Old Margate boardwalk.
MARGATE – Proponents of an effort to re-establish a boardwalk in Margate will present their report to the public 10:30 a.m. Saturday, July 13 at the William H. Ross Elementary School.
Many may not know about or remember the old Margate boardwalk that was built in 1906 but destroyed in a 1944 hurricane. The last remaining sections washed away in the storm on Ash Wednesday 1962.
According to resident Glenn Klotz, who proposed the idea of building a boardwalk along the landward side of the new dune to the Board of Commissioners last spring, the Friends of the Margate Boardwalk will present, “A Margate Boardwalk for the 21st Century.” The presentation includes a PowerPoint and video and a discussion about building a petition to extend the boardwalk from the Ventnor border to the city line at 36th Avenue in Longport, he said.
“We’ve collected data and will present it to the public during the meeting,” Klotz said. “Of course, there will be a sales pitch because we are advocating to get it built.”
Klotz said the group has been soliciting input from engineering companies and professionals to compile the report.
“We spoke to a lot of people and did our research. Now it’s time to present the information and ask for support,” he said.
Klotz said the group wants to determine if the public would support the concept plan and the costs associated with it before presenting the information to the commissioners.
“Everyone wants to see strong public support for it. Our job is to get the information out there. If there’s no support for it, that’s OK too,” he said.
A boardwalk would convert a “now useless part of the beach” into a “wonderfully useful public space,” Klotz said when he proposed the idea, and would provide better access to the beach for seniors and the disabled, as well as provide a recreational amenity for walkers, runners and bicycle enthusiasts.
Then-city engineer Ed Walberg of Remington, Vernnick & Walberg, issued a report to commissioners Aug. 2, 2018 informing them about the steps that would need to be taken to construct a boardwalk along the beach. The cost of building a boardwalk with pine decking would be $18.4 million, not including street end pedestrian ramps or lighting, he estimated.
The Ross School is located at 8103 Winchester Ave.
For more information, see Friends of Margate Boardwalk on Facebook.
