Council Promotes Police Captain; Proposes Higher Building Elevation

STONE HARBOR—More than a dozen uniformed police officers stood in the back of Borough Hall’s Fitzpatrick Meeting Room as one of their own, Thomas Schutta was sworn in as captain of the Stone Harbor Police Department on Oct. 1. Having just been put to a unanimous vote of 6-0, the council led the applause as newly appointed Capt. Schutta received his new badge. Schutta’s wife and sons stood by while Steven O’Conner, a retired Stone Harbor police chief, pinned the Captain’s badge on Schutta’s uniform.
Schutta has been with the Stone Harbor Police Department since 1995. He has some practice at his new job, as he has been acting captain of the department for the past three months.
Also on the agenda for the borough council meeting was a presentation by Gerald Blackman of OSK Design Partners. The presentation focused on proposed changes to the town’s construction ordinance, based on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) new flood maps.
“The ordinance proposes a uniform base flood elevation of nine feet,” Blackman said. Base Flood Elevation (BFE) is a term used by FEMA which is, essentially, the point at which floodwater is expected to rise during serious storms. The BFE is the regulatory requirement for the elevation or flood proofing of structures.
On behalf of OSK, Blackman outlined the benefits of adding an extra foot of freeboard above the BFE. That would, in theory, decrease the likelihood of severe damage by flooding to residential homes. “We are recommending a more unified standard for building height,” Blackman said. “The building height would always be measured from the bottom up. The draft ordinance proposes modifying maximum building heights to 23 feet (for flat roofs) and 31 feet (for peaked roofs).”
“We’ve designed a lot of houses in Stone Harbor over the years,” Blackman said. “What’s recommended in the ordinance is very similar to the houses we’ve designed. The only difference is that we’d be building them a little taller if the BFE were to be incorporated.”
Upon completion of the presentation, borough council passed the first reading of the ordinance. “These new building regulations make sense,” said Mayor Suzanne Walters. “This new ordinance will create a set of regulations that will result in conformity to the new FEMA flood maps while also providing the borough with additional points in the Community Rating System that may result in a higher flood insurance discount for all property owners in our community.”
Next, the Stone Harbor Planning and Zoning Board will review it. Then, at the next Borough Council meeting Oct. 15, the ordinance will undergo a final public review.