Freeholders Approve 8 Open Space Projects

CREST HAVEN – Freeholders approved eight Open Space projects by individual resolution Feb. 12.
The county will pay a total just under $3 million from its Open Space and Farmland Preservation Fund.
The largest of the grants, $1.02 million, was awarded to Dennis Township for Chestnut Street Park Improvements.
The next largest sum, $935,605, went to Sea Isle City for a public fishing pier.
All projects were previously explained to the board by Planning Director Leslie Gimeno at the Dec. 11, 2018 freeholders’ meeting. No objections were voiced for any of the projects. There was a 45-day period between that meeting and the approvals.
All of the projects require cost-sharing by the acquiring entity. No county funds are expended until the project is completed and inspected. 
The projects:
Naval Air Station Wildwood, $33,264 for Hangar No. 1 vertical door seal restoration. The hangar at the Cape May County Airport used to train pilots in World War II, is listed on the New Jersey and National registers of historic places. 
Historic Cold Spring Village, $24,036 for preservation and stabilization of six buildings. The site is listed on the state and national registers of historic places. 
Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts and Humanities, $62,007 for exterior restoration of the Physick House Museum in Cape May. The estate is listed on the state and national registers of historic places. 
Wildwood Crest, $283,625 for Sunrise Park Recreation Improvements. Under provisions of a Dec. 27, 2012 change to the Open Space Program, funds are made available for parks and recreation development as well as historic preservation and farmland and open space preservation. 
Lower Township, $240,000 for rehabilitation of the Judge Nathaniel Foster House in Villas. The structure is listed on the state and national registers of historic places. 
Middle Township, $394,409 for improvement to Avalon Fishing Pier on Old Avalon Boulevard, Avalon Manor. The former pier, on an aged bridge portion, was closed in 2016. Conveyed by the county to the municipality in 2007, that pier will be demolished and “reconstructed to take advantage of water depth,” said Gimeno. 
Sea Isle City, $935,605 for a public fishing pier. The pier will be located at Dealy Recreational Complex between 59th and 63rd streets, and will have mixed uses including access to the bayside, Gimeno said. The pier that will comply with Americans with Disabilities Act standards, lighting and signage will be included in the project. 
Dennis Township, $1,020,000, Chestnut Street Park is in Belleplain. Gimeno earlier described the park as a “very well-utilized but out-of-date facility” that backs up to Belleplain State Forest. The football field will have new lighting installed, a new basketball court and the field house will, for the first time, get locker rooms and restrooms.