From Commissioner Nietubicz

Offers some insight to what’s going on at The Point

The newsletter is a little late this month.  Mainly, nothing much was going on till now.  Also, time just sorta got away from me.

I published a survey in the last Taxpayer’s newsletter.  It dealt with a potential safety problem around the beach entrances, especially St. Pete’s entrance.  The issue stems from an incident last summer when a car turning off Lincoln onto Lake almost hit a child.  No one was hurt and it raises this question.

The survey listed options mainly about parking and sidewalks.  I have gotten a number of them back and the responses are divided between “Do not change anything” and “Pedestrian friendly streets”.  “Do not change anything” was a two-to-one favorite over “Pedestrian friendly”.  No one marked any other choice.  

I can appreciate the idea of not changing anything.  I just hope that everyone appreciates the impossibility of that.   I mean, we do have indoor plumbing now and the streets are paved.  In my mind, if we do not initiate and thereby control change, it will overtake us. 

Lincoln is a county road and due to be resurfaced by the county this spring.  (Originally, last fall)  I am asking the county to help us out.

Because of the increased vehicle and foot traffic around the beach entrances, we are asking (through Public Works department) the county to consider the possibility of:

1.             Four-way stop signs on the corners of Lincoln and Ocean, Lake, Whilden, Coral and Lehigh for the summer months,

2.             10/15 MPH speed limit on Lincoln between Ocean and Lehigh Ave for the summer months,

3.             Raised pedestrian crosswalks at those intersections, and

4.             Crowned intersections at those intersections, similar to those on Beach Street in Cape May.

 

The commissioners agreed to this proposal in the Tuesday work session, Feb 12th.  We have no idea what the county will say about any or all of it.

Currently, we have three beach initiatives in the works:

1.       Sand replenishment in the fall

2.       A reef on St. Pete’s/Cape

3.       A gabion on the bay beaches

 

Each of these involves the state bucking up some money.  Before they do any such investment, they require us to pay our part up-front and sign the State Aid Agreement.  A bond issue will handle our part of the money.  The Aid agreement is another matter

In essence they will control the “how,” “why” and “when” of our beaches.  We would have to clear beach tag prices through them.  They will tell us what signs to put where.  Etc., etc., and so on.  It appears that they want to make all of South Jersey a public park.  

Anyway, we already conform to most of what they want.  What has us concerned is giving them “an easement on all Borough property between the water and the closest road”.  The second consideration is that it also means that we HAVE to have a bathroom facility in place before the end of whichever project is started first.

Right now, it seems like all or nothing as far as the agreement goes.  My question is, “what choice do we have?”  We want the money – we sign.  Only other option is to raise taxes and I think that is not an option.

1.       Sand in the fall – a go

2.       Reef on St. Pete’s – the Army Corps is reluctant to put either bathers or a reef in the rips.  “Is a sand replenishment on a regular basis, enough??”, asks the AC.

3.       Reef on Cape is installed properly as far as the AC is concerned.

4.       Gabions – we have to pay the cost of our own engineer and get a CAFRA permit.  Either of these two can kill this one.  We are due a public presentation by the DEP.  No date has been set.

5.       Beach bathroom – short-term fix is to install a higher quality spot-a-pot until we can get organized.  – Impediments to overcome are: location and a CAFRA permit for water/sewer hook-up within 150 feet of a dune.

 

Stayed tuned!!