In my decades at the Herald, I have seen our county government attempt to grow our economic engine, only to flame out. I have greater optimism than I have ever had before, that our latest efforts under Freeholder Will Morey and economic development coordinator Carole Mattessich will bear fruit. Like trying to accomplish anything, one has to get started in some direction. Past efforts, while well-intentioned, were without a guiding star and place to begin. Not so this time.
At the Feb. 4 meeting of Coalition of Community Organizations (COCA), which took place at the county administration building, Mattessich presented the opportunities and the efforts which are underway. She spoke on the current status of several industries – both old and new – within the county.
Her presentation began with the existing businesses of wine and aquaculture. She reported that local wineries will be able to use their new American Viticultural Area (AVA) designation this summer, which means that a wine made from local grapes can be labeled as a Cape May Peninsula wine. Meanwhile, the oyster industry continues to grow steadily, but slowly. There are now seven commercially-viable oyster farms in the county selling to a strong regional market. According to Mattessich, an average of 1 million oysters is harvested annually, but there is potential for that number to increase tenfold.
Mattessich then highlighted new developments at the Cape May Airport, where renovation efforts are currently underway. Buildings have been knocked down, and the main road into the airport is being retooled to resemble a modern complex with offices, shops and a landscaped median strip. On top of that, the county has recently partnered with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) to restore a taxiway that will be used for research and development. With these changes, the county hopes that the airport will play a significant role in attracting a new industry to the county: drones.
Currently, the commercial use of drones (also known as Unmanned Aircraft Systems, or UAS) is highly restricted, but Congress has commissioned the FAA to determine whether, and how, drones can fly in national airspace while avoiding collisions with other aircraft. To make this determination, six test sites have been approved in the nation for private companies to perform the necessary research. Cape May County is one of these test sites.
“UAS has been the business that we have been chasing as a potential new business that will supply new jobs to the county,” Mattessich explained. So, for the past two years, the county has been working to attract different drone-related companies by attending conferences and hosting its own symposiums and “innovation forums” for developers, operators and UAS-related entrepreneurs.
Whether this will create jobs of one kind or another remains to be seen, but Mattessich and others are optimistic. In fact, in order to cultivate more interest among young people, the county has started a drone camp, which will be held three or four times a year.
“The basic intent is to catch kids when their interest and imagination is still relatively young,” said Mattessich. “We’re convinced [drones] will be as significant to them in their grown-up years as the Internet was for those of us who grew up during the 20th century.”
With an economy that is overly dependent on tourism, Cape May County has struggled to create more year-round jobs – especially for younger generations. So, whether it is the continued growth of our wineries and aquaculture, or the exciting new prospect of drones, it seems we have made some productive steps in promising directions.
Cape May – Governor Murphy says he doesn't know anything about the drones and doesn't know what they are doing but he does know that they are not dangerous. Does anyone feel better now?
