Times Talk

The beautiful Promenade will undergo improvements sometime next year.

GRANT AWARDED FOR PROMENADE IMPROVEMENTS

Sea Isle City will receive a grant of nearly $2 million for improvements on the Promenade, its concrete and asphalt boardwalk that runs parallel to the beaches from 29th Street to 57th Street. Funding for this project is from the state’s $100 million Boardwalk Preservation Fund established by the American Rescue Plan program.

The funds will not be available until 2025. The city is currently formulating its plan and preparing engineer designs with the expectation that the grant money will go toward structural repairs, repaving of asphalt, additional decorative lighting and/or additional handicapped accessibility.

“It’s important for us to maintain our facilities and the promenade is a very important one. Next to the beach, it’s probably the most used public facility,” said Katherine Custer, the director of community services. “In the summer, the Promenade is teeming with people throughout the day, and it’s important for shore towns to have these boardwalks and promenades.”

She added that the city is all about safety, and parts of the Promenade might need to be closed or sectioned off during construction to ensure safety for all.

The steps at 53rd Street will be replaced with an accessible ramp.

RAMPS COMING AT 51ST, 53RD STREETS

After a long planning process, Sea Isle City Council approved a resolution on Jan. 23 to award a contract for the construction of two accessible ramps at the Promenade at 51st and 53rd streets. The $298,000 contract was awarded to R.A. Walters & Son Inc.

This project has been planned for some time and construction can proceed now that permits have been received from the Department of Environmental Protection. Both ramps are expected to be completed before the summer season.

City Council decided the locations were the best spots to add to the existing beach ramps. It noted that not only can the ramps be used for wheelchairs, but also to help with bikes, strollers, and beach carts.

VFW Post 1963 Auxiliary President Peggy Moore and Post 1963 Sr. Vice Commander Tim MacAleer are shown at Bishop McHugh Regional Catholic School with the winners of Post 1963’s Patriot’s Pen Essay Competition, holding their certificates of achievement (from left): Myka Morris, second place; Lily Klebaur, first place; and Lukas Childs (third place). Each of them was declared an “outstanding young spokesperson of the future.”

KLEBAUR WINS VFW ESSAY CONTEST

Each year, VFW Post 1963 hosts a Patriot’s Pen essay competition. This is a part of the national VFW contest that draws entries from more than 68,000 students in grades six to eight. The theme for the essay competition this year was, “How are you inspired by America?” The essays were to be 300 to 400 words long and the students competed against those within their own school at first.

Bishop McHugh Regional Catholic seventh-graders took the top three places in the local competition. Lily Klebaur won the first-place prize of $300, a medal, and a certificate of achievement. Myka Morris came in second and won $200, and Lukas Childs finished third and won $100.

At the awards presentation Jan. 5 at their school, it was announced that Klebaur also was the District 17 winner and would be advancing to the state level of the competition, with a chance to get to the national competition, where the first-place winner wins $5,000.

Aaron Morton (center) poses at his Eagle Scout Court of Honor Ceremony on Dec. 2 flanked by (from left) his mother, Theresa; Troop 76 Scoutmaster Robert Day; Assistant Scoutmaster Bill Herouvis; and his father, Ken.

NEW EAGLE SCOUT’S PROJECT GRACES LIBRARY

After serving as a Boy Scout for more than nine years and earning 44 merit badges, 17-year-old Aaron Morton officially advanced to the rank of Eagle Scout during a Court of Honor ceremony at Sea Isle City’s Community Lodge on Dec. 2.

Eagle Scout is the highest rank within the Boy Scouts of America. To achieve this honor, Morton had to complete many requirements within his troop. Morton must serve as a “Life Scout” for the required time and complete an Eagle Scout service project.

All Eagle Scout service projects must benefit the community, school, church, or civic organization other than the Boys Scouts of America. Prospective Eagle Scouts may select the community for their project, and Morton decided to do his within Sea Isle City.

Morton, who attends Mainland Regional High School, decided to create a butterfly garden on the grounds of the Sea Isle City Branch of the Cape May County Library. He raised funds through donations from family, friends, and the VFW.

With the acquired donations and his hard work, Morton was able to plant a variety of shrubs that attract butterflies, add a nice trim around the edge of the garden, and install a sign with information on the new spot.

“I hope it brings space for people to sit and watch the butterflies land around,” Morton said. “I chose the southeast side [of the library] because of the park benches and the open space.”

Thanks to Morton’s hard work and his success through his many years as a member of Troop 76, Sea Isle City now has a new area for community members to enjoy. Morton shared that he is eager for his new role as an Eagle Scout because of the new and different opportunities that will come along with it.

1st BANK MAKES DONATIONS TO FOUR GROUPS

The 1st Bank of Sea Isle City donated a total of $7,500 to four local organizations on Feb. 9. The recipients were Saint Maximilian Kolbe Parish in Marmora; Mayor Leonard Desiderio’s Holiday Toy & Food Drive; Sea Isle City United Methodist Church, and Sea Isle’s VFW Post 1963.

These donations are part of the bank’s ongoing community outreach efforts. Each recipient was handpicked by the bank and offers much to Cape May County. The 1st Bank of Sea Isle City donates money and resources numerous times throughout the year to different local organizations.

Beach fill equipment moved into place on Sea Isle City’s north end beaches in March.

BEACH REPLENISHMENT UPDATE

The much-anticipated $33.7 million beach replenishment project that includes Sea Isle, Strathmere, and Ocean City is expected to start the Sea Isle portion in late March or early April, with a targeted completion in mid-May.

Sea Isle’s beaches on 29th Street through 52nd Street and 74th Street to Townsends Inlet are being replenished, as well as Strathmere’s beaches from Corson’s Inlet to Taylor Avenue. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project is primarily funded by the federal government, and the Sea Isle City Council approved a $3.2 million bond ordinance to pay the City’s share.

The Great Lakes Dredging & Dock Co. will dredge the sand and deliver it to the beaches. This replacement of sand will help support the dunes’ structure, which is the main source of shoreline security. With added defense to the dunes, the beaches will be less affected by storms and become wider and longer.

The Sea Isle City Women’s Club donated a total of $8,000 to local charities at its Holiday Luncheon on Dec. 1. Displaying the donations in the back row are (from left) Tyler Keene, of The Branches Outreach Center in Rio Grande; Nancy Wilson, of Holy Redeemer Home Care/Hospice/Food Pantry in Swainton; Pastor Melissa Doyle-Waid of Sea Isle City United Methodist Church Food Cupboard; and Nina Trulli, of Saint Maximilian Kolbe Parish/Saint Kasmir Food Pantry in Woodbine. Civic Club officers, seated from left, are Lyn Long, Pat Nicholanco, Helen Bennett, Angie Knipp, Linda Skand, and Gladys Anderson.

WOMEN’S CIVIC CLUB DONATES $8,000 TO CHARITIES

At its annual holiday luncheon Dec. 1, the Sea Isle Women’s Civic Club donated $8,000 to various charities in Cape May County to cap off their 2023 fundraising season.

The club presented a $2,000 check to each of these four charities: the Sea Isle City United Methodist Church Food Cupboard; Branches Episcopal Outreach Center in Rio Grande; Holy Redeemer Home Care/Hospice/Food Pantry in Swainton; and St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish/St. Casmir Food Pantry in Woodbine.

Formed more than 100 years ago, the Sea Isle City Women’s Civic Club is the longest-standing civic group in Sea Isle City. This nonprofit organization’s goal is to provide money and support to local charities, as well as to promote friendships and connections among its members. At meetings, the members can chat, play games, and form relationships.

The group meets every Tuesday at 11:30am at the Community Lodge, 300 JFK Blvd. Anyone is welcome to join, even gentlemen!