We’re less than two weeks from Labor Day weekend, and some of our seasonal employees, including lifeguards, are heading back to school. Please be aware that we will have a reduced number of guarded beach locations moving forward.
Issues have been raised at previous council meetings regarding the navigability of Townsends Inlet, and I want to let everyone know that we’ve been in touch with the State and the Army Corps of Engineers. While the inlet is not a designated federal navigation channel, both agencies have this matter on their radar and are looking at ways to ensure navigational safety. A future solution may involve a joint effort between the federal, state, and local governments. Moving forward, the State and Army Corps will keep us informed of their ongoing review.
We’ve also looked into accessibility concerns at the marina raised during a prior meeting. We’ll be meeting directly with one of the residents who expressed concerns to ensure we can accommodate his specific requests. Beyond this, the city has taken great strides to ensure accessibility throughout our community. We’ve enhanced accessibility to our beach and promenade, and as I’ve previously mentioned, we’ll be doing even more this fall when we build additional ramps to the promenade. This winter, we will also construct an accessible ramp and observation platform at the north end of the city.
We will always consider accessibility at all of our public facilities a high priority for this government.
I want to share an item I reported in last week’s newsletter regarding Sea Isle’s VFW Auxiliary 1963. They have received two prestigious awards from the VFW Auxiliary National Headquarters. Sea Isle’s Auxiliary received the National Americanism Award for the most outstanding activity displaying and educating others about respect for the American flag. In addition, the Auxiliary received the Americanism Hospital Award for their Christmas Caravan to the Veterans Memorial Home in Vineland, recognized as the most creative and unique activity to interact with and bring joy to hospitalized veterans. As we all know, Post 1963’s VFW Auxiliary has a great tradition of helping to improve the lives of veterans, service members, and their families. As we also know, Post 1963’s Auxiliary is the largest and most active in the state of New Jersey. Thank you, VFW Auxiliary 1963!
I’m proud to announce that our police department has received formal certification of their accreditation by the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police.
The department was initially accredited in 2014 and this is the 5th time the department has achieved accredited status. Accreditation recognizes that the police department meets the best practices in police operations, including 128 written standards covering officer safety, equipment requirements, operational guidelines, accountability, and community engagement; and it places our department in the top tier of New Jersey law enforcement agencies. The police department is to be commended and congratulated for this outstanding accomplishment.
The city will hold our annual Patriot Day Ceremony on Friday, September 11th, at 9:00 a.m. This year’s ceremony will mark the 25th anniversary of that fateful day on September 11, 2001.
We’ll gather to honor and remember all those who lost their lives, as well as the brave first responders who selflessly put their lives in danger to rescue and recover those affected by this tragic event.
After today’s meeting, I’ll hang a Hometown Hero banner in front of City Hall honoring fallen officer Mickey Cullinane’s military service. Tomorrow is the 34th anniversary of that tragic day in 1992 when Officer Cullinane lost his life in the line of duty, helping to save others.
Finally, I’m pleased to announce that I am appointing Lewis D’Agostino as honorary mayor of the day. As I conclude this morning’s report, I’m going to ask him to come forward so we can make this official!
As always, please remember we are one Sea Isle City, and together we’ll be stronger than ever.
Smile…You’re in Sea Isle!
Mayor Leonard C. Desiderio
At the August 11 council meeting, Mayor Desiderio reported on capital improvement projects that will be moving forward in the fall. These projects include those awarded on the consent agenda noted below, along with paving Central Avenue from JFK to 56th Street; and promenade improvements which include new ADA ramps at 32nd, 40th, and 47th Streets. The city will also be adding decorative lighting in the north and south sections of the promenade to match what has already been installed from 35th to 44th Street.
The mayor also honored two of the members of the Shooting Stars basketball program, Michael Royds and Ryan Vail, by appointing them as honorary mayors of the day. The council joins the mayor in congratulating Michael and Ryan!
Following the mayor’s report, city council introduced Anthony Golowski, the attorney previously retained by the city as special counsel to provide assistance and guidance on Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) issues, after which Mr. Golowski gave a brief presentation on his background and experience.
Each of the resolutions on the consent agenda were approved, including…
• Resolution 114, which authorized the approval of vouchers.
• Resolution 115, which authorized the award of a construction contract for paving of Pleasure Avenue from 79th to 85th Street.
• Resolution 116, which authorized the appointment of a part-time deputy tax collector.
• Resolution 117, which authorized various transfers of overpayments.
• Resolution 118, which amended the budget to accept additional funds for a grant program to support traffic enforcement.
• Resolution 119, which authorized the award of a construction contract for the installation of water distribution systems on 59th Street (Landis to Central) and 53rd Street (Central to the bay end).
During the “Citizen Comment” portion of the meeting, several citizens stepped to the microphone to comment on various topics, including the following:
-Requesting improvements to the restrooms on the promenade at 40th Street.
-The safety of the city’s water system (the administration noted that the system is safe).
-Thanking the city for improvements to the city property at 80th Street and requesting ongoing maintenance at that location.
-Recent liquor license laws passed by the state.
-Issues with the driveway at a 76th Street property.
-Thanking the city for their efforts to resolve the 46th Street pumping station outfall issue.
Our next City Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, August 25, 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
