By WILLIAM CLARK
The pier that extends from the Ocean Grove boardwalk out over the Atlantic Ocean has been closed for a second time in its eight months since it opened.
A social media post on Dec. 12 from the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, the organization that owns and oversees the pier, confirmed the closure due to a single piling coming loose.
The post states that the closure will be temporary as the construction company and engineers work through the issue.
The first closure of the pier occurred in October after another piling was found to be cracked due to a storm. The new pier, dedicated earlier this year in April, was opened to fanfare and touted to have features built in to protect it from damages that strong storms could bring. The original pier was destroyed during Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
The new pier has been the center of controversy with some residents in this historic district objecting to its cross shape design.