23 Oct **** Borough Meeting Highlights 09-06-24
Dear West Wildwood Neighbors,
The ninth monthly borough meeting of 2024 was held on Friday, September 6th at 7:00 pm in the borough hall. Approximately 40 people were in attendance. Mayor Ksiazek, Commissioners Banning (late) and Segrest, Municipal Clerk Donna Frederick, Deputy Clerk Carl O’Hala, Solicitor Lyons and an engineering firm representative were present.
The BOWW received notification from the NJ DEP for a single-family home or duplex, driveway, retaining walls and a swimming pool (10×20) at 617 West Poplar Avenue.
ORDINANCES:
- ORDINANCE #629(2024) – Second Reading/Public hearing – Adding Chapter 520-11 of the BOWW code entitled “vehicle traffic” ordinance. Reinstituting ordinance due to its omission from the recent codification process.
- ORDINANCE #630(2024) – Second Reading/Public hearing – Regulations for unhitched trailers. No substantive change to previous ordinance. Reinstituting ordinance due to its omission from the recent codification process.
- ORDINANCE #631(2024) – Second Reading/Public hearing – Adding Chapter 340-99 of the BOWW code entitled “Privately owned salt storage”. Mandated by the State of NJ.
RESOLUTIONS #2024-077 through #2024-078 relate to the following:
- Adopting a specific form to be completed when filing an OPRA request with the BOWW.
- Authorizing change order #1 for final parking improvements (playground project) by Crest Construction a decrease of $1,580. The total for the project was $93,220.
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 (AUGUST 2024, not all inclusive):
- Check Police Department daily due to roof leak.
- Borough Hall and Public Works housekeeping and replace lighting.
- Borough Hall set up for the monthly borough meeting.
- Pick up debris around the island.
- Utility mark outs.
- Inspection and maintenance of control valves, elevation measurements and storm water elevations.
- Gate valve operations.
- Stormwater outfall inspections.
- Tide control at Magnolia and Arion Avenues.
- Stormwater valve cleaning outfall #16 at R Avenue and monitoring at various locations.
- Line stop removal and stop separation from stormwater outfall.
- The storm sewer system was designed with cross connections between areas to allow the system to drain faster. A problem arises when there is a failure in one area of the island, it promulgates and floods the entire island. Line stops break the interconnections and may help to reduce flooding throughout the town.
- Stake out electric company easements on borough property.
- Inventory handicap parking spaces and follow up with curb painting.
- Pick up trash, recyclables, yard, and dog waste around island.
- Maintain ground/lawn equipment, cut grass, and weed whack.
- Paint borough bulkhead.
- Material acquisitions.
- Elevation benchmarks for the transfer for roadway and flood management.
- Public Works and Police Department vehicle checks and routine maintenance checks.
- Bulk trash collections.
- Bulkhead checks.
- Use of the City of Wildwood’s bucket truck.
- Pump station checks and high-level resets.
- Video review of lateral location verifications and lateral disconnect inspection.
- Sanitary manhole inspection for inflow and infiltration (I & I).
CAPITAL PROJECTS / ENGINEERING:
- A grant application was submitted for the south side of J Avenue.
- The borough received a $67,000 recreation improvement grant. Plans include resurfacing the basketball courts, new hoops, and the possibility of adding pickle ball courts.
- Borough Hall Roof – Bids came in higher than expected. The commissioners will discuss the source of funding but should be completed by the end of October.
PROJECTS IN DESIGN PHASE:
- North end (Poplar Avenue to Glenwood Avenue) of J Avenue ($187,000 DOT grant). A meeting with residents is scheduled for tomorrow (09/07/24) at 10 am. A tentative bid schedule is for September with awarded in October.
- Neptune Avenue Bulkhead /storm water management project ($400,000 CMC funding). Soil borings are scheduled for next week.
PROJECTS IN CLOSEOUT PHASE:
- Beach parking – waiting for final reimbursement.
- Lake Road – waiting for final reimbursement.
- Maple Avenue USDA project: punch list and street cleaning to be scheduled. Requesting to use contingency funds for manhole rehabilitations.
MISCELLANEOUS:
- Tax maps were received for the revaluation of properties next year.
- Pricing to videotape the entire sanitary sewer system came in at $80,000 – $300,000. Will send out requests for updated pricing.
- Inspections of three bulkheads were completed and homeowners were contacted.
- The mayor attended a Cape May County meeting to explain the new DEP flood evaluation rules. The borough’s workshop meeting on September 18th will include a presentation by Peter Lomax, an environmentalist consultant for Cape May County.
- Free bulk trash collection – Monday, October 21st.
- Fall community cleanup – Saturday, November 2nd from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm register at borough hall and pick up supplies. Refreshments and pizza will be served afterwards.
- Free shredding day – November 9th from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm in front of borough hall.
FINANCE:
- The General Fund account is 59% expended, but overall, borough accounts are 44% expended. Commissioner Segrest commented there is a lag in some of the accounts. Financially the borough is in good shape.
- Low-income residents are reminded of the borough’s commitment to the Fair Share Housing Program. You may qualify for repairs and upgrades to your home. Please contact the borough office for more information.
PUBLIC SAFETY (220 calls for service 08/01-08/31/24), not all inclusive:
- Twenty-two motor vehicle stops, five motor vehicle accidents and 23 parking complaints.
- Fifteen general complaints were addressed.
- There were 10 medical assists/well-being checks and six property checks.
- Three local ordinance violations and seven verbal disputes.
- Four suspicious persons/vehicle/activity, six thefts and four animal complaints, were also listed on the police activity report for August.
PUBLIC COMMENTS:
- The NJ DEP has passed the new flood elevation rules. It is not known when enforcement will begin.
- There has been no update on the legalizing of docks at the 26th Street marina. The borough plans to comment on the unique ownership issues within the 90-day window.
- A resident indicated that there is standing water at the corner of Arion and Maple Avenues. It may be coming up from the storm drain. It is not a result of rain or high tides. The commissioners will follow up on it.
- Three bulkheads were inspected by Remington & Vernick (BOWW engineers) and the engineers were paid for their services. One property owner has applied for a NJ DEP bulkhead permit for a new bulkhead. Another property owner is gathering estimates from contractors. The borough is still working on the third property owner.
- A resident reported the beach was recently covered with sea hay. The mayor commented that wind and the tide can impact the beach. Public Works periodically cleans up the beach. If you find you cannot access the beach because of sea grass, please report it to the borough office. Also, dogs are not permitted on the beach until November 1stp per the sign at the beach. Please report violations to the police department.
- Numerous residents gave accounts of overcrowding, nuisance parties, false advertising, and fire hazards at a local Airbnb. The mayor indicated the borough has no authority over Airbnb’s. Rentals in the borough must have a mercantile license and a fire inspection. The borough police department can enforce excessive noise, illegal parking, open fire pits, etc. If the rental exceeds the approved occupancy dictated by the mercantile license and fire code, contact the borough. The fire inspector will be notified. Complaints of false advertising, nuisance parties, unruly guests, etc. should be reported directly to Airbnb resource center. The commissioners plan to take up the topic at a workshop session.
- The deadline for election petitions was August 22, 2024. The deadline is set by state statute and Cape May County is responsible for advertising. Three petitions were submitted by the deadline: Mayor Matt Ksiazek, Commissioner Segrest and Jane DiMattia.
- A resident from the vicinity of L and P Avenues voiced her concern with the lack of police visibility and patrolling. She believes this has led to the increase in thefts of bikes, lumber, and other crimes. Commissioner Banning will discuss concerns with Chief Ferentz and request extra patrols. While West Wildwood is an extremely safe town, he believes residents should always take precautions.
- While the unofficial West Wildwood Facebook page is a method of communicating with residents, the mayor emphasized suspicious activity should be reported to the police department. Residents should be vigilant and do not hesitate to call our police department. The borough provides 24/7 police service.
- There has been quite a bit of police activity at the motel on Maple Avenue. Commissioner Banning is aware of the problem; however, he could not comment.
- The solicitor would not allow Commissioner Banning to disclose the number of policemen on duty during a particular shift. They believe this is a public safety issue. Commissioner Banning explained that the goal is to have nine officers on staff year-round. Currently there are six officers total, including the chief.
- A resident suggested organizing a Town Watch group. Commissioner Banning said with the arrival of cell phones, these groups have gone by the wayside, however, he would be happy to collaborate with any volunteer organization. The mayor reiterated, if residents see something out of the ordinary, please contact the police department immediately.
- A resident of Maple Avenue asked about the schedule to complete the Maple Avenue punch list. No date has been set yet, but residents will receive 48 hours’ notice. She commented on damage to new concrete and expansion joints.
We strongly encourage you to listen to the audio from this meeting to have a better understanding of actual public 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