Traders Cove Wraps Up Successful First Year With New Building

Photo by Judy Smestad-Nunn

BRICK – This is a busy time of year at the township’s marina at Traders Cove, as dockmaster Kevin Burdge and his workers oversee the removal of 115 boats from their slips and prepare the boatyard for winter storage.

The marina, located at the end of Mantoloking Road, was filled to capacity this summer, and there is even a waiting list of some 35 people hoping to get a slip next season.

“Even if something happens to their boat, people hold onto their slip so they don’t lose it,” Burge said from the marina office recently.

The slips can accommodate boats ranging in size from 15 feet up to 60 feet. Slip rentals brought in some $216,665 in 2018, up from $204,825 last year (This amount also includes fees for transient boaters who tie up for a night or two, Burdge said).

In addition to slip rentals and winter storage, Traders Cove Marina charges boat owners a ramp fee to launch their boats into and out of the water.

Photo by Judy Smestad-Nunn

Winter storage for this season is only partially completed, but last year the marina earned some $98,082 from people who chose to store their boats on the marina property over the winter.

Ramp fees totaled $41,280, up from last year’s $40,440, which is pretty good considering the number of rainy and windy weekends this year, Burdge said.

He and James Murphy are the only full-time employees, with five additional seasonal workers employed during the busy boating season.

Some of their tasks include taking care of the boat ramp where there can be up to 10 boat trailers lined up with people waiting to launch their boats.

Twice a year, in April and November, Burdge and Murphy check the connections on the four lengthy floating docks, and on the 600-foot transient dock, to make sure they’re tight.

This was the first year the newly-opened resource building was available to slip owners and transient boaters.

This summer, many boaters took advantage of the building (called “Boating Facility”) which contains showers, bathrooms, a washer/dryer and a lounge.

“The transient boaters start early in the summer to complete “The Loop,” a year-long trip that starts in Florida and goes up the coast and into the Great Lakes,” Burdge said.

Even weekend transient boaters on smaller boats would tie up and take advantage of the bathrooms and showers.

Photo by Judy Smestad-Nunn

The governing body just established new 2019 fees for services at the marina. The slip prices range from $90 a foot for boats up to 30 feet, and $140 a foot for boats over 50 feet. Residents of Brick would be charged $5 less per foot.

Personal watercraft like Jet Skis would pay $800 for the season, with easy glide jet ski ports available for $1,000 per season.

Transient fees range from $25 a night for boats up to 21 feet, to $95 a night for boats over 40 feet.

Residents would pay $10 for a daily boat ramp pass, while non-residents would pay $20. Seasonal boat ramp passes are available for $150 for residents of Brick, while non-residents would pay $300.

Township Business Administrator Joanne Bergin said the township marina functions exceptionally well due to the dedicated staff there.

Some of the boats on the floating docks are still in the water. (Photo by Judy Smestad-Nunn)

“A site that was once an abandoned eyesore has become a beautiful resource for our families and generations to come,” she wrote in an email. “The township is very proud of our marina and we enjoy seeing it full of boating and recreational activity.”

The revenue generated from the slips, boat ramp and storage ensures that the marina does not function in a deficit, but the debt service for the site will take years to pay off and that impacts the financials, Bergin wrote.

Traders Cove Park and Marina was built on land originally purchased by the township during the administration of Mayor Stephen Acropolis to stop the development of condominiums.

The cost of purchasing and developing the land had a price tag of some $22 million, minus about $7.2 million in grants.