Stone Harbor Remains Stronger Than the Storm

On the chilly Friday morning of Jan. 29, Stone Harbor residents, business owners, policemen, firemen, public works, school children, teachers, realtors and Mayor and council stood in the middle of 96th Street to spread the message of strength and resilience in their community.
Just a short week and a half ago, record tides from Winter Storm Jonas flooded the streets of Stone Harbor and damaged many of its businesses. But Marnie Lengle, Stone Harbor Chamber of Commerce Coordinator, shared that Jonas isn’t going to stop Stone Harbor from having a great 2016 season.
“I’m amazed at the resilience of this town. In just a few short days, the town looks great,” said Lengle.
To show the public that Stone Harbor is there, open and already preparing for the 2016 season, Stone Harbor business owners and others took a photo in the middle of 96th Street while holding up a banner reading “#stoneharborlife” along with signs representing each business. The photo was shared on social media via the Stone Harbor Chamber of Commerce as well as numerous news outlets.
“As we were trying to come up with a hashtag, we wanted everyone to know that we’re not just about the storm, we’re about life. Stone Harbor is our life, passion and what we live,” said Lengle. Hence the hashtag, #stoneharborlife.
Alexandra Rich, owner of a new, upcoming Stone Harbor shop, Alex’s Stone Harbor Market, shared that about three inches of flooding from the storm halted construction and painting. “I was born and raised here, so I knew what to expect,” said Rich. “We thought about sandbags and boards, but the water will get in no matter what. We just prayed and kept checking in.” Despite the storm, Alex’s Stone Harbor Market will be open and ready for business in March.
Trish Price, owner of Fishin’ Pier Grille, had a different approach to the storm. Price and the Montanari family are preparing to open a second location for Fishin’ Pier Grille in Stone Harbor. Price prepared for the storm with advice from other Stone Harbor business owners since she is new to the area, along with boards, sandbags and Flex sealant. “We were a little nervous, but we persevered through,” said Price. “We’re opening in April regardless of the storm.”
The bottom line is, Stone Harbor is not sitting in the soup. As Stone Harbor Mayor Suzanne Walters said, “Stone Harbor is resilient, cleaning up, open for business in 2016 and better than ever.”