New Dog Park, Flood-Control Measures Top List of Sea Isle Projects

By DONALD WITTKOWSKI City Council introduced two bond ordinances Tuesday totaling nearly $9 million to fund a series of capital projects throughout town, including road construction, Sea Isle City’s first dog park and a stormwater pumping station to protect flood-prone neighborhoods. “One of the hallmarks of good government is ensuring that public assets and infrastructure are maintained and improved,” Mayor Leonard Desiderio said in a statement to Council about the capital projects. One bond ordinance, for $7.7 million, includes funding for a number of major projects. The second ordinance, for $1.1 million, will finance a series of water and sewer improvements across town. Both funding packages were introduced by Council with 5-0 votes. A public hearing and final vote are scheduled at Council’s Aug. 19 meeting. Big-ticket items include the city’s proposed dog park, a project that would give canines their own place to play at a site in the north end of town at Seventh Street and Landis Avenue. City Business Administrator George Savastano said the hope is to have the dog park ready in time for the 2023 summer tourism season. The estimated cost is $1 million, but Sea Isle is seeking funding from the Cape May County Open Space Board to pay for it. Knowing that many families choose their vacation destination based on its pet-friendly reputation, Sea Isle has been looking to build its first dog park for years. Seventh Street and Landis Avenue in Sea Isle City's north end is the proposed location of the dog park. Jim and Mary Ann McLaughlin, vacationers from Drexel Hill, Pa., were elated to hear about plans for the dog park Tuesday while walking their goldendoodle, Nellie, and golden retriever, Becky, along John F. Kennedy Boulevard. They said a dog park would allow them to take their pets out for some exercise without having to cross the streets and contending with traffic. “I think it’s a great idea,” Mary Ann McLaughlin said. “You won’t have to cross the streets with the lights. It will be traffic-free.” The dog park will be configured to have a section for small dogs and a separate area for larger dogs. There will also be doggy obstacles, water fountains, benches and plenty of room for canines to run around in a fenced-in, safe environment, city spokeswoman Katherine Custer said. During the quiet offseason months, the city lifts its ban of dogs on the beaches, giving canines and their owners a chance to get out and frolic on the wide-open shoreline. But come summer, the vacationers take over the beaches and dogs lose their sandy playground. Without a place to call their own, dogs and their owners usually are out walking along the streets and sidewalks in the summer for exercise. The dog park will give dogs their exclusive playground. While the focus will be on the dogs, the park will also have something for the human visitors. It is also expected to include a gazebo and new bathrooms nearby. Sea Isle has scaled back the original plan to build an observation tower to provide panoramic views of the ocean and surrounding marshlands. Savastano said the city did not want the observation tower to become “a hangout,” so it was removed from plans for the dog park. Road construction and drainage improvements are other major projects that will be funded by the bond ordinances. Meanwhile, the bond ordinances will also include other big-ticket projects such as road reconstruction and drainage improvements throughout town to help ease flooding. The city also plans to alleviate flooding by building a new stormwater pumping station from Landis Avenue to the bay between 42nd and 44th streets. Savastano said the plan is to build the pumping station in 2023. He did not immediately know how much it might cost, but Sea Isle previously estimated the project’s price tag at $4 million. Sea Isle built its first pumping station in 2019, in the flood-plagued bayfront neighborhood of Sounds Avenue and 38th Street. The project cost about $800,000. Pumping stations intercept floodwater and channel it back into the bay much faster than it would normally take to drain off the streets after a coastal storm. They have proved effective in Ocean City, Avalon and other shore communities vulnerable to flooding. Desiderio said other projects that will be funded by the two bond ordinances include renovations to the 40th Street public restrooms on the Promenade, and improvements to the Department of Public Works building adjacent to the JFK Boulevard bridge. The city will also purchase new vehicles and equipment for public safety and the Public Works Department, as well as an upgraded public safety communications system that will integrate Sea Isle into the state radio system, Desiderio said. Renovations will be made to the public restrooms on the Promenade at 40th Street.