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Sept. 21–27:
Cases Slow in County but Spike Elsewhere
The county ended the week reporting two new COVID-19 cases Sept. 26 and an additional two Sept. 27. New Jersey reported 760 new confirmed cases in a single day Sept. 26, the highest single–day total since early June.
Just 80 miles up the Garden State Parkway, Ocean County contributed 250 new cases to the state’s total in that day alone. With these growing case totals in several areas of the state, Cape May County is a welcome oasis.
As of Sept. 27, the county had 92 active cases, and only one of those was in a long-term care facility. The majority of individuals in the county who were confirmed as infected – 1,153 cases – were removed from quarantine. This is 86% of all cases since the first one was reported, in March.
The virus has not left, but its current impact on the county stands in stark contrast to other counties in the state.
More states are also failing to stay within health metric thresholds, causing the state travel advisory to continue to expand. It encompasses 35 states and U.S. territories.
Election Looms
The November elections are a month and a few days away. With the state’s emphasis on mail-in voting, ballots started being distributed to registered voters.
In at least one case, the process took a detour to the Superior Court. Cape May received a sample ballot from the Cape May County clerk showing candidates in an order different from the one dictated by a publicly held drawing intended to set that order.
Litigation ensued, as three of the four candidates for a Cape May City Council seat asked the court to force a redesign of the ballot. The court allowed the county clerk’s design to proceed, even though it did not reflect the results of the drawing. A story is forthcoming.
Two freeholder seats are before the voters this year. The two Republican incumbents are defending their record against two Democratic challengers who want to become the first Democrats on the freeholder board since Jeff Van Drew, who switched parties. Van Drew is also defending his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives against Democratic challenger Amy Kennedy. Citing confusion over the election’s emergency voting regulations, Middle Township took the step of offering a voting seminar for those questioning how and where the vote will occur.
Nature of Recovery Uncertain
No one can predict the many ways in which the pandemic will change the county or what it will look like. This is made all the more difficult because the pandemic is still with us, with some health experts saying it will be a difficult fall and winter, especially as flu season begins.
The reopening of the state’s economy and its government services resulted in some successes, a lot of speed bumps and a few seemingly intractable areas of chaos.
The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission is still heavily backlogged with long waits for service. Attempts to ameliorate the situation through online services made some functions, like renewing a driver’s license, a matter of clicks on the screen instead of a visit to an agency office with multiple forms of identification, yet for those who must deal with the agency in person, things remain rough.
In Middle Township Committee’s 12th consecutive virtual Zoom meeting, the governing body decided to move ahead with trick or treating, citing a need to return children to some form of normalcy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention formally advises against the door-to-door tradition, but the municipality promises guidance on how to do it safely. Officials emphasize that no one who is uncomfortable with the practice needs to participate.
One legacy of the pandemic may be an increase in outdoor dining. The expansion of the al fresco dining scenarios was a hit with customers and restaurant owners. Municipalities are looking at ways to allow expanded outdoor service in the 2021 season.
The pandemic hits especially hard on those with the fewest resources. A bill is working its way through the Legislature to establish a mechanism for helping students and families pay down school breakfast and lunch debt.
Other changes to deal with the interruption caused by the pandemic include legislation that would allow hair salons to go mobile, distributing their services from vans, as dog groomers frequently do. Also, a bill passed that will allow some patients to receive authorization for medical cannabis via telemedicine visits.
An application process for child care tuition assistance also opened this week. The $150 million program is aimed at New Jersey families earning $75,000 a year or less.
North Wildwood renewed a series of local liquor licenses, seven with special conditions. Some establishments, in North Wildwood, were cited this summer for violations of state restrictions. The city also took time to remind residents, visitors, and business of the COVID-19-induced rules.
Municipal Actions
With a hint that 2021 is going to bring some “tough choices,” Middle Township Mayor Timothy Donohue explained the need for a municipal land sale this year, aimed at adding revenue to the municipal coffers.
The county announced that it retained its Aa1 bond rating following a recent review. The news came at the right time, as a county citizen group (Cape Issues) announced its support of a newly shared county plan to replace or rejuvenate many of the bridges that play a critical role in the road infrastructure. The projected 15–year effort will require significant county dollars, in addition to state and federal resources.
In recent meetings, freeholders moved to heighten awareness of the dangers of opioid abuse and to urge the governor to further lift business restrictions. The same meeting also saw a welcome report from Atlantic Cape Community College President Dr. Barbara Gaba on enrollment increases at the county campus.
An active storm season took its toll on some county beaches. North Wildwood saw as much as $5 million in damaging beach erosion.
A pilot program for Free Fare on demand transportation services is beginning in Ocean City.
Middle Township announced two open space grants for improvements at the Avalon Manor Fishing Pier and the Ockie Wisting Recreational Complex.
Avalon Borough Council discussed plans for a 6,400–square–foot, two–story addition to the borough’s firehouse.
Turmoil continues in the worldwide process of disposing of recycling material. For the second year in a row, the county Municipal Utilities Authority (CMCMUA) will only offer county towns one-year agreements. The CMCMUA hired a consultant to help locate buyers for the materials, most of which used to be shipped to China before that nation changed its policies.
Sea Isle City kicked off a half million dollar road reconstruction process aimed at streets that have recently been disrupted by utility work.
And…
The results of an investigation into a Camden County contractor are disturbing. The man was charged, in Cape May County, with the manufacture of child pornography. Police said he took pictures in the girls bathroom at Cape May County Technical High School.
Community groups helped organize a wildfire safety presentation Sept. 23. In the wake of massive forest fires in the west, the presentation offered information on how to prevent and manage wildfires.
Upper Township announced that it would consider redevelopment of the B.L. England generating plant site in Beesley’s Point.
