UPDATED: Cape May Receives CAFRA Permit for New Convention Hall

CAPE MAY — Mayor Edward J. Mahaney Jr. announced at a City Council meeting Jan. 19 the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has issued a CAFRA (Coastal Area Facilities Review Act) permit for the construction of a new Convention Hall.
As had been rumored by the local press, the new building will have to be brought 24 feet closer to Beach Avenue to keep it off sand behind the current Solarium building.
Mahaney said he and City Manager Bruce MacLeod drove to Trenton earlier that day to pick up the CAFRA permit. The mayor said the permit was issued in a timely manner by DEP in nine months noting a 12 to 18 month wait for a CAFRA permit was not unusual.
Mahaney said the process strengthened the relationship between the city and DEP. He said the CAFRA review process required confidentiality from both Cape May and DEP.
“That’s why we have not made any comments and I know at times I have been criticized for that…” said the mayor.
There was no rejection of the city’s initial application by DEP, he said. Mahaney said certain modifications to the application were made at the request of DEP.
MacLeod said DEP would not allow the city to move the Solarium to the future Sewell Point Reserve so a new location for the building must be found.
MacLeod told reporters there would be more boardwalk and less hard surface surrounding the new Convention Hall as per DEP. Other than moving the location of the new hall forward 24 feet, it will remain the same size and configuration, he said.
Mahaney chastised members of the public and media for “hounding” DEP with unfounded allegations and rumors that the city’s original CAFRA permit application had been rejected, which he said, delayed the issuance of the permit by two months. Those actions caused DEP to conduct additional reviews.
“The approval of the city’s CAFRA application was never in doubt from either the DEP’s or city’s viewpoints,” he said.
Mahaney said the city expected the new Convention Hall would open for the 2011 summer season. MacLeod said construction is expected to take 12 months from May 1, 2010.
City Council approved a $10,000 contract with the firm of Hunter Roberts Construction Group to review Convention Hall bid specifications, plans and specifications, which have been completed by the architect and engineers for the project. As a safeguard, the firm will be ineligible to bid on the actual construction contract.
With the CAFRA permit in hand, the city can prepare go out to bid for the project. Hunter Roberts will come up with a cost estimate of the project and handle quality control and quality assurance of all documents, said Mahaney. In 21 days, the firm will supply the city with a complete written report, he said.
City Council intends to put out a bid document that avoids the possibility of cost overruns, construction delays, impasses on engineering issues and other problems that could delay the project, said the mayor.
Mahaney said a town meeting would be scheduled in three weeks. He said the public would be pleased with the amount of work that has been completed for the project.
Once construction begins, it will continue through the summer tourist season, said MacLeod.