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May 2-8
Trash
Trash collection has become a major issue across Cape May County. This week, a dispute between North Wildwood and its solid waste removal contractor Gold Medal Environmental led to the city’s announcement that it would fire the contractor just weeks before the start of the busy summer season. Labor shortages and rising fuel costs have led Gold Medal to seek alterations in existing municipal contracts.
Previously, Gold Metal announced that it would end recycling and yard waste collection in Ocean City due to labor shortages and an inability to reach an alternative agreement with the city. Avalon reached an agreement with Gold Medal, sacrificing the service that returned empty containers to the side of the house in order to preserve its twice a week pickup schedule.
In Stone Harbor, ordinance changes are likely altering some aspects of the borough’s trash collection protocol. The borough does not use an outside contractor.
May Storm
A May nor’easter hit Cape May County just as residents and visitors planned a weekend celebrating Mother’s Day. The storm brought high winds that eroded beaches only weeks before the official opening of the summer season. The extent of the erosion is not yet clear.
Wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour felled a house under construction on Stone Harbor Boulevard, in Court House. Social media posts showed a capsized boat in Ocean City. There were reports of trees down in Cape May. Power outages were not severe.
Sustainability
The Stone Harbor Property Owners Association issued a five-year financial analysis on the likely costs of needed sustainability capital projects in the borough. The report projected a significant rise in the municipal tax rate. Meanwhile, the borough adopted a flood mitigation plan that outlines $32 million in borough spending for sustainability projects over the next 10 years.
The state’s response to the environmental challenges is a set of sweeping changes to land use permitting that collectively goes under the name of New Jersey Protecting Against Climate Threats (NJPACT). The dialogue is heating up as municipalities resist some of the regulatory changes, asking for a more balanced approach that also considers social and economic consequences.
Covid
After two months of decline, Covid cases are once again slowly but steadily climbing. The county’s May 6 report shows 288 active community cases, a three-month high. The average for the seven-day period prior to the report date was 32 new cases per day, again the highest daily total in over two months. Thankfully, the Covid-related death toll has not increased and remains at 313 county resident fatalities since the start of the pandemic.
State level data shows a slow trend upward in Covid hospitalizations, although the numbers remain well below the levels that would tax the health care delivery systems. The state Covid dashboard shows 600 hospitalizations statewide May 9, the highest number since March 6. Here, in Cape May County, Cape Regional Medical Center reports three in-patient Covid cases with none requiring intensive care.
An updated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study now projects that 58% of the American public has had a Covid infection, with the highest percentages being among children and adolescents.
Happenings
West Cape May has indicated support for a second cannabis dispensary application within the borough. So far, no cannabis licenses for any category of business have been approved for Cape May County.
Robert Taylor, 74, former county prosecutor, municipal attorney, and judge,died April 28. His 13 years as county prosecutor saw the creation of the Special Operations SWAT section and an expansion of community outreach efforts.John Corino, 94, also a former county prosecutor, as well as a municipal judge, died on the same day as Taylor.
The Ocean Wind farms will be constructed using American union labor, according to an announcement from the Danish firm Orsted and the North American Buildings Trades Unions.
Stone Harbor hiked some of its recreation feesin an attempt to have user fees reduce the subsidies the borough’s budget has been absorbing for recreation programs.
The state Local Finance Board said it will review the decision of an Office of Administrative Lawjudge who significantly reduced the fines levied against former West Wildwood Mayor Christopher Fox for ethics violations.
The Herald published two “meet the servicemember” pieces this week, giving insight into the lives of those who serve each day to protect our shores and rescue those in need.
Cape May is moving ahead with the development of a preservation plan for the Allen African Methodist Episcopal(AME) Church, which might become home to a theater company.
Middle and Dennis townships adopted 2022 budgets this week, with no tax increase in Dennis and a 5.5% hike in Middle.
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is urging great attention be paid to workplace hazards that can result in fatal falls. The statement came one day after a 62-year-old worker died from a fall at Wonderland Pier in Ocean City.
There is more to the Coast Guard Base in Cape May than the training facility, as a Herald piece on Station Cape May shows.
An arrest for attempted murder in normally quiet Cape May Point shows that domestic violence assaults can and do occur everywhere.
A crash on Shunpike Road in Middle Township resulted in the fourth crash fatality in the county thus far in 2022. In 2021, the county had a total of 12 fatal crash deaths.
Middle Township made an award for phase II of the municipal pump station improvements project. The municipal effort will result in modernizing 21 pump stations in its aging sewer system.
Wildwood Crest has introduced a K-9 unit. Dogs and their handlers are receiving training in drug and explosives detection.
The Wildwood Boardwalk renovation is progressing ahead of schedule. The effort has received an additional $3.2 million for the continuation of repairs.
Spout Off of the Week
Court House – Re: The Herald’s proposal to move homes slated for demolition on island communities to the mainland to provide housing is a great idea. Single story homes of two or three bedrooms with a strong foundation can be moved efficiently and, in a cost-effective manner. As the editorial stated, with permit and other fees being so high, it is far cheaper to demolish. It is time for local zoning, our commissioners, and the state to reduce or eliminate permits and excessive fees to provide affordable housing. No affordable housing equals no affordable employees. Our economy will collapse.
Read more spouts at spoutoff.capemaycountyherald.com.
