SEASIDE HEIGHTS — Standing soaking wet on the boardwalk Saturday, Emalea Kiernan had a few things to say about the dip she just took in the frigid Atlantic Ocean and its 39-degree water.

Stillwalk Manor’s reign came to a dramatic end on October 29, 2012, when Hurricane Sandy slammed into the Jersey Shore. The superstorm’s ferocious winds and surging waves battered Casino Pier, tearing ...