ATTENTION HOMEOWNERS!

Urgent Message from the Stone Harbor Utilities Department

The Borough of Stone Harbor would like to remind homeowners that if they have not properly winterized their homes for the winter months they should consider checking the property to ensure that there are no frozen/broken pipes within the home.

Over the past few weeks the temperatures in Stone Harbor and surrounding towns have not risen above 32 degrees and wind chill factors have been below 0.   Many year round homes, that have heat running above 55 degrees and water usage on a daily basis have experienced broken/frozen pipes resulting in water damage and added plumbing expenses.

To date the Stone Harbor Utilities Department has completed over 100 Emergency Turn offs due to broken water pipes.   The Utilities Department will complete an Emergency Turn off if there is visible water leaking from the home – example outside shower or crawl space.  There is a $200.00 fee charged to the homeowner for this service.  ($300.00 for each subsequent occurrence).    If a pipe bursts inside the home the Utilities Department will be unaware of the problem.  If the pipes freeze and break there may be no indication that there is any problem until the temperatures rise above 32 degrees and a thawing occurs.

Again we are encouraging all homeowners to complete a property check routinely during for the remainder of the winter season or have your home properly winterized to avoid the possibility of further damage and additionally the unnecessary loss of our most precious resource ~ WATER!

THANK YOU!

Winterize Your Home Flyer

Shut It Down.mov

Stone Harbor – Single-digit temperatures did not deter more than eighty Stone Harbor Borough employees and residents from gathering for the official launch of the 2015 Stone Harbor Mayors Wellness Campaign (MWC) on Wednesday, February 18^th at the Stone Harbor Recreation Center.

The Borough of Stone Harbor is joining in a new effort to help the state’s communities get on the path to active living and healthier lifestyles. The town has developed a free 10-week wellness program for their community that will run from February 18 through May 6, 2015.  Ninety-three registrants have joined the program to date.  Mayor Suzanne Walters and Robin Stoloff, local television health reporter and radio host, kicked-off the program on Wednesday and received a warm reception from the attendees. Robin was a Health Reporter for NBC 40 for almost 30 years. Her award-winning Health Update features were the longest-running medical series in New Jersey which she created and hosted.   “It was apropos for Robin to be our kick-off speaker,” said Judy Davies-Dunhour, Stone Harbor Council Member that first initiated Stone Harbor and Avalon’s, Battle of the Bulge, seventeen years ago. “Robin also spoke at our opening event in January of 1998 with Avalon. “Her experience, enthusiasm and passion to empower others with the knowledge to help them live a longer, healthier life, proved Robin to be the perfect fit.”

To get participants started on the right track, Robin highlighted her top-ten steps to a healthy living. With the closing of NBC 40, Robin is embarking on a new career at Townsquare Media as radio host of her new program, Living Well with Robin Stoloff, Sundays from 9-11am on Lite Rock 96.9 WFPG FM. Robin is so excited to continue her passion – to connect you with local medical experts and bring you important health information to help you live a better, healthier life. She will also be doing her Health Update features on all five Townsquare Media stations.

Thanks to our partners at Olivieri Chiropractic & Rehabilitation, Sunshine Wellness Institute, and Cape Regional Health System, weekly MWC “Wellness Wednesdays” will continue to feature educational topics such as, nutrition, stress management, early cancer detection, and injury prevention. “Cape Regional is honored to partner with Stone Harbor’s Mayor Wellness Campaign and provide outstanding speakers to the participants of the program,” emphasized Thomas J. Piratzky, VP/Public Relations and Marketing for Cape Regional Medical Center and Executive Director of the Cape Regional Medical Center Foundation.

Stone Harbor also partnered with The Reeds at Shelter Haven and Fred’s Tavern to offer weekly nutritional meal specials to keep participants on track. Local studios and gyms will offer complimentary class passes or visits to experience their gyms; Island Aerobics, Miracles Fitness, Muscle World Fitness Center, Shape Fitness, Stone Harbor Yoga, and Surfside Fitness. The Cape May County Public Library also offers a wealth of health & wellness programs such as Yoga, Pilates, and Zumba Fitness, all at the Stone Harbor Recreation Center.

For complete information about Stone Harbor’s Mayors Wellness 10-week Campaign, please visit www.StoneHarborRecreation.com

Borough Council President and Chairman of Administration and Finance Committee, Mr. Barry Mastrangelo offered the proposed 2015 Budget for introduction at a council meeting on Tuesday, February 17, 2015. Mastrangelo offered the following budget message as his introduction: It is my pleasure Madame Mayor to make the motion to introduce the 2015 Municipal Budget. The Borough Administrator Jill Gougher along with Chief Financial Officer James Craft began the process back in September of 2014 providing expenditure histories and worksheet forms to all Department Heads. They were instructed to schedule at least two meetings with their Council Committees to discuss all budget requests. The Administration and Finance committee charged all departments with the task to maintain or reduce their budget from the 2014 level wherever possible. The focus of 2015 was to be on Dredging of the Back Bays and the Construction of a new Public Safety Building. The 2015 Budget as presented this evening will allow the Borough to begin these much needed projects while continuing to provide our residents with the high quality of service they expect. A copy of the 2015 Budget will be posted on our website and sent to the POA and various media outlets for our property owners to review. On April 7th the Borough will hold a Public Hearing on the proposed budget. At that time residents may ask questions. Residents are encouraged to review the budget documents that will be placed online prior to the Public Hearing. If they have any questions, concerns or recommendations please send them to the Borough Administrator who will share them with all of Council. At this time I would like to turn it over to the Borough Administrator and Chief Financial Officer for additional information prior to taking a vote on Introduction.

Borough Administrator Gougher thanked all the Department Heads and Council Committees for all their hard work putting the 2015 Budget together. Gougher further stated that “I will let Jim go into a little more detail but just wanted to highlight that the Amount to Be Raised by Taxation will increase by $354,350. This increase is needed to cover the additional Capital Down payment money needed to fund capital projects in 2015 including the $300,000 down payment for Back Bay Dredging. The $354,350 equates to .7 of a cent increase.”

Chief Financial Officer, James Craft reviewed the changes over last year’s budget appropriations. Salary and Wages decreased overall by $156,697 while Other Appropriations increased by $695,445 for a net overall increase of $538,748. The two primary increases were $488,500 for Capital Projects and Capital Improvement Fund and $111,686 for increase in insurance costs. To offset the $538,748 in appropriations the Borough is able to utilize an additional $153,633 in Surplus and $28,765 in other revenues. The balance of the appropriation increase will be offset by an additional amount to be raised by taxation of $35,350.00. Click on the following links to review more detailed information about the 2015 Municipal Budget:

STONE HARBOR – BUDGET Introduction 2015                                                                  2015 Budget Presentation

Stone Harbor Mayor Suzanne Walters has announced that Borough Hall will tentatively open at 11:00am on Tuesday, February 17th due to the impending snowstorm.  This will give Public Works enough time to make sidewalks and parking lots as safe as possible following the storm.

The National Weather Service has posted a Winter Storm Warning for the Borough of Stone Harbor for Monday, February 16th at 6pm through Tuesday at Noon. A Wind Chill Advisory remains in effect Monday morning due to very cold temperatures.

A snow storm is moving through Kentucky and Tennessee Monday morning and is expected to settle over southern New Jersey this evening. This storm is expected to bring snow and no mixed precipitation to our region. Snow is expected to begin this evening and become heavy at times especially after midnight. Snow will end sometime on Tuesday morning. There will be winds out of the northwest at 15-20mph in advance of the storm and winds will calm down during the snow event overnight. Total accumulations as forecasted by the National Weather Service are between five and eight inches for our region.

Please exercise caution while driving this evening and during the overnight hours. Please prepare for hazardous driving conditions on Tuesday morning and give yourself extra time for your commute. Please limit exposure outdoors during this winter weather, and do not let your pets outside for an extended period of time.

As of 8:15am on Monday, temperatures were at 5 degrees with a wind chill value of -11.

If you have any emergency, please dial 911. Please continue to monitor traditional media outlets and this website for updated information on this winter storm.

The National Weather Service has posted a Winter Storm Watch for the Borough of Stone Harbor for Monday evening through Tuesday morning. A Wind Chill Advisory remains in effect now through Monday morning at 11am.

An approaching winter storm is expected to bring snow to our region during the beginning of the new week. The storm is expected to begin Monday night, and all precipitation that falls will be snow since temperatures are expected to drop into the teens overnight Monday into Tuesday morning. The current forecast calls for the potential of three to five inches of snow Monday night with additional moderate snow accumulation possible on Tuesday morning. Please continue to monitor traditional media outlets for updated information and please plan on using extra caution while driving Monday night into Tuesday morning.

In addition, a Wind Chill Advisory remains in effect through Monday morning. Low temperatures Sunday night into Monday morning will approach five degrees above zero with winds still gusting to 45mph. Wind chill values are expected to be between -13 and -15 early Monday morning.

Please limit your exposure to the outdoors and please do not leave your pets outside for an extended period of time during this cold snap and approaching winter storm event. Please check on elderly in your neighborhood. If you have any emergency, dial 911.

During this period of windy, cold weather there have been intermittent power outages and in some spots, downed power lines. You may report any interruption in your electrical service to Atlantic City Electric by calling 1-800-833-7476.

Continue to check this website for additional weather information as it becomes necessary.

Here is the text of the Winter Storm Watch posted by the National Weather Service:

… Wind Chill Advisory remains in effect until 11 am EST Monday…
… Winter Storm Watch in effect from Monday evening through
Tuesday morning…

The National Weather Service in Mount Holly has issued a Winter
Storm Watch, which is in effect from Monday evening through
Tuesday morning.

* Hazard types… dangerous cold, then potentially significant
accumulating snow Monday night and Tuesday.

* Snow accumulations… 5 to 8 inches possible.

* Wind chill values… as low as 15 to 20 degrees below zero.

* Timing… the lowest wind chill values will occur from later
tonight into early Monday morning. Snow should overspread the
area Monday evening before tapering off around midday Tuesday.
There could be a period of heavy snow.

* Temperatures… dropping to 1 below to 4 above zero through early
Monday morning.

* Wind… northwest at 20 to 25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph this
afternoon, then decreasing to 15 to 20 mph through tonight.

* Impacts… the dangerously cold conditions may lead to frostbite
and hypothermia if precautions are not taken. An accumulating
snowfall Monday night and Tuesday could result in hazardous
conditions.

* Visibilities… reduced to one half mile or less at times Monday
night and Tuesday morning.

Precautionary/preparedness actions…

A Wind Chill Advisory means that very cold air and brisk winds
will combine to generate low wind chill values. Frostbite and
hypothermia may occur if precautions are not taken. If you must
venture outdoors, make sure to dress in layers and cover exposed
skin.

A Winter Storm Watch means there is a potential for significant
snow accumulations that may impact travel. Continue to monitor
the latest forecasts.

The National Weather Service has issued the following advisories for the Borough of Stone Harbor for Saturday, February 14th through Monday, February 16th: A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect from Saturday at 10am through Sunday at 7am; a High Wind Warning is in effect from Saturday at 10pm through Sunday at 2pm; and a Wind Chill Advisory is in effect from Sunday at 4pm until Monday at 11am.

An approaching storm is expected to bring some snow to our region as early as Saturday afternoon and more likely Saturday evening. We will have wind gusts of 45pm during this evening Saturday evening which could create poor visibility with blowing snow. The forecast calls for about one inch of accumulation. There is another good chance for more accumulating snow on Tuesday night. Please exercise caution while driving during this storm.

The High Wind Warning means our region could be experiencing wind gusts of 55mph during the overnight hours Saturday night into Sunday morning, and gusts approaching 60mph during the morning and early afternoon hours on Sunday. These strong winds could snap tree limbs and cause intermittent power outages throughout southern New Jersey. If you have an outage, please contact the Atlantic City Electric outage line at 1-800-833-7476. You may also use that number to report downed power lines.

The Wind Chill Warning is for excessively cold wind chill values Sunday, Sunday night, and during the day on Monday. Current forecasts place the wind chill value at -7 on Sunday, -11 on Sunday night, and -13 during the day on Monday. Please limit your exposure to the outdoors during this Warning, and please limit exposure to pets outdoors as well.

Continue to monitor local weather forecasts for updated information throughout the weekend, and please pay attention to the upcoming forecast for Tuesday. If you have any emergency, please dial 911.