Mary Jane Malandrucco saw
the ocean view; her husband, Greg, saw a
great deal of work.
By Jen A.
Miller for The Inquirer
Ask Sam Malandrucco, 3,
what he likes to do at the Shore, and he
shrugs.
"I dunno,"
he says and goes back to pushing a toy
bus full of animals across the hardwood
floor of his family's North Wildwood
condo.
Mary Jane Malandrucco
insists that is not so, and as his
mother talks about playing in the ocean,
digging in the sand, and riding bikes,
Sam gives a wide smile, then tumbles
playfully across the floor.
Sam was still a baby
in 2007 when Malandrucco came back from
a girls' weekend at the Shore that
included making a bid on a condo -
without telling her husband, Greg.
"Instead of trying to
talk him into things, it works better if
he tries to talk me out of it," said
Mary Jane Malandrucco, 47, a sales rep
for Element K, an e-learning company.
Greg Malandrucco could
have made a good case against buying
this condo. The two-bedroom, two-bath
unit, built in the early 1980s, was in
poor shape.
"I was apprehensive,
to say the least," said Greg Malandrucco,
49, an IT manager for the Tredyffrin/Easttown
School District in Chester County. "All
I could see was work, and all Mary Jane
could see was the beach."
Ocean views helped
sell him on the place. So did the
garage, which he would use for staging
his renovation work - taking out and
replacing everything except the smoke
detector and the carbon monoxide alarm
on the way to creating a cozy vacation
home.
The couple, whose
primary home is in West Chester, bonded
over a renovation project when they met
22 years ago. Mary Jane Malandrucco
tried to repaint the kitchen of her Mays
Landing condo soon after she met her
future husband. It did not exactly turn
out as planned, so Greg Malandrucco
offered to redo it.
"That bad paint job
led to a new kitchen," she said.
Together, the couple,
who married in 2000, have bought, fixed
up, and eventually sold homes in
Chesterbrook and Sicklerville. Greg
Malandrucco, who learned about repairs
while working at his father's deli, did
most of the home improvements himself,
building on those skills (and buying
tools, he says) with every project.
Both liked the Shore.
Mary Jane Malandrucco, who grew up in
Pottstown, worked in Stone Harbor during
summers as a college student; Greg
Malandrucco, who grew up in West
Philadelphia and Havertown, spent two
weeks in Wildwood with his family every
year.
"I always thought that
I'd eventually buy something at the
Shore," Mary Jane Malandrucco said.
So she kept her eyes
open. Still, she acknowledged, when she
saw the listing for the North Wildwood
condo in the newspaper, "the pictures
were so awful."
The condo had not been
updated since the building was
constructed in the 1980s. It still had
wood paneling, shag carpet, and dated
wallpaper in the kitchen.
"But the ocean view
kept me looking," Mary Jane Malandrucco
said - you can see the sea from the
living room, kitchen, and bedrooms. She
toured the place on that weekend away
with her friends and put in the offer.
The couple bought the
place and, swayed by Mary Jane
Malandrucco's vision, Greg Malandrucco
went to work, taking on projects at the
condo between the freelance jobs he was
doing then.
He started in the
kitchen, taking everything down to the
studs. He kept the basic floor plan, but
changed the cabinet layout a bit and
substituted an island for the
wrought-iron railing that separated the
kitchen from the sunken living room.
They put seating on
both sides - regular chairs in the
kitchen, bar stools in the living room -
so the island could be used for dining,
which freed up space.
Then Greg Malandrucco
ripped up all the rugs - no small feat
considering that the previous owner
carpeted just about everything,
including the bathrooms and on top of
the half-inch molding in every room of
the house.
The Malandruccos
replaced the floors with hardwood,
except for tile in the kitchen and
bathrooms. They added white wainscoting
to the bathrooms, too, and a walk-in
shower to the master bath.
A fireplace in the
living room was covered with faux-brick
wallpaper. Greg Malandrucco redid the
tile, hearth, and mantel.
Out went floral
wallpaper and wood paneling. In came
drywall, so the walls could be repainted
in cool, beachy blues and greens. Greg
Malandrucco also added white trim and
molding throughout the house and wired
the ceilings for surround-sound speakers
and a fan in the living room.
The laundry area was
reconfigured for a full-size stacked
washer and dryer.
Sam's bedroom has
special bunk beds - a twin on top and a
full-size bed on the bottom - for guests
and sleepovers.
"This is my big-boy
bed," he said, proudly jumping on the
bottom bunk. His playpen now holds his
toys.
Mary Jane Malandrucco
confesses that her husband is the one
with the handyman skills. She just picks
out the properties and envisions what a
space could be.
"Greg and I have
always been able to see . . .
potential," she said.
There were
complications, naturally, like the water
damage they found around the living
room's sliding glass door. The
refrigerator caught fire, so they lived
out of a cooler until a new one arrived,
sooner than expected.
Not that their son
minded.
"Sam liked playing in
the refrigerator box," Mary Jane
Malandrucco said.
Shore Thing: The
Jersey Coast
offers
summertime
values
Want more proof
the Hamptons may
be passe? While
Long Island
summer share and
house rentals
continue to drop
in cost, rental
prices on the
Jersey Shore
this year
haven’t
decreased. But
that doesn’t
mean the Jersey
coastline is
immune from the
economic crisis,
or that good
deals can’t be
found.
“We have fewer
people renting
for the full
season and more
weekly rentals,”
says
Mary Holder,
broker/owner of
Better Homes and
Gardens
Real Estate Mary
Holder. “Tenants
are splitting
their vacation
time midwinter
and are coming
down to the
shore for less
time.”
Holder’s agency,
which serves
Monmouth and
Ocean counties,
has experienced
a decline of
Wall Street
tenants and a
lower inventory
since homeowners
are utilizing
their own summer
properties. Not
surprisingly,
some homeowners
are attempting
to sell their
second homes.
Despite the
times, the
summer rental
market along the
Jersey Shore
remains active
since each town
caters to
different
lifestyles. If
you’re looking
for a deal this
summer, try
these towns.
The Wildwoods
Free beaches and
amusement parks
keep Wildwood
popular among
the
MTV
generation.
Spanning two
miles and 38
blocks, the
town’s
old-fashioned
boardwalk
features a wide
range of arcade
and
carnival-style
games, water
parks,
world-class
roller coasters,
souvenir shops
and eateries.
Although this
town is very
family-oriented,
it also boasts a
great nightlife
for singles and
couples with
trendy
nightclubs like
the Stardust
Club and Echo’s
and Irish pubs
like the
Shamrock Cafe
and Westy’s
Irish Pub.
There is a large
selection of
rental
properties which
can be viewed at
www.WildwoodRents.com
.
Local Cops Hit the
Jackpot!
By Ted Greenberg
NBCPhiladelphia.com
updated
1:18
p.m. ET,
Tues., April 21, 2009
They didn’t become mega-millionaires. But at the
Wildwood Crest Police Department, nobody is
complaining about the quarter-million dollars
that suddenly rolled in.
“Took me a few good hours to believe what was
being told to me,” said Detective Ed Gorski, one
of 14 members of the force who each threw in $5
for tickets in the February 27 Mega Millions
drawing. The jackpot that night was worth $171
million.
The group had all the winning numbers except the
Mega Ball, which delivered them a $250,000
prize. That equals about $13,000 each, after
taxes.
“I was surprised. I certainly never thought I
would be part of any winnings of the lottery,”
Patrolman Robert Lloyd told NBC10 News Friday.
One of the department’s sergeants bought the
ticket at the Crest Tavern in nearby Lower
Township, but nobody realized it was worth so
much until weeks later, when the bar put up a
sign advertising that it had sold a winning
ticket.
“(The sergeant) told us on April 1st so I
thought it was an April fools joke, but it
turned out it was true,” Lloyd recalled.
So what are they going to do with the cash?
“Pay off some bills, put some away. I’m getting
married next month, so that’ll help out,” Lloyd
said.
County says no
sale to offer from Avalon condo group to buy land
By BRIAN IANIERI Staff Writer, (609) 463-6713
Published: Thursday, November
16, 2006
AVALON — Cape
May County freeholders on Tuesday night rejected a $61,000 bid
by the Windward Harbor Condominium Association to purchase
county property for additional parking.
The county's asking price was $1.1 million.
There were no other bidders at the Oct. 27
auction because the land — located on the county right of way
off Ocean Drive and capable of adding 17 parking spots — cannot
be built on.
Windward Harbor on Ocean Drive and Seventh
Street burned down in a December 2003 fire.
The 45-unit complex has since been rebuilt.
However, when the Avalon Zoning/Planning Board approved its
plans in 2005, it asked the association to look for more parking
spaces.
The association was
not required to find them.
County Administrator Stephen O'Connor said the
county's appraiser Metro of Marmora appraised the
4,535–square-foot land at $1.1 million.
Its value included the additional units that
could be created by the additional parking, he said.
Because zoning requirements changed since it
was built in 1970, Windward Harbor required more parking spots
when it was rebuilt 35 years later.
Board Chairman Neil Hensel said the county's
appraisal number seemed especially high for an unbuildable piece
of property, and he would not expect the condominium to purchase
that property at that price.
“We asked them (Windward Harbor) to pursue it
to the best of their ability,” Hensel said. “They've done their
job of trying.”
The condominium complex, located on a 71,900
square-foot parcel of land, sits off the bay in Avalon's
northern end.
The condo association had previously and
unsuccessfully sought room for additional parking from nearby
property owners.
“Even with county land, Windward Harbor will
rely on ... on-street parking,” according to the Planning/Zoning
Board's approval, dated February of 2005.
The condominium association is represented by
attorney Michael Fusco.
A woman answering the phone at his Ocean City
office Wednesday said Fusco does not speak to reporters.
Anthony Taormina, president of Windward
Harbor's board of directors, could not be reached Wednesday.
On Dec. 3, 2003, a fast-moving fire struck
Windward Harbor.
It took 125 firefighters from 10 fire
companies almost five hours to contain the blaze. The fire was
so hot it melted parts of nearby fire trucks and houses.
There were no injuries, but the fire destroyed
seven of eight buildings that comprise the complex.
The eighth building was demolished in May 2005
to make room for the new construction.
“This is one of those disasters that happens
to a town once in a lifetime,” Hensel said.
A group sued to halt
construction of Utz potato chip magnate Michael
Rice's mansion in the dunes. Rice is suing
Avalon
By Jacqueline L. Urgo Inquirer Staff Writer
AVALON, N.J.
- A group of
property owners trying to preserve a coastal
anomaly known as the Avalon High Dunes has sued
a Pennsylvania potato chip magnate, the borough
and New Jersey's Department of Environmental
Protection in its latest effort to halt
construction of the chip king's
14,000-square-foot beach mansion.
At the same time, Utz Quality
Foods president Michael Rice has sued Avalon for
denying his application to add one more
luxurious amenity to his Dune Drive property - a
large swimming pool.
The lawsuits are the latest
salvos in a saga that has pitted hundreds of
local and summer residents against Rice, and his
wife, Jane. Jane Rice is marketing vice
president of the Hanover, Pa., snack-maker.
Placard-toting demonstrators,
printed flyers and outbursts at municipal
meetings denouncing the mansion have punctuated
life in the tony beach town for months. The
mansion is being built on more than an acre of
the Avalon High Dunes - a two-mile stretch of
mostly undeveloped sandy grasslands and maritime
forests that is one of the few such natural
areas left on the East Coast.
The Rices already own one of
the largest beach houses in Avalon, a
7,000-square-foot home assessed at $8.75
million, located a few blocks from the new
mansion.
Rice's attorney, Richard
Hluchan of Voorhees, said this week that the
Rices would use the opulent new mansion as a
summer residence. Construction began last
spring.
"People can oppose whatever
they want and say whatever they want about the
property, but Mr. Rice has lawful approvals and
permits from the DEP and from the borough to
continue the construction of his home," Hluchan
said. "And he will."
Hluchan said Rice's lawsuit is
based on approval the snack king received in
2001 from the DEP to replace a 1,429-square-foot
dwelling on the property with a single-family
home, swimming pool and cabana.
When completed, Rice's mansion
will be six times the size of the average U.S.
home and will include 40 rooms, 15 bathrooms,
and maids' quarters.
The mansion under construction
is a scaled-down version of the
20,000-square-foot home the couple originally
wanted to build on the 1.2-acre dune-top
property they purchased in 2000 for $3.5
million.
In 2001, the couple reached a
legal settlement with the DEP allowing them to
build a 14,000-square-foot home on the site.
The mega-size mansion has
sparked a trend in Avalon, where the median
price of a home is more than $1 million. In the
last several months, the borough has fielded
applications and queries about construction of
other huge homes and restaurants in the dunes
and in other areas of the barrier island
community.
That has prompted a group of
more than 150 property owners called Save Avalon
Dunes to kick into high gear.
This summer, members of the
group held several demonstrations outside the
Rice mansion construction site. The group also
tried unsuccessfully to get the borough and the
DEP to impose stronger regulations against
development in the high dunes area.
But by the end of the summer,
SAD founder Elaine Scattergood said the group,
now incorporated as a nonprofit, felt it needed
to take legal action.
"We don't want to look like
Wildwood, and the borough is basically doing
nothing to prevent this," Scattergood said.
"It's not just this one issue or this one house,
it's a pattern of development that could forever
change the way Avalon is and has been for a very
long time."
The lawsuit seeks to
invalidate the April 2001 agreement between Rice
and the DEP that allows the construction of the
mansion. The suit alleges that the state failed
to properly notify Avalon and the public about
the agreement as "required by governing
regulation" and that the permit was granted
without "rational determination that the
proposed construction will result in 'minimal
practicable degradation' of the High Dunes."
The lawsuit also says the Rice
property is subject to the terms of a 1994 state
aid agreement between the DEP and Avalon that
prohibits the construction of swimming pools,
tennis courts and similar structures in the
dunes. The agreement was a contingency to Avalon
receiving millions in state and federal aid for
a beach replenishment project.
Superior Court Judge Steven
Perskie this week denied a request by the
residents' group to immediately halt
construction until the lawsuits are litigated.
Avalon Borough solicitor
Stephen Barse declined comment on either
lawsuit, as did the DEP.
Contact staff writer Jacqueline L. Urgo
at 609-823-9629 or
By BRIAN IANIERI Staff Writer,
(609) 463-6713 Press of
Atlantic City
Published: Wednesday, July 19,
2006
Updated: Wednesday, July 19,
2006
STONE HARBOR — Borough Council passed a law Tuesday that will
allow BYOB restaurants to start selling Garden State wines later
this summer.
Better known for its blueberries and tomatoes, New Jersey allows
local wineries to sell their product at many eateries to promote
the winegrowing industry.
Borough Council allowed the sales by enlarging its existing
alcohol zone, which excludes most restaurants, to include sales
of New Jersey wines.
Deanna Ebner, who owns Sea Salt on 83rd Street with her husband,
said the ordinance will allow her business to offer another
option to patrons.
They already incorporate locally grown fruits and vegetables in
their menus, so the local vino made sense, she said.
Ebner doesn't know how much it will affect her business, where
people can bring their own wines from far more diverse regions
around the world.
Several other restaurateurs spoke in support of the decision.
But Stone Harbor's wine decision didn't go down very smoothly.
It left a bitter taste in the mouths of some.Martha Conlin, who lives on 84th Street, said there was
no reason to introduce more alcohol sales in the area,
particularly those near residences.
“We've never had it before. I don't see the reason for
having it now,” she said. “We are a family-oriented
town, and I feel that's the way we need to stay.”
Borough Solicitor Michael Donohue said Stone Harbor has
been approached about a half dozen times in the past
four years by restaurants seeking to sell New
Jersey-produced wines with dinner.
But those establishments were outside the downtown
alcohol zone, which centers around 96th Street and 2nd
and 3rd avenues, and requests were denied.
Recently, the borough sent the issue to the Planning
Board, which in June week voted to recommend such sales
anywhere in the business districts, which run for
several blocks along 2nd and 3rd avenues and in two
satellite districts at 83rd and 107th streets.
The law only allows the sale of New Jersey wines and
only at restaurants.
Borough Council voted 5-1 on the ordinance.
Councilman Karl Giulian dissented, stating that wine is
alcohol, no matter how you look at it, and the ordinance
is bringing alcohol to the neighborhoods.
He also feared that the state would expand its New
Jersey winery program to include local breweries or more
intoxicating liquors.
New Jersey — no Napa Valley, Calif., by any stretch —
has more than two dozen wineries, including several in
Cape May County.
According to the Garden State Winegrowers Association,
the state produces more than 1 million gallons a year.
As beach mansions rise, there
are fears about this unique coastline. A house
going up now has 40 rooms. Some ask: "How big is
big enough?"
By Jacqueline L. Urgo Posted on Sun, Jul. 16,
2006 Inquirer Staff Writer
AVALON, N.J.- The high
dunes of Avalon, a mostly undeveloped stretch of
sandy grassland and woods thick with bayberry,
Atlantic white cedar, and pines that soar 50
feet above the beachfront, are unique along the
southern New Jersey shore.
Mostly by luck, Avalon's high
dunes have survived the development that has all
but erased similar strands that once lined the
entire 127-mile coastline.
Until now.
The high dunes of Avalon are
under attack.
It turns out that the same
characteristics that environmentalists and local
officials want to protect - beauty, uniqueness,
and a buffer for the coastline - have attracted
investors to this upscale Cape May County
municipality who want to build dune beach
mansions.
A Pennsylvania potato-chip
magnate is building a 14,000-square-foot beach
house - six times bigger than the average U.S.
home - on Avalon's high dunes. Another landowner
has applied to the borough zoning office to
build a 4,200-square-foot house two blocks away.
Plans for a 10,000-square-foot house in another
area of the dunes were recently withdrawn, but
may be resubmitted later, officials said.
"We have an incredible
national treasure here in our high dunes, and
there doesn't seem to be any mechanism in place
to make sure they remain," said Elaine
Scattergood, who can still remember when many of
the paved streets on the island were dirt roads.
"We've seen big houses here
for a long time, but they are getting bigger and
bigger, really to the detriment of everything
else around them," said Michael Collins, whose
roots in the town date to the 1940s, when his
father was a beach patrol captain here.
"The question becomes, 'How
big is big enough?' Do people really need summer
houses that are this big and use up this much of
a natural resource?"
Scattergood and Collins are
among those who have organized a 100-member
group of locals and summer residents called Save
Avalon Dunes.
The group, Scattergood said,
asks local officials: "How did this happen?"
Why, wondered Scattergood, did
regulations protecting the dunes give way to the
gigantic home being built by Michael Rice,
president of Utz Quality Foods?
Environmentalists say that
without stronger regulations, development could
gobble an additional 10 percent of Avalon's
remaining high dunes - the last ones in New
Jersey - over the next decade. Unlike most
coastal dunes, high dunes rise steeply to a
height of 30 to 50 feet above sea level.
Local officials are so
concerned by the citizens' questions that they
have hired a public relations firm to answer
criticism, said Neil Hensel, chairman of
Avalon's planning and zoning boards.
"I don't think there is a
single person on this island who doesn't
understand that these dunes are our lifeline,"
Hensel said. "But people come here, make a big
investment, and want to use that asset. In many
ways, our hands are tied by the regulations that
we have.
"If they don't need a variance
to do what they want to do, then we are often in
a position where we can't say no."
Although large, expensive
beach homes are nothing new in Avalon - the $1
million-plus median home price here is among the
highest at the Shore - the 40-room dune-top
mansion being built by the potato-chip heir is.
Rice runs his family's Utz
snack company in Hanover, Pa., which was started
by his grandparents in 1921. His wife, Jane, is
vice president of marketing.
The couple also own a
7,000-square-foot house on the beach at 38th
Street that has an assessed value of $8.75
million.
Six years ago, the Rices paid
$3.5 million for a 1.2-acre lot in the 5200
block of Dune Drive.
Their first plan was for a
20,000-square-foot home - even bigger than the
one they're now building. The Avalon
Environmental Commission, which oversees the
town's natural resources, rejected that plan,
citing the home's size and effect on dunes and
wildlife.
The Rices appealed the
decision to the state Department of
Environmental Protection, which regulates some
new oceanfront construction. The DEP upheld
Avalon's ruling.
The Rices then appealed to a
state administrative law judge, who strongly
advised the DEP to settle with the couple.
"It's not often we see an
application for a project the size of what the
Rices originally proposed building on the site.
The scope was unbelievable," said Mark Mauriello,
assistant DEP commissioner of land use
management.
Mauriello said the DEP chose
to settle instead of fight because of the costs
of the continued litigation and the risk of
losing. The DEP couldn't argue, as it usually
does in coastal construction litigation, that
the house would be unsafe, because the high
dunes protect it from the tide line, Mauriello
said.
The Rices asserted their
property rights, arguing that they have a right
to build on their land.
In 2001, the DEP and the Rices
compromised. The couple could build a
14,000-square-foot house on a 9,000-square-foot
piece of land. They also would file deed
restrictions on the rest of their property that
forever prevent further construction.
Mauriello said the settlement
wasn't "everything we could have hoped for" and
involves destroying some dunes on the Rices'
property. He said the compromise is "very big"
in preserving the rest of the property.
Neither the Rices nor their
lawyer would comment.
In April, the Rices began
construction of their three-level house with 40
rooms, 15 bathrooms, and maids' quarters.
Mauriello said a landscape
mapping project completed by the state in 2002
and new regulations protecting Avalon's high
dunes would give the DEP "sharper teeth" in
negotiating future residential development along
the coastline.
Avalon officials say they also
plan to vigilantly protect the remaining dunes.
"We do have these historic
dunes that are unique to Avalon, and my personal
feeling is that when you take one shovelful of
sand out of them, you are negatively affecting
the entire infrastructure," Avalon Borough
Councilman Dave Ellenberg said. "We have to do
whatever we can to preserve them."
Avalon
group to rally against building of Dune Drive mansion
By BRIAN IANIERI Staff Writer, (609) 463-6713
Press of Atlantic City
Published: Friday, June 16, 2006
Updated: Friday, June 16, 2006
AVALON — A newly formed group called Save Avalon's Dunes is
planning a rally today to protest a beachfront mansion that will
become the island's largest.
Construction on the nine-bedroom mansion — complete with maid's
quarters — started along Dune Drive several months ago on an
upscale block in a town of millionaires.
Save Avalon's Dunes member Elaine E. Scattergood said the
construction at 5299 Dune Drive cuts through the high dunes and
should not have been developed in an environmentally sensitive
area.
“We're going to try to fight any more desecration of the dunes,”
Scattergood said Thursday. “If you've been an old-timer down here,
it's discouraging. I've seen little by little things that are done
wrong.”
Avalon officials said the building site has all the proper state
and environmental permits. Officials, however, did not want the
construction to take place and opposed plans as early as 1999.
“It is a very difficult problem, one in which the borough has very
little control. We've exercised every piece of control we have,”
said Neil Hensel, chairman of the borough's Planning and Zoning
boards.
Schematics of the mansion indicate it will be a sight to see, even
by Avalon's standards of luxurious, spacious homes with views of
the ocean and bay.
Besides bedrooms and bathrooms, it will have an elevator, media
room, game room and servants' quarters.
Its 15,000 square feet would make it almost one-third larger than
Avalon's largest current residence — a 10,576-square-foot
structure on the bay in Avalon's northern end, said Jeffrey Hesley,
the borough's tax assessor.
The land is valued at $7.36 million. And that's without a house on
it.
With its wooded surroundings east of Dune Drive, the property
offers a glimpse of peace and isolation hard to come by in resort
towns where sometimes people opt for rocks instead of grass on
lawns.
According to property records, the owner is Michael W. Rice, the
president of Utz Quality Foods Inc. in Hanover, Pa.
Rice could not be reached at his office Thursday afternoon.
Brian Reynolds, chairman of Avalon's environmental commission,
said the commission held a public hearing in January 1999 relating
to the construction there. The commission objected to the size of
the project, as well as its effect on the dunes, plants and
wildlife, Reynolds said.
Reynolds said the state Department of Environmental Protection
initially rejected the property owner's plan. The property owner
took the matter to court, where it was mediated, and both sides
negotiated a settlement, Reynolds said.
But Avalon officials said they knew nothing of these negotiations
until several years ago.
“I think that if people want to change the regulations, then they
need to change them in Trenton and not by protesting here,”
Reynolds said.
Scattergood plastered posters around Avalon advertising a protest
to the construction this morning.
This protest is meant to be a message.
“What the townspeople want is no development at all in the area,
but the problem is these people own an acre of ground in the high
dunes, which they paid dearly for,” Hensel said. “If we tried to
tell them not to build, I don't know how we would do, we'd
probably lose a lot of money. But we can't. What they've done is
legal in respect to what they're building.”
Stone Harbor Bird
Sanctuary may get grants, if not birds
By BRIAN IANIERI Staff Writer, (609) 463-6713
Published: Saturday, June 10, 2006
Updated: Saturday, June 10, 2006
STONE HARBOR — A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service program will help
find grants to help the 21-acre Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary pump
life into the wooded preserve situated amid a sea of concrete.
Robert Bartke, chairman of the sanctuary's advisory committee,
said he hopes the borough's partnership with the federal Partners
for Fish and Wildlife Program will make the sanctuary more
hospitable to herons and egrets.
With enough money, Bartke said work would include fixing or
replacing a pipe that brings tidal water into the marsh.
It could also involve removing invasive species and phragmites —
where potential bird eaters may lurk — and planting more trees for
migrating birds.
Bartke said he hopes for a three- to five-year project that will
eventually include observation stations for visitors to peer into
the sanctuary, which is offlimits to pedestrians.
“We want to get the sanctuary to where it was many years ago. Make
it so we hope the birds will return,” he said.
In September, Stone Harbor Borough Council approved a $50,000
study, one in a long line of speculations and attempted solutions.
At the time, borough officials estimated making the sanctuary more
hospitable might cost several million dollars.
For more than a decade, Stone Harbor officials have tried ways to
bring more birds to the sanctuary. Herons and egrets abandoned
breeding at the site more than a decade ago.
There are a total of 1.3 million birders in New Jersey, 15 percent
of whom are nonresidents, said Lillian Armstrong, director of
birding and wildlife trails for the state Audubon Society, citing
a federal study from 2001.
David Mizrahi, vice president of research at the New Jersey
Audubon Society, said the issue of herons may likely be a simple
one: predators. Raccoons, possums, feral cats.
“That's likely what drove the birds out. It's hard to know exactly
what a bird sees when it looks at a patch of habit, but from our
perspective, I don't think there's anything wrong with the habitat
per se,” Mizrahi said.
“I'd like to think, if you build it, they'll come, but I don't
know if that's the case.”
Mizrahi said there are many things that can be done to improve the
habitat and make it a nice place for migrating songbirds. They can
remove invasive plants and replace them with fruit bearing shrubs,
he said.
As the barrier islands were built out with development, patches of
good habitat diminished. The Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary remained
and is one of the few shows around on the barrier islands.
With a habitat the circumference of three-quarters of a mile, the
sanctuary stands out. In 1965, it became a registered National
Landmark.
“When they can find a patch in our world of nearly complete
build-out on barrier islands, when they find a patch it can be
important, even if it's just a place to rest,” Mizrahi said.
After 2 months, workers dig out excavator
stuck on Avalon beach
By JOHN CURRAN Associated Press Writer June 12, 2006, 6:25 PM EDT
AVALON, N.J. -- A 150-ton excavator that got
stuck on a beach while working on a seawall project was finally
freed Monday after work crews removed parts to lighten it.
Just after 5 p.m., a giant construction crane lifted the
excavator up and out of the place it sat for more than two
months. Onlookers cheered and workmen at the site were seen
hugging each other.
The excavator, operated by a contractor working
on an Army Corps of Engineers beach project, became mired on the
seashore along Townsends Inlet on March 28 and was subsequently
buried in sand as the seawater from succeeding tides inundated
it.
For weeks, all that was visible was an exhaust pipe and the arm
of the excavator.
Previous attempts to remove it have been thwarted, turning the
site into a sort of accidental tourist attraction with locals
and shore visitors alike lining Ocean Drive to watch the
progress of the work _ or lack thereof.
"You have to see it to believe it," said Dennis Maguire, 54, of
neighboring Sea Isle City, watching from his parked van Monday
afternoon. "It's very interesting."
The Corps project, to build a seawall protecting the northern
end of Avalon from the eroding effects of the ocean, was nearing
completion when the excavator got stuck.
"It's a mess," said Mike Johnson, 66, of Ocean City, standing on
a seawall with his wife to watch. "It's like when you stand in
the sand and your feet keep sinking."
Residents of Avalon, a tiny summer resort south of Atlantic
City, and neighboring Sea Isle City turned excavator-watching
into a spectator sport. They showed up with cameras in hand,
some bringing small children to watch the work. Many returned
day after day.
"I want to get a closer look," said Gus Schrevelius, 5, holding
the hand of his mother, Liz Schrevelius, as they stood on the
seawall watching Monday
By BRIAN IANIERI Staff Writer, (609) 463-6713
Press of Atlantic City
Published: Saturday, April 29, 2006
Updated: Saturday, April 29, 2006
AVALON — Between 2 to 5 a.m., shhhh. Really.
Avalon Borough Council this week passed a law that doubles fines
for noise violations in the wee hours of the morning.
Borough officials said the law is aimed at crowds of people who
leave the bars on summer weekends but are loud and unruly.
“We do get an awful lot of complaints from people who say ‘They
woke me up,'” said Councilman David Ellenberg. “The complaints are
really coming in between 2 o'clock and 3 o'clock in the morning.
“We'd like it to be a deterrent.”
The borough's new law recommends fines of at least $500 and 15
hours of public service for a first offense.
Council President Richard Dean said the late-night noise issues
only really come into play on summer weekends, after people have
left the bars and restaurants but remain noisy throughout the
night.
“People should have some time when they should get a little sleep.
It's just an arbitrary figure as far as time goes,” he said.
The borough already has a noise law but hopes increased penalties
at certain hours will cause people to hush up.
The broadening of the noise law marks the second time this year
the borough passed a law aimed at raucous partying.
Last month, the governing body passed a law that created a
permitting process for special events that took place on borough
property or required services of police or public works employees.
Specifically, the law was aimed at annual “Floatilla” parties,
conglomerations of inner tubes, beer and bathing suits on Avalon's
bayside.
Last year, a person jumped from the 21st Street bridge and was
considered missing as rescuers and divers searched the waters.
He was alive and located later in the evening, but Avalon police
saw the incident as an indication the event needed to be curbed.
The law could end the event, which last year was in its fifth year
in Avalon.
Ellenberg acknowledged that balance is required in passing laws in
resort towns that strive to make sure visitors have a good time so
they keep coming back.
But the 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. rule seemed a safe bet, he said.
“You keep getting complaints from the residents trying to sleep,”
he said. “Folks have to take responsibility for their own
actions.”
STONE HARBOR - When storms
barrel up the coast, flood sirens will still wail, but many phones
will also ring in a matter of minutes.
Thanks to computer automation, for six cents a call, all
3,000-borough residents can be alerted within eight minutes, under
a contract approved March 21 by borough council.
The voluntary "opt in" program with Global Connect of Mays Landing
will be open to all property owners. It will enable those who
provide a phone number, which will not be used for any other
purpose, to be alerted when Emergency Management Director Roger
Stanford declares an emergency.
Residents will get further information on the program in an
upcoming newsletter, said Administrator Kenneth Hawk.
"It utilizes Internet technology. That's how they can do it so
cheaply," he explained.
"Your privacy is secure," he added. "It will not be used to send
political messages.
"It's a neat program that will really help a lot of people in
low-lying areas," Hawk noted. "It's persistent. If you don't
answer, it will leave a message on an answering machine."
The resolution states that the cost "is minimal, amount to less
than $200 for a notification which would telephone every property
in the borough."
The contract was awarded without public bid, because, "in
aggregate, the total cost of the contract is expected to be less
than $1,000," the resolution states.
Stone Harbor wants money from
county fund to fix marina bulkhead
By BRIAN IANIERI Staff Writer, (609) 463-6713
Published: Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Updated: Wednesday, March 29, 2006
STONE HARBOR — The borough wants to replace and raise the bulkhead
— a popular fishing location — near the bayside marina on 81st
Street.
To do so, it is turning to Cape May County and a new program to
fund municipal projects through county tax dollars.
Stone Harbor Mayor Suzanne Walters said the borough is applying to
the county to fund about half of the $900,000 project.
Walters said the bulkhead would be replaced and raised about 2 ½
feet.
Walters said a larger bulkhead will help prevent flooding there
during severe weather and high tides.
It would also act as a table-sized barrier from the bay for people
who fish there, she said.
“We realized we were going to have to do something. This project
came at the perfect time,” Walters said.
Cape May County's 16 municipalities are eligible for a combined
$3.8 million of surplus funds to towns to help fund public
projects.
Middle Township, for example, has expressed interest in using
county funding to enlarge its bike path.
Walters said the marina work involves acquiring the required
environmental permits. And Borough Council would also have to vote
on spending its share of the money. Councilman Barry Mastrangelo
said the marina area becomes a popular summertime spot.
“It's used by everyone in the county, as well as local people and
the tourists coming to town. A nice day in the summer time, that
place will be lined with people fishing,” Mastrangelo said.
Earlier this month, Cape May County Freeholders approved the 2006
Municipal Public Improvements Pooled Financing Program. The
funding to municipalities will not be awarded until this summer.
County officials have said the program allows the county to return
some of its surplus without further cutting the tax rate.
Officials have said cutting taxes too deep will hurt future
budgets because state laws put an incremental cap on the amount a
county can raise taxes each year.
Also in Stone Harbor: Walters said the repaving of 96th Street may
finish in a week, placing work almost a month ahead of schedule
due to advantageous weather.
Lanes entering and leaving Stone Harbor have been alternately shut
down, and downtown traffic detoured from the work.
Walters said the rest of the so-called Gateway Project, which
includes streetlights and landscaping to the 300 block of 96th
Street, is scheduled to finish by Memorial Day.
Sand ho! Avalon begins work
to replenish eroded beaches
By BRIAN IANIERI Staff
Writer, (609) 463-6713
Press of Atlantic City
Published: Tuesday, March 7, 2006
Updated: Tuesday, March 7, 2006
AVALON — The ocean holds many treasures, including the better part
of some of Avalon's beaches.
Avalon has been stockpiling sand on beaches between 18th and 26th
streets.
Avalon officials also expect a dredging operation to start within
two weeks as part of an effort to restore severely eroded beaches
in the borough's northern end. In many places there, beach access
is closed.
Trucks are moving 60,000 cubic yards of sand from the southern end
of the borough and stockpiling it between 18th and 26th streets,
where it is needed, said engineer Tom Thornton of the firm Hatch
Mott MacDonald.
About 2,000 to 2,500 cubic yards are being moved per day, Thornton
said.
Back passing sand is the first — and smallest — beach
replenishment that will take place this month.
The dredging will provide about six times more sand than the back
passing.
“Once they start, it should only take two or three weeks to
finish,” Thornton said of the dredging.
Joan Hunter, director of the Avalon Chamber of Commerce, said the
condition of the beach is of no small concern to business owners.
If not remedied, it could discourage vacationers, a prospect not
overlooked in a summer economy such as Avalon's.
“Everybody in the borough is aware (that) if we don't have
beaches, it's going to hurt businesses. It's going to hurt
everything,” Hunter said.
“The borough was working on (the issue) all along, which we were
aware of,” she said.
Until last month, borough officials were unsure whether they could
find a dredging company to take the project. They had considered
back-up plans, including trucking in sand from off the island, if
a dredge was unavailable before the summer.
Avalon eventually entered into a $2.8 million contract with
dredging company Weeks Marine to pump 350,000 cubic yards of sand
between Ninth and 18th streets.
“I've known for a long time that the availability of dredges was
going to get tight because of the Gulf Coast,” said Avalon Public
Works Director Harry deButts.
Luckily, a dredging company that happened to be working on a
project in Brigantine became available, deButts said.
“Having the ability to tie into the Weeks dredge coming out of
Brigantine was a godsend to us,” he said.
As Avalon waited to find out whether they could hire a dredging
company, officials formulated back-up plans, which deButts said
could have adequately stocked the beaches but is not as efficient
and would cost more per cubic yard.
While the uncertainty of a dredging project lingered, the Chamber
of Commerce fielded questions about the beaches.
“I can't tell you how many phone calls we get here asking what's
happening with the beach replenishment,” Hunter said.
Storms damaged beaches in the fall last year and caused Avalon to
cut off beach access at many locations in the northern end.
Before Memorial Day last year, a late spring storm also damaged
portions of the beach, and sections of the beaches were closed as
well.
Stone Harbor budget plan calls for 1 cent
tax-rate increase
By BRIAN IANIERI Staff Writer, (609) 463-6713
Press of Atlantic City
Published: Saturday, March 4, 2006
Updated: Saturday, March 4, 2006
STONE HARBOR — Borough Council will introduce its budget Tuesday
with a tax-rate increase of 1 cent per $100 of assessed property
value, borough officials said.
The increase means a person with a $1 million home will pay $100
more in local purpose taxes than last year.
Last year, the municipal tax rate increased more than 3½ cents per
$100 of assessed value, after factoring in a recent revaluation.
Last year's tax rate was about 18.6 cents per $100 of assessed
value — or $1,860 in local purpose taxes for a person with a
$1 million home.
The $10.2 million 2006 budget will be introduced at a council
meeting at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday , with public comment and final
adoption slated for April. A line-item budget will be available
early next week, officials said.
Stone Harbor holds budget presentations before they officially
introduce their budgets. Mayor Suzanne Walters said this gives the
public advance notice of their taxes.
“If there's an outcry, if people didn't like one thing or another,
it's better to have it out there,” she said.
Among the spending increases this year is more than $80,000 for
the volunteer fire department's budget.
Last year, Borough Council voted to pay volunteer firefighters
stipends as much as $250 per month based on their participation at
fire calls, drills, training and meetings. Borough officials said
it was done to retain volunteers.
“There are a lot of things that got added in this year that were
not in last year's budget,” Walters said. “Chief among them is the
stipends we're now paying for the fire company. But it's still a
lot less expensive for us doing that than to actually have a paid
fire company.”
The borough also intends to use $819,000 of its $1.8 million
surplus.
Also in Stone Harbor, Walters said road construction on 96th
Street for the Gateway Project is ahead of schedule due to good
weather. Borough officials have said they hoped to finish the
project by Memorial Day and before summer vacationers arrive.
By BRIAN IANIERI Staff Writer, (609) 463-6713
Press of Atlantic City
Published: Thursday, March 2, 2006
Updated: Thursday, March 2, 2006
AVALON — The annual summer “Floatilla” party draws rafts,
bikinis and beer to the waterways of Avalon.
It also drew widespread concern last year, and borough
officials have said the event was getting out of hand.
In July 2005 — its fifth year — the Floatilla attracted more
than 1,000 participants to house parties and inflatable rafts
near the 21st Street bridge.
The party also attracted the attention of borough officials
after a Philadelphia man jumped from the bridge and was never
seen resurfacing.
Police, rescue divers, lifeguards and K-9s searched for hours
believing he may have drowned. He was alive but did not report
to police until later that night.
The incident prompted Avalon Police Chief Stephen Sykes to say
last year that police would map out a plan to deal with the
partygoers next time.
Last week, Borough Council introduced a law creating a
permitting process for special events that not only involves
borough property but also those involving Avalon police or
public works employees.
The Floatilla party, a conglomeration of rubbing inner tubes
in Avalon's bayside, would be one of the law's primary
targets. It could end the event in Avalon.
An application for a special event would need to be filed
through the borough clerk's office, and then police, public
works and recreation can have their say.
Any special event that involves alcohol consumption would need
Borough Council approval.
The proposed ordinance will be considered for final passage
after a public comment session at 7:45 p.m. March 8 in Borough
Hall.
Avalon Councilman Joseph Tipping said he, a fire policeman,
was among others involved in the search for the man.
“The Floatilla thing has become so popular with everybody it
has become a safety issue. Who would be held responsible if
something went wrong? The borough,” Tipping said.
“I have no objection to people floating around and having a
beer, but I do have an objection to the way it was last year,”
he said. “You want people to have a great time and come down
here, but you don't want other people to abuse property (or
compromise) safety.”
Last year, police also issued several citations for noise and
open consumption of alcohol.
Avalon OKs beach project The borough will spend $2.8 million for an emergency beach fill.
By BRIAN IANIERIStaff Writer, (609) 463-6713
Published: Thursday, February 9, 2006
The borough approved a $2.8 million contract with a dredging
company Wednesday night, settling an issue that threatened
beaches, tourism and property, Avalon officials said.
Avalon negotiated a contract for an emergency beach fill with
Weeks Marine Inc. to pump 350,000 cubic yards of sand from
Townsends Inlet to beaches between Ninth and 18th streets.
“The last thing we can afford to do is not do anything on that
beach,” Councilman David Ellenberg said.
The borough, which voted to borrow money for the beach fill last
year, is paying for the project by itself, unsure of federal
funding that is fickle and often threatened with cuts.
Storms and encroaching ocean have decimated beaches in Avalon's
northern end.
Most access paths are closed because the ocean chewed steep cliffs
into the dunes late last year.
Just reaching north-end beaches is difficult now.
“There are public safety issues, as well as economic issues we are
addressing to get the beach back in shape by the summer season,”
Administra-tor Andrew Bednarek said.
Avalon has sought to restock the beaches but had trouble finding a
dredging company to do the work—and for about $3 million.
After two unsuccessful attempts, the borough entered negotiations.
The borough also considered backup plans, which would have
included trucking in sand from outside of Avalon, if dredging were
not available.
However, those options would deliver less sand and cost more per
cubic yard.
Weeks Marine spokesman Chris Champigny said dredging will likely
begin in a few weeks.
The company is currently working on a federal beach replenishment
project in Brigantine.
Avalon
speeds sands of time
Borough bypasses federal budget for quicker beach replenishment
By MICHAEL PRITCHARD Staff Writer, (609) 272-7256
Press of Atlantic City
Published: Monday, January 30, 2006
When Harry deButts, Public Works director for Avalon, looks out on
Absecon Inlet in Atlantic County, he can see the answer to many of
his problems. Sitting there is a dredger, currently pumping sand
onto Brigantine's beaches as part of a $4.5 million U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers beach replenishment project.
DeButts wants that dredger because his borough is about to start a
$3 million beach replenishment project of their own, funded
through a city bond ordinance.
“We've been trying to work a deal to get it to stop off our
beach,” deButts said. “The availability of dredgers is very
limited. There are only so many in the country and they're usually
booked out years in advance. If we're not successful, though,
we're ready to truck the sand in from other areas. We'll do what
we have to do.”
The quick solution to deButts' problem might be to simply bring
the corps into the project with their ability to book dredgers.
The solution, however, is part of the problem. The corps already
maintains the borough's replenishment project, but in order to
move quickly, borough officials decided to bypass the corps and,
more importantly, the federal budget process.
Although the past several presidential administrations have often
cut funds for beach replenishment, the current administration has
been more than stingy. When President Bush sends his proposed
federal budget to Congress next month, it is unlikely to have one
dime set aside for beach replenishment projects anywhere in the
country.
That will set a host of congressmen in action as they look for
money for replenishment projects — both new projects and
maintenance of older projects — in other appropriations. And while
Congress has often been willing to fund replenishment projects
that the president will not, it makes for a long and complicated
process.
It's a wait Avalon officials decided they couldn't afford because
storms have cut deeply into borough beaches since its last
replenishment — done by the corps — in 2003.
“We felt we had a problem with public safety that needed to be
addressed, deButts said. “We need to do something. We can't afford
to take the chance that funding might be there in the future. It's
our responsibility so we decided to move ourselves.”
In southern New Jersey, however, there are more than a dozen beach
replenishment projects under way. Most of those projects have been
engineered by the corps and come with 50-year commitments for
maintenance and periodic renourishment of sand.
But 50-year commitments aren't very reassuring when funding is up
in the air every year.
“It does make for some consternation,” said Drew McCrosson, city
administrator for Ventnor. “You know you have a commitment to the
project, but securing the funding is an annual event that you
can't be sure of. And there aren't a lot of alternatives available
if that funding isn't there.”
Ventnor, along with Atlantic City, was part of a $25 million beach
replenishment project started in 2003. That project is already
scheduled for renourishment this year, although McCrosson feels
realistically the city won't see any sand until at least 2007
considering the need for new projects along the country's
storm-ravaged Gulf Coast.
It will be up to local congressmen, such as U.S. Reps. Frank
LoBiondo, R-2nd, and James Saxton, R-3rd, to secure funding for
state projects. Both congressmen have been successful in securing
funds projects in the past. LoBiondo was instrumental to securing
funds for the Brigantine and Absecon projects, and Saxton recently
secured funding for a $71 million project on Long Beach Island, to
cite just a few examples.
But for the state's congressional delegation, each year they start
from scratch.
“At the moment, we are funding these projects through add-ons to
other appropriations,” said U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, D-8th, who
serves on the Congressional Coastal Caucus. “Every year the
president puts out his budget and there is no money for coastal
beach replenishment because this administration doesn't believe in
it. So every congressman has to go before the House and try to
secure the funding for their projects.”
Making things worse is a lack of a dedicated funding source for
replenishment projects.
“When you consider that these projects are spread out across the
entire country, and usually with maintenance agreements covering
50 years, it's just not practical to fund them upfront,” said
Jason Galanes, spokesman for LoBiondo. “The cost would be
staggering and probably bankrupt the budget.”
Pallone also noted that setting a guaranteed tax source —such as
how the federal gasoline tax funds transportation projects — is a
long shot.
“To do that, realistically you need a national issue,” Pallone
said. “Transportation is a national issue because every state has
transportation projects. But shore replenishment is seen as a
local issue and many people feel it is a waste of money. Even in
New Jersey, the farther you get from the coast the less support
there is.”
The federal government, however, is not the only source of funding
for replenishment projects. Most replenishments projects are only
funded by federal money as much as 65 percent. State and local
funds generally cover the remaining 35 percent. That figure is
then split, with 75 percent paid by the state Department of
Environmental Protection and 25 percent by the local municipality.
But state funds can't maintain all of the projects going on in New
Jersey or that are committed to 50-year maintenance. Corps
officials say maintenance projects are given a higher priority
than new projects because the corps tries to live up to their
commitments, but at the moment its anyone's guess what will and
won't be funded.
Except in Avalon, where the borough is paying for everything.
“It's an incredibly frustrating process,” deButts said. “Let me
put it this way. We first started pushing for a replenishment
project in the borough in 1987. We finally got it in 2000.”
Avalon
works against time and tide to fix beaches
By BRIAN IANIERIStaff Writer, (609) 463-6713
Press of Atlantic City
Published: Saturday, January 28, 2006
Borough officials are preparing a back-up plan to stock eroding
beaches before the tourist season after learning that dredging —
the most practical option — might not be available.
Engineer Tom Thornton, of the firm Hatch Mott MacDonald, said the
borough may buy sand from local gravel pits and truck it to the
beaches if Avalon cannot find a dredging company willing to take
the project.
Avalon is seeking approval from the state Department of
Environmental Protection for the trucking project, Thornton said.
Trucking could produce 180,000 cubic yards of sand between Ninth
and 18th streets, the most heavily eroded on Avalon's coastline.
Currently, most beach access there is closed because encroaching
saltwater chewed steep cliffs in the dunes.
Avalon had budgeted about $3 million for an emergency beach fill
but could not find a dredging company that would take the job.
Next week, Avalon is scheduled to negotiate with two dredging
companies and determine whether the companies will take the
project and for how much.
“We need to do something on the beach. If it takes trucking in
sand, by God that's what we need to do,” said borough Councilman
David Ellenberg. “The renters are coming here over the summer to
use our beaches. That is the infrastructure we have to deal with
at this point. It's all part of economic development.”
Avalon has authorized spending almost $390,000 for backpassing —
shifting sand from elsewhere in Avalon to the depleted northern
end.
But the two methods would deliver less sand than dredging and
would be more expensive per cubic yard.
Together, the two projects could deliver as much as 240,000 cubic
yards of sand, about two-thirds of what the dredging would
deliver, Thornton said.
Either dredging or trucking sand could begin sometime in February,
Thornton said.
Ellenberg said he hopes the borough can negotiate with a dredging
company to take on the project.
Avalon is working with a tight timetable, though.
The project would likely need to be finished by the end of March
due to nesting season for the endangered piping plovers.
Parking
time limit not easy to enforce, Avalon chief says
By BRIAN IANIERI Staff Writer, (609) 463-6713
Published: Friday, December 16, 2005
Updated: Friday, December 16, 2005AVALON-Police Chief Stephen
Sykes said enforcing a two-hour parking limit in the business
district this summer will be difficult.Sykes, in a memo he sent to
Borough Council on Wednesday, outlined potential problems with
monitoring vehicles by two-hour limit signs, particularly without
parking meters to log the time.Without parking meters, a police
officer would have to keep a notepad and record the vehicles in
the spots and the time, Sykes wrote in the memo.The borough opens
itself to complaints if motorists receiving tickets contend they
were not in that spot for two hours, he wrote. Also, a vehicle
leaving a spot for a brief time and then returning can also pose
problems.Sykes said in the memo he will assign a bicycle officer
in the business district to try to enforce the parking
regulations."Myself, representing the Police Department, want to
see this work, and I will do everything in my power to see that
this happens," he wrote.The borough plans to limit parking times
on Dune Drive to free more spots in the business district in the
summer.Avalon paid a company to monitor parking availability late
this summer. The study indicated that about half the number of
cars parked on Dune Drive remained there for two or more hours and
sometimes all day.A parking limit, in conjunction with a trolley
system Avalon is considering, is designed to put less stress on
downtown parking without introducing parking meters.Avalon's
neighbors - Sea Isle City and Stone Harbor - both use parking
meters.Meters also generate money, but some are concerned that
meters will discourage shoppers."It's going to be a test to see,"
said Avalon Borough Council President Richard Dean. "We're going
to try it, and eventually we may have to go to meters."Borough
Councilman David Ellenberg said the two-hour limit must be
enforced to be effective."I can understand (the police chief's)
concern about having a difficult task. But I think the bottom line
is if we don't come into this program with the enforcement, then
the parking and the trolley issue is not going to be rectified,"
Ellenberg said.Ellenberg said the borough can reevaluate the
parking limit if it is not effective."One of the reasons we
identified this two-hour time frame was we said that's the best
way to get this rolling. If that doesn't work, then we'll have to
do something else. But I think it will work," Ellenberg
said.Parking on Dune Drive becomes a greater concern as Avalon
expects several dozen new shops to open in the business district
in the following year, Ellenberg said.
Avalon
approves $3M. beach replenishment
By BRIAN IANIERI Staff Writer, (609) 463-6713
Published: Thursday, December 15, 2005
Updated: Thursday, December 15, 2005AVALON-Borough Council on
Wednesday night approved $3 million for replenishing about
three-quarters of a mile of beaches hit hard by storms and
erosion.Avalon will borrow most of the money for work between
Ninth and 18th streets - the northern end of the municipality.The
beach fill, planned for completion about February, involves
pumping 350,000 cubic yards of sand from Townsends Inlet and
depositing it on beaches eroded by the ocean.The project
originally called for twice that amount of sand but was scaled
down to fit an existing state Department of Environmental
Protection permit, which expires Feb. 13, said Tom Thornton of the
engineering firm Hatch Mott MacDonald.But the DEP has said it will
grant an emergency extension if work continues past then, Thornton
said.Avalon officials also said they plan to truck thousands of
tons of sand to areas where it is needed most, after the project
is finished.An Army Corps of Engineers project replenished Avalon
beaches in 2003. However, a recent study estimated that Avalon
beaches from Eighth Street to 35th Street lost 1 million cubic
yards of sand since then.Beaches have had a tough year.In the
spring, northeasters struck near Memorial Day, creating sharp
cliffs of sand and forcing Avalon to limit beach access during one
of the busiest times of the year.In October, significant erosion
damaged many beaches after the remnants of Hurricane Wilma.Borough
officials have said they wanted to stock the beaches to protect
Avalon from future storms.Also at Wednesday's meeting, the borough
said it will hire Hatch Mott MacDonald for $3,200 to design a
replacement for the Eighth Street public pier.The borough will
replace the bulkhead there and will raise the pier. Avalon
anticipates the project will cost $46,000.
Builders cash in on
hot market
By RICHARD DEGENER - Staff Writer, (609) 463-6711
Published: Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Updated: Tuesday, December 13, 2005AVALON - Builder Bob Stocki
arrived at the shore from Delaware five years ago, just as the
boom was taking off. He was immediately busy. He would get much
busier. And that's good for him and his work crew.The boom hit
in 2000, and it's been going up ever since. It's out of control.
I'm building four or five at a time," Stocki said.Business is so
good, he doesn't have to advertise. People drive by a job site,
see his sign and start offering him jobs. Most of the houses
cost about $700,000, and that does not include the price of the
lot.Stocki is amazed by how young some of the buyers are. Some
are in their early 40s. He built a home for one man who is only
38. They have the money and want Stocki's unique brand of shore
home, an older style similar to Nantucket's, with cedar shakes,
huge porches, dormers, brick chimneys and no vinyl. Stocki built
a $14,000 cypress wood picket fence at one Avalon house. He
makes decks out of mahogany and tropical ipe wood."The theory is
if they can afford to buy here, they can afford the maintenance.
They don't want to see any vinyl," Stocki said.Stocki, 42, of
Ocean City, gives a lot of credit to his architect, Mark Asher,
for designing the old shore homes and attracting so much
business."He has 35 start-ups right now," Stocki said. The
problem is finding labor. Stocki keeps a work crew of five to
eight men busy. The building boom is a windfall for
tradesmen."Labor is very hard to find. Anybody who's worth
something is working," Stocki said. It's also a windfall for
suppliers of lighting fixtures, decking, bathroom faucets,
lumber and many other products. Ron Frame, a Middle Township
builder working in Stone Harbor, said his lumber salesman is
doing $1 million in business per month.Stocki left Wilmington
five years ago to come to a place where he used to vacation.
It's no vacation now, just work, and there's plenty of it.
Baby
boomers pushing values higher
By RICHARD DEGENER - Staff Writer, (609) 463-6711
Published: Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Updated: Tuesday, December 13, 2005STONE HARBOR - Ken Lawrence is
57, and after working years as a utility company executive, he
wants to enjoy the fruits of his labor.The Bryn Mawr, Pa.,
resident drives an expensive car and he has a place to vacation on
the New Jersey shore. Lawrence describes himself as a baby boomer,
and with the birth year of 1947, he's on the edge of a retirement
wave expected to boost the shore real estate market."I'll tell
you, we've been working hard our whole lives and it's time to
enjoy it. Millions of baby boomers are finally spending all the
money they've earned their whole lives," Lawrence said.The retiree
owns a house in Avalon and is so bullish on shore real estate, he
is building another one in Stone Harbor. He has a place to
vacation with wife, Molly, and son Brendan, 15. His older
children, Justin, 31, and Melissa, 28, can also have a shore
vacation. Like many retirees, Lawrence wanted to invest his money
in something solid. He noted that when the national housing market
goes down, the values in Stone Harbor and Avalon simply stay
flat."In the last 10 to 15 years, the value has increased about 10
percent a year here. You can't do much better with your money,"
Lawrence said.He can also make money renting out his houses.
Lawrence is not worried that his homes will turn into a bad
investment, partly because of the large number of baby boomers yet
to retire, and also because they aren't making any more shore real
estate."What's here is here. There's a limited supply. Basic
economics tells you when demand outstrips supply, the market will
be good," Lawrence said.
Avalon, Stone Harbor to
increase seasonal beach-tag fees
By BRIAN IANIERI Staff Writer, (609) 463-6713
Published: Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Updated: Tuesday, December 13, 2005The price of sun, sand and
someone watching your back will become a bit more expensive in
Stone Harbor and Avalon.The two municipalities are raising
seasonal beach-tag prices to compensate for costs of lifeguards,
beach maintenance and other expenses.Stone Harbor expects to raise
an additional $50,000 from the increase, Borough Administrator
Kenneth Hawk said.Preseason and in-season prices will each
increase by $2.This year in Stone Harbor, the sale of beach tags
raised $529,000, about $13,000 less than last year, said Chief
Financial Officer James Nicola. But running the beach cost
$560,000."It's the wages for the lifeguards. It's the cost of
running the tractor that rakes the beaches. The cost of gasoline,"
Hawk said. "We haven't done a change in a few years. We'll make
this change, and we probably won't have another change for a few
years."Prices for daily and weekly tags will not increase.Stone
Harbor and Avalon sell their own tags. But the tags can be used at
both beaches, and both municipalities try to keep the costs the
same.Preseason tags, those sold before June 1, will cost $17, Hawk
said. After that, tags will cost $22.In Avalon, beach tags recover
about three-quarters of the operating costs, Avalon Business
Administrator Andrew Bednarek said.This year in Avalon, beach tags
brought in $796,000. Bednarek said beach-tag fees were last raised
in 2002, when seasonal tags were increased by $3.Avalon expects
the new increased fees to raise an additional $75,000, Bednarek
said.Normal expenses, coupled with a planned $3 million beach-fill
project in Avalon next year, make the sand business an expensive
one.Stone Harbor Borough Councilman Barry Mastrangelo, who serves
on the borough's Beach and Recreation Committee, said the borough
would not increase beach-tag costs more than necessary."It's
really not a profit center. You're looking to offset the expenses
of maintaining the beaches," he said.
609.402.8900
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