Derelict Boats in Cape May Harbor Targeted by City for Removal

CAPE MAY – One of the issues brought before Cape May City Council at the recent town hall meeting was concern over abandoned boats in Cape May Harbor. 
Two long-abandoned boats are rotting in the harbor as an unsightly display in one of the city’s more picturesque settings.
The city is apparently responsible for managing the waterway area near Fishermen’s Memorial and the harbor. If the boats obstructed the federal navigation channels, the city might expect assistance from the Army Corps of Engineers. 
Similarly if the boats contained hazardous materials products, oversight might shift to the Coast Guard, at least for the removal of threats.
As it is, the city bears the responsibility and the cost of removal.
The boats in question were abandoned near the memorial at Missouri Avenue near Delaware Avenue. One rests on the shore, and the other is submerged.
Mayor Clarence Lear said that the city had requested and received an estimate for removal of both.
Lear said that the September Dragon Boat races had been forced to “work around the obstruction in the harbor.” He, like the residents, abhors the visual impact the boats present to visitors and home owners.
“We are presently looking at the removal of the beached boat as a priority before the removal cost increases due to decay or neglect or other factors.” The more the boat decays and breaks apart, the more likely the costs are to rise.
Lear, who took office in January, heard the complaint at the town hall meeting. He noted, “The estimate for the sunken boat is considerably more than we had anticipated and council will need to consider how to address that issue.”
Lear also said that Solicitor Frank Corrado “Will be attempting to develop a joint approach with Lower Township whereby a long-term plan is implemented to address and discourage anyone from parking a boat in the harbor and leaving it.” 
Federal sources note that abandoned vessels are a growing problem in numerous coastal communities.
Lear concluded by saying that the issue of the abandoned boats “is important to me and we’ll hopefully have a plan to address the long term as well as a staged or phased planned clean up in place this year.”
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.