AVALON – A Stone Harbor developer has offered to contribute $4,690 to the borough to be used for public access improvements at Bay Park Marina.

Business Administrator Scott Wahl reported the offer during the Borough Council’s work session May 22. The funds, with the amount calculated by the state Department of Environmental Protection, are in lieu of providing a narrow public access pathway at a two-home development in Stone Harbor.

Paying for public access elsewhere is an acceptable alternative under state statute as long as the DEP approves both the amount and the project it is to be used for.

The funds were first offered to Stone Harbor, but the Stone Harbor Council failed to vote on a resolution about the funding option: When a resolution was included on a council agenda, no member of the council was willing to move or second it, so it never came up for a vote. Council members gave no reason for their action.

In an earlier discussion, Stone Harbor Council President Frank Dallahan challenged the amount, saying that land in the borough is worth much more, even for just a pathway. The amount, however, is not flexible, but is calculated by the DEP based on a state formula.

Since state law allows an adjacent municipality to be a recipient of funds for a public access project in its jurisdiction, the funds were next offered to Avalon, a DEP-approved project was identified, and Wahl reported the process to the Avalon council.

No formal action was taken at the Avalon meeting, but council raised no objection to moving forward with the plan.

Contact the reporter, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.