Sandy Hook to reopen on Memorial Day weekend

Good news for fans of Gunnison Beach, the clothing-optional beach on Sandy Hook, New Jersey. The National Park Service says Gunnison will reopen on the Memorial Day weekend.

Initially the Park Service feared that all of Sandy Hook would be closed for the duration of the 2013 season. That’s not surprising, given the level of damage sustained by Hurricane Sandy last October.

Sandy Hook in 2011, photo by Noah Parrell

With so much progress being made in removing sand-covered roads and scarred beaches and dunes, the Park Service will be ready to allow visitors to Gunnison, Beach B and North beaches on the Memorial Day weekend.

Don’t expect the usual amenities, though. Work hasn’t finished on the sewer system, so there will be no water or bathroom facilities, Peter McCarthy, assistant superintendent at Sandy Hook, told News 12 New Jersey. The Park Service is exploring the possibility of installing temporary bathroom trailers or portable potties.

Throughout a typical year, Gunnison is shaped by tides and the usual storms. There is no word on what the beach will look like as a result of the hurricane. The wooden boardwalk has been shattered.

Visitors will find other changes as well:

• Biking and walking on the multi-use pathway will be hampered by twisted macadam and feet of sand.
• The popular Seagull’s Nest restaurant will stay closed for now. The interior and the parking lot need major work.
• The Officers’ Quarters sustained interior damage. Outside porches remain propped up with wooden supports to prevent collapse.

One feature will stay the same: the entry fee of $15 per car. But because of the limited number of beaches available, only 2,500 visitors will be admitted to Sandy Hook each day instead of the usual 5,000, McCarthy said.

U.S. Senators Frank R. Lautenberg and Robert Menendez, both New Jersey Democrats, announced on February 13 that Congress has set aside $3.5 million for infrastructure repairs at Sandy Hook. The funding would provide:

• Replacements to the wooden boardwalk to Gunnison Beach.
• Repairs to parking lots C, D and E, where the storm ripped up pavement.
• Fixes to the multi-use pathway that runs the seven-mile length of the peninsula.
• Restoration of the park’s visitor center and Horseshoe Cove.

The money is close to what the Park Service asked for, the Asbury Park Press reported.

Since then, a new wrinkle has emerged that may affect progress on the repair work. Congress failed to act on the $1.2 trillion in spending cuts by the February 28 sequestration deadline. As a result, 10 percent of the government’s discretionary spending—including funding for Sandy Hook—will be cut unless Congress changes its mind.

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