Construction crews rebuild the portionof boardwalk in Seaside Park destroyedby fire last September.TOM SPADER/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

SEASIDE PARK Memorial Dayproved too ambitious of a deadline forthe completion of a key section ofboardwalk that was ravaged by a mas-sive fire eight months ago.

Construction on Funtown Pier As-sociates boardwalk has been limitedto the immediate area surroundingthe Sawmill Cafe, where joists werebeing fastened to support the plankson the economically and culturallyimportant wooden thoroughfare.

A couple blocks to the north in Sea-side Heights, where another privatelyowned strip of boardwalk is being re-built after the September fire, is aglimpse at the future. There, theboardwalk is taking its familiar formas a crew lays decking diagonally tocreate the walkway.

Boardwalk regular Lou Cappettawatched the action from behind atemporary chain-link fence on theboardwalk Wednesday morning.

Youre always disappointed tomiss a holiday weekend, Cappetta, ofToms River, said when asked aboutmissing the unofficial start of sum-mer, but were going to have the

whole summer. Theres not much go-ing on but weekends until the Fourthof July.

The fire, which was ignited by wir-ing damaged in superstorm Sandy,swept through more than four blocksof boardwalk on Sept. 12. Originatingunderneath a boardwalk buildingnear Stockton Avenue, the blaze waswhipped northward by strong windsuntil firefighters 400 were involved halted its progress at Lincoln Ave-nue. About 60 businesses weredestroyed or damaged in the two

ROAD TO RECOVERY

BOARDWALKNOT READY

The boardwalk decking is in place (in background) on a rebuilt section of the Seaside Heights boardwalk asconstruction crews rebuild part of the Seaside Park boardwalk destroyed by fire. TOM SPADER/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Cen

tral

Ave.

Cen

tral

Ave.

Bo

ule

vard

Bo

ule

vard

Ocean

Ave.

Ocean

Ave.

Porter Ave.Porter Ave.

Lincoln Ave.Lincoln Ave.

BOARDWALK

BOARDWALK

SIDESEASISIDEASEASEAASEASEASEA

KPARKKPARPARKARPAR

IDESEASIDIDEASSISEASSEASSIDASSIEASISEAS

HTSHEIGHTHTEIGIGHHEIGH GHEIGIGHHEIG

35

35

N

Ocean County

Map area

12

3

Atlantic

Ocean

Two sections destroyed in September fire

are expected to be completed by July 4

See SEASIDE, Page A15

REBUILDINGTHE SEASIDEBOARDWALKS1 Owned by the bor-ough and repaired.

2 Owned by BelleFreeman, expected tobe opened to the pub-lic sometime in June.

3 Owned by FuntownPier Associates, con-struction underway andexpected to be com-plete by July 4.

By Russ Zimmer @russzimmer

Asbury Park Press :: Monmouth Edition APP.COM $1.00

!SBURY0ARK0RESS$AILYBARCODE

"6