CAPE MAY – Cape May City Council authorized Mott MacDonald Feb. 4 to expand its environmental assessment of the Allen African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church property in advance of a potential municipal purchase.
An earlier environmental assessment from the engineering firm, in January, concluded that the site required further investigation before any purchase of the property could satisfy applicable state Department of Environmental Protection regulations. The resolution allocated $21,400 for work on “seven discrete tasks.”
In response to a question from a member of the public, Deputy Mayor Patricia Hendricks explained that the AME Church does not have the resources to pay for the required environmental testing. The city is covering the expense, as the only way for the municipality to ensure that a desired purchase of the property would satisfy state environmental regulations.
