AVON-BY-THE-SEA — Several grants have been received for local improvements, including the second phase of the living shoreline project and a new playground. The grants ranged from $1,400 to $490,000.
“We are so grateful for all of these funding sources,” said Avon-By-The-Sea Grant Coordinator Barbara Suchecki. “We wouldn’t be able to take on these projects without this type of support.”
The grants were approved to be inserted into the budget at the Avon Commissioners meeting on June 12, due to the monies being received after the official municipal budget was adopted on May 8.
Along with the new grants inserted into the budget, the borough also has eight currently active grants including two for the borough library and one for the police department.
The largest grant was $490,768 which, according to Ms. Suchecki, will be used for Phase II of the Sylvan Lake Living Shoreline project.
“We are getting rid of the eroding shoreline along the lake because stuff is falling into it and it is not safe,” said Ms. Suchecki. “We are replacing it with a living shoreline to help clean the water before it enters the lake.”
The grant was given through the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for land management and will be used to complete phase II of the project along the lake.
The borough received the first grant in 2017, which helped complete the project from Ocean through Second Avenues; this grant will take the project from Second through Fourth Avenues.
A living shoreline is a natural type of seawall that helps to prevent unwanted garbage or other runoff from entering the lake.
The project includes removal of the eroding shoreline on the lake and replacing it with a living shoreline. It will also add bioswells to help filter the water into the lake. According to Ms. Suchecki, this project not only helps to protect the lake, but is also a deterrent for the resident goose population.
“The biospecs for the project should be done by the end of this month and then it can go out to bid,” said Ms. Suchecki. “We will then, hopefully, start the project in the fall.”
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