At Route 35 South and Sixth Avenue in Ortley Beach, an empty lot where the first aid squad building once stood. (Photo by Google Street View August 2017)
Toms River officials on Tuesday night announced the immediate future of the former Ortley Beach First Aid building will be a parking lot to better accommodate summer visitors.
“The entire lot will be covered with sea shells several inches deep,” said Township Administrator Don Guardian. “Between 50 and 55 parking spaces will be created on the lot for the summer with lights.”
In a meeting “just this morning,” Guardian said Tuesday, “all of the trailers and all of the materials are going to be removed by the end of this month.”
Crews will the install the clam shell surface and open the free parking area. The parking area will be temporary, as many in the neighborhood are seeking a community center or equivalent building to be constructed at the site, especially given the growing year-round population of Ortley Beach.
In the mean time, the clam shell lot will fit in with the neighborhood and be environmentally safe, officials said.
“The sea shells can’t be painted themselves, but it will be clearly marked and the wood will serve as car stops,” said Guardian. “It’s not going to affect circulation – it’ll be able to take the rain and the amount of water at that location.”
