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Oct. 21 to 27
Gen Zers Seek Skills
A new report from home services company Thumbtack says social media are helping to drive Gen Zers to skilled trades rather than traditional college. Gen Z is the common label used for those born between 1997 and 2012.
The Future of the Skilled Trades report makes use of July survey data from Gen Z respondents. The results show two out of three Gen Zers saying that they have become more interested in skilled trades because of social media. A whopping 93% of respondents and 80% of surveyed parents added that learning a skilled trade may be a better route to economic health than college.
The report comes as retirements have hurt the ranks of many of the skilled trades. In Austin, Texas, one of the nation’s fastest-growing metropolitan areas, companies have been relocating skilled workers from other Texas cities due to critical shortages and workload demands. The Austin Community College continuing education department is seeing high demand in its skilled trades programs.
The Wall Street Journal reports that enrollment in vocation-focused community college programs rose 16% last year, the highest hike since the National Student Clearinghouse began tracking such data in 2018. The ranks of those studying construction trades rose 23% in the same year.
Many of those leaving high school are seeking economic stability in the trades rather than taking on debt for an uncertain college experience. Only 60% of those who enter college seeking a bachelor’s degree get one within six years. The other 40% may not get a degree, but many do walk away with college debt. A study also shows that half of college graduates end up in jobs where their degree is not needed.
College isn’t for everyone, and the trades are not, either. What is happening with America’s youngest worker cohort is young people looking at the broad array of options rather than accepting that a four-year college degree is the only ticket to success.
NJ Water Supply Plan
New Jersey released a new Water Supply Plan on Sept. 23. This is the first such plan in which the state incorporated assessments on how climate change threats affect water supplies. The plan also asserts that the state’s aging infrastructure is a threat to water supplies.
The plan attempts to respond to four critical questions: How much water do we currently have and use? How much will we need in the future? What are the critical issues affecting supply? What actions do we need to take to ensure adequate supply without unacceptable impacts?
It is a five-year plan with a planning horizon that goes to 2050. It replaces the 2017 Water Supply Plan.
The plan states that current water use is 70% potable water, 17% for power generation, 8% for commercial use, industrial use and mining, and 5% for irrigation and agriculture. Water supply is available to meet current demand, with coastal regions having the second-highest balance between availability and demand.
The report identifies three climate change drivers, rising temperatures, sea level rise and precipitation increases with variability. The most serious impacts from climate change can be reservoir and aquifer availability and salt water intrusion into wells and intakes.
The report continues to make use of the state’s projected 2-foot increase in sea level by 2050 and 5 feet by 2100. Asserting that the water supply threats are manageable comes only with the caveat that the state must take action to mitigate threats. It is a phrase that sounds very much like an introduction to more regulation.
Among the areas of state action the plan touches on are water supply planning and protection, infrastructure resilience, policies for efficient water use and hydraulic data modeling.
The plan states that “the DEP will develop recommendations and establish criteria to improve the resilience of water infrastructure and mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change upon the state’s water supply.” That definitely sounds like another round of regulations.
New Ferry on Its Way
The Delaware River & Bay Authority has announced a $20 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation toward the construction of a new diesel-hybrid ferry that will join the fleet in the summer of 2027. The move is part of the DRBA’s fleet modernization strategy.
The new ferry will replace the over-40-year-old diesel engine MV Cape Henlopen. The press release says the new ferry is expected to cost about $74 million.
The hybrid ferry will operate with lower emissions when using diesel and will permit zero emission operations when near port or while docked. The modern engines will also reduce fuel consumption by 35%.
DBRA Executive Director Thomas Cook praised the investments being made as a means of ensuring “sustainable ferry operations for the next generation of our customers.” Federal Transit Administration Regional Administrator Terry Garcia Crews called the hybrid design for the new ferry a “big step toward electrification.”
Architects are expected to complete the final design of the ferry by year’s end, with solicitation of shipyard bids to follow in early 2025. If construction can get underway by early summer 2025, the new ferry should be welcomed into the fleet in summer 2027.
The long-range plan outlined by DRBA in 2023 calls for replacing three aging 100-car ferries with five smaller ferries that provide greater flexibility for year-round operations.
Goals include saving on operating costs, making the fleet more environmentally friendly and providing the flexibility to efficiently serve the region during its busiest and slowest tourist months.
The long period required for the development and construction of new ferries means the DRBA is planning on an extended period when the older, large ferries will remain in service.
Happenings
*The iconic Wildwoods saying “Watch the tram car, please” may soon become a thing of the past, as a result of a suit filed in Cape May County Superior Court.
*In the Dennis and Middle school districts, those seeking school board posts are doing so in the wake of overwhelming voter rejection of referendum measures that would have significantly increased local property taxes. The open seats, three in each township, are being contested.
*A Marmora firefighter was injured in an accident in Franklin Township, Gloucester County, while returning to Cape May County after taking part in a charity ride on his motorcycle on Sunday, Oct. 13.
*A city woman who had concerns about drinking well water was the start of the process that led to the detection of mercury in about a dozen wells in Beesley’s Point recently.
*Wildwood Crest Mayor Don Cabrera, who likes to compete in Ironman events, was felled by a pothole on the bicycling course of the three-event race in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Saturday, Oct. 19, suffering a broken right shoulder, broken humerus and two right pelvis fractures.
*A North Cape May man was sentenced Oct. 18 to 25 years in New Jersey State Prison for aggravated sexual assault on a minor and endangering the welfare of a child.
*A Hightstown man who was convicted of aggravated manslaughter and aggravated assault in connection with the death of 19-year-old Kaiden Braithwaite and assault of Mikal Braithwaite in Wildwood last spring has been sentenced to 19 years in New Jersey State Prison, the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office has announced.
*Middle Township is asking the state Bureau of Traffic Engineering to redo a 2021 traffic study undertaken in response to citizen complaints about the speed limit between Crest Haven Road (County Road 609) and Avalon Boulevard (County Road 601) on Route 9.
*Early in-person voting by machine began Saturday, Oct. 26, and runs through Sunday, Nov. 3. Hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. No appointments are required; accommodations are provided for voters with disabilities.
*Atlantic City Electric is offering a new tool to help customers discover the best assistance programs that fit their needs, including financial assistance, bill management, and energy efficiency and savings information.
*The Board of County Commissioners has rejected all five bids it received for the construction of a new $24 million justice complex.
*Noting that recent storms had eroded the north end beaches, Avalon Business Administrator Scott Wahl told the Borough Council that the town would need to conduct a back-passing project next spring to prepare for the summer season.
*Avalon has become the fourth Cape May County municipality to withdraw from the State Health Benefits Plan, an action taken Oct. 23 in response to a 17.2% increase in the benefits premium following two years in which the premiums for active employees and retirees rose a combined 29%.
*Dennis Township and Woodbine Borough are going to be Cape May’s ninth and tenth municipalities to join countywide central 911 dispatch after the Board of County Commissioners on Oct. 22 authorized a shared services agreement with those two towns.
*Incumbent Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew and his Democratic challenger for the 2nd Congressional District House seat, Joe Salerno, met for an hour-long debate on Thursday, Oct. 24, in an audience-free forum at Stockton University.
*The United States presidential election casts a giant shadow over contests taking place in New Jersey at the state and municipal levels, but that’s not to say there aren’t interesting — and important — races in the state at governmental levels below the presidency.
Spout Off of the Week
I consulted a UPS driver, FedEx driver and local mailman and they all agree weeks landing road is one of the most disastrous in all of lower township. I’m not even talking about the turn into Weeks Landing from route 9, which is pretty bad. But the bend before Rossi Drive is literally a danger to our children riding bikes as well as routine traffic like deliveries and residents. When will the township fix the horrible road conditions? It’s one swerve around a pothole from a tragic accident.
Lower Township
