Thursday, January 29, 2015

Schiavo Library February 2015 Newsletter

Schiavo Library February 2015 Newsletter

February Schedule -
Just a reminder - the library will be closing for the first two weeks of February. This will provide needed maintenance time. Reopening on February 17th with our regular schedule.

Take Your Child to the Library: Feb. 7th -
This is a nationwide event. Take your child to your local library – they’re all beautiful spaces and full of helpful people. This is a great way to encourage a love of reading and a love of libraries.

Recent Donations -
Every once in a while someone brings in a really special donation to our library. This month we actually received two such donations. The first one is a “Spanish Coin” that was found right here on our shores. This was donated by Randy Roash. The second one was a lovely, large fish donated by Herb Hollinger. It looks super in our fiction section. Stop in and see these special additions to our library!



Friday Movie Matinees 
Our Friday Movie Matinees in February will feature two new DVDs.
The schedule is:
February 20 – Gone Girl
February 27 - This is Where I Leave You


Winter Food Bank Collections -
Continue to bring in your contributions to our food bank collection. All non-perishables are accepted.


Christine Rohrman, Library Director
www.strathmerelibrary.org




Friday, January 16, 2015

SIA Newsletter 1/16/15

To All Strathmere and Whale Beach Homeowners and Visitors,
 
This Monday we celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
 
Since it is a Township Holiday, there will be no trash or recycling collected.
 Trash will be collected on Tuesday, January 20. Please hold your recycling until January 26.
 
Reminder – please don’t put your Christmas tree on the dunes or beach.  Place them curbside and Public Works will collect them all during the month of January.
Dumping vegetative waste on the dunes has a detrimental effect to the natural dune system.  In a sandy dune system, decomposing vegetative material prevents beach grass and other dune vegetation from growing properly.  It is also prohibited under Township Ordinance and is considered littering (Sec 24-4.1b) and is punishable for a fine of $500-$1000.
 
 
*********************************************************************************
 
The beach replenishment project will begin in April at the Point!

On Jan. 6, officials from the Army Corps, the DEP, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Upper Township met at Corson’s Inlet and agreed to permit construction there this spring.
 
Read about it in the Gazette here.


**************************************************************************


The Ocean Drive Bridge over Townsend’s Inlet has closed and will remain closed until April 30th, 2015.
Note also that Sea Isle Boulevard has a reduced speed limit of 40 mph (and “cattle chutes”) because of the project to raise the roadway by some four feet.
This project is expected to take up to six years, because of the need to let the fill settle into the marshes.

On the other hand, the new southbound Garden State Parkway bridge over Great Egg Harbor is expected to complete by the middle of next year.
 
That Gazette story is here.
 
 
****************************************************
 
Thanks very much for your continuing support of the Strathmere Improvement Association!
Linda Bateman
Elaine Holsomback
Donna Diefenderfer
Rosemarie Whelan
Ken Weaver




Thursday, January 15, 2015

Strathmere’s northern tip to get beachfill first, Army Corps announces

Strathmere’s northern tip to get beachfill first, Army Corps announces

Reconstruction of the beach on Ludlum Island this spring will begin at the northernmost end of Strathmere after all, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection announced Thursday, Jan. 15.
Originally, construction of that northernmost tip of the beach, next to Corson’s Inlet, had been postponed until the fall because it is a known nesting ground for the piping plover. Severe erosion of the beach led to the scheduling change.
On Jan. 6, officials from the Army Corps, the DEP, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Upper Township met at Corson’s Inlet and agreed to permit construction there this spring. Normally, beachfill operations are prohibited at known plover nesting grounds from March to September, in accordance with federal law protecting endangered species. After touring the Corson’s Inlet site, however, the officials concluded that the beach is so severely eroded as to preclude the likelihood of plovers nesting there and agreed verbally to permit the exception to the plover rule.
Under the agreement, which will be formalized in writing, the beach will be monitored before and during construction to ensure that there are no plovers and no nests are disturbed.
The overall schedule of the project, which involves the southern end of Ocean City as well as Ludlum Island (Strathmere and Sea Isle) has not changed. Work on the Strathmere and Sea Isle section is expected to begin in April. Work on Ocean City is expected to begin in May. Both sections are expected to be completed by the end of the year.
The Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company will perform the work under a $57.6 million contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The federal government is assuming 100 percent of the cost of the initial construction under the terms of the Sandy relief act that Congress passed in 2013.
The project is a partnership between the Army Corps and the NJDEP. Going forward, the DEP will assume 50 percent of the cost. The DEP in turn requires one-quarter of its share to come from the municipalities involved.
The beachfill in Ocean City, from 34th Street to 59th Street, will entail construction of a dune approximately 13 feet above sea level and a berm (or beach) 100 feet wide. That is expected to require a minimum of 1.6 million cubic yards of sand.
In Strathmere and Sea Isle, the dune will be approximately 15 feet in elevation and the berm 50 feet wide, requiring a minimum of 2.6 million cubic yards of sand.


From the Upper Township Gazette 1/15/15




Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Nesting birds unlikely in Strathmere’s north end, but beach fill start still up in the air

Nesting birds unlikely in Strathmere’s north end, but beach fill start still up in the air

Attention: open in a new window. 

STRATHMERE – Mayor Richard Palombo said Monday that the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is willing to relax permit restrictions for a planned beach replenishment project in Strathmere, saying it is unlikely that birds will nest there this year.
That could mean the project will be able to start on the hard hit north end sooner than planned.
The Army Corps of Engineers plans to mobilize dredges for the Great Egg Harbor to Townsends Inlet Project in March, and beach replenishment is set to start in Strathmere in April. But the project will start on Vincent Road and move south through Whale Beach and Sea Isle City. The hard hit north end would not receive sand until the fall, according to the plan, because of beach nesting birds there.
Palombo said the township had approached the DEP about allowing for a waiver so that beach replenishment can start sooner on the north end. At a recent meeting, DEP officials said they would sign off on a waiver, since there is no beach on Strathmere’s north end for birds to nest, he said.
 “The likelihood of having piping plovers nest there, even on the eastern side near the ocean, is pretty minimal,” Palombo said.
That does not mean the Army Corps will change its current plan, however.
“There are no guarantees anything will be changed,” Palombo said. “We will talk to them to have them take it into consideration. I’m ecstatic it’s even being considered.”
A meeting between municipal officials, the DEP and the Army Corps is planned in a few weeks at the Tuckahoe firehouse. Palombo said he hopes to make the township’s case then.
The DEP has relaxed permit restrictions for past beach replenishment projects in Strathmere. Similar to this year, the beaches on the north end were so eroded then that the birds’ habitat was gone.
The Army Corps awarded a $57.6 million contract to Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Co. of Illinois for the Great Egg Harbor to Townsends Inlet Project in early November. The Corps plans to use one dredge for Ludlam Island and another dredge for the south end of Ocean City.
The dredge for southern Ocean City will mobilize in April and start pumping sand in May, according to a December interview with Army Corps Philadelphia District spokesman Ed Voigt.
This will be the first of many beach replenishment projects to come for this area. The initial fill will be entirely paid for by the federal government, due to emergency funds appropriated by Congress after Hurricane Sandy.
Work in the southern end of Ocean City, from 34th Street to Corson’s Inlet, will involve construction of a dune approximately 13 feet above sea level, with a width at the top of 25 feet, and beach extending 100 feet from the seaward base of the dune.
On Ludlum Island, which includes Strathmere and Sea Isle, the dune will be about 15 feet high and the beach 50 feet wide.
Strathmere’s north end was hard hit this year, with the beach mostly eroded and waves crashing on the rock wall there. Upper Township made an emergency declaration last July because of the loss of beach.
Strong winds and high tides took 100 feet of sand from beaches there as Hurricane Arthur passed to the east during the July 4, 2014 weekend. The dunes have been swept away and a beach entrance to the state park area was closed because of erosion last summer.
Homeowners in the area have pleaded for help as waves break just a few yards from there homes.
With the emergency declaration in place, Upper Township officials said they can move quickly to truck in sand if a storm looks like it could breach the rock wall and threaten public and private property.

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Schiavo Library: January 2015 Newsletter

Schiavo Library: January 2015 Newsletter 

New Jersey Run for the Fallen: 
Every year here at the shore there is a wonderful tribute to NJ’s military heroes and their families. Last September the fallen heroes were honored during the 182 mile run from Cape May to the NJ Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in Holmdel. Along the route there are hero markers. This year’s Hero Marker #035 (right here on this island) was dedicated to CPL Michael D. Jankiewecz. His home town was Ramsey, NJ, he was 23 years old, and “knew he wanted to be a soldier as a child.” He served twice in Iraq and had just left for his second tour of Afghanistan. For more information on this event go to their website: www.NJRunForTheFallen.org 

Food Collection Box:
Again this winter we will collect food for the local food banks. There is a lot of need in the area as you probably know from reading the news. Please take a moment to go through your pantry and see what you can contribute. Thanks!

Movie Matinees – Friday 1:00pm
Our Movie Matinees will continue throughout the winter. January will feature spy movies.


New Schedule for February:
For the first time the Schiavo Library will close for a short period during the slow winter. We will be closing for the first two weeks in February – from Feb. 1st until Feb. 14th. This will give us a chance to do some needed maintenance (painting, etc.). The library will reopen with normal hours the last two weeks in February: Tuesday through Saturday 10-4pm or 9-3pm.

Any questions, please call or email: (609) 486-6265 or info@strathmerelibrary.org 


 Christine Rohrman, Library Director
www.strathmerelibrary.org




Thursday, January 08, 2015

SIA Newsletter 1/6/15: The Passing of Priscilla Bergus Laurence

To All Strathmere and Whale Beach Homeowners and Visitors,
 
 
We regret to inform you of the death of Priscilla Bergus Laurence.


Andy, Liz and Katie Laurence are sorry to let Priscilla’s friends know that after a long and brave struggle with cancer, with many more bright moments than difficult ones, and a beautiful last Christmas at home, our glorious Priscilla died ...peacefully surrounded by her family on Saturday afternoon, December 27 at St Christopher's Hospice in Sydenham”. 

The funeral will take place at Honor Oak Crematorium (Camberwell New Cemetery, Brenchley Gardens, SE23 3RD, London, UK) at 10.45 am on Saturday, January 10th. 
It was Priscilla’s wish that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to St Christopher’s; you can do so using this link (also has Priscilla’s life story).
 
For the last several years, Priscilla continued her parents’ tradition of donating and presenting scholarship prizes to Strathmere resident children.
 
Here she is with the Pond and Furey boys at the August, 2014 SIA Meeting:
 


Strathmere will miss a great lady!