Here is how Shore towns have been rebuilding in preparation for this summer

Forgive the year-round residents of, say, Ventnor for thinking maybe they’re not the Shore town’s priority.

It’s been a winter with boardwalk closures, bridge repairs, and tennis and pickleball courts closed for resurfacing. The town is slowly coming back to life. In time for, well, you know.

Throughout the Jersey Shore, it’s been a winter of projects with some, like the boardwalk rebuilds in Ocean City, North Wildwood, and Ventnor, fueled by the COVID-era American Rescue Plan’s grants to states.

Perhaps the most important offseason news is the securing of $99 million in federal funds from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for beach replenishment in Ocean City, Strathmere, Sea Isle City, Avalon, and Stone Harbor.

“Big news for Stone Harbor’s shoreline,” Stone Harbor Mayor Tim Carney, who will share $46 million with Avalon for beach replenishment and restoration, said in an email. “Beach replenishment isn’t just about sand — it’s about resilience, safety, and maintaining the character of the shore we all love."

Here’s what towns were up to while you were away.

The city has been busy paving some of its main arteries, says spokesperson Andrew Kramer, including major portions of Baltic Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

And, news alert, it is embarking on the long (very long) awaited paving of Atlantic Avenue, and the long-sought traffic light synchronization along Atlantic and Pacific Avenues, Kramer says.

Boards on the Atlantic City Boardwalk have been replaced from Bellevue to Arkansas Avenues (outside Boardwalk Hall), with repairs from New Jersey to Tennessee Avenues coming next. The West Pavilion at Kennedy Plaza is being fully restored, he said.

The Maine Avenue Promenade project, which is the installation of a new waterfront walkway from Madison to Gramercy Avenues, is complete.

The popular Uptown Skate Park at Melrose and Massachusetts Avenue will be open for its first full summer this season, and both the Pete Pallitto Field and Dolphin Field are undergoing major upgrades to turf, dugouts, lighting, and other facilities.

Popular restaurants, including Café 2825, Pancho’s Mexican Taqueria, and Cuzzie’s Steaks, are renovating and expanding, Kramer noted. The Simpson Restaurant relocated to Atlantic Avenue in the center of town, and Platters Seafood and Soul Food opened a second location at the Walk outlets in the old Wingcraft spot, Kramer said. Nana’s, a soul food restaurant with a specialty in banana pudding, also recently opened at the Walk.

And food trucks have begun operating in O’Donnell Memorial Park and near the seawall at Gardner’s Basin, including the popular Zoagies.

Improvements to its promenade, including new lighting and repairs to its ramps, says Mayor Vince Sera.

In Ventnor, the boardwalk between Suffolk and Cambridge has been completely rebuilt and is expected to be reopened by Memorial Day with new lighting, ramps, and pavilions.

The tennis and pickleball courts are being resurfaced. The water tower is being repainted, and the iconic bascule Dorset Avenue bridge has three of its four bridge towers encased in fabric, with repairs and painting being done to the stucco. The bridge itself will be repainted its iconic blue.

Longport, aka the Pearl, is redoing its Point, the waterfront jewel of a gathering spot and bike/car turnaround located where Atlantic Avenue dead ends at 11th Street at the south end of Absecon Island. The small bayside beach has been fortified, the parking area repaved and replanted, bike lanes redone, and new concrete sea wall, pavers, and curbs.

Before Memorial Day, a water fountain, landscaping, and benches will be added.

In addition, the bike lanes on Atlantic Avenue between 17th and 22nd Avenues are being completely rebuilt.

In nearby Somers Point, a private Paddle Club swim club is being built. It’s an offshoot of the Paddle Clubs in Brigantine and Cape May.

Ocean City has rebuilt its boardwalk between Fifth and St. James Streets, and has a $3 million renovation project planned for its municipal airport terminal, former home to the Airport Diner and still a favorite of single-engine Shoobies.

Sea Isle City is boasting a massive new community center on Central Avenue with space for basketball, pickleball, a golf simulator, exercise equipment, and meeting rooms.

In addition to shoring up its eroded beaches with a “sand back passing project,” Avalon has resurfaced and re-fenced its 39th Street Tennis Complex and is in the final stages of installing a living shoreline for nature-based resiliency at its handsome new Bay Park Marina, says City Administrator Scott Wahl.

The city is also installing a fitness trail at its Eighth Street recreation complex aimed at seniors. The trail, alongside a playground, will feature interactive equipment with lighter weights and a layout that encourages socializing, Wahl said.

In addition to sharing a $46 million federal beach replenishment pot with Avalon, Mayor Tim Carney says the town will complete Jake’s Place playground on 82nd Street, an inclusive playground that can be enjoyed by children with a wide range of abilities. It was funded with open-space grants from Cape May County and Green Acres grants from the state’s Department of Environmental Protection, the mayor said.

North Wildwood has a handsome new section of boardwalk around Maple Avenue, with two straight board lanes for bikes and trams and two herringbone lanes.

Wildwood redesigned its popular dog park and beach, adding sand hills, an expanded small dog area, new fencing, and lighting, and you can’t miss the boardwalk project that will result in a new hotel resort known as “The Wild.”

Wildwood Crest’s iconic fishing pier project will extend the landlocked pier 1,250 feet into the ocean, thanks to a $7 million grant. The pier was originally built in 1917 and is home to a popular fishing club. The new construction will include new decking, railings, lighting, benches, portable bathrooms with stair access to and from beach, wider sections and elevated design for improved access, a dedicated area separating pedestrians, and fishing activities.

Cape May is building a new $8.6 million police station at the corner of Lafayette and St. John, installing a roof on its dog park, making seawall improvements, and resurfacing its promenade. New businesses coming to the area include the Seahorse Farm Winery in West Cape May and the Mediterrano by Santorini restaurant that is taking over the former Exit Zero Gas Station.

The dock has been rebuilt.

The 74-year-old Long Beach Island Grade School on Central Avenue has been demolished and will be replaced by 21 single-family homes.