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BEACH HAVEN - During a contentious emergency meeting Friday afternoon, the Board of Commissioners voted to dump sand along the borough's 11/2-mile beachfront to repair dunes damaged during last week's northeast storm.

The Board of Commissioners authorized an emergency appropriation of $150,000 to rebuild dunes between Nelson and Merivale avenues. The resolution was one of two Mayor Michael Battista voted against during the meeting, which sometimes erupted into shouting and cursing.

"It's irresponsible to authorize $150,000. I would have authorized $25,000 to be immediately released and then more money as it's needed," said Battista, who participated in the meeting via telephone from Florida.

Borough officials called the emergency meeting Friday to declare a disaster after the coastal storm ravaged area beaches last week. It turned ugly as commission members bickered over a $4.67 million price tag for the damage.

The borough passed a resolution declaring a disaster and emergency as a result of the storm, but not before Battista voiced his concerns about the wording of the resolution and damage costs. Battista also questioned the urgency of passing such a resolution.

"I'm not comfortable signing off on this without discussing this with anyone," he said before voting against the resolution declaring an emergency.

"We need to pass this or we can't put down any damn sand on the beach," Commissioner George Allen shouted into the phone.

The resolution states that the storm reached catastrophic proportions that have not been seen since the December 1992 storm. Battista rejected that assessment.

"We want to save that verbiage for when we are virtually destroyed. I was on the island for the whole storm, and we are not catastrophically destroyed," he said.

Battista also questioned Commissioners Anthony Deely and Allen about the origin of the damage estimate.

The bulk of the money the borough is seeking is $3.5 million for the loss of dunes. Borough officials estimate it will take about 375,000 tons of sand to restore dunes.

Battista said he was just given the numbers Thursday evening.

"Don't you think someone should have e-mailed me or called me? I'm the commissioner of revenue and finance. We're looking at $4.67 million. That's an entire year's tax payment for the borough," he said.

Battista said the calculation could potentially "hang the borough out with their pants down to be humiliated."

Allen shook his head in disbelief.

"Let's not get into a (expletive) argument about who's stepping on whose toes. You can come back here and hack the hell out of the numbers if you want to," Allen said.

Allen added that the damage calculations have been approved by the county, state and Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Now that the resolution is passed, the money will be funded by a bond ordinance in the future and will not be a line item in the 2010 budget, according to the resolution.

As Battista pressed the commissioners and Borough Clerk Sherri Hartman on who authorized the drafting of the resolution, Kim England, supervisor of the Department of Public Works, jumped out of his seat.

"I've been working my ass off up here, and you're down there on the phone in Florida because you want to go down there and enjoy your life," England shouted. "We need this money. There's no more money in Public Works to pay for this."

England said 70 trucks will bring about $15,000 worth of sand to the borough Monday and Tuesday. Sand will cost $9.69 per ton. A resolution authorizing the purchase from Sand of Eagleswood Inc., in Fairless Hills, Pa., was the only resolution Battista voted for Friday.

Linwood residents Mary and Daryl Todd, who have owned a home on Merivale Avenue for the past 26 years, attended the meeting and said they were grateful that the borough was taking action to protect their home.

England said he also contracted a bulldozer operator at $100 per hour to move sand, which should cost about $2,000 for two days of work.

"I need four aspirins and a shotgun," England said as he walked back to his seat.

Contact Donna Weaver:

609-226-9198

DWeaver@pressofac.com

3 comments:

• dreary (31) posts 6:53 pm

  Battista needs to be replaced. $25,000? Is the sun too hot for him in Florida? Does he even understand the magnatude of this storm? What a joke. Thank goodness we have such a talented Clerk who can stand up to such ignorance and someone like Mr. England running Public Works. Hey Battista, either get out or at least out of the way.

• LBIKate (1) posts 1:28 pm

  Anyone who knows Kim will tell you he is a big teddy bear and couldnt hurt anyone. He is a native of Beach Haven and puts 150% into everything he does for this community. His comment was probably out of frustration, which we all feel when dealing with our borough officials. While we may not verbalize our feelings in front of a reporter, we do think it. It doesnt mean we intend to show our disgust outside of the polls in the next election this coming May.

• b4ucanstart1 (10) posts 9:15 am

  Sounds like Mr England needs a vacation , its very upsetting in this day and age to have anyone mention shotguns at public meetings unless they are planning a hunting trip,,he really does need to be looked at and maybe replaced..

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