As a courtesy to our SHPOA Members, we’re bringing you a summary of each Stone Harbor Work Session and Council Meeting. Intended as summaries, these intentionally don’t have a lot of details and are not a substitute for the official Borough minutes.

Work Session

Farmers’ Market
In a scheduled presentation, Will Boyer, manager of the Stone Harbor Sunday farmers’ market, thanked Council for supporting two pop-up farmers’ markets on Wednesdays in August as a test. Boyer said vendors at the first Wednesday market on August 13 recorded 30 percent of typical Sunday sales. The Wednesday market had 25 vendors compared to 35-37 on Sundays. The market was condensed into a smaller footprint to allow better access to the back of stores on 96th  Street. Boyer said the customers at the pop-up were split between those who already come regularly, and others who cannot attend on Sunday. The additional dates allowed him to bring in vendors who are on the waiting list for Sundays. The second Wednesday pop-up is scheduled for August 27.

Paddle Ball
During Council committee reports, Tom King presented a $5,000 check to the borough for hosting the fifth ProFlight Paddle Tennis tournament, August 1st and  2nd. He said the tournament drew 12 of the world’s top players.

The Point
Councilmember Robin Casper, chair of the Natural Resources Committee, said 2025 has been a good year overall for birds at Stone Harbor Point, despite the collapse of its Least Tern colony. She said that due to projected weather patterns, the date for off-road vehicle access at the point may be delayed.

Dune Restoration
Also, during committee reports, Aaron Baker, senior consultant at Lomax Consulting Group in Cape May Court House, said a homeowner with beach-front property at 122nd  Street has agreed to finance dune restorations on his block, including those bounding the parking lot at the point. The plan calls for the removal of invasive plants, including Japanese Black Pine, and the addition of native plants including bayberry, golden rod, and grasses. The project includes irrigation tied to the homeowner’s property. Baker said Lomax will monitor the project for five years and it will add no costs to the borough.
 
Public Comment
In public comments during the meeting, new residents of 112th Street, which is on the former Villa Maria property, complained that the path they use to access the beach is too steep and covered in deep sand, making it difficult to traverse. Council President Jennifer Gensemer said ownership, and the responsibility to maintain the path, has been difficult to determine as the new parcels are developed. Borough Administrator Joe Clark said he will look into the situation.

Regular Meeting
The Council voted to approve the final passage of:

•Ordinance1691 – appropriating $7,621,845 to issue bonds to improvements to projects throughout the borough, including   down payments. The bonds will pay for street work at 124th  Street, upgrades to parks and playgrounds, storm drain system at 111th  to 116th  Streets and mitigate flooding of borough-owned property from 80th  street to
88th  Street and the marina boat ramp.

•Ordinance1692 – appropriating $163,000 from the Capital Improvement Fund for various projects including purchase of ballistic vests, Public Works equipment, preparation of a master flood plan, and improvements to borough buildings and grounds.

•Ordinance1693 – appropriating $3,184,380 to issue bonds and notes to pay for upgrades and installation of new water and sewer pipes in Stone Harbor including at 105th  Street and 111th  to 116th  Streets.

Council introduced two ordinances on first reading

•Ordinance1694 – reorganization and creating a new combined Department of Public Works and Utilities operating three separate divisions for public works, buildings and ground and utilities.

•Ordinance1695 – making changes in the salary ordinance to reflect several changes in the organization of the municipal government structure.

On the consent agenda, Council approved technical resolutions and one accepting the 2024 annual audit. Council then went into a closed session to discuss litigation and employee relations.

To view legislation discussed at the meeting, please click: Regular-Meeting-and-Back-up-8-19-2025-Final.pdf

To view a video of the meeting, please click:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dP9NUi0rj1Y

NOTE: As you may know, our friends at the Cape May County Herald are offering SHPOA members only an exclusive discount for Herald subscriptions — 25% OFF with code “SHPOA” — and they are also providing your association advertising space in print and online for us to promote the association and the initiatives important to our members.

To subscribe and use the discount, please click on https://capemaycountyherald.com/subscribe/ and use promo code “SHPOA” at checkout to claim your 25% discount. Only valid for new subscribers.
To read past Stone Harbor Council Meeting summaries, please click here: https://www.stoneharborpoa.org/category/borough-meeting-summaries/

To watch recordings of past meetings, please click here: https://stoneharbornj.org/agendameetings/watch-mayor-and-council-meetings-online/