For years, Strathmere’s lifeguards began their day at their quarters on Williams Ave., huddling to discuss their plans on keeping thousands of beachgoers safe.
This summer, beach patrol operations will operate from a temporary site after relentless erosion forced Upper Township to order the demolition of its headquarters.
The aging building is now so threatened by the shifting shoreline that officials fear it could collapse into the ocean.
The Upper Township Committee on Monday announced that local officials will hire a contractor to raze the beach patrol headquarters.
For most of its lifespan, the building was protected by several yards of dunes, which have withered in recent months, and the shore continues to endure substantial erosion.
Strathmere has seen severely eroded beaches and heavy sand loss due to a series of storms, beginning with Hurricane Erin in August 2025.
Most recently, a winter storm with record snow totals created strong waves that washed away about 20 more feet of beach, Mayor Curtis Corson estimated at the time.
Strathmere Lifeguard Stand
Once the lifeguard headquarters is demolished, the township will build a new headquarters, but likely not before summer begins, Corson said Wednesday in a phone interview with NJ.com.
“We’ve been evaluating the beach every day, and we made the decision Monday night,” Corson said.
Since there is a steep drop between the building and the beach, razing the structure will need a sophisticated process, the mayor said.
“It’s not an easy demolition,” Corson said. “It’s over top of water, with rocks underneath of it and a surf.”
For summer, the township plans to use a trailer-like office, similar to ones seen at construction sites, to house lifeguards, he said.
Township officials explored building a temporary bulkhead at about $125,000 to support the building, which has become structurally unsound as its pilings, typically buried in the sand, become more exposed.
Since the building is positioned on the current bulkhead’s east side, officials feared the building could be jeopardized again from future storms, the mayor said.
“To spend $125,000 for a building that’s antiquated, that does not meet any of our standards that we need today, is not going to be money well spent,” Corson told committee members Monday.
William Hendley, chief of the beach patrol, declined to comment, directing questions to township officials.
Michaele Ely usually drives several miles from her Marmora home to surf with friends, a routine that has given her a front-row view of how quickly the beaches near Williams Avenue have disappeared in recent months.
“The sand used to extend well past the lifeguard stand, but just in the past couple of weeks it’s been eroding really fast,” said Ely, 61. “I’m talking feet in a day.”
Ely said that the Strathmere lifeguards recently removed equipment from inside their headquarters as the ocean pushed closer to the building.
“Other than demolish it, the only other option is let Mother Nature take it, and I certainly don’t want that stuff in the water,” Ely said.
Strathmere Beach Erosion
The building falls closest to Strathmere’s northern section, an area officials say continuously suffers the worst erosion when coastal storms pass. In recent months, large cliffs have formed as the beach continues to lose sand.
Strathmere’s beaches are due for a major sand replenishment facilitated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
However, the project is among several placed on hold as federal funding for these types of efforts remains uncertain.
The oceanfront community was among several that U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-2nd, toured with Adam Telle, the assistant secretary of the U.S. Army’s Civil Works division. The pair in February announced intentions for a beach repair blitz along the coast, prioritizing sand fills in the most damaged areas.
Telle suggested work could begin before summer starts, but the Army Corps’ Philadelphia office has not announced when the proposed work could happen.
Van Drew’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
To prevent beach replenishment funding from being lost again, Van Drew and U.S. Rep. Laura Gillen (D-N.Y.) unveiled a plan to permanently secure beach repair funding through the Coastal Trust Fund Act, which would designate $1 billion annually in the federal budget.
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