A sign gives a sneak preview of the bayfront project.
By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
From the water’s edge, picturesque views of the bays and wetlands teeming with wildlife unfold for miles in the distance.
Soon, a man-made attraction will be added to this tranquil setting in Sea Isle City, allowing nature lovers to enjoy the back bays, wildlife and sunsets even more.
After more than a year of planning, the city expects to begin construction this fall on a combination fishing pier and kayak launch site that will be ready in time for the 2020 summer tourism season.
The project will be built along the bayfront behind the city’s Dealy Field athletic and recreation complex at 60th Street. A sign erected at the site gives a sneak preview. It includes an architectural rendering of the project accompanied by the words, “Coming soon ... Opening in 2020.”
Mayor Leonard Desiderio explained that the city’s engineer is finalizing the plans and securing the environmental and regulatory permits to allow construction to start. Desiderio is confident the project will be completed by next summer.
“It’s going to be a great attraction,” he said in an interview. “So many people like to go out in the bay in kayaks. It’s going to be a feather in our cap, another A-1 star attraction in Sea Isle.”
The area behind the Dealy Field athletic complex near 60th Street, where the fishing pier and kayak launch site will be built, offers expansive views of the back bays and wetlands.
The price tag is $935,605. Sea Isle received funding from Cape May County’s Open Space Board to cover the cost.
“What’s even better about this project, the county came in and picked up the tab,” said Desiderio, who also serves as a county freeholder.
Another architectural rendering of the project unveiled by the city last year shows a boardwalk-style structure that will extend 132 feet out into the bay. The center section will serve as the fishing pier.
One part will branch off to the left for a “passive pier” featuring a covered pavilion. On the right side, there will be a dock for a handicap-accessible launch facility for kayaks and paddleboards.
The kayak area will have two launch systems, including one that is compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act.
Additionally, the new site will have kayak storage racks, which will be an extra convenience for those who are eager to paddle on the bay, the mayor said.
Crowded with upscale homes, Sea Isle’s bayfront offers few places where kayakers, paddleboarders and anglers have public access to the water. The new project will give the public a prime location to enjoy the back bays.
A communitywide survey conducted in 2015 prompted responses from local residents urging the city to create more access to the bayfront as a way to enhance recreation, including kayaking.
An artist rendering shows what the fishing pier and kayak launch facility will look like when completed. (Courtesy Sea Isle City)
