Info from another sight.
This is in response to your April 6, 2015 e-mail to our 9th District Legislative Office regarding the status of the Double Creek Channel dredging project.
"Thank you for your outreach and for allowing us the opportunity to understand your concerns about this important matter. Please know that, in having followed this local dredging issue closely, we fully recognize the level of frustration shared by boaters. You will be interested to know that Senator Connors is a boater who keeps his boat in Waretown and uses the Barnegat Inlet regularly and, as such, understands the hardships imposed on the boating community due to the current conditions of Double Creek Channel. Together with local marinas, the Recreational Fishing Alliance (The Recreational Fishing Alliance) and the boating community, we have been actively pursuing this project in representing the best interests of our constituency.
Please be advised that we have been personally briefed by the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) regarding the status of the project and have learned that the project delay is the result of no bids having been received, due in part to an issue concerning dredge materials. It is our understanding that the Department is in the process of preparing new bid specifications for the purpose of rebidding. Unfortunately, we must report that we have been further advised by the Department that this process will result in a further delay causing the commencement of the project to occur after the 2015 boating season.
That being said, we can assure you that we will continue to pursue this project as a priority given its importance to many of our constituents, such as you. To that end, we have written to DOT Commissioner Jamie Fox and Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin (NJDEP) calling for the Double Creek Channel project to be prioritized in light of the serious public safety and economic concerns you justifiably raised in your correspondence. A copy of our letter to the Commissioners has been enclosed for your convenient review and reference. Please note that this will be our second communication to the Commissioners regarding Double Creek Channel as we had initially contacted them in November 2014, citing the economic strains that this delayed dredging project was causing.
Please know that, as Coastal Legislators, we fully recognize the importance of the boating and marine industries to our state, not only in economic terms and for recreational purposes, but also from a cultural standpoint as boating is synonymous with the Jersey Shore. In effectively representing our Legislative District, we have consistently worked with boaters and marina owners located in constituent municipalities on various industry-related issues, especially after the catastrophic destruction caused by Superstorm Sandy .
Again, thank you for your outreach. If you have any further comments on this or any other State matter, please do not hesitate to contact us again. As always, we stand ready to serve the people of the 9th Legislative District."
