Friday, August 20, 2010

NJ Gov's Plan - Make Taxpayers Pay Twice

NJ Governor Christie wants the taxpayers of NJ to pay twice. NJ taxpayers (and every taxpayer in the country for that matter) have already paid to build a beach and protective dunes in Atlantic City. These dunes protect the pubic infrastructure of the boardwalk, and the private property landward of it. But Christie's DEP wants to lower the dunes so people can see the ocean. That's when you'll pay twice. When the ocean over-tops these dunes in a storm, your tax dollars are going to clean up the mess. The Press of Atlantic City covered the effort to lower the dunes today, complete with secret meeting between DEP officials and local legislators.

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/breaking/article_fa325fcc-abd8-11df-bf2b-001cc4c002e0.html

This author lives in a town where dunes block the ocean view from much of the boardwalk. Our dunes were built by the town, at the town's expense. They were not built by the Army Corps when tens of millions of dollars were spent filling our beaches. Go figure. We've lost much of our view, and yes crazy people want to lower the dunes and get the view back. Those people did not live here in 1992 when the December Nor'Easter destroyed the boardwalk. Not damaged: destroyed. There were no dunes.

I'd love to be able to see the ocean as a drove down Ocean Ave here. I can't. I'd love to be able to see the waves as I drove down Highway 12 in the Outer Banks. I can't. But don't lower those dunes for my view. I know they provide something far more valuable than a view.

1 comment:

  1. You obviously don't live in Atlantic City. Without our famous Ocean views and the Ocean breezes we don't even need a boardwalk. Protecting property is possible without destroying our economy. Bulkheads do a fine job of protecting property, as for the boardwalk it is built up in the air so the Ocean can go under it. In the last 50 yrs. since the Ash wed. Nor'easter of 1962 almost NO property has been damaged here, nor has the boardwalk. ( even the Halloween 91 and X-mas 92' storms did little damage).) U can also do beach replenishment as needed without a huge high levee ( by the way it's not a dune stop calling it one)! The Christie admin. has it right on this. Many other places have beach replenishment WITHOUT a huge view blocking levee.

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