BEACH PROJECT BEGINNING SOON! The
much-anticipated beach replenishment project is set to begin either Friday
or Saturday, April 29th or 30th. A dredge from Great Lakes Dredge and
Dock is in Cape May Harbor, and is expected to move into place Friday.
Pipes and other equipment have already been placed on the beach.
An estimated 450,000 cubic yards of sand will be placed on Avalon's beaches
between 8th and 30th Streets. About twenty days of pumping will be
required, assuming no weather or mechanical delays. The project will
also include re-built dunes and dune fencing.
After completing work in Avalon the dredge will move to Stone Harbor where
roughly 400,000 cubic yards of sand will be added to borough beaches from
80th Street to 122nd Street.
Beaches will remain open during the project except in the immediate work
area.
STONE HARBOR BIRD SANCTUARY: the last of four
access trails will be opened in the Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary on Saturday,
May 21 at 1pm. The trails wind through the maritime forest leading
walkers to the egret habitat inside. Take the family for a walk
through the sanctuary and imagine the days when the entire island consisted
of maritime forest. Bring a camera!
SPRING HAS SPRUNG! After a long wait warm
weather has finally arrived. Daytime temperatures have been in the 60s
and 70s, flowers and trees are blooming, and lawns are turning green.
The ocean water temperature remains a still-chilly 58 degrees, but is
warming up daily.
STILL BOOKING! We're still booking
summer rentals! We've got over 150 more rental listings compared to
last year--if you haven't already located the perfect place, check
www.RandyLeiser.com,
email me, or call me at (800) 967-7796!
SAVING $700,000: Avalon residents will save
over $700,000 on annual flood insurance premiums due to the borough's
efforts to reduce flooding risks in the community. The Borough of
Avalon receives a 20% discount on flood insurance premiums as a result of
its flood prevention program. The average flood insurance policy
holder saves $136 per year, thanks to the leadership of Mayor Marty
Pagliughi and the Avalon Borough Council.
NJ GOVERNOR CHRIS CHRISTIE held a town hall
meeting Tuesday, April 12 at the Naval Air Station Museum in Lower Township.
A standing-room-only crowd of 600-plus listened to the governor speak and
answer questions. The governor highlighted familiar themes including
education, spending, and taxes, amidst a collection of vintage aircraft
housed inside the Museum's giant hangar at the Cape May County Airport.
1,600 TAX APPEALS have been filed in Cape May
County, with 13 of them coming from Avalon and 34 from Stone Harbor.
The deadline to file an appeal was April 1 for most of the county; Avalon's
deadline was extended to May 1 due to the recent revaluation conducted by
the borough.
FLOUNDER SEASON will run from May 7 through
September 25. Anglers will have a bag limit of 8 fish with an 18 inch
minimum size. The Marine Fisheries Council voted unanimously to
approve the criteria at a recent meeting.
STONE HARBOR'S beachfront library construction
is expected to get underway this July, with an anticipated completion date
of September 2012. The 14,000 square foot facility will cost an
estimated $6.5 million.
BEACH WORK: Equipment is being set up on the
beach for the upcoming beach fill project. Survey equipment and large
pipes have already appeared. Great Lakes Dredge and Dock is handling
the beachfill project. When Great Lakes needed a place for their
employees to stay during the two month project, who did they come to?
You guessed it: Avalon Real Estate Agency! Several of their employees
checked in today!
NEW D.E.P RULES proposed Monday would allow
New Jersey beach towns to establish their own public beach access rules,
rather than the 24/7 access the DEP originally wanted. Recognizing
that a one-size-fits-all approach did not work, due in large part to
Avalon's objection to the 'round the clock access mandated previously,
the proposal would allow beach towns to set their own guidelines.
Under the proposed rules beach towns would not be required to adopt a formal
plan, but those that don't could lose funding for open space or beach
replenishment.
A state appeals court ruled in Avalon's favor in 2008, when it objected to
the 24/7 beach access mandated by the state.
THE OCEAN DRIVE BRIDGE, linking Stone Harbor
with North Wildwood, closed on April 5 for two weeks of repair work.
Concrete columns that support the bridge will be repaired as part of a
$109,000 contract. Motorists should use the 96th Street Bridge and the
Garden State Parkway to access North Wildwood.
DUNE GRASS PLANTING will take place on April
30, not April 16 as reported last week. Volunteers will meet at 8:30am
at Community Hall. Call (609) 967-5924 with questions.
NEW FIRE TRUCK: Avalon's council has
approved going to bid for a new aerial platform truck for the Avalon
Volunteer Fire Department. Reasons cited for the need for a new truck
include taller buildings, faster burning fires among newly constructed
homes, and the ability of the new truck's ladder to reach under power lines
to a structure, something the fire department's current Snorkel truck cannot
do. The anticipated cost of a new truck is about $1 million.
OSPREY CAMERA: Stone Harbor's Wetlands
Institute has a new osprey camera trained on an osprey nest. At last
check no osprey were residing in the nest, but they typically return to the
area in early April, and osprey have already been spotted in nearby nests.
Check it out:
http://wetlandsinstitute.org/education/osprey-camera/
AVALON'S BOROUGH-WIDE YARD SALE will take
place on Saturday, May 7 from 9am to 3pm. An application and $10 fee
are required to participate. If you're holding a yard sale that day,
pick up an application form at Avalon Real Estate Agency, or email me for a
copy. Applications and the $10 fee must be mailed to the Avalon Garden
Club (sponsor of the event) at PO Box 43, Avalon, NJ 08202, before May 4th.