Sunset Lake Improvements

Wildwood Crest plans Sunset Lake improvements

By TRUDI GILFILLIAN Staff Writer, (609) 463-6716
Published: Thursday, October 12, 2006
Press of Atlantic City

WILDWOOD CREST — The borough has awarded a $1.8 million contract to Albrecht & Heun to stabilize the shoreline around Sunset Lake.

Borough Clerk Kevin Yecco said the project involves the addition of soft-concrete armoring to square off and clean up the area along the shoreline of the popular lake.

Yecco said the project would allow the borough to reclaim another 10 to 20 feet of land by removing the rocks and old concrete dumped in the lake decades ago near Rambler Road south, making the area more attractive at low tide.

A pre-construction meeting will take place in the next couple of days to determine a project timeline.

Funding for the shoreline improvements comes from $1.4 million in state grants with the borough providing the remainder.

During Wednesday's regular meeting, Borough Commission also agreed to submit an application to the state Department of Transportation to use state money set aside to extend its bike path to instead improve the bike path that already exists along the beachfront.

The borough has $250,000 set aside to extend the path, but found it would make more sense to upgrade the existing path.

During a closed session, the commissioners also discussed the town's involvement in the Joint Construction Office of the Wildwoods.

The borough previously submitted a letter to the island-wide agency informing it of the borough's plans to leave the joint construction office by Dec. 31 if its requests were not met. Those requests include hiring a full-time administrator and having the state conduct any building inspections of high-rises proposed for the city of Wildwood.

Yecco said the borough is still reviewing its options while it waits for a formal response from the joint construction office.

Some of the options under consideration are hiring a third-party to conduct the borough's building inspections, having the state Department of Community Affairs perform inspections or having the work done in-house.

Borough Solicitor Doreen Corino also is working with Tax Assessor Jason Hesley to come up with a plan of action regarding Cape May County's order that the borough perform a revaluation.

The borough has been told to conduct the revaluation of the town's properties next year to allow those figures to be placed on the county's tax rolls in 2008.
Also Wednesday, the commission considered whether its logo, featuring the Brigantine Nancy, should be replaced with something new. The matter is still in the discussion phase.

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