Dreams to Nighmares

W'wood code issue makes nightmare of dream homes

By TRUDI GILFILLIAN Staff Writer, (609) 463-6716
Published: Sunday, September 24, 2006

NORTH WILDWOOD — Southern New Jersey's shore and summer vacations were synonymous for the May family.

“As a kid, my parents used to go down to the Wildwoods,” Richard May said. “To us, North Wildwood was the shore.”

So as an adult, it seemed fitting that May, 64, would buy a vacation home here. He hoped his three children and five grandchildren could create equally lasting memories.

But a cloud overshadowed what should have been a sun-filled summer at the shore for May and many of his fellow condominium owners. They found out their properties may not have been built up to code.

The Joint Construction Office of the Wildwoods, which oversees construction projects for Wildwood, Wildwood Crest, North Wildwood and West Wildwood, notified the owners of nearly 500 units primarily in Wildwood and North Wildwood of the possible violations this year. Most received word in the first few months of 2006, but some, including May, only learned of the problem in June.

Owners were told their buildings may have been improperly inspected by the construction office or not built to code, and that an array of violations, such as a lack of firewalls, had to be repaired.

The construction office, according to its attorney, Glenn P. Callahan, is also reviewing other buildings, as many as 2,000, constructed between 2000 and 2005 to determine if the problem is more widespread. The review will then extend to other multifamily buildings erected prior to 2000, Callahan said.

The reported deficiencies in May's building, a four-unit property on Ocean Avenue, include the need for a second staircase and questions about the very joints holding it together.

Suddenly, May, of Yardley, Pa., found his perfect vacation home was not so.
May recalled looking at 28 properties in 2003 before he found number 29.

“Something with an ocean view, not the Boardwalk, and I liked the layout,” May said.
North Wildwood's appeal, he said, included what he called the gentrification of the island, linked to a changing real estate market combined with prices still relatively reasonable compared to neighboring shore towns Avalon and Stone Harbor.

He purchased his unit for under $300,000. According to the city's recent revaluation, the 1,600-square-foot unit is now valued at $570,000.

With the code question looming, however, those figures lose some of their meaning.
“For starters, if I wanted to, I can't sell it. I can't rent it if I wanted to right now,” May said. “I have no idea what my property is actually worth.”

And he has only an estimated idea of what it will cost to fix or whether it really needs to be fixed at all.

In August, May was one of many owners meeting with construction office officials to learn exactly what was wrong.

May said they couldn't find the building plans during that meeting and instead suggested that because it was designed by architect Kevin Young, the same architect who worked on several properties involved, that it likely had the same code violations.

“They couldn't prove it to me,” May said.

Superior Court Judge Steven Perskie, who is overseeing the litigation surrounding the units, has said he wants the problems fixed, promising no one will be hurt in one of the properties while he's involved.

Perskie became involved when the construction office filed suit against dozens of builders, developers, architects and condominium associations connected with the affected properties.

He has said he will revoke the certificates of occupancy later this year for properties where no progress has been made.

Meanwhile, the joint construction office has been talking with the owners, builders, developers and architects to resolve the problems and many owners have already signed abatement agreements, which are documents spelling out the violations and how they will be resolved.

If May and others in his building sign such an agreement, they will have to pay to fix any code violations. He says that could include installing fire alarms and sprinkler systems and estimates costs between $50,000 and $60,000.

May, who makes a living selling services to mutual funds, said he can afford it, but the additional expense, along with attorney's fees, will likely pose a hardship for others.

And May wonders just how urgently the repairs are needed.

“To date, nothing's burned down that I know of,” May said.

Instead, May said the focus should be on forcing those responsible to take the blame and suffer the consequences.

Perskie has said there is ample blame to go around, but assigning it will likely come later when he determines who ultimately will pay for the repairs.

The state Department of Community Affairs has already cited several construction officials for their role in the inspection process. As of June, letters of warning had been sent by Office of Regulatory Affairs supervisor Louis J. Mraw to Lawrence J. Booy, John E. Conti and Mario A. Zaccaria. A letter of reprimand also was sent to Wayne M. Gibson. An additional letter was sent to inspector Albert S. Beers advising him that a review committee will look at findings in his case to determine if his licenses should be revoked.

“The judge is trying to look like a hero. What he needs to do is knock heads with the developers and the JCOW office,” May said.

In the meantime, May says, he is managing to enjoy his seashore home. A typical summer day has included visits with his children and grandchildren, making sandcastles, reading a book under the sun and cooking together at home.

“There are trips to the Boardwalk with the grandkids. We've still been able to do that,” May said.

And this weekend, the joint construction office was the least of his concerns as he planned to enjoy a late September visit during the Irish Fall Festival.

May said the whole experience has soured him just a little on the Wildwoods, but he still wants to stay and enjoy his time here, possibly even purchasing a more luxurious vacation home next time around.

“I think North Wildwood is a pretty place. They've done some good things here,” May said.

But his good feelings may not be enough.
“This has the potential to destroy the community,” May said.

To e-mail Trudi Gilfillian at The Press: TGilfillian@pressofac.com

Budget Approved

Wildwood approves '06 budget
By TRUDI GILFILLIAN Staff Writer, (609) 463-6716
Press of Atlantic City
Published: Wednesday, September 20, 2006

WILDWOOD — City Commission approved its 2006 budget this week after receiving approval from the state's Division of Local Government Services.
The state had to give its blessing to an additional agreement between the city and developer K. Hovnanian in which the company agreed to pay the city $1.5 million by Dec. 15.

According to the budget, the city anticipated that money, a partial payment for the developer's purchase of a former city landfill, as revenue that would help support the $24.8 million spending plan.

Mayor Ernie Troiano Jr. said the state gave the nod to the agreement late Friday, and the commission in turn adopted the budget early Monday.

City Clerk Christopher Wood then drove the document to Trenton and placed it in the state's hands.

The amendment to the original memorandum of understanding between the city and K. Hovnanian notes that the developer has spent more than $1.5 million conducting its on-site analysis of the city's former backbay landfill in an effort to turn that property into an upscale residential development.
The company had initially planned to build more than 200 homes on the site, but that number may change.

According to the agreement, however, “such analysis has revealed that the costs for developing the site are substantially higher than initially contemplated.”

Under the agreement, K. Hovnanian agrees to pay the $1.5 million by December, and both sides agree to meet by Oct. 20 to finalize the redevelopment agreement for the back-bay area.

In addition, the agreement states that if the developer does not make the payment, the city can withdraw from the agreement and the $3 million already paid to the city by K.Hovnanian does not have to be returned.

The city would also be given all documentation and information already collected by K. Hovnanian regarding the landfill site, including surveys, professional reports and any environmental studies. The city also reserves the right to take the project to another developer.

With the 2006 budget finally adopted, Troiano looked ahead to the 2007 budget process.

He said the city has some surplus funds and payments due next year that will help support the 2007 spending plan, but he remains cautious.

“Until we get these bigger buildings in place, it's going to be difficult each year,” Troiano said, referring to a number of high-rise hotels planned in the city.

Troiano estimated those properties would add billions to the city's ratable base and reduce the tax burden on the town's other property owners.

The city's ratable base rose from $546,094,923 in 2004 to $1.727 billion in 2005. This year, the ratable base is up to $1.765 billion.

Troiano said he expects to hear some news from the state Department of Environmental Protection within 45 to 60 days on the status of those buildings. The state had previously denied the first of those proposed high-rises a permit to build.


To e-mail Trudi Gilfillian at The Press:TGilfillian@pressofac.com

Refuge Name Protest

Lower resident protests Villas name on wildlife refuge

By RICHARD DEGENER Staff Writer, (609) 463-6711
Published: Thursday, September 7, 2006
Press of Atlantic City

LOWER TOWNSHIP: Town Bank resident Steve Sheftz calls his community the “birthplace of South Jersey.” He wonders how the upstart in the neighborhood, the 80-year-old Villas section, won the naming rights for the new state wildlife preserve off Bayshore Road.

Sheftz said his community has been around for 371 years. Town Bank was home to whalers as far back as 1635, he said, and famous Quaker and Pennsylvania founder William Penn is credited with giving Town Bank its name. Sheftz also points out that Town Bank is 141 years older than the United States of America, 163 years older than Lower Township, and 234 years older than Cape May.

Sheftz compiled his arguments in a letter to Lee Widjeskog of the state Division of Fish and Wildlife, the agency that is turning the former Ponderlodge Golf Club into the wildlife preserve that Widjeskog announced recently would be named the Villas Wildlife Management Area. Sheftz claims the new name does not have support from Township Council or the people of Town Bank.

“I am sure that many of the people, especially descendents, would be greatly offended by the name you mentioned,” Sheftz wrote to Widjeskog.

He described the Villas as an area with less than 80 years of history with “primarily a short real estate business and supportive services background.”

Councilman Mike Beck, who represents the Villas' ward and offered the idea to use the name for the new preserve, claims Sheftz is striking back at him because Beck was the first to support the bird sanctuary instead of the public golf course Sheftz wanted. Beck said that once council agreed to the bird sanctuary, it took away the main campaign issue Sheftz had in the November election. Sheftz, a Republican, is running in the 2nd Ward race against incumbent Democrat Wayne Mazurek, and one of his platforms was to push for a golf course.

Part of the debate centers on which community can geographically claim the 253-acre tract. Neither the Villas nor Town Bank is an incorporated town — they are both communities with no clear boundaries.

Sheftz claims the Villas ends at Wildwood Avenue. Beck counters that the U.S. Census places the Ponderlodge property in the Villas and it has a Villas post office address. Beck offered a reference to the movie Miracle on 34th Street, in which a post office address proved there was a Santa Claus, to bolster his argument.

“Miracle on 34th Street was decided on a post office address. He (Santa Claus) got his mail at the North Pole and therefore he did exist. Their mail goes to the Villas. Game, set and match,” Beck said.

The three other members on council are split over the naming issue. Beck said Councilman Stig Blomkvest agrees with him.

Mazurek, who originally wondered if it should be named after the Fishing Creek section or the historic Cox Hall Creek on the property, leans towards the Villas. Due to coastal erosion, Mazurek noted that the original Town Bank whaling village is out in the Delaware Bay.

“It's not Town Bank. In reality, the real Town Bank is three miles offshore in the bay,” Mazurek said.

The Villas is also much easier to find on a map, Mazurek said, which may be important to visitors coming from all over to tour the new preserve.

Beck also has argued the Villas needs the good recognition it would get from a world-class bird sanctuary, and Mazurek agrees.

“Mike feels it gives a boost to an area that's not had a great reputation. His thoughts are well taken on that,” Mazurek said.

Lower Township Mayor Walt Craig has asked Cape May County Engineer Dale Foster to do some research on where Villas ends and Town Bank begins.

“I can't see it being named for a place it's not in. Personally, I think it should just be the Lower Township Wildlife Management Area,” Craig said.

The mayor said he is more concerned about the property being turned into a quality refuge and public recreation facility. He also noted the name issue must be decided because the site opens to the public Saturday.

“The first 100 get a free T-shirt, and I don't know what it's going to say,” Craig said.

To e-mail Richard Degener at The Press: RDegener@pressofac.com

Tax Rate Up

Tax rate up slightly as property values climb in Wildwood

By TRUDI GILFILLIAN Staff Writer, (609) 463-6716
Published: Thursday, September 7, 2006
Press of Atlantic City

WILDWOOD — The public had little to say during Wednesday's public hearing on the city's 2006 budget.

Of the 20 or so residents who attended the special meeting in City Hall, only Ernesto Salvatico spoke.

Salvatico said he is concerned about the taxes and used his own property on Bennett Avenue as an example. The property's value, he said, had gone up several hundred percent since the city's recent revaluation.

His tax bill was also up, Salvatico said, to almost $6,000.

“It's insane,” Salvatico said.

Mayor Ernie Troiano Jr. said he understood Salvatico's concern, but he added the city could not control property values.

Salvatico warned that high taxes will mean some people will not be able to afford to pay this year's tax bill, which will result in higher tax bills for everyone in the future to make up the difference.

“We're not immune from the tax increase ourselves,” Troiano said of himself and his fellow commissioners.

The city's 2006 spending plan totals $24.8 million, up slightly over the 2005 budget of $24.7 million.

The budget is supported by $14.3 million in local property taxes, $1.9 million in surplus funds, and $8.5 million in revenues. It also comes with a tax increase of 1.5 cents.

That means the local purpose tax rate, which supports the city's operations, will be 81.2 cents compared to 79.7 cents in 2005.

Initially, the tax increase was expected to be slightly higher, but Troiano has said the city worked hard to pare down the figure.

The overall tax rate, including county and school taxes, will equal $1.51 per $100 of assessed property valuation. The total tax rate in 2005 for the city was $1.42.
After the meeting, Commissioner Kathy Breuss said adoption of the budget was delayed until Monday, Sept. 11, because the city is awaiting $1.5 million in land-sale revenues from developer K.Hovnanian.

That money is part of the purchase price of the former back bay landfill which K.Hovnanian is expected to convert into a residential development of about 200 homes.

Once the city has the money in place, the budget can be adopted, Breuss said.

The city will reconvene the special meeting on the budget at 4 p.m. Sept. 11

Doo Wop Safari

Destination doo wop
Preservation effort offers tour of Wildwoods architecture
By TRUDI GILFILLIAN Staff Writer, (609) 463-6716
Press of Atlantic City
Published: Friday, September 1, 2006

WILDWOOD — Preservationists, historians and everyday fans of the Wildwoods have been invited to take part in a sort of urban safari this fall.

But instead of plains teeming with wildlife, this safari will highlight bright neon signs, jutting roof lines and plastic palm trees.

The endangered species on this tour? The island's collection of 1950s and 1960s-era motels.

The motels were named to Preservation New Jersey's 2005 list of the state's 10 Most Endangered Historic Sites. Then, the National Trust for Historic Preservation added the motels to its 2006 list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.

“We thought it was an appropriate time to take people on the tour and highlight what's happening in the Wildwoods,” said Swathy Keshavamurthy of Preservation New Jersey.

The group has joined forces with the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia to offer an up-close tour of the motels Oct. 21 to focus attention on both the motels that have been demolished in favor of new construction and the motels that remain.

Ron Emrich, executive director of Preservation New Jersey, said a tour bus will collect visitors in New Brunswick and PATCO's Woodcrest station before heading to Five Mile Beach.

“We wanted our membership to learn more about them. We'll take reservations (for the tour) until we can't take anymore,” he said.

Emrich said about 100 of the motels, with exotic of futuristic names like the Hi Lili and the Satellite, have been torn down in the past several years.

“Of course it worries us. The Wildwoods have the most significant collection of mid-20th century architecture in the country, if not the world,” Emrich said.

Tour goers will see the new construction, primarily condominiums, that have replaced them, but they will also see the ones that have been restored, modernized and maintained.

Emrich said the future of those that remain is tied to economic incentives and education, demonstrating how they can be renovated to meet modern visitor needs while maintaining their doo-wop flavor.

“There's trouble putting all your eggs in one basket, in this case condos,” Emrich said. “You've got to retain and maintain a variety of products.”

Keshavamurthy said the organization has offered similar tours of other historic places such as sections of Newark and Jersey City, and this year it decided to restart the tour program in Wildwood.

That's a move Dan MacElrevey, head of the Doo Wop Preservation League, welcomes.

“It's amazing to me how many e-mails we get about the Wildwoods and the 1950s and 1960s. A lot of people remember it fondly. Sometimes, we're too close to see that,” MacElrevey said.

To e-mail Trudi Gilfillian at The Press:TGilfillian@pressofac.com