VILLAS — Manager Michael Laffey said March 3 that the township received permits to replace five bayside outfalls pipes — those in the worst condition — of the 15 and is almost at the finish line of receiving U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approval.
“One emergency outfall in particular is the Delaware Bay pump station near Ohio Avenue,” Laffey said. “We got approval to extend that one sooner than later because it was so blocked it was backfilling along the dune.”
Laffey said a pre-construction meeting was scheduled for that week and the project could start as soon as March 10. The other four outfall pipes should go out to bid after an additional approval.
Laffey also discussed beach maintenance, noting the township received approval from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection with a modification request for raking areas of the beach outside the areas of restriction for environmental protection. The raking should start soon.
“With more people using our Delaware Bay beaches, there is a lot of sea debris that comes up on those areas, particularly in the north end of the Villas from Bayside Village to Miami Avenue,” Laffey said. “We’re going to clean it by raking, and the Clean Communities project with volunteers and staff will go out in the other areas.”
Laffey noted the beaches took a beating from strong winds during the winter, causing several beach paths to be temporarily closed. He said Public Works and Recreation departments would find time to restore the paths as soon as possible to get ready for the summer.
Mayor Frank Sippel said the raking is a good initiative on behalf of the manager and Public Works to help make the beach nicer.
Councilman Roland Roy noted that the graffiti vandalism at the public restrooms at Lincoln Boulevard and Beach Drive was cleaned up. Council member Joe Wareham said he was there over the weekend and the police were out watching surveillance footage.
“Public Works and the Recreation Department did a good job cleaning there,” Laffey said. “We had a few volunteers that showed up unannounced, so hats off to them for helping remove the graffiti with chemicals they brought with them. It was a cooperative effort between volunteers and the township.”
The Lower Township Police Department arrested four individuals in connection with vandalism. According to the police department, three boys and an 18-year-old man from North Cape May were responsible for the damage. Police discovered additional instances of graffiti in North Cape May and Cape May.
Deputy Mayor Kevin Coombs asked Laffey if it would be possible in the future to have cameras in that public area where the graffiti occurred.
Laffey said there have been issues with connectivity with cameras in that area, which is why there are none. He said that considering the David Douglass Park renovations, which are still in the permitting phase, it is likely that the township will try to get cameras at the park.
“That [project] will be a huge investment along the bayfront,” Laffey said. “It’s probably about a two-year project, but we’ll try to get cameras at that location as quickly as we can. Right now, we are very limited in utilities down at Douglass Park.”
Councilman Tom Conrad asked Laffey if reaching out to Verizon might be a good place to start, as a representative attended a meeting a few years ago and said they would put boosters on telephone poles.
By RACHEL SHUBIN/Special to the Star and Wave