With each passing week, there are more people in town enjoying Sea Isle’s beautiful spring weather—and there are also more events and activities taking place that serve as reminders why Sea Isle is a "City for All Seasons." One event we look forward to each May is our Community Day celebration, which took place this past weekend at our new Community Center on Central Avenue. We had a great turnout, and it was a pleasure to see so many families meeting with our city departments and civic organizations.

A cornerstone of the celebration is our awards ceremony, where we recognize those who make our town so special. It was my honor to introduce the winners of this year’s Beach Tag Art Contest. These talented youngsters provided the wonderful designs that will grace our 2026 beach tags: Sonita Bonita, Genevieve Conte, Michael Marchio, and Owen Thomas Kates.

We also honored several neighbors with the "Do the Right Thing" awards for their selfless service. This year’s recipients—Rachel Grace, Alex Iannone, Jim McGowan, Maggie Sgalio, Ron Taylor, Kathy Custer, and the Romano Family (Michael, Luca, Stella, and Dominic)—set an example for us all through their kindness and dedication to Sea Isle.

In addition to these honors:

VFW Post 1963 received 1st Bank of Sea Isle City’s 2025 Community Partnership Award, which included a generous $2,000 donation to support our veterans.

Fran Dolan of the Overbrook Bicycle Association presented an award to the Sea Isle Police Department, thanking them for their years of assistance.

The Sea Isle City Chamber of Commerce awarded $500 scholarships to seven outstanding students: Clare Capone, Antonella DiAntonio, Ava Ryan, Peyton Laricks, Jordyn Wootton, Marissa Jones, and Will Kutschera.

I presented a check to the city from the county for $12,500, for funding to assist the city in events for the summer celebrating America’s 250th anniversary. This funding will help to pay for drone shows planned for June 30 and July 7.

My sincere thanks go to every citizen, volunteer, and city employee who made Community Day a success.

This past weekend we also had the pleasure of welcoming the Law Enforcement United and Police Unity Bike Tours as they traveled through town on their way to Washington, D.C. to honor fallen officers. My thanks go to all the officers and volunteers from across the Garden State who participated in these events, which raise funds and awareness for causes that support police officers and their families.

This coming weekend, from Friday through Sunday, the Garden Club will hold their annual flower sale in the garage underneath the Community Center. It’s a great chance to grab some beautiful plants while supporting the club's charitable efforts.

I want to invite everyone to our Memorial Day ceremony on May 25, at 10 a.m. at Veterans Park, to remember and honor our members of the military who gave their lives in service to their country. The rain date for the ceremony is in the Community Center.

Regarding city projects, I want to assure residents that we have heard your concerns about the 46th Street pumping station. We are currently working with our engineers on a redesign to pipe the discharge to the intracoastal waterway, ensuring we protect our neighborhoods from flooding and address the concerns of property owners.

As we prepare for Memorial Day, please be aware that beach replenishment is set to begin around June 1st. Managed by the Army Corps of Engineers, the project will place about 480,000 cubic yards of sand between 29th and 55th Streets. The pipeline for the beach-fill is planned to come ashore around 44th Street. The current plan is to pump the sand from 44th to 55th Street, then from 44th to 29th Street. No more than 1,000 feet of beach will be closed at any time as the project moves along. The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of June. Please be aware that these projects are very dependent on sea conditions, which could impact the schedule.

As the contractor prepares for the project, we can expect to see delivery of equipment to our beach prior to Memorial Day weekend. From Wednesday, May 20 to noon on Friday, May 22, there will be no parking on 56th and 57th Streets between Landis and Pleasure and no parking on the east side of the 5600 block of Pleasure. This will allow the delivery trucks to safely access the beach. There will be no restrictions on parking on these streets from noon on Friday, May 22, through Memorial Day weekend. The same parking restrictions will go back into place from May 26 through May 29 to complete delivery of pipeline for the beach-fill project.

While we realize summer work is an inconvenience, this is critical for our coastal protection; and I want to remind everyone that we must take these projects as they become available, as there are only a handful of companies in the country able to perform this work. In addition, we receive 87.5 percent of funding from a combination of federal and state funding, so this is absolutely a good deal for our local taxpayers. We will keep everyone updated on the status of the project through our e-alerts, e-newsletters, on our website, and through social media.

This week’s shout-out goes to the Public Works Department and especially the employees at the trash and recycling drop-off area adjacent to the Sea Isle bridge, who are always pleasant and courteous. The “depot” is a great service that the city offers, especially for weekends and for those that can’t place their trash and recycling out on the assigned pick-up day. Thank you, Public Works!

Smile…You’re in Sea Isle!

Mayor Leonard C. Desiderio