WEST CAPE MAY — Representatives from West Cape May have met with members of Cape May’s Historic Preservation Commission regarding the concept plan for a pedestrian bridge between the borough and city.
The bridge would connect West Grant Street in West Cape May with First Avenue in Cape May and is expected to be complete by the end of the year, but first must receive approvals from the HPC and City Council.
Borough Commission received a $700,000 local infrastructure grant in October to help fund its share of the project.
The goal is to safely move pedestrians and cyclists off Sunset Boulevard.
The next phase of the project includes the HPC reviewing the plans. Its next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 9.
Approval from the HPC is required before plans can be finalized.
City Councilman Steve Bodnar has said that elements are being addressed on both sides to ensure a seamless project between the two communities.
Police contract
Borough Commission has signed a six-year contract with the Cape May City Police Department.
“We’re excited to be working again with Chief (Dekon) Fashaw and his team,” Mayor George Dick said. “They’ve done an excellent job for us over the years since we decided we didn’t want to have a police department.”
The borough will be paying $740,000 per year, a 33 percent increase from the previous contract, to secure the partnership with the police department.
“The cost for the police has gone up,” Dick said. “The contract we had for the last seven years, we were probably underpaying. Their costs were much higher than what the contract showed.”
E-bike legislation
New Jersey passed new legislation Jan. 19 that changes E-bike regulations.
Borough officials have followed the legislation closely, passing its own ri;es to ensure the safety of pedestrians and riders.
All E-bikes now are classified as motorized vehicles, regardless of the speed range.
The law also sets a minimum age for operation of 15 and requires cyclists under the age of 17 to get a motorized bicycle license. The vehicles also must be registered and insured.
“There’s been a lot of pushback on this, so I suspect it will be reopened and they will make some amendments to it,” Dick said. “It’s pretty harsh by basically making any kind of motorized bicycle a moped or motorcycle.”
A large-scale plan to replace water mains on Sixth Avenue is still in the financing phase as the borough searches for the most affordable option.
Dick said engineer Anthony Chadwell and his team have been exploring the potential cost.
“It’s a gigantic project, probably the biggest one we’ve ever done in the borough. It has been kicked around, talked about, and we’re trying to figure out how to do it with the least amount of money,” Dick said.
The borough has received about $174,000 from the Municipal Aid Grant and plans to use it to conduct construction on Stevenson Avenue.
“We’ve talked about putting speed humps or some type of speed mitigation,” Dick said. “We’ve talked about whether the road needs to be ground all the way down or just resurfaced.”
Commissioners revisited the topic of local liquor stores selling hemp-infused beverages. In December, solicitor Frank Corrado informed the commissioners that any business selling hemp-infused drinks can be required to pay a tax to the borough.
According to the Cannabis Control Commission, liquor stores are allowed to sell the beverages. Under the Cannabis Control Act, the borough can collect a 2 percent tax on the sale of hemp-infused beverages until November, when they no longer will be permitted to be sold in liquor stores.
Dick proposed sending a letter to Sunset Liquors to inform the owner about the tax.
By JULIA DIGERONIMO/For the Star and Wave
