Property Owners Association Receives Updates on Centennial, Parkway and Pops

Photos by Scott Wahl.
STONE HARBOR – The Stone Harbor Property Owners Association (SHPOA) general meeting was held at the Stone Harbor Elementary School June 14. The meeting was open to all members of the Property Owners Association and individuals who own property here. There were various members of the community that went to discuss issues that pertained to the borough. Those issues included an association update, borough update, safety update, various centennial events to celebrate 100 years for Stone Harbor, and a parkway update.
“It’s all about partnership and not about the challenge. That’s how we achieve great results,” said Jeff Alderton, association president.
Miranda Duca, director of recreation for Stone Harbor, continued the discussion about the various events occurring for the centennial celebrations throughout the summer. Linda Gentille, music director and conductor, and the Jersey Shore Pops will be holding concerts to help celebrate the historic event with music from the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s.
Concerts will be held at 95th St. and Second Avenue Water Tower Plaza. All concerts are free and start at 7 p.m. The first concert of the series, “Big Band Bash: The 40s” will be held July 1. It will include music of the Glenn Miller Orchestra.
SHPOA created “Stone Harbor: 100 Years of Memories by the Sea,” a book documenting a variety of different photographs and important dates from the last 100 years in Stone Harbor. The book will be sold in a variety of stores.
Sgt. Robert Walker of the Stone Harbor Police Department discussed updated safety regulations and challenges officers face. “If any residents come to the police department after business hours and there is no police officer present, please use the phone in the lobby that directly connects to the Avalon dispatch center,” Walker said.
“One of the challenges for the Stone Harbor police department is that no officer has a permanent address in the town they protect and serve,” Walker said. “The challenge is how to get our officers involved in the community to help them better get to know who they serve.”
There are several committees in the police department. One, the special events committee, allows officers to interact with the public on their days off. Since 2012, the officers have been involved in 5K runs, beach cleanups, and many other events.
Public information officer Scott Wahl gave an update on the Garden State Parkway construction progress. “The main focus is to replace all three traffic lights with complete interchanges on the Garden State Parkway,” Wahl said. “There has been progress this week because now there are steel girders that have been placed to build some of the overpasses. Also, the girders on Stone Harbor Boulevard are the longest girders for the project. They are each 140 feet long and weigh 22 tons.
In addition, the work this summer and the first part of the fall will be concentrated on the west side of the parkway on the southbound lanes.”
The N.J. Turnpike Authority asked Wahl announce: “All southbound interchanges will be completed by Thanksgiving of this year and Stone Harbor Boulevard will never be closed during this project,” Wahl said.
Stone Harbor Mayor Suzanne Walters spoke about dune management, the new library, the Sept. 11 Freedom Park and Stone Harbor Museum. Ground was broken for the park June 16. (See related story elsewhere in today’s edition).
After sharing updates, Walters opened the floor for questions.
Alderton ended the session with a quote that was found on the back of the centennial book. “There is a lot of love in Stone Harbor, the love of the community, the love of the water, the love of fresh air and nature and teaberry ice cream. There is a great deal of love among the families who stay here. People with a share appreciation for a place where childhood isn’t hurt, beauty is not rare, and silences aren’t uncomfortable,” Alderton said.
For more information on Stone Harbor visit: www.stoneharborNJ.org.