By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
A fatal balcony collapse at a high-rise condominium, a mass stranding of eight dolphins on the beach and the demolition of the old public school to make way for a new community recreation center were among the biggest stories in Sea Isle City in 2023.
As we prepare to say a final goodbye to 2023, we look back at the Top 10 stories that kept Sea Isle in the headlines for the past year.
They follow:
Construction Death at Spinnaker Condominium
A construction worker at the Spinnaker Condominium’s South Tower was killed on Feb. 24 when the concrete balcony on the eighth floor collapsed and crushed him. He was standing on a balcony on the seventh floor.
Jose Pereira, an employee of Ferguson Contracting Inc., of Yardley, Pa., was part of a work crew that was doing restoration work on the balconies at the oceanfront high-rise building.
Two other workers were on the balcony on the eighth floor when it collapsed, but they suffered only minor injuries and were treated at the scene.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the federal agency that investigated the balcony collapse, fined Ferguson Contracting more than $18,000 for a series of safety violations related to the accident.
Eight Dolphins Die in Mass Stranding
Police officers and other first responders used buckets and fire hoses to pour seawater on a group of dolphins in a frantic effort to save the creatures after they became stranded on the beach on March 21.
Ultimately, the rescue attempt proved futile. The heartbreaking scene took a tragic turn when a veterinarian from the Marine Mammal Stranding Center decided to euthanize the dolphins after their condition deteriorated.
“The decision was made to humanely euthanize the dolphins to prevent further suffering, as returning them to the ocean would have only prolonged their inevitable death,” the center said in a statement.
Two of the dolphins became stranded on the 51st Street beach and died almost immediately. Six other dolphins were beached on 52nd Street, but were kept alive for nearly three hours by police officers, firefighters and Public Works employees by pouring water over their bodies.
Old School is Torn Down
Sea Isle’s former public school was simply no match for the metal claws of two giant excavators that turned the 50-year-old building into piles of broken glass, twisted metal and concrete rubble.
Demolition of the old school got underway in late March with absolutely no fanfare. There were no large crowds on hand to say a final farewell to a building that had once served as a community centerpiece, but was closed in 2012 because of the city’s declining student population.
By April, the entire school building was gone and the site was cleared. Culminating years of planning and discussion, the city is going to use the property at 4501 Park Road to build a $21 million community recreation center starting in early 2024.
Construction of the community center is expected to take about 24 to 30 months to complete, a schedule that would put the grand opening in 2026.
Curfew, Backpack Ban Target Rowdy Teens
Sea Isle devised its own strategy to rein in groups of rowdy juveniles over the summer tourism season by imposing a 10 p.m. curfew on the beaches and oceanfront Promenade for juveniles under 18 years of age.
Voting 5-0, City Council approved an ordinance on March 28 making the curfew a new law that went into in effect from May 15 to Labor Day.
In another ordinance aimed at curbing unruly behavior, Council unanimously approved a ban on backpacks on the Promenade and beaches.
The backpack ban took effect from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. over the summer and applied to both juveniles and adults. It was designed to prevent anyone from using backpacks at night to hide alcoholic beverages or other contraband.
In late June, city and police officials said the strategy was working after a dramatically quieter Father’s Day weekend.
Philly TV Host Bob Kelly Punched at Sea Isle Bar
Fox 29’s “Good Day Philadelphia” TV personality Bob Kelly was punched in the face while emceeing a party July 30 at the Oar House Pub.
Patrick Iannone, of Sea Isle, was charged with assaulting Kelly and later pleaded guilty as part of a deal with the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office.
The plea deal will result in him getting probation and staying out of jail. Iannone, 22, is scheduled to appear in Superior Court on Feb. 12 for sentencing.
Iannone said he had been drinking heavily and had no idea who Kelly was when he punched the TV host in the face, briefly knocking him unconscious and injuring his left eye.
Orsted Withdraws from N.J. Wind Farm Projects
Jubilant Cape May County officials celebrated the decision by Danish energy giant Orsted to scrap plans for two wind energy farms off the South Jersey coast, but expressed caution about the possibility that the projects could be resurrected later.
Orsted’s announcement on Oct. 31 that it is halting its Ocean Wind 1 and Ocean Wind 2 projects was greeted with relief by opponents and came amid a bruising legal battle initiated by Cape May County, Ocean City and other groups to stop construction from getting started.
“You know, there were many people that said to us, ‘Don’t take on this company. Don’t take on Orsted. They have the White House. They have the Statehouse.’ But unfortunately, they didn’t know about the courthouse,” said Cape May County Board of Commissioners Director Leonard Desiderio, who also serves as Sea Isle’s mayor.
Elected officials representing Cape May County and its beach communities asserted that the wind farms would have caused devastating economic and environmental damage to the tourism industry, commercial fishing, migratory birds and marine life such as whales and dolphins.
Construction Starts on Sea Isle’s Ultimate Doggie Destination
Sea Isle officials celebrated a ceremonial groundbreaking on Nov. 2 for a nearly $1 million dog park that will give canines an amenity-filled playground when completed in 2024.
Joining their owners at the ceremony, a handful of dogs were the guests of honor as Mayor Leonard Desiderio and other dignitaries shoveled some sand to symbolically start construction on the project.
The dog park will be located along Landis Avenue between Sixth and Eighth streets in the northern end of town.
Amenities will include doggy obstacles, water fountains and a safe, fenced-in environment for all of the canines. There will also be two shade pavilions to keep the dogs nice and cool.
Jason Kelce, Other Eagles Land in Sea Isle
Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro and Pro-Bowl center Jason Kelce was swarmed by hundreds of adoring fans for autographs and selfies during his annual celebrity bartending appearance to raise money for the Eagles Autism Foundation.
The crowd was packed in shoulder-to-shoulder at an outdoor area set up at the Paddy’s Green dining spot at O’Donnell’s Pour House and next door at the Sandbar and Grill at the Ocean Drive bar. There were lines of fans stretching down the sidewalks of Landis Avenue waiting to get in both places on June 28.
Kelce brought plenty of star power with him, including his brother, Travis Kelce, the All-Pro and Pro-Bowl tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Jason Kelce’s teammates Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, Dallas Goedert, Landon Dickerson and Jake Elliot also showed up, as well as former Eagles Connor Barwin, Trent Cole and Todd Herremans.
Stanley Cup Makes Mesmerizing Appearance
Taking great care not to drop it, John Stevens carried a gleaming sterling silver trophy that stands 36 inches tall, weighs 36 pounds, is 131 years old and seemed to have a mesmerizing effect on everyone who saw and touched it.
Stevens, the assistant coach of the 2023 National Hockey League champions Vegas Golden Knights, walked into Sea Isle’s post office July 17 and placed the Stanley Cup on the counter like he was getting ready to send it somewhere by express mail.
“Oh, my God, I get to touch it,” exclaimed the post office’s acting supervisor, Melissa Bell.
After appearing at the post office, Stevens also made stops at City Hall and the Sea Isle City Welcome Center during a whirlwind, 45-minute tour to share the Stanley Cup with city workers and lucky members of the public.
Players, coaches, owners and management from the winning team are allowed to spend a day with the cup as part of its longstanding tradition. Stevens chose to bring it to Sea Isle, where he has a summer vacation home.
Beach, Dune Erosion a Recurring Problem
Coastal storms caused significant erosion to some of Sea Isle’s beaches and dunes throughout 2023, forcing the city to “harvest” sand from healthier sections of the shoreline to temporarily patch up damaged areas.
Erosion was the worst in the south end beaches and dunes in the Townsends Inlet section. The beaches between 88th Street and 92nd Street are notoriously vulnerable to erosion during the stormy winter and spring seasons. But in 2023, the dune damage also extended several blocks north to include streets in the lower 80s.
Fortunately, Sea Isle is part of a $33.7 million beach replenishment project by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that also includes the southern end of Ocean City and Strathmere.
Starting in the spring, 252,000 cubic yards of new sand will be added in central Sea Isle from about 29th Street to 53rd Street. Another 388,000 cubic yards of fresh sand will be placed in the south end of town from about 73rd Street to Townsends Inlet.
