CAPE MAY — What spurred three innkeepers to form the Concerned Taxpayers of Cape May and sue the city?
Two of the innkeepers paid out of their own pockets to replace the sidewalks in front of their inns, Jay Schatz and Larry Muentz.
Schatz said innkeepers received “nasty letters” from the city informing them they must replace their sidewalks because of trip-and-fall hazards.
While the city established a program to pay 50 percent of the cost to replace concrete sidewalks for homeowners, that offer did not extend to inns that have slate or blue stone sidewalks.
“Which is the more historic character in Cape May, slate sidewalks or concrete?” asked Schatz.
Archie Kirk, owner of the Linda Lee at 725 Columbia, spent $1,500 to replace his sidewalk. He told the Herald a woman who fell walking up a curb in front of the Linda Lee last year sued him.
Kirk also faces replacing the blue stone sidewalk in front of the Bedford Inn at 805 Stockton Ave. He said he had the Linda Lee property surveyed and found the property line a good two- to three-feet into their front garden.
“We don’t even own the sidewalk,” said Kirk.
The Inn of Cape May and the Summer Cottage Inn both replaced their sidewalks at their own cost, according to Schatz.
North Wildwood – Regarding the relocation of the Lou Booth Amphitheater, has the inner grass field at Allen Park been looked into. It is not used often and the size would accommodate a small stage with some wooden…
