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
Public Safety
Councilmember Frank Dallahan reported that last month the borough had hired a 17th police officer who is in training, and the department will be fully staffed in time for the summer season.

Recreation and Tourism
Councilmember Bernadette “Bunny” Parzych, who heads council’s Recreation & Tourism committee, announced that the borough will again host an arts and crafts fair this year at the 80th Street Recreation Field. Jersey Cape Fine Arts and Crafts, a non-profit organization, plans to have 100 vendors with food and live music at the event on August 29 and 30. The fair’s sponsor will be responsible for the entire setup and teardown. It will also have a “Libations Garden” where local breweries and wineries can provide tastings and sell sealed containers of beer and wine. Parzych said that part of the applications is still being discussed. The borough will set aside parking for vendors and provide police patrols during the event. Parzych said borough department heads already have signed off on the plan, but it still needs council approval. She said the long-running fair at the field – which stopped after the 2020 pandemic – didn’t provide any revenue to Stone Harbor because the borough provided so many services. The organization proposing the new event will take on more responsibilities and will pay an application fee. She said borough officials are reviewing event application fees. Parzyck also said the committee will explore the possibility of creating a jitney service to shuttle passengers around Stone Harbor to reduce traffic and parking problems.

Natural Resources
Borough Administrator Joseph Clark reported on a meeting he attended in Washington, D.C., with other shore officials to discuss beach replenishment funding. Federal funding was eliminated last year, just as Stone Harbor was scheduled to begin a major replenishment project. He said U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-Cape May, Atlantic, Cumberland) and his staff are developing legislation known as the Coastal Storm Risk Management Trust Fund Act, which would take money from federal oil and gas leases to repair storm damage in several parts of the country, including New Jersey and Florida on the East Coast. Clark said that according to the Congressional Budget Office, the act won’t impact the federal budget and could generate $1 billion a year in dedicated funding to repair beaches. In the short term, Clark said Van Drew is seeking $170 to $180 million from new sources administered by the Army Corps of Engineers for the New Jersey shore towns, like Stone Harbor, that just missed out on funding. He said federal officials, including both New Jersey Senators, understand that beach replenishment is important, not only to protect the local tourism industry, but also valuable infrastructure.

Regular Meeting
Council had no ordinances up for 1st or 2nd reading. It approved a consent agenda that included resolutions to promote public works employees, appoint a part-time zoning officer, and renew its agreement to share municipal court costs with Avalon.

Public Comment
Jim Fisher, owner of Seashore Ace, objected to the increase in parking fees from $1 an hour to $2.50 approved on January 6. He said the increase is excessive and will cost the business district customers at a time when local merchants face challenges from larger competitors and online retailers. He also complained that no borough officials contacted local businesses or the Chamber of Commerce about the impending increase.

Jocelyn Rich, former council member and business owner, said a small increase might be warranted, but the new fees are too high. Rich said she, too, was surprised to learn about the increase without any borough outreach.

Brett Denafo, an owner of the Harbor Square Theatre and Stone Harbor Bar and Grill, said the business community is the engine of the Stone Harbor community and the parking increase will put a damper on sales. The increase comes after the rocky introduction of the Park Mobile app, he said. Denafo told council he understood the borough parking fees were initiated to prevent people from parking all day on 96th Street, not as a revenue enhancement measure. Also, he noted that there are other parts of the town with free parking lots where council could charge for parking.

Marnie Lengle, Coordinator of the Stone Harbor Chamber of Commerce, who staffs the Chamber’s Welcome Center on 96th Street, said retailers had already endured 18 months of customer anger since the introduction of the parking app in 2024. She said the increase will create bad press for Stone Harbor and drive more shoppers to Avalon, where parking is free.

Deb Orszech, owner of the Paisley Christmas Tree Shoppe, said she was concerned about the parking fee increase, but also the proposed arts and crafts fair. She said the long-time fair had started as a high-end juried festival, but eventually became more like a flea market, undercutting prices at local businesses. Orzech said businesses that provide service in Stone Harbor year-round, or for much of the year, should receive some consideration, not competition.

Geoff Woolery asked Clark whether the beaches that were to receive federal funds this year for replenishment, including Stone Harbor, would still be at the top of the list to receive money from the proposed trust. Clark said that at this point, the proposed legislation does not address the order in which towns would get restoration financing.

Hearing
After taking lengthy testimony, Council adjourned a hearing on the appeal of a bulkhead permit denial by the borough engineer for 9926 Corinthian Drive. Council decided to postpone a final decision to allow the applicants to provide additional information in response to council questions about other bulkhead permit approvals in the borough.

To read legislation from this meeting, please click: https://stoneharbornj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Regular-Meeting-Agenda-and-Back-Up-01-20-2026.pdf

To view a video of the meeting, please click: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGcW3zvh8U0

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.