Times Talk
The cover page of the Reopening Proposal submitted to the Governor by the Cape May County Business Recovery Task Force.
DESIDERIO CO-CHAIRS BUSINESS RECOVERY TASK FORCE
Sea Isle City Mayor Leonard Desiderio, who also serves as Vice Director of the Cape May County Board of Chosen Freeholders, was selected to co-chair the Business Recovery Task Force with Freeholder Will Morey on April 14. With input from more than a dozen members of the business community who volunteered their time and all 16 mayors in the county, the Recovery Task Force submitted “A Proposal for the Safe, Thoughtful and Progressive Reopening of Cape May County in the Time of COVID-19” to Gov. Phil Murphy on May 5 for consideration.
“The County of Cape May’s active engagement with the mayors and the business community on health-related concerns and the question of rentals has been a critical component of this effort,” said Desiderio. “Safety protocols and certainty about when rentals can begin are key components of any recovery effort for Cape May County. We will proceed in a thoughtful and safe fashion. I believe we can rely on the people of Cape May County to become educated about safety protocols and to follow them. We have been doing this with essential retail and takeout for weeks, and we can do it in other areas of commerce and life just as effectively.”
The recovery initiative submitted to the governor details a progressive plan for reopening that will ensure the safety of the county’s residents and visitors. Over the course of the next several weeks, the recovery initiative proposes the reopening of public facilities and businesses with the focus on safety first.
The proposal made to Murphy as well as updated information from the Cape May County Business Recovery Task Force can be found online at https://capemaycountynj.gov/1420/Business-Recovery-Task-Force.
The 2020 Sea Isle City beach tag design.
BEACH TAG DISCOUNT EXTENDED
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Sea Isle City has extended the preseason rates for beach tags to expire on June 30 instead of the original date of May 15. The preseason cost of tags is $20. The rates will change to the seasonal cost of $25 on July 1. Tags became available May 13 for distribution at the Welcome Center.
While the Beach Tag office at the Welcome Center remains closed to the public as part of the pandemic restrictions, those wishing to purchase beach tags can still do so through the two exterior windows next to the Welcome Center’s front doors. The beach tag office staff will be available daily from 9am-4pm. Operations from 9am-10am Monday through Friday throughout the month of May will be reserved for senior citizens and veterans. All customers are asked to wear their face masks when they approach the Welcome Center Windows and when more than two people are present, please follow the social distancing guidelines and markings. Tags can also be purchased from the beach tag vending machine, open 24/7 in the lobby of City Hall.
The 2020 Beach Tag Application Form is also available on the City’s website, seaislecitynj.us, or the tourism website, visitsicnj.com. Customers can download and print out the application form and send it in with payment to get the preseason rate. Another way to purchase beach tags is via the mobile app Viply to pre-order them at the preseason rate.
Beach tags are required for all beaches from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day, 9am-5pm. Tags are required for everyone 12 years and older. Wednesdays are free beach days.
Download and sign up through your mobile phone for Neighbors.
SIC POLICE PARTNERING WITH RING
The Sea Isle City Police Department recently announced a partnership with Ring to help solve crimes in the area. All residents, businesses, and organizations that have security cameras in place on their property are encouraged to sign up for Neighbors by Ring, an app that not only helps the police investigations but also helps the police alert you to important information about crime and safety alerts in the area.
“We’re really excited about our new partnership with the Neighbors by Ring program and we feel like it’s just another demonstration of the partnerships we’re building within the community to help us collectively keep Sea Isle City safe,” said Police Chief Tom McQuillen. “This type of program relies on the cooperation of the public to help us do our jobs to the best of our ability.”
There is no cost associated with registration and it is a voluntary sign-up. When the police make a request for information, the registered users can voluntarily provide the information through a secure portal. Some of the capabilities this will allow the police is to view and comment on public posts within its jurisdiction as an identified Sea Isle City Police Department officer, use the Video Request tool to ask Ring to request video footage from device owners, and to interact with device owners regarding investigations such as asking them to contact the police or set up a meeting.
To sign up for the free Neighbors app, go to https://shop.ring.com/pages/neighbors.
A look at a beach in need of replenishment.
BEACH REPLENISHMENT DELAYED
Originally scheduled to start at the end of April, the beach-replenishment project slated for Sea Isle City encountered some delays caused by availability and other commitments by the awarded contractor, Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company, of Oak Brook, Ill. The project is anticipated to now begin in mid-June.
The $32.5 million contract of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will replenish the beaches in Sea Isle City, Strathmere and Ocean City. Sea Isle City’s beaches will be dredged from approximately 28th to 52nd Street and from 74th Street to Townsends Inlet. An estimated 510,000 cubic yards of sand will be deposited on the beaches from about 75th Street to 93rd Street in Townsends Inlet, and another 250,000 cubic yards will be added from 28th Street to 53rd Street.
Across the three communities, Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company will dredge more than 2.4 million cubic yards of sand.
For project updates, go to seaislecitynj.us.
Construction will begin in late May-early June on the new Public Fishing Pier and Kayak Launch.
FISHING PIER/KAYAK LAUNCH WORK TO START
A contract was awarded for the construction of the new Sea Isle City Public Fishing Pier with Kayak Launch at Dealy Field during the Sea Isle City Council meeting on March 24. EZ Docks Unlimited of Belford, N.J., was awarded the contract in the amount of $975,550. Work is expected to begin around Memorial Day weekend and be completed by September.
The City had applied for Cape May County Open Space Funding to support the project and the Cape May County Freeholders approved the request to fund the project in the amount of $935,605. A preconstruction meeting was held in May following the acquisition of permits from the Department of Environmental Protection and Army Corps of Engineers.
“We are extremely excited about the addition of our City’s newest recreation facility, and we’re certain it will be very well utilized,” said Katherine Custer, Community Services Director and Public Information Officer. “This project has had the support of many people – including Mayor Desiderio and City Council, the City’s recreation employees, the Sea Isle City Recreation Committee and many residents and property owners. When completed, we will have a beautiful new public pier that will give kayakers and anglers much-needed access to the bay – plus it will be a perfect location for bird watching, viewing sunsets and taking in the wonders of the marshlands.”
The project will include the construction of a fishing pier, a pier with a covered pavilion, a kayak/paddleboard launch facility and decorative lighting. It will also include an ADA-accessible launch for the disabled.
Updates on the project will be provided and available in the City’s newsletter.
Exit 17 heading southbound on the Garden State Parkway.
EXIT 17 EXPANSION PROPOSED
A four-way interchange at Sea Isle City’s Exit 17 of the Garden State Parkway is currently being explored by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. Councilman Jack Gibson provided an update at the April 28 meeting and City Council acknowledged full support of the proposed plan.
The reconstruction of Exit 17 into a full interchange is one of the proposed projects in a $24 billion capital plan for both the Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike. Upper Township’s Exit 20 is another proposed two-way into a full interchange.
The cost to expand Exit 17 is estimated at $20 million. It would take 27 months to plan and design and another 18 months to build. It would also require a series of county, state, and federal environmental permits.
In July 2017, City Council adopted a resolution requesting that the New Jersey Turnpike Authority convert the exit from its limited two-way configuration into a four-way interchange to help relieve the summer traffic congestion heading into Sea Isle City. Currently, there is no southbound access to the Parkway at Exit 17 and there is no exit to Sea Isle off the Parkway northbound. The full interchange will eliminate the need to travel several miles to the south to use Exit 13.
For more information or to review the plan, go to njta.com/media/5179/proposed-2020-capital-improvement-program.pdf.
The new lighting on the Promenade.
PROMENADE LIGHTING PROJECT MOVING ALONG
The contractors working on the decorative lighting project on the Promenade are putting the finishing touches on phase one just in time for the summer season. On May 6 and 7, the new public address system for announcements and other necessary communications such as lost children was tested.
Phase one also included the installation of nearly 20 decorative lights along the Promenade from 35th Street to 44th Street. Contractors worked on the project this spring to install the foundations, conduits, light posts and lights under the pavilion. They are in the process of filling in the ditches from the underground wires.
The painting of the bases still needs to be done. Atlantic City Electric will be removing its light poles from 35th Street to 44th Street in mid-to-late May.
A contract was awarded to Delta Line Construction of Egg Harbor Township in the amount of $843,300 and a preconstruction meeting took place in March 2019, with hopes of starting the project right around Easter weekend last year. However, the project was deferred to the fall to avoid inconveniencing businesses, residents, and visitors during the busy summer season.
For project updates, go to seaislecitynj.us.
