Pavilion, seating, sculptures coming to Texas Ave. facility
CAPE MAY — The city is moving forward with plans to renovate Harborview Park at the end of Texas Avenue.
Landscape architect Nicole Welsh of Engineering Design Associates presented an overview of the plan to City Council on Aug. 19, detailing the current state of the park and proposed work.
“It’s a passive park, meant for watching the boats, the sunset, reading a book and [enjoying] nature,” Welsh said, adding that there are several structures and boardwalk promenades that need repair.
The conceptual plan includes a shade pavilion, table sets, game tables, a continuous curved bench, sculptures, new concrete sidewalks, steps and ramps, path lighting, a railing system, benches, planters, local sculptures, functional art and trash receptacles.
Welsh said there are 12 parking spaces and the plan includes removing part of the curb to add additional spaces.
“The seating will be for picnicking and some of them will have chess or checkers game tables,” Welsh said. “Some of the seating will be four-seaters and others will be three-seaters to allow wheelchairs for handicap accessibility.”
The park upgrades will provide several different levels of viewing. There will be subtle accent lighting under the curved benches. Welsh added that the seating elements will have the same consistency of materials, including wood and powder-coated steel.
“Throughout the park there are going to be kinetic sculptures that will move with the wind,” she said. “We did work with the local art commission and picked out a couple of nice pieces, which will add movement and flow into the space.”
Funding includes a county grant approved for $1.39 million. She said they are not required to use many of the place-making elements through the Open Space Grant but will keep some of the elements, though slightly altered.
“With the salt in the air, knowing that it’s going to be against the elements, we’re making sure that we are not going to have these things corrode very shortly,” she said. “These companies do an e-coating, which is like a primer, before they do a powder coating to protect against elements.”
The benches, railing system and trash receptacles will be the same ones used on the Lafayette Street nature trails.
The conceptual plan includes hooded bollard lighting. Orlando noted that the lighting at Kiwanis Park was bright for that neighborhood, something that was taken into consideration for the Harborview Park plans.
“There’s also going to be a single pendant light in the gazebo, and a couple spotlights that will be focusing on the sculptures and the front main entrance sign,” Welsh said.
Regarding landscaping, Welsh said there are already raised berms planted in the nature park. One will be kept and the other two will be reoriented and planted with native shrubs, perennials, evergreen trees, flowering trees and some shade trees.
Deputy Mayor Maureen McDade, liaison on the project, said Orlando and Welsh did a fabulous job.
“You really took the idea that I had about this park — used by people to just sit and have a cup of coffee, meet somebody, have a quick lunch — and I’m really pleased that we were able to maintain the ambiance of that,” McDade said. “The county Open Space Board was so receptive to this design and concept.”
Resident Eunice King thanked council for working on a beautiful design for the park and addressed concerns about the number of trees projected to be planted, as well as potential tree height.
“As we count quantity on your graph, we total 87 trees, and that seems like a lot of trees for not a really big park,” King said. “Our concern is having that density of trees is really going to obliterate the view that you’re so carefully planning for people to come and sit in the park and enjoy.”
City engineer Vince Orlando said spoke with City Manager Paul Dietrich and Mayor Zack Mullock regarding residents’ concerns on the placement of the trees in the conceptual plan.
“Before we make final selections, we will sit down with a group of you guys to work through some of the tree selections and placement,” Orlando said.
King added that she and fellow neighbors were also concerned about the overall maintenance.
“Maintaining 87 trees properly is a very expensive proposition, so I think that’s another thing that needs to be addressed,” King said.
Resident Roz Johnson said she was concerned about the potential for sea gull feces on the rails.
“I visit the nature trail almost every day and many of the people who have visited there complain about the sea gull poop that is on the railing,” she said. “If you come when no one else is there, you’ll see the sea gulls lined up on the railing.”
Johnson suggested irregular railings that would be difficult for seagulls to perch on.
“This park could really be so much more than it is today,” resident David King said. “I think your design is inspired, really brilliant, but I think there are some real concerns about the trees.”
Several residents asked the council to consider the effects of the wind in this area, particularly with the proposed kinetic sculptures.
Mullock said concerns about the trees were heard loud and clear and will be considered.
Orlando said the next step is to finalize the drawings in the coming four to six weeks, then seek bids this fall, award a contract and hopefully open the park in June 2026.
