CREST HAVEN – Cape May County Commissioners eye the end of 2023 as they prepare for reorganization on Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024, at 4 p.m. at the Cape May County Technical High School, 188 Crest Haven Road.
The public is invited to attend the event, which is ceremonial yet historically well-attended.
The all-Republican board will welcome newcomer Melanie Collette, who received 17,262 votes in the November election. She will be the first African American to join the body that oversees county government.
Commissioner Robert Barr, named to the vacated seat of now-Surrogate E. Marie Hayes, received the highest number of votes with 17,944.
Incumbent Will Morey received 16,809 votes.
The lone challenger for a board seat was Democrat Patricia O’Connor, who received 9,060 votes.
Vice-Director Jeffrey Pierson did not seek reelection.
Park, Zoo Concessions Awarded
Three contracts were approved for concessions at the County Park and Zoo. All were at no cost to the county, and all will provide varying amounts of revenue to the county based on their intake.
VENUplus Inc., of Salem, New Hampshire, will supply and maintain its penny press machines, with the county receiving 45% of net revenue.
DNP Imagingcomm America Corp., also of Salem, New Hampshire, will provide photo kiosks, with the county getting 35% of its net revenue.
080 Leasing LLC, of Tampa, Florida, will provide a hurricane simulator at various places in the Park and Zoo. The county will receive 50% of its net revenue.
A fourth firm, Apply Photo Booth Inc., of Greenvale, New York, was deemed nonresponsive to the call for proposals.
United for Mutual Aid
Several resolutions were passed to extend mutual aid between municipalities and the county.
In Resolution 802, Sea Isle City, Ocean City, Cape May and Avalon agreed to remove snow and ice on county-owned roads within their borders. The terms are for one year starting Dec. 1, 2023, and will automatically renew for two consecutive one-year terms.
In Resolution 797, Middle Township, Villas Volunteer Fire Company and Town Bank Volunteer Fire Company entered a five-year agreement to join the Cape May County Dive Team. The entity is a subgroup of the county Urban Search and Rescue.
Its mission is to train and equip first responders with skills and ability to participate in efforts to rescue persons in danger in water-related incidents.
Resolution 798 authorized intra-county mutual aid assistance agreements in times of emergencies.
Juvenile Detention Pact Made with Ocean County
To ensure a place for juveniles in need of detention, the county entered a shared services agreement with Ocean County. Cape May County does not have such a facility.
Atlantic County, which is the next closest to here, “is currently at capacity and can no longer accept Cape May County juveniles for the time being,” according to the resolution.
The county previously contracted with Bergen County for juveniles, but that is in Hackensack, a long way from here.
Ocean County, the next county north of Atlantic County, “has the capacity to house up to and including one Cape May (County) pre-adjudicated and/or adjudicated juveniles on a constant basis and one additional Cape May (County) juvenile on an as-needed basis,” per the resolution, and has negotiated an agreement with Cape May County “for the use of the juvenile detention.”
When the 2024 budget is put in place, $118,625 will be allocated to the service as needed through Dec. 31, 2024.
County Administrator Kevin Lare stated, “Availabliilty is sometimes a problem, hence we contract with two counties.”
US Justice Grant Accepted
The county accepted a $24,056 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance for the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program.
The Sheriff’s Office requested the funds “for reimbursement of correctional officer’s salaries incurred for incarcerating criminal aliens.”
Lare stated this is a different program than the one that resulted in the sheriff’s litigation with the state attorney general during the Trump administration.
This program is a joint venture between the county, the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Veterans Cemetery Upgrade Bids Rejected
Resolution 808 rejected all bids received on Nov. 1 for a beautification project at the county Veterans Cemetery as the lowest bid “substantially exceeds the cost estimates.”
“We are fast tracking the re-bid of cemetery beautification project Phase 1 as it was over budget,” stated Lare. “Some of Phase 1 may be incorporated into Phase 2; this is a multi-phased project with Phase 1 being the most expensive,” he added.
Construction Board Actions
The board reappointed Raymond Poudrier to the County Construction Board of Appeals. His new term will end on Dec. 14, 2027.
In the other resolution, the commissioners appointed Cornelius Byrne Jr. as chairperson, Michael Morano as vice-chairperson, and Chris Penza as secretary of the entity.
Their terms will run through 2024. Appointments are made annually.
