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
Pedestrian Safety
Council Member Jennifer Gensemer highlighted the “ongoing and serious risk” to pedestrian safety at the two county-controlled intersections on 96 th Street at Second Avenue and Third Avenue in response to a recent pedestrian accident. She reported on her efforts to convince Cape May County to test an “all walk” crossing system to protect pedestrians. An “all-walk” traffic crossing system is a traffic management system where all vehicles are stopped simultaneously, allowing pedestrians to cross in all directions at the same time. The change to the all-walk system would necessitate only a change in the traffic light timing and would not require modifications to the existing infrastructure, according to Gensemer.
Gensemer requested that the County Commissioners approve a trial run of the all-walk system. She stated that the County has been reluctant to approve a change in the system without eliminating some parking and narrowing sidewalks before testing the system. She asserted that the town should not be required to give up downtown access before data is gathered and the new system accessed.
Channel Dredging
Council Member Robin Casper reported that annual water depth monitoring indicated that the depth of the channel and basin entrances and edges meet state requirements and do not indicate that dredging is necessary at this time. Casper noted that another survey should be completed in the fall and the water depth will continue to be evaluated.
Planning Board Approval of Restaurant Expansion
Council Member Bunny Parzych reported that at the July 14 meeting, the Planning Board approved the application by SH Fontana LLC to expand the rooftop restaurant located at 224 96th Street. Parzych explained that the approval would allow the restaurant to expand its enclosed area and increase capacity. Construction is expected to begin in fall 2026 with the restaurant opening scheduled for 2027.

Regular Meeting
The Council voted to approve the final passage of:
•Ordinance1686 – amendment to Chapter 386 of the municipal code to designate additional parking areas for Borough employees and guests at the Borough Hall Parking Lot and other public parking lots and to provide limited free parking for Borough business in front of Borough Hall.
•Ordinance 1689 – amendment to Chapter 520 to revise parking regulations by removing overnight parking restrictions from the north side of 83rd Street between First Avenue and the beach and both sides of First Avenue between 83rd Street and the north side of 82nd Street.
•Ordinance 1690 – amendment to Chapter 174 (Property Maintenance) to add nuisance provisions that establish standards for roadway and intersection vegetation maintenance, land grading to prevent stagnant waters or other nuisance conditions, and to prohibit prolonged debris accumulation, as well as establish penalties for violations.
The Council approved a number of resolutions, including resolution S-194, authorizing the appointment of two full-time police officers. The officers were sworn in surrounded by their colleagues and families.
Council also approved Resolution 2025-S198 to allow the use of body boards at the 112th Street beach.
Three new ordinances were introduced which address bond issuance and capital improvements. The ordinances and resolutions approved may be viewed here.
Public Comment
Members of the police union asked the council to help resolve the ongoing contract negotiations. The latest contract expired at the end of 2023. The union said that the lack of a contract is causing attrition with officers leaving the borough’s police force to accept positions in the surrounding jurisdictions. He stated that 25 percent of the workforce had left in the last nine months and anticipated that another 30 percent of the officers could resign before the end of the year. Joe Clark, the Borough’s recently appointed Business Administrator, assured the council that he will work to resolve the contract dispute and to address the officers’ concerns.
To view a video of the meeting, please click: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg7rPJW74jo
 
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/