City Council Says No to Group’s Museum Plans for Solarium

CAPE MAY — Following a closed session, City Council voted down a plan from a group of residents who wanted to move the Solarium to a property near the Nature Center and turn the building into a Cape May maritime museum and environmental education center.
The City of Cape May needed to see a plan to relocate the Solarium by Sept. 15 and have the building moved off the Promenade by Nov. 1 or it would be demolished along with Convention Hall this winter.
Kevin Maloney, a member of the group, made a 90-minute presentation to council at its Tue. Sept. 7 meeting.
The group was asking the city to sell them the Solarium for $1 and grant permission for the museum group to rent a city-owned property on Delaware Avenue property for $1 per year. In addition the group was seeking a loan up to $350,000 from the city to finance the project.
Mayor Edward J. Mahaney Jr. told the Herald council decided unanimously that due to time constraints, significant financial issues involved with the proposed project and number of potential hurdles, the city did not feel that it was prudent to proceed with the plan.
He said based on the city’s experiences with the Convention Hall project, council did not feel the Solarium group would be able to get the necessary approvals and permits in the time remaining before demolition needed to occur.
“There was a significant amount of money required to do even phase one of their projected project and they very admirably admitted that they didn’t have the funding available and were totally dependent upon the city providing that,” said Mahaney.
He said the city most likely would not have been able to provide funding in the time period the group required. Mahaney said there were many variables involved in moving the Solarium.
“Easily one of these variables could have become a problem and then prevented the forward progress of the Convention Hall project itself,” said the mayor.
The current proposed construction schedule calls for the new Convention Hall to be operating by Memorial Day 2012.
Maloney proposed sliding the Solarium 300 feet towards the ocean and loading the building on a barge to be transported to Delaware Avenue by water.
Mahaney said council believed the idea of a Cape May maritime museum was a viable project and council would continue to have discussion with the group and attempt to assist them in bringing it to reality without the use of the Solarium.
He said the group could develop and business and management plan for the proposed museum and secure permits and approvals on a more relaxed timeline.
Council suggested constructing a new building on Delaware Avenue as more cost efficient project. That building could resemble the Solarium but be designed to house a museum, said Mahaney.
The city-owned lots on Delaware Avenue are designated as open space which means Cape May would need exchange some additional land to offset developing the properties, said the mayor.
During open session, Deputy Mayor Jack Wichterman said council is having difficulty recovering a $100,000 loan to the Beach Theatre Foundation.
“It’s our job to loan this money judiciously,” he said.
Councilman Bill Murray said council needed a guaranty a loan from the city would be repaid.
Maloney said the group was still in the process of incorporating as a non-profit organization.