2017:

Jan.

Feb.

March

April

May

June

July

Aug.

Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

This Weeks News 3/30/2017

---

WELL, THAT PROVES IT! A Coastal Living Magazine article offers up a "scientific reason" for taking a beach vacation--proving what we already know to be true! The article cites a Michigan State University study that reveals being able to see blue spaces--such as the ocean--leads to lower levels of "psychological distress." Anyone who has stepped onto the beach, taken a look at the ocean, and let out a great big "aaahhhhhh!" will surely concur! View the Coastal Living article: The Scientific Reason You Should Take a Beach Vacation.
 

Sand from Townsend's Inlet is being pumped onto Avalon's beaches by the dredge Texas. As of last week, 230,000 cubic yards of sand had been placed on Avalon's beaches.
 
AVALON COUNCIL approved a zero increase municipal budget last week. The $27.8 million budget will result in no increase in the local purpose tax rate for 2017. Stone Harbor introduced a budget with a modest rate increase last week. Under the plan, Stone Harbor's portion of the total tax rate would rise from $0.239 to $0.244. Another presentation of Stone Harbor's budget will occur on Saturday, April 1st at 10am, with final approval scheduled for the April 4th borough council meeting.
 
AVALON, STONE HARBOR, AND SEA ISLE CITY have worked with Ocean City in a coordinated effort to develop a FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program for the elevation of residential properties in the NFIP Special Flood Hazard Area. 75% funding is available for eligible elevation projects. Interested property owners should attend a meeting Saturday, April 1st at 10am at the Ocean City Public Library, 1735 Simpson Avenue, in Ocean City.  View more details on the program: Cape May County Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) - 2017 Jonas Grant Program.
 
WHO OWNS THE SHORE? Philly.com has an interactive map showing just that! Select your favorite beach town and the Philly.com map will list the top five towns that shore property owners reside in, as well as the percentage of properties owned by residents.

This Weeks News 3/23/2017

---

MARKET STATS: February 2017 sales increased over February 2016, as did median sale prices. 47 properties were under contract--double the figure from last February. For a detailed look at the latest Long & Foster Market Minute View The Long & Foster Market Minute Report.
 

 Sales and prices have increased versus one year ago. Click above for the latest Market Minute report.
 
TUGBOATS, A BARGE, AND THE DREDGE TEXAS can be seen in and around Townsend's Inlet as beach replenishment work has moved to Avalon's north end beaches. According to the latest project report over 135,000 cubic yards of sand have been pumped onto Avalon's beaches beginning at 9th Street. In Stone Harbor, where pumping has concluded, beach access paths are now being reconstructed. A third component of the pumping project will add sand to Avalon's southernmost beaches beginning at 77th Street, running toward Stone Harbor's 83rd Street beach.
 
THE OCEAN DRIVE MARATHON will take place Sunday, March 26th, with runners passing through Avalon & Stone Harbor twice. The event will begin in Sea Isle City, with runners travelling southward through Avalon and Stone Harbor. The new out-and-back style course has runners turning around near North Wildwood Boulevard, and travelling northward through Stone Harbor and Avalon, back to Sea Isle City. Learn More - Ocean Drive Marathon
 
CSNPHILLY.COM--WE'RE ON IT! The Philadelphia Eagle's page on CSNPhilly.com is enormously popular in the Philadelphia region--and Long & Foster has banner and wrap around ads running on the page, linking visitors to www.LongandFoster.com.  It's yet another way we provide extensive marketing exposure to our property sellers.  Check it out at CSNPhilly.com - Philadelphia Eagles.
 
A DOLPHIN found itself stuck on the beach in North Wildwood earlier this week, after swimming too close to shore. When it became apparent the dolphin was unable to free itself, personnel from the US Coast Guard and the Marine Mammal Stranding Center assisted the dolphin by providing medical attention and then moving it to deeper water.
 

Last Friday an early morning fire destroyed two homes where Seagull Drive meets Pelican Drive. Avalon fire fighters battled the blaze with help from Stone Harbor, Rio Grande, Marmora, Green Creek, Goshen, Cape May Court House, Ocean View, and Seaville fire companies. The fire was brought under control at around 9am but crews remained on scene for several hours wetting down hot spots. An occupant and her infant son escaped from the Seagull Drive home; the Pelican Drive home was unoccupied. No one was injured.
     
GREAT BEACHBLOCK RENTAL OPPORTUNITY! Located 4th from Stone Harbor's south end beach, this large home will delight the whole family! Six weeks are available, priced from $8,500 to $9,500 per week. Call or email me for details!

This Weeks News 3/16/2017

---

THE DREDGE TEXAS was towed to Cape May last week for routine repairs, according to the latest beach replenishment project update. The Stone Harbor portion of the project is complete with 394,000 cubic yards of sand having been placed on the beach. When the Texas returns, work will begin in Avalon, where 940,000 cubic yards of sand are expected to be pumped onto the beaches from 9th Street to 30th Street. The Army Corps of Engineers is considering an additional proposal that would have another 340,000 cubic yards of sand pumped onto beaches from 77th Street in Avalon to 105th Street in Stone Harbor.
 
FOR AN AMAZING AERIAL VIEW of Avalon's beaches prior to the replenishment project, visit The 2017 Avalon Beach Replenishment Project. Be sure to look for your favorite beach!
 

Click above for an aerial video of Avalon's beaches prior to the replenishment project.
 
WHILE THE I-95 CORRIDOR and points north & west saw lots of snow this week, we had only rain and wind here on the Island. The strongest northeast winds lasted only a short time, resulting in tides that were slightly higher than normal. By mid-day Tuesday winds had shifted to the northwest and subsided.
 
SUMMER JOB FAIR: Stone Harbor will hold a summer job fair at Coffee Talk on 97th Street. Stop by on Saturday, April 22nd, from 10am to 2pm.
 
THE MISS AVALON opens her fishing season in just a few weeks, on April 8th! One more sign that spring is near!
 
COAST GUARD CUTTER TOURS will be offered at the Coast Guard Community Festival May 6-7, in Cape May. One of the two new 154-foot Fast Response Cutters stationed in Cape May will be open for public tours on Saturday, May 6. View Details - The 2017 Coast Guard Community Festival

This Weeks News 3/9/2017

---

ABOUT 20,000 CUBIC YARDS OF SAND are being added to Stone Harbor's beaches each day. At the most recent beach fill progress meeting last week, officials said about 160,000 cubic yards of sand still needed to be pumped. On or about March 15th (barring weather or mechanical delays) the dredge Texas will move from Hereford Inlet to Townsend's Inlet and begin pumping sand in Avalon. Some pipes and equipment are already mobilized in Avalon, including a large pipe crossing the jetty onto the beach at 8th Street.
 

A large dredge pipe crosses Avalon's 8th Street jetty, awaiting the start of Avalon's portion of the beach replenishment project.
 
YES, THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT! Purchase your 2017 Avalon, Stone Harbor, or Sea Isle City beach tags via the Viply app. Download the app from the App Store or Google Play, then purchase your tags. Tags may be picked up in town by opening the app and scanning a code. In Avalon, pick up tags at the beach tag office at 30th Street & Dune Drive after April 1st. In Stone Harbor, pick up tags at Borough Hall. In Sea Isle City, pick up tags at the Sea Isle Welcome Center or Borough Hall.
 
SPRING FORWARD on your clocks this weekend, as we enter Daylight Savings Time again. Gaining an extra minute of sunshine each day is great, but gaining an extra hour at the end of the day is a real treat! (The semi-annual changing of the clocks is also a great time to check your smoke detector batteries, too!)
 
THE STONE HARBOR SHIVER takes place Saturday, March 11th, on 96th Street in Stone Harbor. Festivities begin Friday evening with a pre-party open to the public at the Stone Harbor Yacht Club, followed by Keg-n-Eggs Saturday morning at Fred's Tavern at 9:30am.  At noon Shiver participants will parade down 96th Street toward the Women's Civic Club at the beach. The event will be emceed by Press of Atlantic City Meteorologist Dan Skeldon. In case you're wondering, the current forecast calls for a daytime high of 34 degrees, combined with a chilly northwest breeze. Don't worry, the ocean water temperature is a comfy 42 degrees!  Register for The Stone Harbor Shiver Polar Plunge 2017
 
OUR FRIEND & COLLEAGUE, DAVE READ, is recovering from surgery to remove a brain tumor.  Dave is doing well but we're holding a Beef & Beer to help give Dave and his wife, Wanda, a boost. If you are able to join us March 31st at The Avalon Links from 7pm to 11pm, please do! Tickets are $25 and can be purchased in advance or at the door.

TIME TO BOOK YOUR VACATION! Spring is almost here and summer isn’t far behind! If you'd like to browse some rental options Take A Look At Our Rental Guide. Or, if you know your dates, size requirements, and price range, call or email me and I'll send you a list of properties matching your specifications!

This Weeks News 3/2/2017

---

BEACHFILL CONTINUES: Sand pumping continues on Stone Harbor's beaches, with the southernmost portion already completed. According to the latest project update, pipes will soon be shifted so that sand may be placed on the beach in a northerly direction for the remainder of the Stone Harbor portion of the project. In a couple of weeks pipes will be mobilized in Avalon so work can begin there. In Avalon, sand will be pumped from Townsend's Inlet onto the beach at 9th Street, progressing southward to 30th Street.
 
AVALON BACK BAY DREDGING has resumed. The dredge contractor began assembling pipes several weeks ago, and the final phase of that project is now underway. Dredging is underway in Graven's Thorofare, moving toward Long Reach.
 
ALL ABOARD! Catch Bill Mengel as he discusses "How the Railroad Made Avalon" at the Avalon History Center Saturday, March 4th from 1pm to 2pm. Barrier islands from Cape May to Atlantic City owe their success in large part to the railroads, and Avalon is no exception. Hauling vacationers, daytrippers, and fishermen from Philadelphia, the railroads brought thousands of people to the barrier islands every year. Learn more from Bill on Saturday!
 

The West Jersey & Seashore Railroad in Avalon, circa 1920!
 
DUNE GRASS PLANTING: VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! Avalon's dune grass planting will take place on Saturday, April 1st.  Volunteers should report to Avalon Community Hall at 30th Street and Avalon Avenue at 8:30am for donuts and coffee. Following a brief demonstration and distribution of planting utensils, volunteers will be transported to the planting sites by Avalon Borough trucks. A complimentary lunch will be served at Community Hall at 12 noon. Planting will resume after lunch (if necessary) for those able to continue. Please contact Chuck McDonnell at Community Hall (609-967-3066) or Sue Keen at the Mayor's Office (609-967-5924) for questions, or to sign up for the dune grass planting.
 
ANOTHER TASTE OF SPRING! A mid-week warm up had daytime temperatures into the 60s, as Mother Nature teases us with yet another taste of spring! By the way, in case you haven't checked your calendar recently--it's less than 90 days to Memorial Day Weekend! It's time to make your summer plans! Whether you're looking for a place for a week or a place for life, please call me!