Beach Boardwalk

Wildwood meets bathers halfway
By TRUDI GILFILLIAN Staff Writer, (609) 463-6716
Press of Atlantic City
Published: Friday, June 29, 2007

WILDWOOD — Sure, a moving sidewalk that carries beachgoers and their belongings the 1,800 or so feet between the Boardwalk and the water's edge here would be perfect.But visitors such as Diane Dunham are almost as thrilled with the next best thing — a wooden walk that makes at least half the trek across the city's expansive beach just a little easier to manage.

On Thursday, public works crews installed the new wooden walks at several streets. Most of the wooden sections ordered by the city should be in place in time for the Fourth of July holiday.

“You're not having to walk in that hot sand,” said Dunham, of Woodstown, as she and her friends and family prepared to make the trip toward the Atlantic Ocean from the Boardwalk at Leaming Avenue.

They came to town for the day, but with what appeared to be provisions for a much longer stay. There were beach chairs, a cooler, buckets and shovels, beach towels and more. The little ones in her group helped carry what they could, and the new wooden walk eased their burden, too.

The wooden walkways, made of pressure-treated pine, were built through a Department of Corrections program and funded by an $80,000 grant from Cape May County, said city development director Lou Ferrara.
Nine hundred of the 4-by-10-foot-long sections will be planted up and down the beach as they come in. By Thursday afternoon, Roberts, Rio Grande, Leaming and Hildreth avenues had the walkways in place.

Mayor Ernie Troiano Jr. said the city hopes to improve access for everyone, particularly those in wheelchairs, who want to enjoy the beach. Beach ends with ramps were among the first to receive the new walkways.

In addition to the 900-foot-long walks, the city has added portable toilets at the end of the walks, including handicapped-accessible facilities, said acting Public Works Director Kevin Verity.

Along the way, extra boards have been added at certain points to allow room for beach- goers to pass each other. Benches will likely be added later, Troiano said.

Ferrara said the boards will likely stay in place until the season comes to a close, and then they will be stored until next summer.

And in the meantime, the mayor warned those with permits to drive on the beach not to drive across the walkways, which could crack or break under the weight of a car or truck.

“Anybody caught driving over them will be shot at sundown,” the mayor joked.


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

Diamond Beach

Construction Underway for Luxury Jersey Shore Condo Complex
June 08, 2007
Commercial Property News USA
By Amanda Marsh, Associate Editor

The Grand at Diamond Beach condominium complex in Diamond Beach, N.J., is well on its way. The property, which is just south of Wildwood in Cape May County, is a 12-story building that will contain 125 upscale condo units along with associate amenities and recreation areas upon its completion, expected in fall 2008. The site is the former location of the Grand Hotel, which was razed to make room for the development.

The Dick Corp. was recently awarded a $100 million contract to provide construction services for the project along with Baumgardner Construction. Paul Chiolo, the sales director for the project and the owner of Oceanside Realty, which is marketing the condo units, told CPN the total build-out would be in the "couple hundred million dollar" range.

The Grand at Diamond Beach is an unprecedented project for the Cape May area. "This is the only condo/lifestyle project of its type on the Jersey Shore," Chiodo said. The project is in response to the growing affluence of the area, and is unique because of its private beach. The parcel next door, which is currently home to the Pier 6600 Motor Inn, will house the second phase of The Grand at Diamond Beach a few years down the line, he added. The second phase is currently in its design stage by the project's developer, Achristavest L.L.C., which specifically focuses on waterfront residential developments.

Other upscale residential projects Achristavest currently has under development include: Shoals Resort in Bald Head Island, N.C.; Santa Rosa in Ocean City, N.J.; and Deerfield Estate in Deer Valley, Park City, Utah.

Tourism Tax

N.J. tourism tax deal no winner, locals say

By PETE McALEER Statehouse Bureau, (609) 292-4935
Published: Saturday, June 2, 2007

TRENTON — When the state adopted a 7 percent lodging tax in 2002, it cushioned the blow with a promise seemingly backed by the force of the law.
By statute, the Legislature dedicated a portion of the revenue from the room tax to tourism and the arts. The win-win scenario had the state collecting more tax dollars from the lodging industry but investing more into tourism to attract new visitors.

Five years later, half of that scenario has held true. Guess which half.

“The only part of the bill that they enacted is the part about taking the money,” said Diane Wieland, director of tourism for Cape May County.

Tax revenue from hotel and motel visits continue to grow each year, bringing $78 million to this year's budget and a projected $87 million in the upcoming budget.

Meanwhile, tourism officials are back in Trenton, fighting for money they thought had been guaranteed. The state cut tourism funding from $12.76 million to $10.1 million last year and proposes to spend the same $10.1 million this year.
“The state is reneging on a promise they made,” said Aldo Tenaglia, owner of the Royal Canadian in Wildwood and Shalimar Resort in Wildwood Crest.

For hotel and motel owners, the tax puts their businesses at a disadvantage not only with other states but with their neighbors, Tenaglia said. Hotels and motels must charge both a 7 percent sales tax and a 7 percent lodging tax. The state does not collect either tax from condominiums or rental properties.

While hotel and motel owners feel shafted, state treasury officials are pointing to the fine print. The statute recommends the state spend $12.7 million on tourism, but it allows for a minimum appropriation of $9 million, said Treasury Department Spokesman Mark Perkiss.

“When you look at the statute, it doesn't say ‘you must,'” Perkiss said. “We're in compliance.”

John Siciliano, executive director of the Wildwood Convention Center, said the state takes the wrong attitude toward the tourism industry.

“This is a $47 billion industry for the state, and we're going to be sitting down arguing over $2 million,” Siciliano said. “I'm shocked we're even having these conversations.”

Two weeks ago, Assemblyman Jeff Van Drew — who is chairman of the Tourism and Gaming Committee — held a hearing about the issue. He plans to rally tourism officials to attend an upcoming budget hearing and fight for full funding.

“Our argument is we know the budget is tight, but the city of Philadelphia spends more in tourism promotion than the entire state of New Jersey,” Van Drew said. “I think as distasteful as that tax is, the redeeming factor was there would be a statutory requirement to fund tourism. You really are breaking the intent and the spirit of the legislation.”

Van Drew said he will introduce legislation that requires the state to fund tourism fully or eliminate the occupancy tax. He said the bill will not move in time for this budget, which must be adopted by July 1.

A similar “poison pill” amendment requires the state to fund beach replenishment fully if it wants to collect the real estate transfer tax. Those types of arrangements typically are set before a tax is adopted and not after.

State Sen. Nicholas Asselta, R-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic, said the Legislature pulled a similar trick when it promised to direct money from an income tax increase toward property tax rebates, then later cut the rebates while keeping the tax.

“Where does it end?” Asselta asked. “We should be fighting for more money, not what's owed to us. This is the livelihood of the state, tourism, and you're shorting them $2 million in marketing money. Is this maybe one of the underlying reasons for why we still have a deficit? It's penny-wise and pound-foolish.”

For Weiland, the director for Cape May County's tourism department, the biggest concern is that the numbers show a trend toward daytrippers. She said Cape May County's accommodations industry has remained flat for three years at $2.2 billion annually, while revenue for attractions has risen 60 percent.

“If we reduce tourism funding by $2 million, are we doing everything we need to do?” Weiland asked. “We need to use every penny of that to expand our market and open new markets to create overnight stays.”

Statewide, tourism has fallen from the state's second largest industry to its third, behind pharmaceuticals and technology. Marilou Halvorsen, president of the New Jersey Travel Industry Association, said the state's own study shows every dollar spent on tourism promotion brings back $29 to the economy.

“I don't know any investment on Wall Street that yields that kind of return,” Halvorsen said.

To e-mail Pete McAleer at The Press:PMcAleer@pressofac.com