National Park Service officials at Sandy Hook say they are uncertain whether the recreation area will open next summer. "It's a day-by-day thing as we evaluate it. We're going to try to open for summer," Pete McCarthy, assistant park superintendent told the Newark Star-Ledger.
More than a month after Hurricane Sandy deluged the peninsula with a 13-foot-high tidal surge, crews are still clearing parking lots, some of which were blanketed by sand, and removing debris. Surprises occur now and then. On December 14, a cleanup crew discovered a 6-inch artillery shell on one of the beaches. During the early 1900s, Sandy Hook was an Army proving ground, and it is believed that the shell dates back to then. An ordnance detail exploded the shell.
The water and sewage systems remain out of commission. Several nonprofit and scientific research organizations stationed at the tip of Sandy Hook, including the American Littoral Society, have had to relocate off the peninsula, and there is no projected timetable for return, the local newspaper, The Independent, reported.
"There is currently no drinking water or sewage there. That is being worked on, but I can't speculate as to how long it may take," Daphne Yun, a spokesperson for the Park Service, told The Independent.
Without operational water and sewage systems, Sandy Hook cannot reopen. Gunnison Beach, for instance, had restrooms and drinking water on site. The buildings housing those facilities were damaged during the hurricane.
Sandy Hook, along with the rest of the Gateway National Recreation Area in New York, will need at least $180 million in storm-related repairs, according to the Park Service spokesperson.
The money to pay for the repairs must come from Congress, and two snags may affect funding for the projects.
First, the "fiscal cliff" may force cuts in the Park Service's budget. If Congress does not act by December 31, funding for all government agencies except entitlement programs such as Medicare and Medicaid automatically will be cut by 10 percent. The President and House Speaker John Boehner are trying to reach a fix, but the outcome is anyone's guess. Without a full complement of staff at Sandy Hook, repair work will take longer.
Second, an emergency spending bill for $60.4 billion in storm-damage needs throughout the metropolitan area is drawing fire among Senate Republicans, the Associated Press reported. Senator Dan Coats of Indians wants to cut more than half of of the sum. Other Republicans object to the inclusion of money to clean up tsunami damage on the West Coast, which had been tacked on to the package by Democrats.
It's not clear whether funding for Park Service projects such as Sandy Hook would be affected by the cuts the Republicans are proposing.
The Senate is expected to act on the Republican amendments by year's end. The appropriations bill would then go to the Republican-controlled House, where it faces an uncertain future.
Representative Frank Pallone, a Democrat who represents the communities surrounding Sandy Hook, has called on the Park Service to provide adequate resources to the recreation area.
"Located at Sandy Hook are public beaches, a restaurant, nonprofit organizations, a marine science school, a NOAA laboratory, a Coast Guard station, the homes of National Park Service employees and Fort Hancock, which is listed as a National Historic Landmark," Pallone wrote the Park Service's director, Jon Garvis. "These are just some of the important aspects of Sandy Hook. Equally important are the opportunities for recreation and enjoyment of the natural environment that the park provides, which cannot be quantified."
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