This week, the city entered into an agreement with the Borough of Avalon to dredge Townsends Inlet at the southern tip of Sea Isle. The channel that provides passage through the inlet under the bridge has become severely choked due to sand buildup, which has impacted safe navigation. The inlet is a vital passageway not only for recreational boating, but for commercial boating as well. The opportunity to address this issue now came about due to the current replenishment of Avalon’s beaches, and the fact that the borrow site for Avalon’s project is in close proximity to the area required to be dredged in Townsends Inlet. To achieve this project now required the cooperation of multiple government agencies, along with engineering and planning coordination between Sea Isle and Avalon. The city council message in this newsletter details the costs for this project, which includes funds from Sea Isle, Avalon, Cape May County, and the Bridge Commission. The work is expected to begin next week. I want to thank everyone involved for their contributions to this effort - our neighbors in Avalon, the NJDEP, the Army Corps of Engineers, Cape May County, the Bridge Commission, the engineers and regulators who expedited the process, our congressman Jeff Van Drew, and the City Council.
This project is an example of how government should work to get things done.
Staying on the topic of public projects, the administration is currently in the process of preparing our annual capital plan for various capital improvements and acquisitions. Each year, we draft a five-year plan for presentation to the city council at a public workshop. The capital plan workshop is scheduled for November 10, at 1:00 p.m.
Tuesday, November 3rd is Election Day. I want to remind everyone that the voting location for all districts is now at the Community Center, located in the 4500 block of Central Avenue.
As a reminder, our city street sweeper is continuing its schedule cleaning all the streets throughout the town, through at least November 5. The streets are being swept according to the following schedule:
Tuesdays - 2nd through 44th Street
Wednesdays - 45th through 70th Street
Thursdays – 71st through 94th Street
Please move your car from the street if possible, during these dates.
The Sea Isle Fire Department’s 135th Anniversary and Housing Celebration has been rescheduled to Saturday, November 14, beginning at 1:00 p.m. at the Sea Isle City Firehouse right next to City Hall. The public is invited to this special event, which will celebrate the department’s 135 years of service to Sea Isle City along with the long-standing tradition of the housing ceremony for the department's newest apparatus.
Finally, I want to give a shout out to our Public Works Department, who we honored at this week’s council meeting with a special appreciation award in honor of their outstanding dedication and commitment to our community.
Public Works is often a thankless job, and I want all the men and women of the department to know that we truly appreciate their hard work every day keeping Sea Isle City clean and beautifully maintained.
Smile…You’re in Sea Isle!
Mayor Leonard C. Desiderio
At the October 13 council meeting, Mayor Desiderio reported on the resolution before council which would authorize the city to enter into a shared services agreement with Avalon, and declare an emergency condition relative to the shoaling of Townsends Inlet, which has created a significant issue for navigation through that channel. The administration has worked with Avalon, NJDEP, the Army Corps of Engineers, Cape May County, and the Bridge Commission to come up with a plan to dredge the sand that is choking up the inlet. The total cost of the project is about 1.6 million dollars. The County will contribute $250,000; the Bridge Commission will contribute $50,000; and Avalon and Sea Isle each will contribute $650,000.
Following the mayor’s report, he made a special presentation to the Public Works Department, recognizing their outstanding work in cleaning up the city from the nor’easter we recently experienced, as well as for all their efforts throughout the year in keeping the city clean and well maintained.
Each of the resolutions on the consent agenda were approved, including…
• Resolution 140, which authorized the approval of vouchers.
• Resolution 141, which authorized approval of a raffle application for the Catholic Daughters of the Americas.
• Resolution 142, which authorized approval of a bingo application for the Italian American Club of Sea Isle City.
• Resolution 143, which authorized the purchase of an ambulance for the EMS Division.
• Resolution 144, which authorized the purchase of a Chevrolet Tahoe for the EMS Division.
• Resolution 145, which designated a 5-ton cargo truck as surplus property and authorized its trade-in for credit towards repair of another emergency high water vehicle for the police department.
• Resolution 146, which authorized the execution of a shared services agreement with the Borough of Avalon and declaration of an emergency for the purposes of dredging TI Inlet to address navigation problems due to shoaling of the inlet.
During the “Citizen Comment” portion of the meeting, several citizens stepped to the microphone and commented on the following:
-Thanking the city for addressing the issue in TI inlet.
-Concerns with the inability to receive permission from a neighbor to consent to the installation of a gas line on their property. The city agreed to examine the condominium documents related to this matter.
Our next City Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, October 27, at 10:00 AM on the third floor of City Hall – and we hope to see you there!
Council President Michael Jargowski
Ian Ciseck
Frank Edwardi
William Kehner
Mary Tighe
