CAPE MAY – There was a resolution on the Aug. 15 agenda for Cape May City Council, giving city administration the authorization to proceed with a request for qualifications for a coastal engineer.
According to Deputy Mayor Lorraine Baldwin, the city is seeking someone who can help it model its shoreline as part of an effort to look at the drop off of its seafloor that has been the subject of numerous beach safety concerns over the years.
Baldwin also noted the poor state of many of the city’s jetties, which may be contributing to sand erosion. She said the city thought it time to get some professional advice from a coastal engineer on the state of its beaches and what might be done to improve them.
The city’s beaches are already ranked among the best by visitors. Just this year, Tripadvisor listed Cape May’s beaches in its Best of the Best listing for the U.S.
The effort to seek a coastal engineer comes, in part, from the city’s Beach Safety Advisory Committee, one of several advisory committees of residents who work alongside city officials on issues of importance to the municipality. The city’s website lists six such advisory committees. Along with beach safety, the committees are active in areas of taxation and revenue, parking, bicycling and pedestrian concerns, municipal buildings and properties, and the town library.
Contact the author, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.
