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Project to provide added protection/recreation; comes at no cost to the Borough

(Stone Harbor, NJ)— Stone Harbor officials have learned that the ongoing beach nourishment project will now involve the entire beachfront. The Borough has successfully negotiated a new agreement that will result in a fully restored beach along the entire community that will be provided at no cost to the municipality.

“I am elated that we have been able to greatly expand this year’s beach fill project to include the entire length of the Borough”, said Stone Harbor Mayor Suzanne Walters. “This project will restore the entire Stone Harbor beachfront to the federal template and provide our community with a recreational beach and a high level of property protection for years to come”.

The Stone Harbor beach fill project began in the middle of April but was put on hold for more than two weeks due to strong easterly winds that made it impossible for the dredge to remain in Hereford Inlet. During the delay, the Borough successfully negotiated with the United States Army Corps of Engineers to retain the services of Norfolk Dredging Company through the summer months to fully restore the Borough’s beachfront to conditions that existed before both hurricanes Irene and Sandy. This newly expanded project will result in nearly 700,000 cubic yards of new sand being placed on the beaches, south to north, in the coming months.

By contract, Norfolk Dredging Company will continue to pump sand, when conditions permit, onto the Stone Harbor beachfront until the beginning of June. The dredge will cease operations in Stone Harbor to do a smaller beach fill project in neighboring North Wildwood; when that project is finished the dredge will pick up the beach fill project in Stone Harbor and work continuously until completion. Thisexpanded beach fill project will work south to north and nourish all of the beaches in Stone Harbor up to the border with neighboring Avalon.

“Stone Harbor is extraordinarily fortunate to be able to expand a critical beach fill project that involves our entire beachfront at no cost to our local taxpayers”, Mayor Walters said. “The Borough will be able to easily manage this beach fill project while keeping our beaches open during the busy summer tourism season. Especially following Hurricane Sandy, our residents and visitors truly appreciate this opportunity for a brand new protective beachfront”.

All beach blocks will remain open during this beach fill project except in the immediate area where the dredge is pumping new sand onto the beaches. As the project moves north along the Stone Harbor beachfront, temporary crossovers will be constructed to guarantee beach access. Only the immediate block or two of where the sand is being pumped will be temporarily closed for a day or two as new sand is being pumped onto the beach. The dredge will operate 24 hours a day and only cease operations for unsafe conditions or mechanical failure.

Borough officials attend weekly progress meetings on this beach fill project. Updates are available at www.stone-harbor.nj.us and on the Borough’s public access television station Channel 2.

(Stone Harbor, NJ)— The Borough of Stone Harbor held a successful community paper shredding day on Saturday, May 18th. The event was held on the parking lot at 95th Street and the beach adjacent to the popular Stone Harbor Yard Sale and was an initiative of the Stone Harbor Go Green Community Committee. More than two tons of documents were shredded during the three-hour event.

“We were very excited by the turnout and by the willingness of Stone Harbor property owners to shred their outdated documents”, said Councilwoman Karen Lane, Chairperson of the Go Green Community Committee. “These documents and papers will not wind up in our solid waste stream and were immediately taken to a recycling facility”.

Guardian Document Destruction Company of Mt. Holly, New Jersey conducted the paper shredding event from 10am until 1pm for the Borough. Property owners were encouraged to bring an unlimited amount of documents that would be shredded on site before taken to a recycling facility. Residents were able to personally view the destruction of their documents on site via a closed circuit television monitor.

According to Guardian Document Destruction Company, a total of 4,197 pounds of documents were shredded and recycled during the Stone Harbor paper shredding event.

The Borough last held a community paper shredding event in 2006.

Residents being asked to suspend irrigation systems until pressure returns to normal

The following is the text of a community alert telephone call made by the Borough of Stone Harbor on Friday morning, April 26th regarding a low water pressure issue in our community

Good morning, this is Roger Stanford, Chief of the Stone Harbor Fire Department. On Friday, April 26th, the Borough of Stone Harbor began to experience low water pressure throughout the community. This low water pressure is a direct result of the Stone Harbor water tower rehabilitation project designed to extend the life of the tower for our community.

As a result of the temporary low water pressure, we are asking all Stone Harbor property owners to temporarily suspend the use of their irrigation systems. Irrigation systems account for a significant portion of the water pressure provided to our community. By voluntarily suspending the use of your irrigation system, water pressure will return to normal in Stone Harbor.

Thank you for your cooperation.

STONE HARBOR RECEIVES $175,000 GRANT FOR MAJOR STREET PROJECT

(Stone Harbor, NJ)— The Borough of Stone Harbor has received a major grant that will help finance the reconstruction of a portion of First Avenue from 80th Street south to 89th Street. Borough officials learned this month that a $175,000 grant for this project has been awarded by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

“This is exciting news for our community”, said Stone Harbor Mayor Suzanne Walters. “This grant will help finance the necessary reconstruction of First Avenue which will make the roadway safer for our residents and visitors”.

The grant application was made by Borough Engineer Marc DeBlasio from Remington Vernick & Walberg Engineers. The reconstruction of this nine-block section of First Avenue is in conjunction with a major storm sewer outfall program that will prevent discharge into the ocean and direct storm water to the bay. The Borough was previously awarded funds from the State to complete Phase I of this project in Fiscal Year 2011. The proposed Phase II of this project will begin at the intersection of First Avenue and 89th Street and concludes at the northern terminus of the roadway.

The Borough plans on pulverizing the existing roadway and repaving the roadway with hot mix asphalt. Concrete gutters will be installed and drainage structures will be erected as needed to correct any existing problems. Some select concrete curbs, sidewalks, and concrete driveways will be replaced. ADA curb ramps will be installed at each intersection to enhance handicapped access. This work will help alleviate ponding problems on this section of First Avenue.

The total estimated cost of these improvements to First Avenue is $663,920. For additional information, please visit www.stone-harbor.nj.us

STONE HARBOR COUNCIL TAKES ACTION ON ENERGY, WATER CONSERVATION

Borough to join energy aggregation, adopts water conservation ordinance, introduces budget

(Stone Harbor, NJ)— The Stone Harbor Borough Council adopted an ordinance during its Tuesday, March 5th meeting that enables the Borough to join an energy aggregation program that provides residents and businesses the opportunity to save considerable money on the energy that they purchase. Council also introduced ordinances that enact water conservation measures and prepares the Borough for single- stream recycling which goes into effect in less than a month.

Council approved an ordinance that allows the Borough to join an energy aggregation program with Commercial Utility Consultants. The company will seek bids on the supply of electricity and natural gas from licensed and appropriate third party suppliers. If the bids are competitive and lower than the rates that are currently paid, residents would be automatically switched over to the new energy supplier yet retain the opportunity to “opt out” if they choose to do so. This auction pertains to the actual energy that is purchased, and not for delivery. Other local communities in the county are also joining this energy aggregation program in order to affect more attractive rates.

The Borough of Stone Harbor will be holding information sessions open to the public that will fully explain the energy aggregation program and how property owners can easily opt in, or opt out of the program at any time. Information will also be made available on Channel 2 and on the Borough website, www.stone-harbor.nj.us.

Borough Council also approved an ordinance on first reading that will require all new construction in the community to utilize smart control systems for irrigation. Rainfall or moisture-sensing devices would be required on all new irrigation systems installed in the Borough after April 30th, 2013. Additionally, any improvement on a current property that results in a substantial alteration of the property (greater than 50%) would also require the smart control irrigation system. The smart control systems have proven to be effective in keeping lawns and gardens vibrant and healthy while greatly reducing water consumption.

Action was also taken on a new ordinance that refines the recycling regulations for the Borough in advance of the switch to a single-stream recycling program to be enacted by the county of Cape May starting on April 1, 2013. Residents will now be able to place all of their traditional recyclable materialsinto one single container for collection; the co-mingling of plastics, glass, and paper products will be allowable starting on April 1st. Recyclable containers will continued to be picked up by the Stone Harbor Department of Public Works at the rear yard. The goal is to increase the amount of recyclables collected in Stone Harbor and other communities.

Council also introduced the 2013 municipal budget by title only. The first draft of the budget includes a slight increase of 0.8 cents in the municipal tax rate. The Borough anticipates eliminating $1.5 million of debt service in the 2013 municipal budget. A full presentation on the budget will occur in April.

FLOOD ELEVATION FAQs: New Jersey’s Emergency Flood Elevation Rule Updated February 12, 2013

In order to better protect lives and property following Superstorm Sandy and other major recent flooding events, the state has adopted emergency amendments to New Jersey’s Flood Hazard Area Control Act rules that establish minimum elevation standards for the reconstruction of houses and buildings in areas that are in danger of flooding. The following FAQs answer some of the most common questions and will help you determine if you need to elevate and get you started if you need to do so.

If your property was not substantially damaged, you do not need to take any action now. Municipal floodplain administrators make “substantial damage” determinations.

The rule applies to new construction and those property owners whose properties were substantially damaged or are starting new construction. A structure is considered substantially damaged if the cost of restoration equals or exceeds 50 percent of the market value of the structure prior to the damage.

Recent congressional action resulted in significant changes to National Flood Insurance Program rates. Flood insurance costs, which are outside the control of the state, are likely to be much lower for those who elevate using the state’s elevation standards.

What does the flood hazard area emergency rule do?

The rule, adopted by emergency action on Jan. 24, requires new and reconstructed buildings to be elevated in accordance with the best available flood mapping. This will help protect people and property during future floods. The emergency rule also adopts a new permit‐by‐rule so that people reconstructing and elevating buildings utilizing the state’s elevation standard will not need to secure a permit from the Department of Environmental Protection, nor pay the fee typically charged for a Flood Hazard Area permit. This will save them time and money while spurring quicker recovery from Sandy.

What are the new elevation standards?

The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has determined that the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) recently released Advisory Base Flood Elevation (ABFE) maps provide the best elevations to be protective of lives and property and has incorporated them as the new elevation standard for the state. Property owners who have to rebuild because their property is substantially damaged will have to build to the highest available state or FEMA elevation level. In most cases, this will be the ABFE. In addition, Flood Hazard Area Act rules, in effect since 2007, require the lowest floor of each building in flood hazard areas to be constructed at least one foot above this elevation.

What are ABFEs?

FEMA had been remapping the floodplain along New Jersey’s coastline for two years when Sandy hit. FEMA’s previous maps were outdated and did not always accurately show the potential for flooding. In order to support and guide New Jersey’s recovery efforts, FEMA released its new mapping in December on an advisory basis. The ABFEs use the most accurate modeling, topographic maps and scientific data available. To learn more about ABFEs and to view the maps for New Jersey, visit: http://www.region2coastal.com/sandy/abfe

Will the ABFEs change?

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FEMA anticipates some changes to these maps for both elevations and zones. The ABFEs currently reflect the most accurate modeling, topographic maps and scientific data available. FEMA plans to release updated flood maps over the next six to seven months, which will further fine‐tune coastal flood elevations. The regulatory process to finalize the maps could take up to two years. DEP will continue to work with FEMA to provide input on these maps.

If the ABFEs are only advisory, why is the state incorporating the use of these maps now as the basis for elevation standards?

In many cases, existing FEMA flood maps were significantly outdated. Many were more than two decades old. The ABFE maps, which are the precursor to final flood maps, will better protect property and lives and provide consistency and predictability during rebuilding. They will make coastal areas stronger and more resilient. Consistency and predictability will allow rebuilding to occur much more quickly so lives affected by Sandy can return to normal. Without this action, residents may have reconstructed with inadequate safety standards, exposing them to substantially higher flood insurance rates when FEMA adopts its final maps.

Do I have to elevate my home and/or build to new construction standards?

You are required to elevate and/or meet new construction standards if your house is located in a flood zone and was declared substantially damaged by your local floodplain administrator or is new construction. You have no legal obligation to elevate if your home was not substantially damaged.

What is the definition of substantial damage?

Substantial damage means damage of any origin sustained by a structure in which the cost of restoration of the structure to its condition before damage would equal or exceed 50 percent of the market value of the structure before the damage occurred.

If I have to elevate my house, will the state or federal governments help finance the work?

Yes. FEMA can provide up to $30,000 to cover the Increased Cost of Compliance (ICC) with federal, state and local regulations if you have federal flood insurance. In addition, the Christie Administration intends to provide grants to homeowners with substantially damaged homes to help them offset some of the costs of elevation, mitigation and renovation, and intends to announce in the spring the mechanism for such grants. In order to access any additional funding, FEMA requires property owners reconstruct using the best available data.

NEW Can I get Increased Cost of Compliance assistance to elevate my home even if it was not determined to be substantially damaged?

This FEMA assistance is only available to those who had National Flood Insurance Program protection for structures that have sustained substantial damage and were below the current base flood elevations. It is available to anyone with flood insurance, regardless of whether the house is a primary place of residence or not. The state is exploring other options to assist property owners who want to elevate but did not meet the threshold for a determination of substantial damage.

Will the emergency regulation affect my flood insurance rates?

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The ABFEs do not affect insurance rates. Your rates could increase when FEMA adopts its final flood maps. If you do not meet its elevation standards, which are likely to be close to the ABFES, your rates could increase even more significantly.

Are there benefits to elevating?

Yes. You will better protect your house and its contents and you will likely pay lower flood insurance rates in the future than if you do not elevate. Some people may find that the long‐term insurance savings alone can offset the cost of raising a house.

If my home is determined to be substantially damaged, can I still live in it until I elevate?

Homeowners may live in structures that are deemed substantially damaged for up to four years before needing to elevate if they can take temporary measures to make their homes habitable. The determination of habitability must be made by the local construction official.

NEW Am I eligible for Increased Cost of Compliance funding if I take up to four years to elevate my house? Yes, provided you were insured under the National Flood Insurance Program and you elevate in accordance

with applicable standards and FEMA regulations.

Do I have to elevate my house and/or build to new construction standards if my municipality does not pass an ordinance adopting the ABFEs?

Yes, if your municipality declares your house substantially damaged and it is located in a flood hazard area, you are required to elevate and/or build to new construction standards and may begin doing so right away. The DEP, however, is encouraging municipalities to pass an ordinance adopting the ABFEs because this will make your town eligible for Increased Cost of Compliance assistance and other federal mitigation aid. The DEP will be providing municipal officials with a model ordinance so they can adopt the ABFEs as the new elevation standard.

NEW If I have to rebuild, when should I get started and what should I do?

You can begin immediately. The emergency rule provides people who must rebuild and elevate a high level of confidence that they will be in compliance with the flood elevation standards that FEMA will be adopting. There is no need to wait for FEMA to formally propose flood insurance rate maps. You can get started by talking to your municipal floodplain administrator to see if your house is substantially damaged. You should also contact your municipality to see what kind of local approval you may need and what construction standards you have to build to. In addition to the DEP’s elevation standards, buildings in flood zones must meet Uniform Construction Code standards that are regulated by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) and implemented at the local level.

Will I need a state permit to reconstruct or elevate my building?

The DEP regulates building elevations through its Flood Hazard Area Control Act rules. Under the emergency Flood Hazard Area Control Act rule just adopted, you are eligible for what is known as a permit by rule (effectively an automatic permit) as long as the lowest floor is elevated to at least one foot above the state’s design flood elevation and provided the building stays within its original footprint. Slight variations in size and location can sometimes be allowed. You will still need to secure local construction permits. A state Coastal

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Area Facility Review Act (CAFRA) permit is not needed if you reconstruct in place.

What should I know before rebuilding?

It is very important that you carefully document any repair or reconstruction project to ensure you have a record of all activities from inception to completion. Photographs and other forms of documentation should be kept before, during, and after construction. Retain all receipts, bills, surveys and construction plans. These items will help document the history of your project should you need to do so for FEMA assistance or insurance reimbursement.

What’s the difference between FEMA’s Zone A and Zone V? Can I appeal a V‐Zone designation?

Both zones lie within FEMA’s 100‐year floodplain. Zone V applies only in tidal floodplains and denotes hazards associated with storm‐induced waves of at least three feet in height. Construction standards in the V‐zone are more stringent in order to account for the increased risk of damage from storm surges. While there is no appeal process for the ABFEs, you may appeal to FEMA after the agency formally proposes flood maps later this year.

Click here for a more detailed version of the FAQs and additional information on working with the DEP to recover from Sandy or visit http://www.nj.gov/dep/landuse/SandyFAQ.html.

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Borough of Stone Harbor