There has been a lot of “chatter” around town in recent days regarding this year’s holiday events in Sea Isle City – and some confusion about what’s happening over Thanksgiving Weekend. As I indicated in my report to City Council on Tuesday, there will most certainly be a variety of enjoyable holiday activities taking place this year on Black Friday and Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend, however there will be some slight changes to what was offered last year.
As you may recall, several years ago the owners of the Ludlam Hotel began hosting a “Winter Village” on their property at JFK Boulevard and Landis Avenue. Then, in 2024, after the Ludlam was torn down to make way for future construction, the Winter Village was moved to Excursion Park, officially becoming a Chamber of Commerce event. Wanting to make their event larger and more entertaining for the public, earlier this year the Chamber members asked the city if the Winter Village could utilize more of Excursion Park on Black Friday, without interfering with our annual Mayors Tree Lighting Ceremony that night – which we happily agreed to.
Now, to address the confusion…
As you may recall, approximately 13 years ago the Chamber began hosting a “Holiday Extravaganza” parade and festival over Thanksgiving Weekend that coincided with our annual Tree Lighting Ceremony on Black Friday. Then, in 2020, the Chamber announced that they were cancelling their Holiday Extravaganza – so, the city took-over the parade, and along the way we made some tweaks to the parade route in an effort to accommodate requests from the public. However, we subsequently received some complaints from people who were unhappy that the parade didn’t go through their neighborhood, or it was too long of a wait for the parade to arrive downtown, where folks were eager to attend our yearly tree lighting ceremony.
So, instead of a parade during Thanksgiving weekend, this year our friends in the Sea Isle City Fire Department will be hosting a “First Responders Parade” on Friday evening, December 12, which will feature a variety of decorated vehicles from fire and ambulance companies in our region – effectively increasing the holiday enjoyment in Sea Isle City by adding one more “evening of fun” that families can look forward to in December.
The First Responder Parade on December 12 will begin at Sea Isle’s Dog Park, cruise south on Landis Avenue to 83rd Street, then return north on Central Avenue and end at the firehouse on JFK Boulevard – covering more ground than ever! I am very grateful to our local firefighters for adding one more reason for everyone to spend the Christmas Season here in Sea Isle City – and I am greatly looking forward to their wonderful parade on December 12!
In other news, I hope everyone has been reading our “Project Updates” and keeping-up with the construction of our future Community Center, because things are getting very exciting! In case you are not aware, construction is indeed going well, and the Community Center’s interior is taking shape beautifully; however there is still some substantial work that needs to be completed, and we are not yet certain when we can host a Grand Opening for that facility (but we will continue to share updates on the construction process in our newsletter and on our website). I can, however, tell you that each time I visit that new building, I am greatly impressed by the latest work that’s been completed. Also, last week I had the pleasure of touring the building with local real estate agent Moira Kelly Smith, who graciously interviewed me afterwards for her video blog. Those who view Moira’s blog will see just how excited she was after touring the interior of our Community Center – and rightly so, because it is turning out to be an amazing building that we can all be proud of!
My thanks and best wishes go to Moira for her interest in our new Community Center – and for her energetic enthusiasm about this important community project. Thank you, Moira!
Don’t forget that Sea Isle’s annual Veterans Day Ceremony will take place at 11:00 AM on Tuesday, November 11 at Veterans Park, where we will honor the men and women who proudly served our nation in uniform – and I hope everyone can join us!
This week’s “Shout Out” goes to our local trash and recycling collectors, our street sweepers and everyone else at the Department of Public Works who helps keep Sea Isle City clean and beautiful. —Thank you all!
Smile…You’re in Sea Isle!
Mayor Leonard C. Desiderio
Following Mayor Desiderio’s Report during the October 28 City Council meeting, Municipal Business Administrator George Savastano reported that Sea Isle City’s beaches fared rather well during the recent coastal storm. There was, however, some noticeable erosion on Townsend Inlet; nonetheless, we are hopeful that sand will naturally build-up in that area in the spring, as often happens along our shoreline during that time of year.
There were no ordinances listed on City Council’s October 28 meeting agenda; however, each of the resolutions on the October 28 Consent Agenda was approved, including…
• Resolutions 187, 188 and 189, which authorized the signed Labor Contracts between the city and the Communications Workers of America regarding Sea Isle City’s Clerical Workers, Public Works and Water-Sewer Blue Collar Workers, and Public Works and Water-Sewer Supervisors, retroactive from January 1, 2024, through December 31, 2027.
• Resolution 190, which authorized the mayor to execute contracts between the city and several Confidential Employees (Deputy City Clerk, a Confidential Secretary, and the Confidential Assistant to the Director of Community Services).
• Resolution 191, which ratified a policy on Eligible Disabled Veteran Tax Exemption Retroactive Refunds for Local Municipal Property Taxes.
• Resolution 192, which approved the city’s Emergency Management Emergency Operations Plan.
• Resolution 193, which authorized the adoption of the city’s Hazard Mitigation Plan Update.
• Resolution 194, which authorized the city’s participation in the Interlocal Purchasing Systems Cooperative, which gives the city more buying power and the opportunity to save money on future purchases.
• Resolution 196, which authorized the approval of a Raffle License for the Catholic Daughters of Saint Joseph Church.
• Resolution 197, which ratified a “Fuel Agreement” between the city and the County of Cape May for the purchase of fuel for Sea Isle City’s municipal vehicles while upgrades are being made to Sea Isle’s fuel distribution system.
• Resolution 198, which authorized a Cooperative Contract with Northeast Electric, of Williamstown, NJ, in the amount of $170,000, for building-wide Audio-Visual Systems inside the Community Center, including a public address system, information monitors, television monitors, and a special sound system for the fitness classroom.
• Resolution 199, which authorized the installation, removal and storage of the city’s holiday decorations by Mosca Designs, of Youngsville, NC, for a cost of approximately $148,900.
During the “Citizen Comment” portion of the October 28 meeting, several property owners stepped to the microphone to share comments about numerous topics, including:
• Concerns regarding possible offshore drilling.
• Concerns about trash being placed on the curb by homeowners improperly and in an untimely manner, which could have negative environmental impacts.
• A reminder about the Coast Guards annual “Operation Fireside” event, during which cadets from the Coast Guard Academy in Cape May spend the Thanksgiving holiday with local families.
• An offer from Mike’s Seafood Run-Walk for Autism to provide sensory items for the “Quiet Room” inside the future Community Center.
• Questions about the 46th Street Pump Station, after which it was explained that Sea Isle City’s Municipal Engineer is expected to make a public presentation about that project during an upcoming City Council meeting (possibly in the latter part of November or in December).
Please be aware that City Council will host a Capital Plan Public Workshop on Wednesday, November 12, at 1:00 PM on the third floor of City Hall.
The next regular City Council meeting will take place on Wednesday, November 12, at 10:00 AM on the third floor of City Hall – and we hope to see you there!
Best regards from the members of City Council,
Council President Mary Tighe
Ian Ciseck
Frank Edwardi
Michael Jargowski
William Kehner
