20 Oct **** Borough Meeting Highlights 08-02-24
Dear West Wildwood Neighbors,
The eighth monthly borough meeting of 2024 was held on Friday, August 2nd at 7:00 pm in the borough hall. Approximately 30 people were in attendance. Mayor Ksiazek, Commissioners Banning and Segrest, Municipal Clerk Donna Frederick, Deputy Clerk Carl O’Hala, Solicitor Lyons and an engineering firm representative were present.
ORDINANCE:
- Ordinance #628 (2024) – Second Reading/Public comment – Requirement for the inspection of lead-based paints in certain residential dwellings. Applies to year-round rentals only.
- Ordinance #629 (2024) – First Reading/Introduction – Adding Chapter 520-11 of the BOWW code entitled “vehicle traffic” ordinance. Reinstituting ordinance due to its omission from the recent codification process. (2nd reading 09/06/24).
- Ordinance #630 (2024) – First Reading/Introduction – Regulations for unhitched trailers. No substantive change to the previous ordinance. Reinstituting ordinance due to its omission from the recent codification process. (2nd reading 09/06/24).
- Ordinance #631 (2024) – First Reading/Introduction – Adding Chapter 340-99 of the BOWW code entitled “Privately owned salt storage”. (2nd reading 09/06/24).
RESOLUTIONS #2024-069 through #2024-074 relate to the following:
- Appointing Ed Bradley to the borough’s Planning Board as an alternate member.
- Urge the State of New Jersey to take an incremental and targeted approach to adopting the proposed “Protecting against climate threat” (PACT) / “Resilient environments and landscape” (REAL) rules.
- Refund of overpayment of fire inspection fees.
- Update a stormwater pollution prevention plan.
- Designate John Feairheller, Supervisor of Public Works, as the indoor air quality person.
- The Joint Insurance Fund (JIF) requires the borough to submit driver’s licenses of employees and volunteers who have the potential to drive a borough vehicle.
The commissioner’s reports were presented and are available in their entirety on the Borough website. If you would like a copy of any report, please request it via our email address below or OPRA it directly from Borough Hall.
PUBLIC WORKS (JULY 2024):
- Check Police Department daily due to roof leak.
- Borough Hall and Public Works housekeeping.
- Borough Hall set up for an election event and the monthly borough meeting.
- Pick up debris around the island.
- Utility mark outs.
- Inspection and maintenance of control valves.
- Gate valve operations.
- Stormwater outfall inspections.
- Re-mark stormwater inlets as per permit requirement.
- Stormwater valve cleaning and monitoring.
- Line stop removal from stormwater outfall (#11)
- Line stop separating systems (#10 and #11).
- Pick up trash, recyclables, yard, and dog waste around island.
- Maintain ground/lawn equipment, cut grass, and weed whack.
- Material acquisitions for the parade.
- July 4th parade and related duties.
- Public Works and Police Department vehicle checks, maintenance, and registrations.
- Test Public Works eye wash station.
- Bulk trash collections.
- Pump station checks, lateral disconnect inspection, and manhole inspections.
- Sanitary manhole and lateral inspections for inflow and infiltration (I & I).
CAPITAL PROJECTS / ENGINEERING:
- The borough received a $67,000 recreation improvement grant. Plans include resurfacing the basketball courts, new hoops, and pickle ball courts.
- Borough Hall Roof – Contractor inspected roof today. It will entail a complete tear-off and replacement. In the meantime, a temporary fix will happen shortly over the Police Department. The contractor will provide two bids: one for the PD roof and one for the Borough Hall roof. The PD roof has priority whereas funding will be required for the Borough Hall roof.
PROJECTS IN DESIGN PHASE:
- North end (Poplar Avenue to Glenwood Avenue) of J Avenue ($187,000 DOT grant). A walkthrough was completed July 25th. A meeting with residents will be scheduled shortly to discuss possible plans to raise the street and the impact on homeowners. The tentative bid schedule is for September and awarded in October.
- Neptune Avenue Bulkhead /storm water management project ($400,000 CMC funding). Soil borings are being scheduled. The county and the borough engineers will discuss the design.
PROJECTS IN CLOSEOUT PHASE:
- Beach parking – punch list is completed and inspected. Waiting for final documents to officially close out the project.
- Lake Road – completed and awaiting closeout. The stop sign discussed at last month’s meeting has been relocated.
- Maple Avenue USDA project: a long punch list has been created. The entire system has been videotaped.
- As a result of the borough engineer’s inspection of bulkheads, three property owners will receive letters from the BOWW regarding their compromised bulkheads.
FINANCE:
- Overall, borough accounts are 37% expended. Account balances at month’s end are skewed a bit due to the retirement of the BOWW CFO and transition to the new CFO.
- Sewer utility data – most recent flow rates are equivalent to the flow rates from last year prior to the collapse of the manhole. Commissioner Segrest is hopeful this trend continues, and the borough will receive a refund of sewer fees this year from CMCMUA.
- Contingency funds are available from the Maple Avenue project. The borough will request approval from the USDA to use these funds for a full rehabilitation of two manholes and dig out two abandoned manholes on Maple Avenue.
- The borough purchased a small sewer camera to help investigate leaks and high flow rates. The supervisor of public works has identified several laterals with high flow rates. The next step is to understand the problem creating the high flow rates and repair or replace the laterals.
PUBLIC SAFETY (289 calls for service 07/01-07/31/24):
- Sixty motor vehicle stops and 47 parking complaints.
- Twenty-five general complaints were addressed and 11 other public service calls.
- There were six medical assists/well-being checks and four property checks.
- Five local ordinance violations and four verbal disputes.
- Five suspicious persons/vehicle/activity, one theft and four local ordinance violations were also listed on the police activity report for July.
PUBLIC COMMENTS:
- A Maple Avenue homeowner was concerned with the inferior quality of her sidewalk and apron. She stated the pavements are crumbling all along the recently paved Maple Avenue. The engineers will inspect her property and others on Maple Avenue and report to the borough. The contractor received a punch list, and the project has not been closed out. Once the punch list has been satisfied and the contractor receives final payment, the contractor will be under a two-year maintenance bond. She also questioned a comment made earlier in the meeting regarding sewer lines. Commission Segrest explained some of the older homes can have compromised sewer lines that are adding to the borough’s I & I problems. If these sewer lines are broken and leaking, allowing I & I to get into the sewer system, they will need to be replaced at the homeowner’s expense.
- A homeowner questioned the two-year bond for the Maple Avenue contractor. The two-year maintenance bond does not apply to private contracts that a homeowner enters into an agreement with a contractor. The homeowner also commented on the standing water in certain areas of Maple and Pine Avenues as compared to water draining quickly on Glenwood Avenue. The clerk explained the Glenwood Avenue drain flows out to Poplar Avenue and is a larger pipe. In addition, there is a problem with a buildup of sediment that occurred during the dewatering portion of the Maple Avenue project. The contractor’s punch list includes cleaning out culverts and pipes which should improve drainage. The engineer asked property owners to notify the borough of standing water for an extended period. The mayor stated the drainage problems are compounded when there is heavy rain during high tides.
- A homeowner expressed concern of police harassment and profiling. She stated a relative who is living with her this summer, while employed at a seasonal family business, was pulled over twice in a matter of a few weeks and accused of having drugs and guns in his car. The police officer also made an accusation that drugs and guns were being sold from the resident’s home. The resident spoke to the Chief of Police who said the incidents would be addressed. Commissioner Banning suggested filing a written complaint and requesting a response. Alternatively, she can file a complaint with the Cape May Prosecutor’s Office. The homeowner has observed on multiple occasions that police vehicles are speeding down Glenwood Avenue. The police vehicles do not have lights or sirens on to indicate an emergency. Commissioner Banning will speak to the Police Chief and advise her of the concerns that were brought to his attention.
- A homeowner questioned the process of issuing variances and how a recently built property can look so different from the architectural drawings that were originally submitted and approved by the planning board. The commissioners suggested the homeowner contact Rick Allen, the BOWW zoning official, for an explanation.
- A homeowner remarked that parking regulations are not consistently enforced.
- Cape May County has required the BOWW to begin property tax revaluations by 2026 and complete them by 2027. Property assessments can be appealed. The appeal must be filed by April 1st with the county and a fee will be charged.
- Planning board members are required to complete online training.
- Commissioner Banning explained the code enforcement policy. Once a code enforcement complaint is received, the code enforcement officer sends out a letter notifying the property owner of the violation and allowing 10 days or so to correct the violation. If the violation is not corrected within the allotted time limit, the property owner is fined and/or issued a court summons. The code enforcement officer is not obligated to follow up with the individual who filed the complaint; however, the individual can request to speak with the code enforcement officer (James Dodd) regarding the status of the violation.
- There are approximately seven other manholes on or adjacent to Maple Avenue that were not included in the recent USDA project.
- A homeowner thanked the police department for their quick response to her blocked driveway. The police officer was able to locate the owner of the vehicle and have them move their vehicle.
- The mayor explained “Freeboard” and elaborated on resolution #2024-070. The NJ DEP’s current regulations require new homes to have a finished floor at 11 feet. The new regulations add an additional 5 feet. The BOWW has joined the County of Cape May requesting the NJ DEP reconsider this across-the-board requirement as it would create problems for future development in West Wildwood and throughout Cape May County. In addition, the flood zones are different in southern Jersey vs central and northern Jersey.
- The deadline to submit paperwork for the November election is August 22nd. No one has officially submitted any paperwork as of today.
- The solicitor stated there are no lawsuits for damages seeking recovery or threat of litigation to the borough. Employees have the option for their personnel matters to be discussed in closed-door sessions or in public.
- The commissioners may host a presentation by Lomax, a consultant who was hired by Cape May County to navigate the NJ DEP’s recent regulation and understand its impact on the borough and property owners.
- There are no plans to dredge the borough-owned canal. The portion of the canal that runs parallel to Poplar Avenue is borough-owned. Where the canal turns, it becomes state waters through approximately Bridge Point Marina. Beyond Bridge Point Marina, the waterway is NJ DOT property. The NJ DOT is dredging their own waterways and will work from Bay Avenue to the railroad trestle. Dredging should be completed in this area by mid-August. The Intercoastal Waterway (ICW) is Federally owned and there are no plans to dredge these waters.
- A property owner will file a complaint with the borough code enforcement against a builder who is using her lot to dump his construction waste and debris.
- At this time, the BOWW inspects only bulkheads where a complaint has been filed. All waterfront homeowners have received notification of the new bulkhead ordinance and requirement of compliance by 2030.
- Although the street sweeping schedule on the website is not dated, it remains in effect for the current year and is subject to change.
We encourage you to listen to the audio from the meeting to have a better understanding of actual comments.
Best regards,
The CTWWW Advisory Council
Trish Sinnott – President
Mary Anne Welsh – Secretary
Jim Bannan – Director
Susan Czwalina – Treasurer
Vacant – Vice President
Vacant – Director
Vacant – Director
Vacant – Director