstruct the dunes if given the chance.

“I think the interest is there already,” she said.

Some state environmental restrictions could stand in the way, she said, but some have been eased since the storm.

Anyone who would like to help or would like more information can contact Lamberton at pamlam100@hotmail.com.

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