Following the creation of Cape May County’s American Rescue Plan Act Infrastructure Grant Program, Sea Isle City has received a $400,000 grant to help fund a sanitary sewer replacement project.
The project was already underway along Sounds Avenue and adjacent streets between 56th Street and approximately 60th Street, next to Dealy Field, Sea Isle’s largest recreation facility.
The nearly $900,000 project involved the replacement of the deteriorated sanitary sewer on Sounds Avenue, the elimination of the deteriorated sanitary sewer system beneath Dealy Field, and the redirection of the sanitary sewer system down 59th Street to connect to the Central Avenue sanitary sewer trunk line.
It also involved the replacement of a water main on 59th Street, from Central Avenue to Sounds Avenue. Work on the project was completed in the spring of 2023. Repaving of the entire area is scheduled to take place in the fall of 2023.
At the time a grant application was submitted to the county to help fund the project, Sea Isle officials were optimistic that Sounds Avenue would be an ideal fit for the county’s grant program.
“As CFO, I value every dollar we receive and spend, and I know how important fiscal responsibility is for a municipality,” Sea Isle Chief Financial Officer Jen McIver said in a news release. “We greatly appreciate the county’s assistance with this grant, because having a strong infrastructure, and maintaining high standards for the people we serve is very important to us.”
After receiving confirmation that the county had approved the grant money, Cape May County Commissioner Andy Bulakowski presented the city with a ceremonial check in the amount of $400,000 during Sea Isle’s May 23 City Council meeting.
Sea Isle Mayor Leonard Desiderio, who also serves as director of the Cape May County Board of Commissioners, said the grant program is a way for the county to partner with all 16 Cape May County municipalities for infrastructure projects. Each municipality receives $400,000 under the grant program.
“As mayor of Sea Isle City, I can say that we are very happy to work with Cape May County and also to receive this grant money – and we look forward to working with the county in the future on more projects,” Desiderio said in the release.
