OCT. 10, 2002 -- There has to be a lesson in there somewhere.

Back when we were Philadelphia schoolgirls, my best friend Mary and I would sometimes rise before dawn and hop the bus and the el train downtown.

From there, we'd lug our over-stuffed beach bags six blocks to the grimy Greyhound station, where we'd board yet another bus for the wondrous, two-hour pilgrimage to Paradise: the legendary beaches, sparkling waves, and fabulously tacky boardwalk of Wildwood, NJ.

Six hours after we arrived - laden with sunburn, sandy clothes, and cheese steaks - we'd reverse the whole exhausting process. Was it the high point of our summer? Absolutely.

And, rattling home to our respective row houses, I'd vow that someday I'd get a seashore job like those lucky boardwalk girls and spend an entire summer surrounded by sand, sea, and Jersey shore guys.

This summer, as we sat through yet another all-day beachfront negotiating session, I looked around our stuffy council chamber - packed with council members, city professionals, redevelopers, redevelopment attorneys, engineers, tax attorneys, architects, and real estate attorneys (there were a lot of attorneys) - and realized to my horror that, in a perverse sort of way, I had actually gotten my wish.

So, with my Jersey shore "summer of fun" drawing to a close, where do we stand on beachfront redevelopment?

As you may remember, after months of public hearings, the council passed a Beachfront Redevelopment Plan on June 5, essentially describing what would be built and where.

And, for the past several months, we've been negotiating a Redeveloper's Agreement - the massive "deal behind the deal" - describing who will be responsible for what, when various transactions will occur, and more. The document was publicly introduced on October 8, and the public can comment and ask questions on Wednesday, October 23 at 6 p.m.

While it's impossible to summarize 200 pages of text and hundreds of hours of negotiations, some issues of primary importance include:

1. Boardwalk Buildings. After a brief rental period, Asbury Partners (our redevelopers) will purchase all of our boardwalk buildings over the next 18 months, beginning with the beachfront pavilions, and they will renovate them over the next several years, thus bringing these structures back into use - and on our tax rolls for the first time in city history.

What are my feelings? After months of debating alternatives, I am frankly convinced that this is the best way to save them - particularly our historic but deteriorating Convention Hall, which has been a tax drain on Asbury Park literally since its opening day. Although the building will now be in private hands, I am happy to report that the state's Historic Preservation Office will hold an easement on it and will supervise its renovation in a way that should surpass anything that city taxpayers can afford. (And, yes, we are still guaranteed 21 free events there a year.)

Our most endangered boardwalk structure is the crumbling Casino section east of the boardwalk, and we will work with the redevelopers and the state to determine our options there. Thankfully, the Casino's carousel house and arcade and the adjoining power plant are in comparatively better shape, although major environmental clean-ups are needed.

2. Boardwalk Renovation. For the past several months, we've been struggling to find a way to renovate our dangerously deteriorated, city-owned boardwalk - a job that could cost taxpayers a crushing $9 million. Happily, we have negotiated a deal whereby Asbury Partners will rebuild the boardwalk in the coming year, at a cost to the city of not more than $5 million (with no endangered hardwoods allowed!), and the money will be deducted from the sale of our boardwalk buildings.

As an additional bonus, the developers will provide benches, lighting, four 20-foot shade pavilions, and a 200-seat Arthur Pryor bandshell. The new bandshell will be built at boardwalk-level, much like the structure that originally graced Asbury Park's shoreline.

3. Economic Development Funding. Over the next several years, Asbury Partners will grant a total of $7 million to the city, to be used for affordable housing and other community development purposes. As you hopefully noticed, this figure has doubled since our early negotiations, and will help us improve the lives of current residents throughout the city.

4. Tax Abatements. Allow me to climb into my asbestos overcoat here: Yes, we will follow the standard, state-regulated practice of offering tax abatements to new beachfront residents and retailers. We can't afford to have this extensive redevelopment fail and - as someone who risked everything on a downtown gallery before the customer base was there to support it - I can appreciate the risk these early pioneers will be taking on expensive homes and stores in the midst of our devastated beachfront.

Purchasers and renters during the first 10 years of construction will be assessed a temporary "payment in lieu of taxes" (PILOT) that will equal 50-75% of the standard tax bill, but all of that amount will come to the city and all of it will represent (hopefully substantial) new revenue.

5. All the Rest. Yes, the Stone Pony is still being saved, and we are searching diligently for someone to renovate the endangered Palace Amusements, most likely as a children's museum or arts center. (And, while we're certainly not out of the woods yet, I've heard some encouraging leads in the last two weeks.)

Ocean and Sixth avenues will be completely re-opened, and the Berkeley Carteret will be given reserved, on-street parking to compensate for its Sixth Avenue lot. In addition to the renovated boardwalk and massive planned infrastructure improvements, construction will still start with a redesigned C-8 building (the "ugly skeleton"), the old Monterey Hotel site north of the Berkeley Carteret, and the Wesley Lake area west of the Palace.

What else? The purchase price of Convention Hall has risen from $3 million to $5 million, but you need to consider any such figure in the context of the entire deal, and not from the point of, "Hey, I know a guy who would still offer twice that amount!" ("Well, good for him - so what else is he doing for the city?") And a potential redesign of Bradley Park is still in the mix, subject to a mutually agreed upon plan and lots of discussion.

So, now it's your turn to do some hard reading on behalf of Asbury Park. Copies of the Redeveloper's Agreement can be read at city hall, the public library, and at asburypark.net (thanks again, Pete Walton!) You can also purchase one from the city clerk, but be forewarned - they won't come cheap, due to state-set cost guidelines and the number of pages and unwieldy maps. (My suggestion is to purchase one copy and reproduce it for your friends.)

And, please feel free to talk to any of us before the October 23 hearing or invite us to your meetings.

As for me, I'll be catching up on my beauty sleep and dreaming about next summer's vacation. I wonder what it costs to rent a secluded row house in Philadelphia?