Theofan said that in January of 2008, officials looked into other ways to protect the shorefront, and approached the Army Corps about revising its previous plan. "Almost immediately, we began the process of hiring a coastal engineering firm, and we made overtures to the Army Corps of Engineers and to the state, and started the path of amending and reformulating [the plan]," he said. "I believe that the amended plan that's coming is far superior than the one that was presented to the public. Some of the issues that provoked opposition from surfers, we're hoping to adequately address."

For instance, Mulligan said that this time around, the beach would not be raised as high, jetties would be rebuilt and bay flooding would figure in the plans. Other options include replacing the boardwalk planks with more durable materials — synthetics and prefabricated concrete have been discussed — that are stronger than the current pine planks.

Theofan said that if a new Army Corps plan is approved, he would like to see construction of a new boardwalk begin in about three years, financed mostly with state and federal funds.

Some officials, however, expressed skepticism. "All of a sudden they're looking at it again and talking about a concrete boardwalk, all things that residents don't want," said City Councilman Mike Fagen. "They're spending time and money to come up with a plan that is three to five years away from doing anything productive. What they're doing in the meantime is replacing a single board here, a single board there. Yet you have people falling and filing lawsuits against the city. You've got a situation that ... has proven to be dangerous."

Mulligan said that concrete was one of many options the city is looking into. "We don't know what the material is going to be, and the desire is to have a sustainable boardwalk," he said.