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With all the devastation from Hurricane Sandy, it sure is nice to be able to see a few areas that have been reclaimed from the storm damage. The Ortley Beach boardwalk in Tom’s River Township, New Jersey is a story about triumph over adversity with a happy ending. After Sandy came through and left a path of destruction in its wake, the residents of Ortley Beach and beyond sprang into action and started the clean-up and reconstruction process.
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Tens, then hundreds, then thousands of citizens and authorities worked together to commence the healing and rebuilding of an entire community. What started as a tragedy soon became an epic tale of passionate concerned citizens and local, state and federal agencies galvanized together in a common cause. Over a year later, the clean-up and rebuilding is still underway, yet major improvements and significant milestones have been achieved.
Many houses and businesses that were ruined by the storm have already been rebuilt. The boardwalk that had come to symbolize the essence of the Ortley Beach summer experience, which had been totally demolished by the super storm, has been rebuilt using natural wood decking, much like before.
Garapa hardwood decking was selected for the boardwalk due to its hardness, density and resistance to wear and tear from foot traffic. Garapa decking is significantly longer lasting than pressure treated pine decking which has been commonly used on many New Jersey boardwalks.
Here’s a tip of the cap to the Tom’s River Township leadership of Mayor Thomas Kelaher, Township Engineer Robert Chankalian, Township Council President George Wittman and many others for choosing sustainably harvested Garapa hardwood decking for their boardwalk. The Council refused to bow to the pressure of inadequately informed extremists and stuck to the facts, choosing an excellent all-natural decking material and doing the right thing for their community.
Garapa decking is often selected for projects where a beautiful, long lasting, all natural decking material is required. Garapa decking is responsibly harvested using sustainable yield forestry practices following all the IBAMA/SEMA protocols that are universally recognized as the best and least impactful harvesting methods. Garapa hardwood is strong, beautiful, durable and surprisingly affordable, making Garapa wood an excellent option for decking, siding and other exterior projects.
This widely acclaimed and helpful tool will assist you as you decide which decking material is right for your unique project.