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: Tickets, chumming, and storms
Police Department —Chief Thomas Schutta noted 130 stops and 5 accidents. More seasonal officers will start soon.
Parking tickets shot up from 30 in May 2022 to 562 this May with the introduction of Park Mobile.
Beach Patrol —Captain Sandy Bosacco held trials on May 28 and now has 21 candidates in a two-week training program. He expects to have a full complement of lifeguards and beach tag checkers shortly.
The lifeguards have been moving the stands to stay ahead of the beach replenishment work.
Some people have seen fishermen chumming to attract fish. This is not allowed and should be reported to the lifeguards and police. Bosacco will also ask the guards to watch for any instances of intoxication.
The Office of Emergency Management reported that in severe weather, such as hurricanes, non-residents would be ordered to evacuate 48 hours ahead; residents should evacuate 24 hours ahead. There are four shelters in the county, some of which are pet friendly. Cameras are in place to capture flooding data.
Fire Department — Chief Roger Stanford reported 40 fire calls and 46 EMS calls in the prior month, He reviewed the history of the pumper which needs to be replaced. If ordered by July 31, the price will be $1,652,000 and the truck could be delivered in 2026.
Recreation and Tourism
Recreation Director Shannon MacPherson outlined the many activities they are holding including the last day of school fun day, basketball, family nights, women’s bocce, July Fourth weekend, and paddle tennis.
Tourism Director Jenny Olson’s activities include the Wedding of the Sea, Sea Shore Ace’s tent sale, the Memorial Day Color Run, the Farmers’ Market, fireworks, and Tuesdays at the Tower.
Natural Resources
Doug Gaffney, of Mott McDonald Engineering, stated that the beach replenishment project is about half completed as it has reached 106th Street. He and Stone Harbor Property Owners (SHPOA) Sustainability Chair Geoff Woolery discussed SHPOA’s planned project of the year and its value to the Borough. They propose that the Borough buy survey equipment to provide beach elevation data in between major studies.
Volunteers from SHPOA would be trained in the usage of the equipment which is light and easily portable. Mayor Judith Davies-Dunhour asked if this should begin now. Gaffney and Woolery urged that it start immediately after the replenishment. SHPOA would cover the equipment cost and the first year of licenses and data once per quarter. This should also earn additional points under the Community Rating System, which affects flood insurance premiums.
Regular Meeting
Council approved the issuance of $316,000 in bonds for water and sewer work on 89th Street, and another $2.2 million in bonds for a ladder truck for the Fire Department and improvements to streets, parks, and municipal structures.
For legislation discussed at the meeting, please click: http://stoneharbornj.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Agenda-for-Web-1.pdf
For a video of the meeting, please click: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPJSR0mbDnA
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/