By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Muddy sediment clogging some of Sea Isle City’s most popular waterways will be cleared out as part of a new dredging program that promises to make things easier for boaters by next summer.
The city expects to go out to bid within the next 30 days for a series of dredging projects that will deepen some of the shallow lagoons along the back bays.
“There will be better navigation through the lagoons,” City Business Administrator George Savastano said of the benefit to boaters when the projects are completed.
Sea Isle’s capital plan calls for $250,000 in spending in 2020 for the dredging program, which is expected to wrap up in time for the peak summer tourism season.
The city’s Municipal Marina along 42nd Place and the bayfront at the Yacht Club of Sea Isle City are two primary areas scheduled for dredging, Savastano said.
Dredging will also deepen the waterways along Venicean Road and the bay end of 38th Street. Savastano noted that the city will also work with homeowners on Venicean Road and the bay area of 38th Street and Sounds Avenue to get their private boat slips dredged.
The homeowners would pay for dredging their boat slips, but would be able to save money by piggybacking on the city’s dredging permits. The process would relieve homeowners of some of the costs and headaches of doing the dredging work on their own, including finding a disposal site for the sediment, Savastano explained.
The bayfront lagoons come alive in the summer season as a haven for boats, kayaks, paddleboards and personal watercraft such as Jet Skis.
By dredging the lagoon that serves the Municipal Marina, the city will continue with improvements that have been made to the property in recent years, including new landscaping, docks, a boardwalk, an open-air pavilion and public restrooms.
Featuring 87 slips, the marina can accommodate boats ranging in size from 18 to 35 feet long.
The marina is tucked away along 42nd Place at the foot of the bridge entering town on the John F. Kennedy corridor.
