Avalon’s new Bay Park Marina at 54th Street and Ocean Drive was officially opened in a ceremony with Mayor John McCorristin and county officials on Friday, June 5.

McCorristin spoke about the genesis of the project: “Administrator Scott Wahl attended an Open Space county meeting, and they brought up the idea of handicapped kayaks. Immediately, we said we needed that, and that was the beginning of the development of what happened next here at Avalon Bay Park Marina. We went from the handicapped launch to the rehabilitation for the kayak launch and the new kayak storage, and we started the development process.”

The new park was supported by Cape May County’s Open Space program by a grant of $1.1 million. It includes waterfront access, resilience, safety regulations, nature preservation, and environmental sustainability functions, including a new living shoreline. It also has a brand-new boat ramp, bulkhead, accessible kayak launch, dockmaster building, piers, a gazebo, benches, sidewalk, parking lot, and a turtle retention barrier.

“We wanted to provide storm protection for our neighbors and our infrastructure,” McCorristin said. “As you notice, when you drive in, you come up a few feet. We raised the entire elevation of the parking lot to try to help from when we had the infiltration from the tides that would come right off our boat launch and fill the streets.”

The new Bay Park Marina also prioritizes wildlife protection. The marsh resilience program is currently in progress and includes a 36-inch-wide retention wall to help protect turtles from traffic while giving them a safe home in the marsh.

In September 2024, Fred M. Schiavone Construction, Inc. – which constructed Surfside Park – was awarded the contract for the Bay Park Marina for $8.68 million. Construction began on Dec. 19, 2024, and was completed in two phases, finishing in the middle of the summer of 2025.

The senior project engineer, Shawn Carr, was awarded a first-place award by the New Jersey Society of Municipal Engineers for his management of the marina reconstruction in the “Municipal Project/Construction Management of Parks & Recreation Projects” category at the New Jersey League of Municipalities conference in Atlantic City on Nov. 19.

“This multimillion-dollar project could not have been or would not have occurred without the support from the County of Cape May and the Open Space Board,” McCorristin said. “The board provided over $1 million in additional funding to us. I’m here to tell you it’s much more than just funding. Avalon and the county recognize that once the waterfront is replaced with development or new homes, it’s gone forever. So now with the county’s support of this project, this guarantees the waterfront access will remain for the duration of our lives and for many generations to come.”

Said Sea Isle Mayor Len Desiderio, in his role as Cape May County Commission director: “The Open Space Board is here to help municipalities to preserve land and to reserve land for the future for our grandchildren and their children. As the mayor stated, there won’t be a high-rise here. This is a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful project.”

The boat launch ramp opened on May 9 and will stay open until the first Sunday after Labor Day weekend. The ramp is open daily on Monday-Friday from 7am-3pm, and on Saturday and Sunday from 7am-5pm.

Photo caption: Cape May County Commissioner Director Len Desiderio, Commissioner Bobby Barr and Commissioner Patrick Rosenello joined Avalon Mayor John McCorristin and members of Borough Council for the ribbon-cutting at Bay Park Marina.