WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) today announced that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has awarded a combined $964,455 in Boating Infrastructure Grants (BIG) to upgrade two Jersey Shore marinas damaged during Superstorm Sandy. These projects will provide opportunities for outdoor recreation and create jobs.

"This is great news for New Jersey boaters and anglers and just in time for summer," said Sen. Menendez. "Increasing recreational opportunities along the Jersey Shore only helps to make it a prime family vacation destination that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. These projects will create local jobs, enhance the surrounding communities and further help the Garden State recover from Sandy, stronger and better than before the storm."

"I am pleased to join Sen. Menendez in delivering this exciting news to strengthen New Jersey's boating infrastructure," said Sen. Booker. "Not only is this funding helpful to our boaters, it also generates employment opportunities for residents in the neighboring communities and creates recreational opportunities for visitors who travel to New Jersey to enjoy our marinas each summer. I am grateful to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for supporting our commitment to full recovery in this vital area."

FWS awarded more than $16 million in federal grants to boost recreational boating across the nation, including to:

  • Sandy Hook Bay Marina, Monmouth County, N.J.
    BIG grant: $692,890; non-federal match: $243,448; total project cost: $936,338 to rebuild and restore 15 transient slips with full services for the benefit of transient visitors, using design standards that are proven to withstand severe storms.
  • Key Harbor Marina, Ocean County, N.J.
    BIG grant: $271,565; non-federal match: $97,190; total project cost: $368,755 to renovate ten transient slips which were destroyed during Sandy, along with other damage estimated to total $1.2 million. The project includes shore power and dock lighting.

BIG grants are used to construct, renovate and maintain facilities with features for transient boaters (those staying ten days or fewer) who pilot vessels that are 26 feet or more in length and are used for recreation. Grantees also may use funds to pay for floating docks, fixed piers, mooring buoys and sewage pump-out stations, as well as produce and distribute information and educational materials about the program and about recreational boating.

The BIG program is funded through the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, which boaters and manufacturers support through excise and other taxes on certain fishing and boating equipment and gasoline.

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