"THAT WAS AWESOME!" A boat ride along Avalon's beach last Sunday
afternoon turned into a stunning show as dozens of dolphins swam by.
The dolphins jumped, splashed, and smacked their tails on the surface of the
water as they swam by the boat, moving southward along the beach. My
three kids enjoyed watching, and my seven year old aptly summed up the
feeling of all of us by saying "that was awesome!"
FISHERMEN'S ENERGY of Cape May hopes to break
ground soon on an offshore wind farm 2.5 miles off the Atlantic City beach.
The company is still waiting for final approvals before the project can
begin. Fishermen's Energy hopes to be the first to build an offshore
wind farm in the United States, though builders in other states are working
on plans for wind farms, too. At least two other New Jersey-based
offshore wind farms are in the planning stages as well.
AVALON received an award from the Cape May
County Chamber of Commerce due to numerous environmental initiatives over
the past 12 months. The Borough received the "Environmental
Conservation Award" during the chamber's annual dinner meeting. Some
recent borough initiatives include a water conservation experiment on three
traffic islands along Dune Drive, the Green Fair, turtle fencing along
Avalon Boulevard, and the installation of an electric vehicle charging
station on Dune Drive.
STONE HARBOR received an A+ Stable bond rating
from Standard & Poor's Rating Services for its 2011 General Obligation
bonds. Among the factors contributing to the rating were the borough's
stable tax base, high property values, and strong financial position.
KING TIDES: the alignment of the earth,
moon, and sun will cause "perigean spring tides," also known as "king
tides." The more common spring tides occur during the new moon and
full moon, when the sun and moon align. But as the moon reaches its
perigee, which is its closest point to earth, the tidal effect is
exaggerated, causing king tides. Predicted high tide levels this week
are expected to be 5.8 feet, as compared to a typical high tide of about 5.0
feet. As always, wind direction and strength, and rain, can affect the
actual tide level.
KAY LEAHY of Avalon Real Estate was approached to do a segment for
HGTV "HOUSE HUNTERS". Her clients, who
currently own a large home in Avalon wanted to downsize and were in the
market to purchase a smaller home. They wanted to be near or on the
Beachblock for under $1,000,000. The episode was filmed in April
and three potential properties were considered. They did
purchase a property and have since remodeled the house. The episode of
"House Hunters" is scheduled to air Tuesday, October 25th at 10PM eastern
standard time on HGTV.
SURFSIDE
FITNESS has opened its doors at 21st Street and Dune Drive in Avalon.
Surfside will be open year-round offering a full service fitness facility
plus classes including Yoga, TRX, Bodyblast, ZUMBA, Beach Boot Camp, and
more.
Visit
www.trainwithcheryl.com for
more information.
THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER ran a front page
article containing their analysis of shore home values over the past several
years. Paul Leiser, co-owner and vice president of Avalon Real Estate
Agency, was quoted in the article.
View Article
DRIVE-THROUGH FLU SHOT CLINIC: Cape May
County's popular drive-through flu shot clinic will take place Saturday,
October 23 from 9am to 3pm. The free clinic is open to residents, who
should bring a completed consent form with them. The forms are
available at
www.cmchealth.net, and
are also in several newspapers this week.
CONGRATULATIONS TO PUDGIE PELICAN CAFE, winner
of the Avalon Seafood Festival Chowder Contest on held on October 9th.
In second place was Sylvester's Fish Market and Restaurant, with Bobby D's
Rock'n Chair in third place.
MARKET STATS: through the first three quarters of the year, the number of
sales in the local market is up 35.3% to 203, versus 150 during the first
three quarters of last year. The average sale price is up 8.1% to
$1,335,207 versus $1,234,499 last year. The median sale price declined
9.6% to $915,000, versus $1,012,500 last year.
NEW LIBRARY: construction will begin soon on a new beachfront library in
Stone Harbor. County Freeholders awarded a $5.3 million contract for
the construction of the new 13,500 square foot library at 95th Street and
the beach. Work is expected to begin by the end of the year, with a
planned completion date of December, 2012 or January, 2013. The
37-foot high structure will feature outdoor decks and windows with an ocean
view.
"WHAT A GREAT WEEKEND!" That's the verdict on the Columbus Day
Weekend. Beautiful weather made for great beach days, good fishing,
and perfect conditions for walking, jogging, and bicycling. Restaurants and
shops reported good crowds, too.
INTEREST RATES continue to hover near record lows. If you'd like to
refinance, call me for the names of reliable lenders. If you'd like to
buy a place at the shore, call me to get started!
MONARCH BUTTERFLIES have been seen all over Cape May County the past several
days, as they migrate southward toward Mexico. The monarch shown below
chose Avalon's dunes for a brief rest.
Photo courtesy Robert D. Ross
PROPERTY TAX BILLS in Avalon decreased
slightly in 2011 to an average of $4,944, down 9% from last year's average
property tax bill. Stone Harbor's average property tax bill increased
only slightly to $5,745, up 2% over last year.
"TEARDOWNS" in Stone Harbor are likely to
exceed those recorded last year. Through October 3 of this year, 14
demolitions had taken place, as compared to 15 all of last year.
SUNSHINE IS BACK! After an unusually
rainy period in September, clear, sunny skies have returned to the area,
providing us with the magnificent fall weather we've come to expect!
Take advantage of the weather and plan a day trip or weekend getaway to the
Island! Walk the beach, shop, dine, take some family photos.
AVALON'S GREEN FAIR returns for the third time
this Saturday, October 8. The event will be held from 10am to 3pm at
Community Hall and is free. More than 20 exhibitors representing a
variety of topics will be present. Curious about energy audits, solar
energy, water conservation, and other topics? Get your questions
answered at the Green Fair!