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Stone Harbor Adopts $3.3-Million Bond
bond | 34 weeks 6 days ago | Comments 1
STONE HARBOR —A $3.3 million bond ordinance introduced last month in reaction to a referendum for a bond worth twice the amount was adopted at a regular meeting Sept. 4.
The new bond stands to cover the balance for 2007 capital projects. The grand total of the revised budget is $3,803,800; $503,800 of which is previously funded.
After the referendum June 26 on a $6.6 mil-lion bond, including $2 million for a controversial recreation facility, Mayor Suzanne Walters and Council President Barry Mastrangelo asked committee chairpersons to take another look at their capital budgets.
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New Faces on Cape May Boards, Commissions
Cape May City Council | 36 weeks 6 days ago | Comments 1
CAPE MAY — There will be new faces on the city’s Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) and planning board.
In a special meeting Aug. 23, city council approved appointments to the city’s boards and commissions.
Council chose not to reappoint member Phillipa “Pip” Campbell to a new, three-year term at the recommendation of HPC Chairman Skip Loughlin. New member David Clemans will replace Campbell.
Gerry Beauchamp submitted her resignation from HPC. Member Robert Steenrod will move up from the Alternate One position.
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Wed, 12/05/2007 - 9:28am
If you know the history of Cape May and are truly concerned with the preservation of it's building and not monetary gains for your friends in town or business associates then it's time to speak up at the HPC meetings and watch them carefully. They do not seem too concerned about integrity or truthfulness or educational background or training. Apparently, anyone can be appointed to the HPC Board. The "removal " of Pip Campbell, the most qualified member of the Board, show just how threatened Skip feels. She stood up for CM preservation and she knows her stuff. How many more houses will be demolished, renovated beyond recognition or lost before someone speaks out? Why isn't the HPC being questioned for it's decisions by City Council? CM was founded as a National Historic town and lets face it, it's one thing we get to say makes us unique. Let's not let the HPC lose sight of its mission.
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Cape Council Cuts Mall Patio Fees
cape may | 2 days 8 hours ago | Comments 1
CAPE MAY — Dining establishments on Washington Street Mall may pay less rent for a piece of the pavement.
City Council amended an ordinance May 6 to lower fees by 50 percent that eateries will pay to rent patio space on the pavement in front of their establishments on newly refurbished Washington Street Mall.
Council will hold a public hearing on the ordinance and a final vote May 20 at 7 p.m.
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Mon, 05/12/2008 - 1:56pm
The unfortunate thing about these fees, is that ultimately the tourists will lose out. Make these fees too high and no one will be enjoying some shaded dining on the Mall. That's one of the things that people look forward to the most. It appears on the surface that Cape May is making the merchants pay for these Mall renovations one way or another.
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Anglers Find Upgrades at Stone Harbor Marina
Government | 3 days 12 hours ago | Comments 0
STONE HARBOR — One of the visible improvements made through the county’s municipal aid program is at the Municipal Marina at 81st Street.
Always a favorite place for anglers to cast a line, the marina upgraded its former bulkhead to a vinyl one, and placed pavers behind that new bulkhead.
Shade from the sun, or just a relaxing place to take in the vista, is the wooden gazebo at the marina.
In August 2006, the borough received $426,416 for the project, known officially as Bay Marine Park Fishing Pier, 80th and 81st Street & the Bay (municipal marina).
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Architect Gets Contract for Cape May Convention Hall
cape may | 3 days 13 hours ago | Comments 1
Architect Martin Kimmel
CAPE MAY— City Council awarded a $448,000 contract to architects Kimmel Bogrette May 6 to continue their design work for a new Convention Hall here.
Mayoral candidate Jerry Gaffney questioned issuing a contract without taking bids from other architectural firms.
City Manager Luciano V. Corea Jr. said continuing to work with Kimmel Bogrette was discussed at earlier meetings where council agreed to the contract. He confirmed there would be no request for bids from other architects.
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Sat, 05/10/2008 - 7:53am
Cape May got itself between a rock and a hard place with this one. Total mismanagement on the part of Council and a self serving committee. The project should have had competition from the start, not a no bid contract. There is still no agreed upon design and no one has said anything about how long it will take to get DEP and CAFRA permits. The taxpayers are being fleeced yet again.
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Jackson Tapped by Corzine for Pinelands Commission
gov. jon corzine | 3 days 15 hours ago | Comments 0
Robert Jackson nominated for Pinelands Commission
TRENTON -- Democrat Robert Jackson of Del Haven, former West Cape May mayor who ran for freeholder, was nominated by Gov. Jon Corzine on May 8 to the Pinelands Commission.
Jackson was the only Cape May County resident to be nominated in the most recent list that will be forwarded to the State Senate.
His nomination is subject to the advice and consent of the Senate, according to a release from the Governor’s Office.
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26 Class 2 Officers Graduate May 9
cape may county police academy | 4 days 7 hours ago | Comments 0
32nd Class of Special Law Enforcement Officers Class 2 Officers will graduate May 9 at Middle Township Performing Arts Center at 4 p.m.
COURT HOUSE – May 9 was memorable for 26 officers who were members of the 32nd Basic Course for Special Law Enforcement Officers.
At 4 p.m. in the Middle Township Performing Arts Center, they will become Class 2 police officers, which enables them to carry a weapon. They have trained for the day since Dec. 8, 2007 at the Cape May County Police Academy, Crest Haven.
Class president was Robert Saunders from the Lower Township Police Department. He was elected by members of the class.
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VIDEO: Grass Dying on Bennett's Crossing Field
Bennett's Crossing | 4 days 10 hours ago | Comments 17
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Mon, 05/12/2008 - 11:15am
Wasn't Councilman Douglass the one that at the prior meeting say everything was great and was going to open soon? And wasn't he the Councilman in charge of the project? At least that is the way I took it from all of the articles and what he has been saying.
As to Councilman Mazurek, does he always vote no? Or just against this recreation field? If you read certain articles or the comments below, it's always a no vote, but is that the reality?
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Mon, 05/12/2008 - 6:51am
Councilman Mazurek voted against fixing Bennetts.....wasn't Beck and Mazurek on Council in 2003-2004 when this Rec Project started to tank....and didn't they vote to extend the original contractor's deadline almost a year after they were suppose to have finished the project....Maybe Mazurek should have been voting NO then! AND what the PARTY! has to do with making sure our kids and our community have good recreation facilities needs to be explained.
Ironically, if I remember correctly, Councilman Mazurek negotiates for the school teachers and isn't everyone complaining about the school budget being out of control....I guess that's Mazurek looking out for the "people"...too!
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Mon, 05/12/2008 - 3:55am
The only reason this dying grass is such a big issue is because Councilman Douglass is running against Mayor Craig for the Republican primary vote in June. It is only the last few months that Douglass has started to speak against Craig. Until he decided to run against Craig, he was in total agreement with everything and voted with Mayor Craig. Look it up.........every vote was 4 yes, Republicans to 1 no (Mazurek), Democrat. The only one that is looking out for the people is Mazurek, the only Democrat. Does that tell you something? We need to get different people on council, this Republican majority with their 4-1 vote ignores the people and helps the party.
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Sat, 05/10/2008 - 7:29pm
Can someone tell what the heck Joe Jackson Township Manager did to benefit Lower Township, He makes 90K the attorney makes 150K plus the extra attorney for this project another 25K, which is Lower Polce Chief's brother, engineer expenses 200K, medical program for Township employees up by another 200K. Lower will not have any money left with this banker in charge. *** Does he have any municipal government training other than being Mayor Craig's puppet, it seems we are wasting money on this manager. We need a change all th way around. Mayor Craig and Nolan needs to go, along with Jackson and anyone that he put in charge.
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Sat, 05/10/2008 - 6:21pm
Guess all the people interviewed by the Press lied!
Lower Twp. pleased that rec complex done at last
By RICHARD DEGENER Staff Writer, 609-463-6711
Published: Sunday, May 04, 2008
LOWER TOWNSHIP - It rained all night, and baseball coach Mike Pron went to the new athletic fields in the Erma section of the township the next morning expecting the worst.
He was happy to be proved wrong.
"It was high and dry," said Pron, who coaches the Lower Township Black Sox baseball team.
While the nearby Lower Cape May Regional High School baseball field was under water, the new diamond at Freeman S. Douglass Memorial Park was playable. In fact, a short time after Pron arrived last Sunday, teams played the first baseball game on the new field.
The new athletic complex came under attack when it was originally finished last year due mostly to bad drainage. The township then approved a $600,000 project to make sure it was done right. Much of this money went to dirt. The township decided to spend the money to crown the fields correctly even before lawsuits over allegedly faulty workmanship and questionable engineering are settled. The goal was to deliver to the public the athletic complex that had been promised for years.
Pron was happy the township finally constructed its first baseball field.
"It's good to have our own field and not be beholden to the high school. A lot of those games get rained out. Now we have a field that drains, we'll get a lot of games in," Pron said.
That same morning, junior football coach Frank Simonsen went to observe the fields. Football season is months away, but Simonsen, one of the strongest critics of the project before the latest round of work, wanted to see how the football field now handles the rain. He was ecstatic.
"We had a hard rain and I walked all around and you could have played; no problem. I'm very pleased. They did it right this time. This is one of the best fields in the league," Simonsen said, noting his league has teams in four counties.
The Lower Township teams in the league had been practicing at elementary schools. Now they have a real field. The complex includes the Recreation Department's first baseball and football fields.
Nancy Stone, a spokeswoman for Lower Cape May Little League, said the field will lead to more games in the 13-15 age groups that use a full-sized baseball diamond. The league has one full-sized field but it does not have lights and Stone said the league did not have the money to install them. The township field has lights.
"It's real important. It enables kids to play later games. It gives them more time to play. They needed it, and I thought they did a good job on it," Stone said.
Stone said the girls softball teams will also be using the complex. The high school girl's softball team and the junior high baseball team have also been using it.
"We're getting a lot of outside interest," Township Manager Joe Jackson said.
The complex also includes sites for soccer, street hockey, tennis, basketball, an area for migrating birds and other amenities in a project that teamed the township with the state Division of Fish and Wildlife and the state Green Acres Program.
When the current administration took office, the project was behind schedule, partly due to delays in state reviews by the Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Transportation. It also was over budget, partly because the state would not allow public sewer lines, and septic system costs were much higher. The original contract did not include $800,000 in lighting that makes the complex much better for the public.
The big problem was, after heavy rains the complex was under water. The new administration made a tough decision to spend more money to fix the problems while pursuing lawsuits with the contractor and the engineer. Mayor Walt Craig said use of the fields now shows it was the right decision.
"We're getting good feedback. The high school is using it and getting good feedback from the Cape-Atlantic League. I think the public understands what we did. The means justify the ends. It's done right," Craig said.
To e-mail Richard Degener at The Press:
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Sat, 05/10/2008 - 5:11pm
Why didn't the Press of Atlantic city write a correction on the report from last week stating that the field was done. I think the reporter for Cape May County needs to replaced with a reporter that will report the "truth" and not what is hand fed to him. What else is he "overlooking". I am canceling my subscription to the Press.
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Sat, 05/10/2008 - 7:58am
How do you come up with sod being cheap, the last contract was for 600,000, how many time does this sod have to die? The prosecutor won't do anything, they never do. Maybe we need to go above them, and let them investigate what that engineering fim is really doing in Cape May County not just Lower Townsip.
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Fri, 05/09/2008 - 8:09pm
Glenn Douglass is the one who has brought this to the public eye. He feels the public should be informed of the problems He toured the fields and found the Football Field to be totally unacceptable and a disaster. He has been questioning the Township Manager about all the problems and when all the corrections will be completed. He has advised that not another dollar wil go into this project from the Lower Township. The Mayor has stated to the press that all is well with the complex. It was published in the AC Press just a few days ago. The Mayor has not been in discussion with the contractors and engineer it has been the Manager. And the best answer so far is its the other guys fault. Here we go again. What's the problem you say. The problem is that no one is putting up the money to correct the situation at this point as the finger pointing has just begun regarding who is responsible for the damaged field. If you want to contact Douglass email him at ward3gdouglass@gmail.com. He will verify what is stated above
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Fri, 05/09/2008 - 5:09pm
GREAT....Mr. Prosecutor please come down and indict someone because our grass isn't growing..... right! Please investigate why our kids need any recreation fields when we have perfectly good streets to play in!!!!!!!!! and while you're at it....take a look at our school budget too.....kid's don't need to be edumacated!!!!!!
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Fri, 05/09/2008 - 3:24pm
Personally, I would like to see the county prosector take a hard look at this whole mess. As a person on a fixed income, I am outraged at the incompetence of all the members on council. Craig? Douglas? No way.They all have to go, the sooner the better.
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Fri, 05/09/2008 - 3:18pm
Personally, I would llike to see the county prosecutor look into this whole mess. None of those people on council belong there and as a person on a fixed income, I have had enough of this incompetent group. They all have to go, the sooner the better.
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Fri, 05/09/2008 - 6:57am
Give me a break. It's grass....sod. Soemtimes it doesn't take!! And you people take every little article and blog as an opportunity to bash Lower Council.
1) the previous manager was fired because she was under trained (a clerk)
The present manager has inherited the [problems we see now!!
2) the previous Mayor was a WACKO who drove around at 4Am CALLING THE POLICE ABOUT PEOPLE WHO WERE WATERING THEIR LAWNS WHEN WE WERE IN A SUPPOSED DROUGHT.
SOD is cheap, it will regrow...now go back to Philly
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Fri, 05/09/2008 - 6:22am
Fact of the matter is that the grass did die overnight and tests were taken immediately. The previojus problems with the project were design defects that crreated a drainage problem....grass didn't die...the field didn't drain properly. All this admin has tried to do was fix the the firlds to make sure they were properly done. Maybe the bashers should get there facts straight before they jump to conclusions! OR maybe they just don't care about the kids in our community.
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Fri, 05/09/2008 - 5:07am
The grass didn't die overnight, how many times does Lower Tax payers have to replace the sod are we up to 3 or 4 this time. Mismanagement is the answer. After the first or second time the grass died didn't they think to test the soil,give me a break.l Mayor Craig is only in it for a photo op, he is our biggest problem I can't wait until the Primary.
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Fri, 05/09/2008 - 3:39am
One of the problems is the current administration replaced the previous township manager,at a big additional expense to the people, because she supposedly was not doing the job as well as their guy could. The example given was this project, Bennetts Crossing, and reasoning was how she did not stay on top of the project to make sure it was done correctly. Now we have this multimillion dollar project with all dead grass and a costly new township manager who has been on top of this project.
This administration wanted all new people so they could take the township in a new direction. Well.....that direction isn't up. I don't see how we are better off with these guys. They're a joke. I wish the elections were tomorrow.
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Thu, 05/08/2008 - 7:54pm
What I hear is that while Douglass has been running around playing chicken little and crying to the media, the mayor has been in discussion with all the contractors and engineer to make sure the project is completed correctly, with no expense to the Township. Lawsuits-0 COST TO THE TOWNSHIP -0.....WHATS THE PROBLEM?
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Thu, 05/08/2008 - 6:23pm
Didn't the Township sue the last engineer for defects in this field? What is Remington Vernick Engineering's excuse. We need to hold them accountable. Where is Lower Manager Joe Jackson it seems like he is running this township in the ground. Douglass better stop voting yes to everthing Mayor Craig endorses, and watch what is going on at the Township. How many more law suits is Baldini going to excuse himself from and cost the town even more money.
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Dennis Administrator Alessandrine Lands Lucrative A.C. Finance Job
Atlantic City | 5 days 7 hours ago | Comments 0
DENNISVILLE –– This township will need to launch a search for a new head of administration after having just completing the process a little over a year ago.
Dennis Township Administrator Jody Alessandrine was recently appointed the finance director in Atlantic City and gave township officials notice of his departure last week.
Township Committee appointed Alessandrine in January 2007 after the management position had been vacant for over three years. Alessandrine, of Ocean City, beat out 21 other candidates for the job after a lengthy interview process.
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Cape May Will Test Wind Turbine Use
Cape May | 5 days 7 hours ago | Comments 0
Cape May's Beach Patrol headquarters will be refitted with solar panels. Photo by Jack Fichter
CAPE MAY — A 30-foot tower, equipped with an anemometer to measure wind speeds, will be constructed in the city's Public Works Yard to test the site as a possible location for a wind turbine to power the desalination plant.
City Manager Luciano V. Corea Jr. told city council May 6 that he met with representatives of Fisherman's Energy of New Jersey L.L.C., (FERN) a developer of offshore wind turbines, which also advocates the use of wind turbines on land.
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Fri, 12/28/2007 - 1:45pm
That is quite an expensive bond maybe some of the money should have been donated to a beneficial association
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