NJ - Headway on flood protection project a ‘relief’ for N.J. town but 1 business has a dilemma
The bayside town that became the poster child for some of the most severe devastation wrought by Hurricane Sandy in 2012 is making progress on a $395 million federal project that’s been in the works even longer than that.
“Union Beach began discussing a flood protection project back three years after the 1992 nor’easter,” said Mayor Charles Cocuzza. “I’m excited to see it finally come to fruition.”
To see excavators, bulldozers and cranes finally hard at work in Union Beach is gratifying for locals, the mayor said this week.
“The residents see it,” Cocuzza added. “They see what’s going on down there. It does bring a sense of relief.”
That’s also true for JakeaBob’s Bay owner Angelita “Gigi” Liaguno-Dorr.
Liaguno-Dorr, who first opened her bayside restaurant in 1999 and has periodically reopened it following harsh storms, said she is happy to see the work advancing on the shore.
However, she said some of the berm construction has taken up part of her deck area and thus cost her 21 tables. Those make up about 72 seats of her roughly 400 total customer capacity.
“It’s for the betterment of the town,” said Liaguno-Dorr on Friday regarding her support of the project and not wanting others to experience what she did during Sandy.
“I just need some answers,” she continued. “Those are our most desirable tables. Our business is predicated on people dining out on the water ... I’m not against the protection of the town. I understand that. I lived it. I just want to make sure I’m protected too.”
Liaguno-Dorr said the borough has been “wonderful” and project managers informed her of construction plans with advance notice that part of her deck would be dismantled at the end of September. They even allowed JakeaBob’s to remain open for two weeks after Labor Day (she typically serves from May to early September) to make up for some business lost due to recent rain.
Nonetheless, she said, she’s waited since the end of June for answers on the feasibility of rebuilding elsewhere on the property following the loss of her seating.
Caryn Shinske, a spokesperson for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, on Friday referred questions about the berm construction to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
