The Cape May City Council hosted a town hall meeting Thursday, Nov. 2. Unlike previous town hall meetings that largely focused on one or two issues facing the city and were held at Convention Hall, this one followed the structure of a city council meeting in the city hall auditorium. The location did allow for remote access and a video record for anyone unable to attend.
The meeting began with updates from public safety officials, as the police and fire chiefs reported on their departments.
Police Chief Dekon Fashaw spoke of the department’s change from CodeRED to Nixle as a platform for issuing community alerts. He also talked about the expansion of the department, which now has 28 full-time officers to cover the city and the boroughs of West Cape May and Cape May Point.
Fire Chief Alex Coulter used his presentation time to discuss the city’s new rescue task force, with specially trained personnel ready to enter dangerous environments to treat and extract individuals as necessary. He pointed to the seemingly daily reports of active shooter situations nationwide as evidence of the need for such a unit.
Borough Engineer Paul Dietrich informed the public of efforts to maintain the city’s level 5 standing with the Federal Emergency Management Agency Community Rating System. He then turned to Risk Reduction Plus Group’s Tyler Ardron to outline the changes in the flood insurance program with the introduction by FEMA of Risk Rating 2.0.
The presentations moved to a report on progress with the repurposing of the historic Franklin Street School to a branch of the county library system. Mayor Zack Mullock said the city is hoping for substantial completion of that effort by January.
Mullock then gave what the agenda called a “mayoral update” on a variety of city projects.
The update represented a quick run-through of not just current projects but also what could be characterized as accomplishments over the period since Mullock assumed the mayoralty with a largely new council in January 2021. His presentation was peppered with phrases like “when we came into office” and “since this council took office,” making some of it sound more like a political statement than an update.
The list Mullock covered focused on new amenities for residents and visitors and ranged from new foot showers and beach mats at beach entranceways to restroom upgrades to new shade structures and benches around town.
Among other projects he touched on were the preservation of the Sewell Tract, the new firehouse under construction, bonding for a new police station, the preservation of the Allen African Methodist Episcopal Church, new Historic Preservation Commission standards and the fact that all four wells supporting the city’s water system are operational.
The two biggest and potentially most expensive projects Mullock discussed are the building of a new desalination plant, estimated at around $30 million, and improvements to the city’s sea wall, estimated at $25 million. He stressed that the city expects significant outside funding in the form of federal monies or other grants to help pay for these projects.
Turning to finances, the mayor used a few graphs depicting a five-year span to show dramatic improvement in the surplus, a decrease in the municipal debt ratio and a better return on investments.
The meeting then moved to audience questions.
The Lafayette Street Park was one area of concern. Improvements to the park have been an issue in the city for years, as construction in large areas of the proposed facility has been held up by negotiations with the numerous groups that have overlapping jurisdiction. He gave a long list of agencies that he said all “had a bite of this apple.”
Mullock said the latest holdup is the wait for an agreement between the Cape May Housing Authority, an organization separate from the city, and JCP&L, the utility that owns the land and was responsible for its remediation.
“As soon as we get the permits,” the mayor said, “we will have a shovel in the ground.”
In response to questions, Mullock reiterated his and the council’s commitment not to extend the Promenade arches into the residential sections of Beach Avenue.
When asked about the regional school system tax, he pointed to an effort to get some additional support from the Coast Guard toward regional school district fees as well as financial assistance from the Coast Guard toward the cost of the new desalination plant.
Mullock responded to another concern by emphasizing the need for trees and vegetation along the dunes that will be part of the sea wall extension.
The meeting ended with the mayor inviting members of the audience to peruse the many project plans, photos and specifications that lined three long tables in front of the council.
Contact the author, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.
