Stone Harbor Council Meeting Summary – April 21st, 2026

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.

Councilmember Frank Dallahan reported:

•In March 2026, the police department logged 1,034 incidents and issued 16 traffic summonses. They responded to 16 fire calls, 17 medical calls, 2 warnings for ordinanceviolations, 3 noise complaints, 27 open doors/windows, and 2 animal complaints.

•In March 2026, the fire department had 29 fire responses and 41 EMS responses.
There have been a total of 242 responses in 2026.

Councilmember Bunny Parzych reported additional details for the special event applications among the resolutions for approval later in the meeting. The council member noted that proof of liability insurance with minimum coverage and listing the borough as an additional insured party is required before the event or it will not be allowed to proceed. 

Recreation Improvement Updates

•82nd Street Jake’s Law playground – equipment was delivered and the install is happening. Road work is also complete.

•Pickleball – initial repaving is complete and it must sit for 30 days before painting. Resurfacing of the courts at 82nd will be in May. The bocce courts at 97th will be releveled before Memorial Day.

•Playground shade canopies will be reinstalled in the next few weeks.

•Summer sports clinics and basketball league registration open May 1st for residents, May 15th for non-residents. Opportunities include baseball, t-ball, soccer, basketball, flag football, pickleball, fishing, crabbing, and arts and crafts. There will be a basketball league for ages 7-17.

Crist Robine, the Project Manager for Stone Harbor from the Stockton University Coastal Research Center, gave a presentation on the 2025 survey of the beach and back bay:

•The Center conducts a semiannual survey at eight locations for oceanfront sand accumulation.

•Between October 2024 and October 2025, about 300,000 cubic yards of sand were lost, mostly on the southern half of the island. 173,000 of that was lost from the beach (not underwater).

•Between May 2025 and October 2025, there was 146,000 cubic yards of sand loss, spread more generally along the island, mostly due to Hurricane Erin in August 2025. 
All locations recorded shoreline retreat.

•The dunes remain intact.  
The annual lagoon surveys identify and quantify sediment accumulation areas and trends in the back bay, which are used for dredging planning. In 2016-17, 113,000 cubic yards of material were dredged by the borough and individual boat slip owners (setting a baseline depth in the back bay areas); this set a baseline to measure future accumulation.

•In 2025, the survey notes accumulation at the entry channels and a pattern of that accumulation migrating to central portions of the entrances. Accumulation is about 6,000 to 11,000 cubic yards per year and back bay still has adequate water depths.

•The survey identified three trouble spots – Stone Harbor Lagoon, Snug Harbor Lagoon, and Shelter Haven Lagoon. Since 2018, those locations are showing accumulation above that 2017 dredged depth.

Councilmember Robin Casper reported:

•The spring beach sweep was on April 11th with 50 volunteers. Most debris was in the dunes, especially near beach block construction, consisting mostly of plastic and construction debris. The next sweep is set for October.

•The first beach-nesting birds of the year are at the Point: 3 plovers and 9 pairs of American Oystercatchers.

Council unanimously approved a resolution appointing Michael Black as a full-time firefighter and Mayor Tim Carney conducted the swearing-in.

 

A Cape May resident who works at Hoy’s and Barrier Island Books and Art commented on public safety, including scooters, bikers, and skateboarders on the sidewalks, going the wrong way on one-way streets near downtown, and running red lights. He asked for

more signage and acknowledged it would take a multi-pronged approach. He also supports reverting to free parking in the downtown area to free up police time and compete better with Avalon. 

 

The owner of Seashore Supply asked how the proposal for the 94th Street parking lot to be employee-only would be enforced. He requested transparency in how those decisions are made and when they are discussed.

 

The Reverend from Our Savior Lutheran Church commented to correct the record that the Lutheran and Episcopal churches do not use the free lots. They have a reciprocal arrangement with some local businesses and the elementary school to use their lots.

 

Council voted on legislation regarding bulkheads, adding metered parking along First Avenue between 80th and 83rd Streets, reserved parking for shop employees, and to clarify flood elevations.

 

To view legislation discussed at the meeting, please click: https://stoneharbornj.org/wp-

content/uploads/2026/04/Regular-Mtg-and-Backup-WEBSITE.pdf

To view a video of the meeting, please click: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVj-h4J0bhU

 

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/