MANASQUAN — Years in the making, the expansion project of the Sea Watch beachfront building is now slated for total completion by early July.
Site utility work was completed earlier this year, and work on the building itself began in March, confirmed borough engineer Joe Raftery, of Colliers Engineering and Design, during his report to the council at its April 1 meeting.
Borough Administrator Tom Flarity told The Coast Star that the parking lot and lockers are expected to be open by Memorial Day, May 27, and the building itself by the first week of July.
He said that the existing buildings needed to be demolished before construction could begin on the new one. Now, the existing parking lot is being removed and replaced with new paving and concrete.
The old Sea Watch building had a concession selling food and sundries, and also offered lockers.
Its new form will be expanded to comply with modern building codes, including flood elevation, set by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and accessibility requirements including an elevator.
The first floor of the building will contain a mechanical room and storage for the beach department.
In the public access area, in addition to the food and beach sundries, there will be locker rentals, public restrooms and an informal dining area.
The parking lot will be reworked and repaved as well, containing fewer spaces than before but adding handicap parking and bike parking.
The expected total cost is around $3.6 million, said Flarity, which borough officials hope will be reimbursed for up to 70% by FEMA. Otherwise, he said, funding will come from the beach utility.
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