Concept for Island Aqua Park Margate being built along Amherst Avenue.
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
MARGATE After receiving the necessary permits from state and federal agencies, riparian property owner Maggie Day submitted an application for site plan approval of a water park that will likely be reviewed at the May 28 Planning Board meeting.
Day's attorney, Eric Goldstein of Nehmad, Perillo, Davis & Goldstein of Egg Harbor Township, said the site plan application includes no requests for variances or waivers.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the NJ Department of Environmental Protection have issued permits for the operation of a water park, he said.
Goldstein said his client hopes to open the water park as soon as Gov. Phil Murphy lifts restrictions on recreation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Technically, it's considered a marina, which is an essential business, but amusement activities are a problem when you can't be 6 feet away, he said. She would like to open in June or as soon as possible after that depending on social distancing regulations.
Day is president of the Stone Harbor Chamber of Commerce and vice-president of the Stone Harbor Board of Education. Her partner Tim Tice has operated the Island Water Sports Park in Stone Harbor for nine years.
Concept for the Island Aqua Park off Amherst Avenue in Margate.
Island Aqua Park Margate includes several inflatable rafts that float in the water and provide entertainment and exercise for children to jump, bounce and play on from June to September. The inflatables would be deflated, removed and stored at the end of the season, and deflated in the event of high winds or storms.
The project includes building a rectangular floating dock with inflatables located on the deeper far end within the 175- by 275-foot riparian lot Day purchased two years ago. A ticket booth will be located on a short fixed pier near the bulkhead.
The inflatables can be installed rather quickly, Goldstein said.
The project includes access through a floodgate in the Amherst Avenue bulkhead, which is currently under construction.
According to City Engineer Ed Dennis the city's bulkhead replacement project is moving along quickly, although it did have some delays when contractors found jetty rocks in the water and modifications were needed to address drainage issues.
There's really no firm date for completion and it might slip past Memorial Day, he said.
The city plans to allow as much parking along the bulkhead as possible this summer. The parking area will be covered with crushed seashells like it was last year. No paving will be done until the second phase of the bulkhead project, which includes construction of a promenade currently under design.
The schedule right now is that Phase 2 would be put out to bid in the fall with construction in spring for opening by Memorial Day 2021, Dennis said.
The waterpark project includes areas for mooring transient boats and personal watercraft for patrons on the left or right sides of the rectangular floating access walkway.
There will be no leasing of spaces for boats, only transient boat slips, Goldstein said.
Maggie Day and Tim Tice presented preliminary plans for an aqua park at the Oct. 18, 2018 Margate Board of Commissioners meeting.
State and federal permits allow Day to dredge the entire area within the rectangle, but that work won't be done until fall, he said.
This is an attractive well-put-together plan, said Goldstein, who will present the site plan to the Planning Board. At a time of uncertainty surrounding the worst social and economic crisis ever experienced in America, she is committed to making this a showpiece for Margate.
The meeting will be conducted through video conferencing using Go To Meeting and include a public comment period, Zoning Officer Roger McLarnon said.
We want to see what they are doing there in an effort to be as open and transparent as possible, McLarnon said.
Planning Board agendas are posted on the city's website, margate-nj.com, 48 hours before the meeting.
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Island Water Sports Aqua Park in Stone Harbor.
