Curbs Go From Being Ugly to "Beautiful"

By DONALD WITTKOWSKI This is what you call curb appeal. How often do you hear curbs and sidewalks described as being “beautiful?” The sidewalks and curbs along a block-long stretch of Landis Avenue have been given a complete makeover after a Sea Isle City councilman complained about the deteriorated conditions that were formerly there. Previously, crumbling bits of ugly, grayish concrete were all that remained of the curb next to Trinity Community Church along Landis Avenue between 85th and 86th streets in the Townsends Inlet section. Now, the same block has been restored with new curbs and glistening white concrete sidewalks on the west side of Landis from 85th to 86th streets. “I think they look good and definitely will be much safer for the public all the way around,” Councilman Frank Edwardi said in an interview Tuesday. The repair project has created a buffer between Landis Avenue and the sidewalk. Edwardi had complained about the deteriorated curbs for two years, demanding that they be fixed before someone was injured and the city was exposed to lawsuits. He said he noticed cars parking all the way up on the sidewalk because no curbs were there. Landis Avenue is a county road, so it was Cape May County’s responsibility to repair the curbs. Sea Isle Mayor Leonard Desiderio, who also serves as a Cape May County commissioner, had promised Edwardi that the curbs would be fixed by the county in May. The new sidewalks and curbs not only make the area safer, but also enhance the appearance of the buildings along that stretch of Landis Avenue, Edwardi said. “The curb appeal looks great,” he said. Before the repairs were made, the sidewalk had blended in with Landis Avenue next to the Trinity Community Church property. Only a few feet had separated the road from the church itself. Before it was restored, the old curb had disappeared on the west side of Landis Avenue between 85th and 86th streets. Chuck Swanson, Trinity’s pastor, expressed relief that the curb and sidewalk are fixed in front of the church. “It’s beautiful and really enhances the look of the whole church. It’s just amazing the way it looks. We’re grateful it was done,” Swanson said Tuesday. He previously had described the broken curb as “all crumbling and messy.” The quaint church has been a fixture on the corner of Landis Avenue and 85th Street since 1923. Trinity has undergone a series of improvements to the interior and exterior in recent years, including a new coat of white paint on the outside of the building. The church conducts nondenominational Sunday services during the summer tourism season, but closes for the rest of the year. The first service this summer is scheduled for June 27. Swanson said the church never had any accidents or other trouble related to the deteriorated curb, but was told by Sea Isle police that cars had parked all the way up on the sidewalk at times. The new sidewalks and curbs enhance the look of Trinity Community Church at the corner of 85th Street and Landis Avenue.