Carteret had received more than $13 million in grant funding from the state Department of Environmental Protection.
CARTERET -- The borough's decades-long effort to transform its waterfront, which had been polluted by industrial companies, has been bolstered by $13 million in state funding.
In 2009, the court ordered JNC Materials in Carteret to remove construction debris, but the six-story mound of rubble still stands on the site and the company says it can't afford to pay the fees.Carteret officials announced Wednesday that the borough received the state Department of Environmental Protection grant for public access projects along the waterfront.
"We have taken once dormant brownfield sites and transformed them into the centerpiece of the borough's award-winning parks system," said Mayor Daniel J. Reiman in a statement. "These funds will afford area residents greater opportunities to pursue recreational activities like jogging on a boardwalk, sunbathing on an urban beach or sightseeing from an observation deck located along 1.5 miles of soon to be accessible shoreline."
Officials said the grant is a huge victory for the borough, located on a stretch of the New Jersey Turnpike near Staten Island and made up of only about 20,000 residents.
The money will fund expansions of several areas along the waterfront, including the Arthur Kill Walkway from the borough's Riverwalk south to Carteret Waterfront Park to Tufts Point and north to Noe's Creek. The expansions will provide public access "to once inaccessible areas," the statement said.
In 2010, the borough sued DuPont, which had owned land along Arthur Kill. The borough ultimately reached a settlement agreement with DuPont, which agreed to treat, crush and grade an almost six-story pile of debris and rocks.
The state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has awarded the borough more than $13 million in grant funding for public access projects along its waterfront. The improvements will add more than 5,000 feet of walkway near a dilapidated World War II pier, which the borough said is also slated for rehabilitation.
Another portion of the grant funding will go toward the construction and installation of floating docks, boat slips, a breakwater, and a wave screen to the existing steel pier extension, according to the borough.
Additional improvements will include 233 parking spots, an observation deck, lights, security camera, emergency phone boxes, benches, bike racks and education signs to boost environmental awareness, the statement said.
In a separate project, the borough is also pursuing plans to build a marina along Arthur Kill. It is still in the planning stages, but once it is completed, it hopes to have a fairy running from the borough to Manhattan.
Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook.