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

Community Rating System Update
Ray Poudrier, Construction Official, reported that the Borough is awaiting a modification visit from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to evaluate the Borough’s CRS. It is anticipated, based on the work the Borough has completed, that the rating will improve from 7 to 5, resulting in a 10% reduction in flood insurance rates. In the meantime, the Borough is doing additional work that may potentially improve the rating to a “4” by the time the meeting occurs.

Stormwater Grant Possible
The Borough is eligible for a recurring state Department of Environmental Protection grant for $25,000 annually for storm water monitoring. It must first have a digital map of the storm water system to be eligible. The Borough has contracted an engineer to create the digital map at a cost of $25,000, which would be recouped in the coming years from the DEP grant.

10-year Plan for Roads, 96th Street, 3rd Avenue
A 10-year road plan has been submitted to the Public Works committee in accordance with the state’s mandate that all roads be updated to the state’s standards by 2035.

The crosswalks and repaving at 96th Street are scheduled to be completed by the end of April, in time for the summer season.

3rd Avenue construction is completed, yet the road isn’t scheduled to be paved until Fall 2024. Council member Tim Carney met with county officials and arranged for a temporary “smooth coat” to be applied in time for the summer months to make that road more navigable.
 
Playgrounds Open/Closed
The playgrounds at 83rd and 97th Streets will be updated this summer, leaving Chelsea Place as the only operational playground during the season. 
 
96th Street Bridge Work
Administrator Manny Parada gave a timeline on the scheduled bridge replacement. The construction is scheduled to begin September 2025, with road closures not necessary until February 2026 to Memorial Day 2026. The road will again close in Fall 2026, and again from late 2027 through February 2028 for final completion. Boat traffic will be limited to those boats that can “fit” under the bridge for a year beginning February 2026, making the summer of 2026 a tough one for boaters.

Budget 2024 and CFO changes
Jim Craft, Borough Chief Financial Officer, presented the 2024 budget that will be put forth for adoption on April 16, 2024. We encourage you to take a look at the entire presentation at: https://stoneharbornj.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/April-2nd-Budget-Presentation.pdf.

This will be Jim Craft’s last budget for the Borough as he is moving on and the council confirmed the hiring of Cynthia Lindsay to be the Borough’s new CFO.

[Editor’s note: While the above represents the outcome of the meeting on April 2, the Borough amended the budget at the April 16 meeting, and has given notice that it will be presenting a revised amendment to the budget for approval at the May 7 meeting.]  
Regular Council Meeting
Several resolutions were approved for designating protected bathing beaches for 2024, releasing bonds and authorizing the creation of a flood mitigation committee. Additional resolutions include authorizing contract amendment for the Borough’s attorney and awarding a labor counsel contract. Finally, as previously mentioned, council approved the contract for Stormwater System GIS Mapping.

For more information on legislation discussed, please click: https://stoneharbornj.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/04.02.2024-Regular-Meeting-Agenda-and-Attachments.pdf
 
For a video of the meeting, please click: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmbjnFURjF0

NOTE: The Cape May County Herald recently had  articles related to topics covered at this Council Meeting. These articles can be found along with others as part of their coverage of Stone Harbor.

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/