Labor Day weekend is upon us, and I want to thank all our residents and visitors for a great summer season. We had an outstanding first summer at our Community Center, where we’ve registered thousands of people for membership at the facility. We’ve seen tremendous use of the building, with members and guests taking full advantage of the gymnasium, walking track, and fitness area, along with all the programs and activities offered at the Community Center.
Our beaches are in excellent shape following the replenishment project completed earlier in the summer. I want to again thank everyone for their patience and understanding as we accomplished this project that helps to ensure the long-term viability of our most precious natural resource.
This weekend we will have our final Concert under the Stars at Excursion Park, featuring the Taylor Swift tribute band, Fearless. This is sure to be a show that will delight all the “Swifties,” as well as anyone who enjoys a high energy, fun experience with great music and wonderful atmosphere.
Next Friday, September 11, at 9:00 a.m., the city will hold our annual Patriot Day ceremony at Veterans Park. This is the 25th anniversary of that terrible day, and we’ll gather to remember and honor those who lost their lives on that fateful day.
With the summer season coming to a close, several public improvement projects will soon be resuming, including the following:
*Paving Central Avenue from JFK Boulevard to 56th Street.
*Paving Pleasure Avenue from 79th to 85th Street.
*Promenade construction, including new handicapped accessible ramps and decorative lighting.
*Construction of a handicapped accessible dune walkover and viewing platform at the north end of the island.
*Construction of new breakwaters and docks at the municipal boat ramp at the city’s marina.
As we head into the fall season, in addition to the capital projects we’ll be undertaking, city staff will be working on preparing plans for future projects as we develop the next five-year capital plan for presentation to city council and the public. This is an important process to review citywide priorities, assess progress to date, and re-establish priorities for the coming years.
Also this fall, we’ll start to put together our budget for 2027. Sound financial management is one of the pillars of good government, and I want to let everyone know that we are in excellent financial shape. Of course, we won’t know our final figures until the end of the year, but current tracking of revenues and expenditures points to a solid position for establishing next year’s budget. Last year we were able to adopt a budget with a very modest increase of less than one cent on the tax rate - 3/4 of a cent to be exact. I’m hopeful that we’ll do better in 2027.
I have two shout outs for this week’s newsletter. The first shout out goes to the men and women of the city’s Public Works and Community Services departments. I want to thank all of them for keeping the city clean and well maintained, running all our programs and activities with enthusiasm and professionalism, and for being outstanding ambassadors for Sea Isle City.
The next shout out goes to Braca Café and Henri’s Bar on their 125th Anniversary. Bracas has been a longstanding establishment of fine cuisine in Sea Isle, and I want to send congratulations to Kim Gibson and the entire crew for their outstanding run!
Smile…You’re in Sea Isle!
Mayor Leonard C. Desiderio
At the August 25 council meeting, Mayor Desiderio reported on the issue regarding the navigability of Townsends Inlet. The administration has communicated with the State and the Army Corps of Engineers, and both agencies are reviewing this matter. A future solution could involve a joint effort between the federal, state, and local governments; and the administration will keep us updated with the ongoing review.
The mayor also announced that the 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 they’ve 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.
The mayor also appointed Lewis D’Agostino as honorary mayor of the day. Lewis is a 13 year-old who the mayor met during the Antique Auto Show during Skimmer weekend, when he was with his father and grandfather displaying a 1947 Empire tractor. The mayor was so impressed with Lewis that he told him he wanted to make him mayor for the day. Lewis gave a nice speech at the council meeting, praising the city and thanking the mayor for keeping his promise to make him mayor for the day!
Council President Jargowsky reported that the city continues to investigate the placement of shade structures for city playgrounds and is working with a playground company to obtain information and pricing on this.
Each of the resolutions on the consent agenda were approved, including…
• Resolution 120, which authorized the approval of vouchers.
• Resolution 121, which authorized the award of a recreation contract for soccer and volleyball programs.
• Resolution 122, which authorized a property tax refund for a disabled veteran.
• Resolution 123, which authorized the termination of an easement over private property (for a stormwater pipe which will now be placed within the city right of way). There is no cost to the city for this.
• Resolution 124, which canceled taxes on property in the wetlands donated to the city.
• Resolution 125, which authorized the refund of a vendor registration fee for Fall Family Festival.
• Resolution 126, which authorized the release of a performance guarantee for a private property project.
During the “Citizen Comment” portion of the meeting, concerns were raised about painting of the pavilion on the promenade and painting of the water tower at 40th Street and Central Avenue. In addition, the city was asked to address dogs on the beach in Townsends Inlet and overnight parking at the Townsends Inlet parking lot.
Our next City Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, September 8, 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
