Media Advisory

Contact: Donnie Brzuska
O: 609-898-6362
C: 609-224-0214
E: donnie.c.brzuska@uscg.mil

What: Senior officials from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Coast Guard, the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection and the City of Cape May, N.J., will mark the completion of a $9 million beach replenishment project aboard Coast Guard Training Center Cape May Wednesday at 1 p.m. They will be joined by staff delegates from U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg’s office and Congressman Frank LoBiondo’s office. The officials will distribute the last load of sand from a bulldozer during a ceremony at the South Jetty aboard the Coast Guard base.

When: The ceremony will begin promptly at 1 p.m., but members of the media and guests should arrive a few minutes early to allow time to check in with security.

Where: Coast Guard Training Center Cape May is located at 1 Munro Avenue in Cape May, N.J. Upon arrival at the front gate, members of the media and guests should notify the Security Staff they are participating in the Beach Replenishment Ceremony. They will be directed to the event site and parking.

Who: The following individuals will be participating in today’s event:

• Mayor Edward J. Mahaney, City of Cape May
• Coast Guard Capt. Bill Kelly, commanding officer of Training Center Cape May
• Army Lt. Col. Philip “Flip” Secrist, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Philadelphia District
• Mr. Benjamin Keiser, manager of N.J. DEP’s Bureau of Coastal Engineering
• Ms. Brittany DiOrio, Senator Lautenberg’s staff assistant
• Mr. Robert Geist, Congressman LoBiondo’s field representative

How: Work on the beach replenishment project was completed Tuesday, and more than 620,000 cubic yards of sand was pumped from offshore and placed on Training Center Cape May’s beach. This sand will be carried by ocean currents to popular recreational beaches within the City of Cape May. Just for a comparison, 620,000 cubic yards is approximately equivalent to 62,000 dump truck loads of sand. The replenishment project also ensures Coast Guard crews aboard Training Center Cape May can continue normal operations without the threat of coastal erosion degrading operating capabilities.