Clear beaches vowed for start of season
Officials remain confident that beaches in Surf City and Ship Bottom, closed in March because unexploded ordnance was found, will be open in time for the tourism season. "We are about two-thirds of the way done" clearing the beaches of any such ordnance, said Khaalid Walls, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spokesman. "We're still set for a Memorial Day opening." But Long Beach Township resident Peter Trainor, 73, said he thinks otherwise. The ordnance had been discovered following replenishment of sand on Long Beach Island. Trainor, a member of the Joint Council Taxpayers Association of Long Beach Island, had raised concerns with various officials on the replenishment project. "How much of the stuff has been taken out of the water? How far will it wash up on the beach? Past experience tells me I would be leery to believe what they (the Corps) are saying," Trainor said. Walls said that West Chester, Pa.-based Weston Solutions has been contracted by the Army Corps to search for the munitions. Weston bills itself as a company that solves complex environmental problems. According to its Web site, its past projects have included cleanup following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and recovery of space shuttle Columbia debris. "They (Weston Solutions) are out there every day, Monday through Friday, having started at both ends of the beach," Walls said. Walls said no final determination had been made as to the cost of the cleanup. Almost 1,000 pieces of ordnance have been found, with "a couple" found Thursday, he said. "They test up to three feet (deep), and if they find something, they go deeper," Walls said. "The majority (of ordnance found), about 98 percent, has been fuses. There have been some projectiles, such as shells." Rick Reynolds, executive director of the Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce, said the organization has not received many calls from people concerned about the ordnance findings. He believes the Army Corps' assessment of a Memorial Day beach opening is reliable. "They (the Army Corps) assure that the sand will be clear (of ordnance) to three feet (deep). I believe people are a greater risk driving to the beach than they will be once they're on the beach," Reynolds said. Both Ship Bottom Mayor William Huelsenbeck and Surf City Mayor Leonard T. Connors Jr. were unavailable Friday for comment. Hartriono B. Sastrowardoyo: (609) 978-4581 or harts@app.com
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