As I mentioned in my report to City Council earlier this week, Congressman Jeff VanDrew has helped secure $99 million that will be used to add sand to New Jersey’s shoreline – and we are very grateful for his efforts. This unexpected, good news will result in Sea Isle City’s beaches being enriched from approximately 29th to 53rd Street, with at least 300,000 cubic yards of sand coming our way. On April 10, this important beach replenishment project went out to bid, and we anticipate the Army Corps of Engineers will award the contract shortly after April 24. Following award of the project, we’ll know more on the timing, but we could see this project start as soon as this June.
As we know from past beach replenishment efforts, individual towns are not able to control the timing of these herculean improvement projects, and because only a handful of companies are capable of completing beach replenishments on this scale, we must take the opportunity to receive new sand whenever it presents itself. In addition to giving us more room for recreation activities, large healthy beaches also help protect our community during serious storms and extreme high-tides; therefore, we greatly appreciate everyone’s cooperation and patience as we undertake this latest beach fill endeavor. Additional details about this important project will be shared as new information is made available to us – so please keep reading this E-newsletter and the various reminders and alerts you receive from our E-News System whenever they arrive in your email inbox, because keeping you informed is very important to us!
In other news, I am happy to report that our new Community Center continues to be very well received, and it is such a joy to see so many people (young and not-so-young alike) happily walking through the facility’s front doors every day of the week. We have received a great deal of positive feedback from property owners, who have told us that the Community Center is a wonderful asset for Sea Isle City – and I could not agree with them more! I hope everyone will take full advantage of the events, activities and programs are being offered inside our new Community Center, and that it gives you one more reason to be proud of Sea Isle City!
And speaking of the Community Center, I would like to thank everyone who took the time to speak with me inside the building’s lobby, where for the past two Saturday mornings I have hosted very productive “Chat with Mayor Desdierio” sessions with the public. I very much appreciated everyone’s candor and honesty during those gatherings, and I look forward to hosting our next “Chat” session on April 25 from 10:00 AM to 12 noon in the Community Center.
As you are probably aware, earlier this year we initiated a Hometown Heroes Banner Program, which allows people to purchase custom-made banners that honor individual veterans and active-duty military members. We are extremely happy with the wonderful response this new program has received, and I am very happy to announce that 128 applications were submitted for banners that will soon be displayed along JFK Boulevard and elsewhere in our downtown area, featuring photos and the names of men and women who have served our nation with honor. I greatly look forward to seeing the banners when they are hung later this year – and I hope this program serves as another reminder of something I have said many times in the past: “Here in Sea Isle City, we don’t simply honor our veterans on Veteran’s Day, we honor them every day of the year.”
I want to thank my assistant, Pattiann Ponichtera, for helping me launch the Hometown Heroes Banner Program – and for being such a wonderful ambassador for Sea Isle City in general! Thank you, Pattiann!
Obviously, now that spring has arrived, we are going to see more and more events taking place as the weather warms up – and this weekend will be no exception. Starting tomorrow and running through this coming weekend, the members of the Chamber of Commerce will host their yearly Spring Girls Weekend at participating businesses throughout Sea Isle City – and that’s an event every lady (and gentleman too) won’t want to miss! After enjoying the many discounts and special deals that will be offered during Girls Weekend, I hope you can also attend Sea Isle’s annual Arbor Day Celebration inside our new Community Center on Saturday, April 25. Then, next month there will be a long-awaited reunion for all past students and teachers from Saint Joseph Elementary School on May 2, a “Once Upon a Restaurant” fundraiser hosted by Sea Isle City’s Historical Society on May 3, and our annual Community Day on Saturday, May 9, which will feature free document shredding, a municipal bicycle auction, a meet and greet session with local civic organizations, and much more!
For additional information about these and the many other events that are coming your way in the weeks and months ahead, please go to the “Event Calendar” page at www.VisitSICNJ.com.
Smile…You’re in Sea Isle!
Mayor Leonard C. Desiderio
During the April 14 City Council meeting, Ordinance 1737 was Introduced with First Reading. This ordinance establishes parking regulations at various locations around Sea Isle City (including the Community Center, the Dog Park and along 4th Street) and will have Second Reading and Public Hearing (and possible adoption) during the City Council meeting on Saturday, May 9 (which is also “Community Day”).
After Ordinance 1737 was Introduced, Ordinances 1733 and 1734 were Adopted following their Second Reading and Public Hearing…
• Ordinance 1733, which is a routine annual ordinance written in conjunction with Sea Isle City’s Municipal Budget, allowed the city to create a “Cap Bank” (or preserve) for future use, thus allowing the city to more effectively manage our budgets over several years.
• Ordinance 1734 established fees for Open Public Record Act requests that involve the processing and redacting of police body camera footage and other police videos, due to the labor-intensive nature of that process.
Also on April 14, City Council adopted Sea Isle City’s Local Municipal Budget via Resolution 019A, following its Second Reading and Public Hearing. Now that the 2026 Budget has been adopted, municipal employees can utilize those funds to make purchases and provide the many services that our community needs. The members of City Council would like to commend the administration for presenting a sound, smart, stable budget that will continue to provide our community with outstanding services while also being fiscally responsible.
Each of the resolutions on the April 14 Consent Agenda was approved, including…
• Resolution 043, which authorized the city to enter into an Agreement with Cape May County to use our new Community Center as a “Reunification Facility” in the event of a qualifying incident occurring at a local school that would require parents to be reunited with their children off-site in a safe, controlled environment.
• Resolution 044, which authorized a Local Unit Budget Examination, which allows Sea Isle City to conduct a bi-annual self-examination, as per State law.
• Resolution 046, which authorized the purchase (through a State Contract) of a Chevrolet Tahoe for the Sea Isle City Police Department in the amount of $76,870, from Gentilini Chevrolet, in Woodbine, NJ.
• Resolution 047, which authorized the use of Tennis Fee Trust Funds in the amount of $10,800, for the annual reconditioning of the city’s clay (“Har-Tru”) tennis courts at Dealy Field, by Welch Tennis Courts, of Sun City, Florida.
• Resolution 048, which authorized the award of a contract in the amount of $1,150,184 with Lexa Concrete, LLC, of Hammonton, NJ, for the reconstruction and repaving of Central Avenue from JFK Boulevard to 56th Street. A portion of the funding to pay for this project will come from the NJDOT’s Municipal Aid Program. Work is expected to begin on this project in the autumn of 2026.
During the “Pending Business” portion of the April 14 meeting, Council President Tighe announced that City Council’s first meeting to be live streamed (and video-recorded) will be on April 28 at 10:00 AM. The company installing the audio-visual equipment for this process will be making final adjustments to the system on Friday, and additional information about how the public can livestream City Council meetings via YouTube will be announced soon (and also posted on the City Council page of our municipal website, www.seaislecitynj.us).
Also during the Pending Business portion of the April 14 meeting, Ms. Tighe asked the Business Administrator for the status of our dune paths and the installation of beach pathway mats (aka “Mobi Mats”); at which time Mr. Savastano explained that the city has obtained additional mats that will be in place this summer, and city workers will be clearing beach paths prior to Memorial Day weekend.
During the “Citizen Comment” portion of the April 14 meeting, a resident stepped to the microphone to show gratitude to the city for numerous reasons, including the city supporting an annual Autism fundraiser, adding beach pathway mats that help the elderly and those with disabilities gain access to our beaches, constructing Sea Isle City’s new Community Center, supporting the local business community, maintaining healthy beaches, and for hiring hard-working municipal employees.
During our next City Council meeting, which will take place on Tuesday, April 28, at 10:00 AM on the third floor of City Hall, Municipal Engineer Andrew Previti will outline the proposed 46th Street Flood Water Pump Station.
Best regards from the members of City Council,
Council President Mary Tighe
Ian Ciseck
Frank Edwardi
Michael Jargowski
William Kehner
