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
Fire Chief Roger Stanford reported 30 fire and 43 EMS calls in May.
Police Chief Tom Schutta reported 148 motor vehicle stops, 25 vehicle summons, and 289 parking summons issued. In addition, three SH police recruits are in the police academy, with one of them elected class president.
Lifeguard Captain Sandy Bosacco reported that life guard tryouts were completed with 26 selected and are currently in training. Life guard stations will be fully staffed in 10 days. Beach tag sales are very strong and have already surpassed last year’s overall season’s numbers.
Frank Vaul provided the Emergency Management Report including the coastal flood warning on May 10 that caused minor flooding. The emergency operations plan update is due February 2025. The hazard mitigation plan update is due February 2026 for which the county received a $175,000 grant for assistance.
Recreation & Tourism
Councilmember Tim Carney described a meeting with the county regarding a potential $1million open space grant.
Recreation Director Shannon MacPherson reported that basketball league evaluations have been scheduled and court repairs have been completed. Sports clinics, Arts & Crafts, and Family Nights will start on June 24. Bocce ball leagues and tennis clinics will also be starting soon. Fitness bootcamp has already started. Sandbag challenge will be held on June 30. July 4th events will start at 10am. Received a $67,000 grant for 82nd St playground.
Tourism Director Jenny Olson reported that three special event applications will be on the agenda for approval at the next meeting. Farmers Market is up and running. Annual beach fit expo was conducted recently. July 4th will have a pre-fireworks concert. Tuesdays at the Tower have been scheduled.
Natural Resources
Councilmember Tim Carney reported on oyster catcher and piping plovers nests and hatchings at the Point. Data from Army Corp of Engineers for beach nourishment has been received. Bird sanctuary steering committee meeting was held recently.
Regular Council Meeting

A moment of silence was held for the recent passing of community members Bob Scott, Debbie Scott, and George Williams Jr.

A proclamation was read regarding Father William Kelly, Pastor of St. Brendan the Navigator.

Public Comment
Judy Hammerschmidt raised an issue of Borough coverage during absence of key personnel when building code violations needed to be reported. She also criticized SHPOA for a presentation on storm water utilities at a recent membership meeting, saying it wasn’t appropriate for SHPOA to be making such a presentation at a membership meeting. [Editor’s note: SHPOA’s presentation at the membership meeting was to educate our members on what a storm water utility was and wasn’t, without any specific recommendation being made.] She also asked on the status of the various lawsuits the Borough is currently facing. [Council’s attorney provided an overview status in response.] Mary Hayden gave thanks for a quick response from the Borough administration on her parking spot issues.
Kara Sweet shared her perspectives requesting zoning changes for the Courts including the recent Zoning Board’s vote 8-0 against approving a settlement agreement. She shared the status of the Sweet’s litigation, and the lack of zoning changes for the Courts while Linden Lane zoning was changed. She requested the Council’s involvement in this issue.
Barbara & Ken Johnston shared their perspectives regarding the declining state of Pickleball in Stone Harbor after fees were raised to $250 per season a few years ago. They strongly requested that the Council reconsider these dues, especially in light of the much lower fees that Avalon charges. Many who used to play in Stone Harbor have now migrated to Pickleball courts in Avalon.
Brett DeNafo, owner of Stone Harbor Bar & Grill and owner partner in the Harbor Theater covered a host of topics including the state of local businesses and the overall community from his perspective. His view was that with parking issues that still continue this year and other significant price and fee increases across the board, his businesses were seeing an approximate 20% decline in revenue compared to last year.
In light of an announcement at a prior Borough Council meeting, after reviewing state law, the Borough’s attorney provided a perspective that meetings of the governing body should be limited to issues of the government and not be a platform for candidates to announce their candidacy.

Ordinances & Resolutions
A salary ordinance for the Borough to be passed on second hearing.
An ordinance for “angle parking” on the 400 block of 94th Street was introduced.
Several resolutions were also passed.
Council moved to a Closed Session for a while, then returned to adjourn the meeting.

For legislation discussed at the meeting, please click here: http://stoneharbornj.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/06.18.2024-Regular-Meeting-Agenda-and-Documents-1.pdf
For a video of the meeting, please click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSmkGzTxYKw
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.