Mayor Desiderio's Report to City Council on August 26, 2025
City Council has a relatively light agenda today, but I wanted to mention one resolution – the award of the construction contract for work to our promenade.
This project is being funded in part by the Boardwalk Preservation Grant Program and will involve a significant amount of structural repairs and improvements, which will maintain the viability of the promenade for decades to come.
The work will involve the reconstruction of several areas of the bulkhead along the one-and-a-half-mile stretch of the promenade, improvements to several access locations, and the addition of ADA compliant access ramps.
As everyone knows, last week we endured the worst storm event we’ve seen in many years, as Hurricane Erin passed by the eastern seaboard.
The floodwaters we experienced were the highest we’ve had since 2018; but we were well informed in advance of the storm, and while most folks heeded the warnings and took the necessary precautions, there were still some cars that got stuck driving through flooded streets.
As I said, it’s been a while since we’ve had floodwaters this high, but it’s a reminder that we need to be mindful when driving around town in these situations.
We also need to be aware that driving through flooded streets can create wakes that impact the adjacent properties.
The good thing is there were no injuries, and the city was relatively unharmed by the storm.
In addition, our beaches fared very well, as we experienced minimal erosion.Looking ahead, I wanted to bring up the city’s Master Plan Re-examination.
The last re-exam was adopted 8 years ago, and it’s time to start the process for the next re-examination of Sea Isle’s master plan.
Municipal Land Use Law requires a periodic re-examination at least once every ten years, and as the process is expected to take more than a year to complete, the administration will be recommending that the Planning Board move forward with this.For those who may be unfamiliar with a municipal Master Plan Re-examination, it basically involves a review of the major problems and objectives relating to land development and how those issues have been addressed or changed since the time of the last re-exam; a review of the city’s policies and objectives relative to land uses, circulation, conservation, and recycling; and a review and update of the previous re-exam’s overall recommendations for improvements or changes.
This is a process that will involve input from all of our citizens, and I look forward to working with the Planning Board and the entire community as we plan for the future of Sea Isle City.
As always, please remember we are one Sea Isle City and together we’ll be stronger than ever.
Mayor Leonard C. Desiderio
Following Mayor Desiderio’s report during the August 12 City Council meeting, Municipal Business Administrator George Savastano explained that two “change orders” would be added to an upcoming City Council agenda, due to new enhancements that are planned for the future Community Center. (Note: A change order allows City Council to approve funding beyond the initial allowances planned for a project). At that time, Mr. Savastano invited Director of Community Services Katherine Custer to step to the microphone and explain the purpose of the change orders – and to update Council on the many programs that are planned for the new Community Center.
As Mrs. Custer stated, the change orders will allow the city to create two new rooms in the Community Center, located in areas that were initially designated for storage. The new rooms will house a golf simulator and a “Wall Ball” electronic game system (both of which can be utilized by people of varying ages).
Mrs. Custer also explained that during the past several years, the City’s Recreation employees have been working closely with the Mayor and Business Administrator to develop new programs and activities for the Community Center – in addition to the city-sponsored activities that currently take place in the Community Lodge and elsewhere in town. Beyond the existing programs, the Recreation Office plans to add many ways for people to enjoy the entire facility, including new programs in the building’s gymnasium, such as an indoor walking club, pickleball games, after school activities, dances, sports clinics, tournaments, “open gym” sessions and more.
Additionally, the building’s “Community Meeting Room” (a large room with a kitchen and a stage that will be used by local civic groups for meetings and special events) will also provide space for summer camps, trivia games, a mahjong club, card parties, seminars, family movie nights, theater camps, voting on election day, cooking classes, a place for our local girl and boy scouts to meet, blood drives, Coffee with Cops gatherings, and other events.
In the Community Center’s “Fitness Room,” the existing Total Body Fitness, Sit-Fit-Seniors and Yoga classes will be enhanced by modern conveniences that will also be useful for new programs, such as line dancing classes, Meditation & Reiki sessions, tumble classes, chair yoga, Mommy-and-Me classes and additional fitness programs.
Mrs. Custer added that there will be an “Arts Room” that will be used for art classes, summer camps, after school crafts and other purposes; and there will also be a “Quiet Room” that will offer sensory items for children with special needs as well as shelves filled with books, reading hours, and tables that can be used during a “Homework Helper” program and when people want to assemble jigsaw puzzles, play cards and participate in other activities that are best-enjoyed in a quiet space. Moreover, the Community Center will be used as a rain location for Sea Isle’s annual Memorial Day ceremony and other community events that take place at Veterans Park, as well as the Recreation Office’s Summer Youth Basketball League and Adult Basketball Tournaments, and other outdoor events that cannot take place during inclement weather.
Following Mrs. Custer’s presentation, City Council approved each of the resolutions on the August 12 Consent Agenda, which included…
• Resolutions 144 through 148, which were standard financial resolutions that included the approval of vouchers, refunding over-payments and other “housekeeping” procedures.
• Resolution 149, which authorized the award of a contract in the amount of $880,892 to Fred M. Schiavone Construction, of Malaga Hill, NJ, for the installation of underground pipes as part of Phase One of a Flood Water Pumping System that will help alleviate flooding between Park Road and Landis Avenue, from 43rd to 47th Street.
• Resolution 150, which authorized the purchase of a Chevrolet Silverado truck for the Department of Public Works, at a cost of $64,527, from Pelligrino Chevrolet, of Westville, NJ, through a Local Co-Op Contract. The purchase of this vehicle, which will replace an older vehicle that has reached the end of its useful life, is in-line with Sea Isle City’s Capital Plan and is part of our Fleet Maintenance Program.
• Resolution 151, which authorized the purchase of security cameras for the new Community Center at a cost of $118,000 (plus a monthly service fee) from Everon, of Wichita, KS, through a National Co-Op Contract.
• Resolution 152, which authorized an Extension of a Memorandum of Understanding between the City and the Sea Isle City Volunteer Fire Department for a term of five years (through December 31, 2030). This will allow a crew of firefighters to be on-duty 24-hours a day / 7-days a week, thus ensuring public safety.
During the “Citizen Comment” portion of the August 12 meeting, City Council received input from the public regarding numerous topics, including the need for every home to have its street numbers clearly visible, how people can report the outage of street lights (by phoning Sea Isle’s Department of Public Works or by visiting Atlantic City Electric’s website), concerns over speeding motorists, and worries about bicycle safety.
Regarding the latter two topics, City Council reminds all motorists to be mindful of the varying speed limits throughout Sea Isle City – and to please be on the lookout for pedestrians and bicyclists. Additionally, we remind all bicyclists that they must follow all motor vehicle laws (stop at stop signs, yield to pedestrians, etc.). For more information about bicycle safety, please read the special section in this week’s E-Newsletter that is devoted to this important issue.
Also during the “Citizen Comment” portion of the meeting, a passionate discussion took place regarding the programs that will be offered at the future Community Center, at which time several citizens made suggestions and expressed their feelings. City Council and the city’s Administration welcome all comments about the city-sponsored events and activities that are offered in our town – as well as any other topic related to Sea Isle City – and we thank everyone for their input.
The next City Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, August 26, 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
