E-NEWSLETTER
From the City of Sea Isle City
October 8, 2011
MAYOR'S MESSAGE:
I would like to congratulate the members of the Sea Isle City Chamber of Commerce/Revitalization on the success of this year's Harborfest celebration, which took place on October 1 at Sea Isle's Marina Park. It was a great day that obviously required a tremendous amount of effort from SICCCR volunteers, and everyone's hard work really paid off!
If you missed Harborfest or any of the other autumn events that have taken place here in Sea Isle City, you still have time to participate in a variety of festivals and activities that are coming our way in the weeks ahead. For example, this Saturday, October 8, will begin with the Charlotte Moretti Race for the Cure 5K Run and Walk at 9:00 a.m. on the Promenade, a yearly event hosted by our local AARP members that benefits the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Sea Isle's 4th Annual Italian Festival and 21st Annual Columbus Day Parade will take place this Saturday as well - and both will offer plenty of family entertainment. The Columbus Day Parade is always a treat, and the Italian Festival, located at KIX-McNutley's on 63rd Street, will feature several new attractions, including an exciting cannoli-eating contest and professional cooking demonstrations.
Also this weekend, the members of Save Our Strays will host their annual Cocktail Party Fund Raiser on Sunday, October 9, at 5:00 p.m. This delightful gathering will feature plenty of great food and many familiar faces, and all proceeds will help S.O.S. volunteers continue the good work they do in our community. Those interested in attending can phone 972-5887 for more information.
On Saturday, October 15, show Mother Nature that you care about the local eco-system during the Sea Isle City Environmental Commission's Annual Autumn Beach Clean-Up and Dune Grass Planting event, which begins at 10:00 a.m. in front of Excursion Park. Afterwards, when our beaches are clean and our dunes are strengthened with new plants, Mike's Seafood Restaurant on Park Road will donate a complimentary buffet luncheon for all of the event's volunteers, which shows the true spirit of giving that exists in our community. My thanks go to the members of the Environmental Commission and the Monichetti family (the owner's of Mike's Seafood) for their devotion to our beaches.
Later this month, don't miss Sea Isle's Annual Halloween Parade on Friday, October 21, and the Chamber of Commerce/Revitalization's Octoberfest celebration on Saturday, October 22 - both of which will offer plenty of family-fun and great photo-ops. Also on October 22, there will be an E.S.A. Surfing Competition on the 40th Street Beach, the Townsend Inlet Garden Club will host their annual Halloween Show and Costume Contest, and Bishop McHugh Regional School will hold a 5K Run and Walk on the Promenade - so don't think the fun is over this fall...it's actually just getting started! (Be sure to visit www.seaislecitynj.us for more information about all of Sea Isle's off-season events).
In closing, I would like to mention the large amount of positive feedback we have received concerning the August Police Report, which appeared in our September 22 E-Newsletter. It is easy to see from that report that the men and women of the Sea Isle City Police Department are diligently working to keep us all safe and that they deserve our continued support. Look for additional Police Reports in future E-Newsletters - and keep that feedback coming!
Smile...You're in Sea Isle!
Mayor Leonard C.Desiderio
CITY COUNCIL'S MESSAGE:
City Council wants to announce a joint-meeting with the Sea Isle City School Board and City Council, which will take place on Thursday, October 13, at 7:00 p.m. inside the Sea Isle City Public School, 4401 Park Road. The public is invited and encouraged to attend this meeting. The meeting's agenda will examine the current state of the school district, the state of the school's facilities and the financial challenges facing the School Board. There will be an opportunity at the end of the meeting for citizens to present comments and questions.
As was mentioned in the September 22 E-Newsletter, City Council introduced an ordinance during our September 27 meeting that established design standards for our commercial and mixed-use buildings.
As a reminder, City Council's Capital Planning Workshop will be held on Tuesday, October 25, at 2:00 p.m. inside Council Chambers. All are invited and encouraged to attend.
Best Regards from the Members of City Council
PROJECT UPDATES:
-North End and Downtown Beach Replenishment Program - The project is being administered by the State of New Jersey and includes the placement of sand for several areas of the beach on the entire island, including portions of Strathmere and Sea Isle City. Sea Isle's project area is from 1st to 15th and 30th to 52nd Streets. The total cost for Sea Isle's portion of the project will depend on the final amount of sand placed on the beaches. Based on the contract prices, it is expected that the cost for Sea Isle's beach-fill will be about $5,000,000. The work is expected to start in November and be completed by January of 2012.
-Phase 2 of Excursion Park, Beach to Bay Corridor - This project involves streetscape improvements to the public corridor along JFK Boulevard from the Promenade to Landis Avenue, and widening of the sidewalks along each side of this corridor by 3 feet. The project has been advertised for construction bids, with an anticipated award of a contract at the October 25th Council meeting. The schedule is for work to proceed in November and be completed by May of 2012.
-Demolition of existing Library/Beach Tag Facility and Conversion to Parking Lot - This project is currently under design, with demolition and construction bids scheduled to be received within the next three months. The work is expected to be performed during late winter and spring, in advance of the 2012 summer season.
-Construction of Welcome Center Addition to the Community Lodge and Renovations of the existing Lodge facility and site - The project has been advertised for construction bids, with an anticipated award of a contract at the October 25th Council meeting. The schedule is for work to proceed in November, in order to complete the new Welcome Center and the Lodge renovations prior to Memorial Day, 2012. Work at the facility will be phased and performed in order to minimize the disruptions to activities scheduled to take place in the Lodge.
-Improvements to Townsend Inlet Park - The existing ramps and decks will be rehabilitated in order to make access to the park and pavilion compliant with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Design work is in progress, with advertisement for construction bids expected to take place within the next two months. Construction is planned to be performed over the winter in order to complete the project prior to the 2012 summer season.
-Lagoon Dredging - Environmental and engineering work continues in order to secure permits from the Department of Environmental Protection. The project is expected to go out to bid by the end of the year in order to accomplish the dredging during the first quarter of 2012.
-Public Library @ 48th and Central - The Grand Opening of the new Cape May County Public Library (which will also be the new home for the Sea Isle City Historical Museum) has been re-scheduled for November 15th at 1:00 p.m.
-Sewer and Road Reconstruction on Central Avenue (49th to 69th Street) - The City is awaiting final approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) of grant and loan funding for the project. The City was informed that this project is the highest priority in the local USDA office and will be funded as soon as federal funds are released. The USDA informed the City that the funding from USDA for the project is expected to be 2.3 million dollars in low interest loans and $700,000 in grant funding. Based on this, the City administration anticipates that the project will be advertised for construction bids in October; with a resolution to award a construction contract expected to be presented to council at the end of November. This will allow construction to start by late December or January. The project will be performed in two phases: the first being from 49th to 61st Street (prior to the 2012 summer season); and the second phase from 61st to 69th Street following the 2012 summer season. The project will rehabilitate or replace the deteriorated underground sewer system, as well as provide for reconstruction of the entire one mile stretch of roadway.
-Utility Reconstruction on Landis Avenue (54th to 69th Street) - This project will provide for water and sewer line replacement in advance of the County project to resurface Landis Avenue from 54th to 69th Street. Utility work is scheduled to be performed over the fall and winter, in order for paving to take place in the spring.
-Inflow and Infiltration (I & I) Remediation - The firm of Video Pipe Services, Inc. of Newfield, NJ, has been contracted to perform work associated with internal repairs of sewer pipelines and manholes throughout the City. The need for this work was identified over the past three years through a comprehensive investigation and analysis of the City's sewer system. Sewer systems are prone to both inflow (overland water entering the sewer system through manhole covers and other surface openings in the system); and infiltration (entry of groundwater into pipelines through cracks, deteriorated pipe, and pipe joints). The effects of I & I are symptoms of deterioration of the sewer system that must be corrected to avoid more problematic maintenance issues and potential failure of the sewer system; and I & I is also costly, in that the City must pay for the unnecessary treatment of water that enters the sanitary sewer system. This is the first phase of a multi-year citywide sewer maintenance and improvement project that will ensure the continued viability of the City's vital sewer infrastructure. The project will start next week and is expected to be completed by March 2012.
-Citywide Utility and Roadway Improvements - As part of the City's capital planning process, the administration has been working with the City Engineer to prioritize infrastructure needs for citywide roads and the underlying utilities. While the City has been systematically following an ongoing program of utility upgrades followed by roadway reconstruction for many years, an updated program for utility and roadway improvements has been developed based on review and analysis of the most current data available, and prioritization of the City's needs based on the condition of the approximately 27 miles of City streets, 5 miles of county roads, and 90 miles of water and sewer pipelines located under the streets. The proposed program was presented by the City Engineer at the September 27 council meeting. The program identified numerous streets and utility lines throughout the City that will be included in upcoming capital projects. The next step is to incorporate the proposed utility and roadway program into the City's overall capital plan, which will be reviewed publicly on October 25th at a City Council workshop. As the projects are reviewed and refined, we will inform you of the cost of these projects, the areas of the City where work will be occurring and the schedule for the work.
DID YOU KNOW:
o The "Save Our Strays" (S.O.S.) 2011 Fall Cocktail Party fund raiser is Sunday, October 9, 5:00 p.m., 4507 Central Avenue, $25 admission at door includes delicious homemade food, door prizes and more (972-5887, www.seaislecats.org).
o The next City Council meeting is Tuesday, October 11, at 10:00 a.m. in Council Chambers, 233 JFK Boulevard, second level.
o The Charlotte Moretti Race for the Cure 5K Run/Walk to fight Breast Cancer is Saturday, October 8, 9:00 a.m. on the Promenade at JFK, same-day registration begins at 8:00 a.m. (263-2968 or sicirene@yahoo.com).
o Sea Isle City's 2011 Italian Festival and Columbus Day Parade will both take place on Saturday, October 8. The Columbus Day Parade starts at 2:00 p.m. at the Sea Isle Bridge near the Italian American Club, runs along JFK Boulevard, turns south on Landis and ends at 63rd Street. The Italian Festival will take place from 10:00 a.m. to Dusk at KIX-McNutleys, 63rd and Landis (263-4461, ext. 230 or 263-6341, www.kixmcnutleyss.com).
o Columbus Day is Monday, October 10: Sea Isle's City Hall, Public Works Building and Trash and Recycling Yard will be closed, and there will be no curb-side trash/recycling collections on Columbus Day. Because of the Columbus Day holiday, next week's trash collection schedule will be adjusted by one day (so, if your normal trash day is Monday your trash will be collected on Tuesday, etc.). For more information about Sea Isle's trash and recycling collections, phone 263-6000.
o Volunteers are Needed for the Environmental Commission's Fall Beach Clean-Up & Dune Grass Planting on Saturday, October 15, 10:00 a.m. (rain date: October 16), JFK and the Promenade. Afterwards, volunteers will enjoy a free luncheon at Mike's Seafood Restaurant, courtesy of the Monichetti family (263-2081).
o Sea Isle City's 2011 Halloween Parade is Friday, October 21, 7:00 p.m. along Landis Avenue from 46th to 40th Street. A Halloween Family Dance Party will immediately follow the parade at Excursion Park (263-0050).
o An ESA Surfing Competition is set for Saturday, October 22, 40th Street Beach, 8:00 a.m. (609-884-5277).
o SIC Chamber of Commerce/Revitalization's 2011 Octoberfest celebration is Saturday, October 22, 11:00 a.m to 3:00 p.m., Excursion Park. In case of rain, the Octoberfest festivities will take place inside the SIC Public School, 45th & Park Road (263-9090).
o The Townsend Inlet Garden Club's Halloween Show & Costume Contest is Saturday, October 22, 138 85th Street, 7:00 p.m. (263-3002).
o Bishop McHugh's 5K Run/Walk is Saturday, October 22, 9:30 a.m., 44th and Promenade (624-3537).
o The Sea Isle City Police Department will participate in Operation Take Back New Jersey (a free, public collection of unwanted prescription medications for safe disposal) on Saturday, October 29, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Police HQ, 233 JFK Boulevard (263-4311, extension 2310, or visit www.dea.gov) .
o 2011 Halloween Trick-or-Treating in Sea Isle City will take place on Monday, October 31, 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. It is advised that trick-or-treaters wear brightly colored costumes that do not drag the ground, carry flashlights, use caution when crossing the street and allow parents to inspect all treats before eating.
