By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
A quaint spot at the foot of the Townsends Inlet Bridge is reminiscent of a tiny English garden.
Decorative benches, brick pavers, an itty-bitty pond with flowing water and a shade tree all blend together to recreate a pastoral landscape – in miniature form.
This triangular-shaped sliver of land at 94th Street in Sea Isle City is so small that it doesn’t have a formal name.
But for those who are familiar with it, the pocket park serves as an ideal setting to relax or reflect, said Pat Walsh, chairwoman of Sea Isle’s Beautification Committee.
“I think it’s lovely. It welcomes you,” Walsh said. “I get only ‘It’s beautiful’ reactions from people about it. They feel special about it.”
Although the spot seems to be a hideaway, it is actually in full view in a prominent location – one of the main gateways into Sea Isle. Countless motorists drive by it every year while crossing the Townsends Inlet Bridge.
The Beautification Committee, which was formed in 2007, immediately recognized the importance of the location and made it a high priority when it decided to dress up the city’s entryways to make them more inviting to residents and visitors.
“We wanted to enhance all of the entrances. We knew that was a key to making the city look good,” said Mike McHale, a former Sea Isle mayor.
Walsh, McHale and former Councilman John Divney were the founders of the Beautification Committee.
The committee has collaborated with the city’s government over the years to beautify the town. One of the prime examples is the landscaped area at the foot of the Townsends Inlet Bridge.
“As the old expression goes, you only get once chance to make a good first impression. The mayor and the city administration fully realize that,” city spokeswoman Katherine Custer said.
The city recently installed a new welcome sign to help decorate the Townsends Inlet Bridge entryway. “Sea Isle City … Sunshine & Memories,” the sign declares on one side. “Welcome to Sea Isle City” it says on the side facing the bridge.
Sea Isle has replaced old welcome signs with new ones in the past year at its three entryways – the Townsends Inlet Bridge in the south end, Sea Isle Boulevard in the middle of town and the northern border with Strathmere at First Street.
“It is very important to maintain our attractive entryways,” Custer noted.
The Beautification Committee gave the Townsends Inlet entryway a makeover in 2012.
“I think it’s the pride and joy of the Beautification Committee,” Walsh said in an interview Wednesday.
A tiny waterfall pond tucked underneath a shade tree serves as one of the centerpieces of the landscaped area.
Six decorative concrete benches topped with memorial plaques are grouped together overlooking brick pavers that also serve as remembrances of the dead. Separately, a seventh memorial bench sits under the shade tree.
“You don’t see it that often, but sometimes you’ll see people sitting there,” Walsh said of the benches.
McHale credited Walsh with coming up with the idea of collecting donations for the memorial benches and brick pavers to help the Beautification Committee pay for the pond’s construction.
A formal dedication ceremony was held in 2012 to mark the completion of the project, McHale said. Yet, interestingly, a formal name was never given to the park area.
“No, it does not have a formal name,” said Walsh, wondering whether it might be time to finally consider naming it.
