Cape May Prepares 2012 Spending: City Hall, Desal Plant, Roads

CAPE MAY — With its 2012 budget approved, it’s time for the city to go shopping and to continue needed repairs on 85-year-old City Hall, the former Cape May High School.
At an April 3 City Council meeting, City Engineer Ray Roberts, of Remington Vernick, said City Hall needed a new roof at a cost of $130,000. A contract has been awarded which includes repointing of a chimney and repairs to skylights.
Roberts said design work to replace City Hall’s windows was underway.
City Manager Bruce MacLeod said the city’s annual bond ordinance for capital projects would be introduced at council’s April 17 meeting. He said the city has received a $180,000 state Department of Transportation road aid grant and a $400,000 state Small Cities Grant.
In recent years, the city’s normal annual capital bond ordinance has been about $1.5 million. This year the ordinance will total $2.1 million, which includes the two grants which do not require a 5 percent down payment by the city.
The city’s down payment will be the same as one for a $1.5 million bond ordinance or $75,0000, said MacLeod. He said some capital items will be able to be purchased from old balances remaining from prior year’s bond ordinances.
MacLeod said the city would purchase a new ambulance at a cost of $175,000, which is expected to be delivered in 2013.
The city’s road improvement program will have a budget of $750,000 plus the $180,000 grant for a total of $930,000, he said.
A total of $100,000 in the capital improvement budget is earmarked for improvements to City Hall.
“We’ve coupled over the last three or four years similar amounts that give us a pool of funding of about $600,000 for improvements to this building (City Hall) starting with the roof…” said MacLeod.
He said $100,000 was being set aside for eventual improvements to Lyle Lane and Rotary Park. Small amounts have been set aside for several years to accumulate funds for larger project in the future.
A total of $750,000 is earmarked for the city’s Water/Sewer Utility for road projects. MacLeod said the full amount may not be needed because the only road repair to include utility replacement is Washington Street in front of City Hall.
MacLeod said $200,000 has been earmarked for replacement of cylinder membranes in the city’s desalination plant. He said $140,000 was set aside in budgets in previous years towards the day when the membranes needed replacement.
Mayor Edward J. Mahaney Jr. said the first desal unit went on line in June 1998 handling 1 million gallons of water per day and the second unit, processing another 1 million gallons, in September 1998. He said the city was told the expected useful life of the membranes was six years.
Mahaney said by cleaning the membranes three or four times per year, the city has extended the life of the membranes to about 14 years.
MacLeod said money has been set aside for a generator that will supply power during an outage, so wells 5 and 7 can continue to operate. A generator on site feeds the desal “skids”, the Department of Public Works complex and Well 6.
When the new generator is installed, the desal plant would be able to operate during a power outage, said MacLeod.
Other proposed capital purchases: software for a new billing system, a beach tractor and rake valued at $130,000, improvements to the seawall along Wilmington Avenue: $45,000, and continuation of opening disabled access points to the beach: $50,000.