While Budgeting, Stone Harbor Looks for Stimulus Money

STONE HARBOR — In preparing its 2009 budget, Borough Council introduced a $2.9 million bond ordinance to fund infrastructure projects with hopes that money from President Barak Obama’s stimulus package will trickle down to South Jersey.
The budget would increase by 3.5 percent with a tax increase of 1 cent for 2009, Councilman Karl Giulian said. Borough Council will publicly present its 2009 budget at the March 3 meeting and vote on it March 17.
Hours after the stimulus package was signed Feb. 17, Engineer Marc DeBlasio said his firm, Remington and Vernick, is being aggressive and “professionally annoying legislators to track capitol projects to make sure money gets to South Jersey by submitting shovel-ready projects.”
Resident Bunny Parzych asked council to line up bay dredging in its capital improvements.
“Dredging the back bay is the most important project in all of Cape May County,” Parzych said.
Mayor Suzanne Walters agreed dredging is a priority. However, she said, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has not yet granted the borough an acceptable use determination for site 103 as a place for dredge spoils.
Parzych lives along the channel and said “everyday there is less water.”
“We hope to add it (bay dredging) to our list,” Walters said.
DeBlasio updated council on several pending projects:
The borough is in the process of finalizing designs and surveys in order to piggyback a beach fill project with Upper Township, Sea Isle City and Lower Township that could save the borough $1 million, DeBlasio said.
The DEP has unofficially notified the borough that it will receive 75 percent funding with a $3 million grant, Walters said.
Plans and specs, DeBlasio said, will be complete in time for the DEP to put all four communities’ projects out to bid together.
The borough received a Department of Transportation Roadway Improvement Grant for $160,000 for the 99th Street Safe Water Main project to improve underground sanitary sewer work.
Manholes and weirs have been installed at the Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary.
The development project for the borough-owned Third Avenue and 81st Street property at the bay was approved for a Coastal Area Facility Review Act (CAFRA) permit as well as Cape May County Planning Board.
Solar Panels on the 81st Street Public Works building are now out to bid.
A $139,000 difference between the new $2.9 million bond and the release of $2.761 million of previously-approved bonds or notes is for standard 5 percent down payment on several projects, Giulian said.
Giulian voted against the bond because he said he disagrees with the necessity of removing outfall pipes.
“There are half a dozen other pipes on the other end of town and it is more for aesthetics. If we support this then we would need to support spending another $3 million on six more pipes there,” Giulian said.
Council passed a temporary capital budget to “get a jumpstart on some projects,” Giulian said.
Money will go towards reconstruction of the 99th Street bulkhead, improvements to Borough Hall, Fire Department (including a new $600,000 ladder truck), Police Department, Public Works, Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary, Business District, Recreation Department, 84th, 86th, 87th, 89th, 94th, 99th, 105th and 109th streets and 1st Avenue, administrative computer equipment and affordable housing obligations.
Council also separately bonded $300,000 for water/sewer utility improvements to replace the roof on the historic 96th Street water plant for $100,000 and utility truck and backhoe for $200,000.