Asbury Park boardwalk open

A sign promoting that the Jersey Shore is open sits on a lifeguard stand near the Asbury Park boardwalk in February.

(Rob Spahr / NJ.com)

ASBURY PARK – The city took a punch from Hurricane Sandy – a $10 million punch to be exact – but it is still standing.

And on Saturday morning, the city will celebrate the grand reopening of its famous boardwalk.

“We have a really nice ribbon cutting ceremony planned – a good old-fashioned, small town event,” said Mayor Ed Johnson, adding dignitaries and the school band will take part in the 11 a.m. ceremony. “We won’t have Prince Harry, but we’ll get by.”

Asbury Park Mayor Ed Johnson speaks during a press conference in February where he declared the city's beaches and boardwalk would reopen by May 18 following Hurricane Sandy.

Johnson said the historic storm wiped out two large sections of the boardwalk – near 1st and 5th avenues – as well as smaller sections along the boardwalk, causing more than $3 million in damage to the boardwalk alone.

“It wasn’t as catastrophic as the damage some other towns had, but it was still very significant,” Johnson said. “It is really our bread and butter. Our small business owners – many of whom took out second mortgages, cashed in retirement funds, or rolled nickel from their couch cushions to be able to reopen – count on our beaches and boardwalk being there and being open.”

The city is about 95 percent recovered from the storm, Johnson said, as most of the businesses have reopened and are flourishing.

“Our mainstay businesses are coming back online and have had been packed ever since,” he said. “Most of our pubs, clubs and restaurants are open and fully functioning. They have seen huge crowds and have been busier than normal throughout the winter.”

And boardwalk mainstays Convention Hall and Paramount Theatre - once slated for closure due to issues with a mandatory sprinkler system – have been granted a reprieve, which Johnson said is a huge relief to the city and its businesses.

Johnson said the city’s engineers have worked to help boardwalk redeveloper Madison Marquette to reduce the estimate cost to install the sprinklers from more than $1 million to around $500,000. The city is also investigating grant funding opportunities to help offset that cost, he said.

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“It’s a huge plus to have Convention Hall open, there is no place like it along the entire Jersey Shore. That place has a lot of history and a lot more to make,” Johnson said. “And most importantly, the smaller businesses within the building will be able to remain open.”

Between work on the boardwalk being complete and the businesses reopening, Johnson said he believes that Asbury Park and its neighboring communities are about to have a successful summer tourism season.

“I really to have a great feeling that we are about to have one of the biggest summers on the Jersey Shore in recent memory,” said Johnson, adding he plans to visit Seaside after the ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday. “But I hope that if people come to visit us that they also make it a point go to visit places like Long Branch, Belmar and Seaside, because we are all in this together.”