Beesley’s Point Development Group continues cleanup of B.L. England site
BEESLEYS POINT — It was a boom felt ’round South Jersey and more powerfully in Upper Township, where the cleanup of the former coal-fired power plant continued Friday morning with implosion of the boilers units.
Beesley’s Point Development Group, which bought the 350-acre site in November 2021, specializes in redeveloping at-risk sites and has plans for a hotel, marina, restaurants, retail shops and homes, as well as a strong environmental education aspect with public access and interpretive signage.
The BPDG hired Controlled Demolition Inc. to perform the implosion, saying all appropriate preparation and notification had been conducted leading to the event to assure local and state compliance as well as safety of the community.
Chad Parks, executive vice president of real estate and development for BPDF, said Controlled Demolition places 145 charges over six stories for a total of 1,000 pounds of explosives.
Parks said they almost were a few pounds short when two men from north of Philadelphia “decided they wanted to cut explosives out of the building.”
He said security called the company at about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday and a worker responded and apprehended one of the perpetrators at the site. The second was taken into custody at Wawa.
“We did a full inventory and nothing was taken,” Parks said.
Dozens crowded onto the fishing pier at the north end of Route 9 alongside the historic Tuckahoe Inn to watch the spectacle as news helicopters overhead.
Members of the public were greatly outnumbered by employees of the BPDG, local and state safety inspectors and members of the township emergency services departments.
Parks said that while they have been working at the site for more than a year, and the cooling tower was demolished by implosion last September, Friday’s event was “the first real sign of progress.”
“When people come over the bridge in the summertime, they’re going to see a real change in the skyline,” Parks said.
The smokestack, the tallest and most recognizable structure on the site, is now expected to be demolished in June. Parks said the event may involve the community, with members being able to bid the building ado with spray paint and smokestack selfies. They may even hold a drawing to decide who gets to push the button.
The BPDG has been working closely with township officials on redevelopment of the site, which played a role in Upper Township for decades as a place of employment and source of millions of dollars in energy tax receipts for hosting the plant.
“I want to thank Upper Township for its support,” Parks said. “We’re almost a year ahead of schedule and that’s largely due to the team mentality.”
