Randy Leiser, Long and Foster Real Estate, Inc., 2997 Dune Drive, PO Box 10, Avalon, NJ 08202
toll-free: 800-967-7796 x212 | local: 609-967-3001 | fax: 609-967-3057 | e-mail: Randy@RandyLeiser.com
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This Weeks News 10/26/2017
EXPENSIVE OR REALLY EXPENSIVE: A
variety of options for the repair or replacement of the Townsend's Inlet
Bridge were offered in a study conducted by Greenman-Pedersen. Options range
from a $20-million rehabilitation to buy more time for the current bridge,
to $150-million or more for a total replacement. The nearly 80-year old
bridge has undergone a series of repair projects in recent years, and was
closed just prior to this past summer for emergency repairs. Keeping the
bridge open is a top priority for local officials. A rehab of the current
bridge could extend its life several years, while a replacement bridge could
last many decades--but would require the most money, in addition to years of
permitting and construction. The Cape May County Bridge Commission will
discuss the options at a meeting this week.
Beautiful scenes occur every day on Seven Mile Beach!
MONARCH BUTTERFLIES will have an area dedicated to them at
Avalon's Armacost Park. The borough recently announced a new plan to create
a pollinator-friendly area in the northwest section of the park, at 71st
Street & Dune Drive. The existing lawn will be removed, and new flora
planted, providing an attractive stopping point for migrating monarchs. The
new flora will require less maintenance than the existing lawn. The project
is expected to be completed before next summer.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28TH is the day to enjoy
Halloween-related activities on & around the Island. Beginning at 10am "Boo
at the Zoo" will take place at the Cape May County Zoo, featuring numerous
kids' activities including an obstacle course, scavenger hunt, and a costume
contest. In Stone Harbor, the Kids' Harvest Festival gets underway at 11am
in the business district, including trick or treating in the shops, plus
free hay rides. In Avalon, Trunk or Treat takes place in the 30th Street
parking lot outside Avalon Community Hall from 5pm to 7pm.
PROPERTY CHECKS are conducted in Stone Harbor during the
offseason by the police department. Property owners may register their home
so the police department can make routine exterior inspections to make sure
that it's secure even when unoccupied.
Registration - Off Season Residential Property Check (PDF)
MARKET STATS: 48 properties sold in
September, an increase over August, and 35 properties are currently under
contract, up significantly from a year ago. For a detailed look at the
latest market stats,
View The Long
& Foster Market Minute Report.
Click above for the latest Long & Foster Market Minute report.
EZ PASS IS COMING to Ocean Drive bridges in Cape May
County. The $500,000 upgrade was authorized in February, but installation
work was delayed until after Labor Day. Even when the installation is
complete, bridge tenders will still be needed to open the bridges for boat
traffic.
FRIDAY NIGHT SPORTS begins this Friday at Avalon Community
Hall. Kids ages 5 through 15 are invited to try some dodgeball, wiffleball,
flag football, or kickball. Ages 5-10 will play each Friday from 6-7:30pm
and ages 11-15 will play from 7:30-9pm, through November 17th. For more info
contact the Avalon Recreation Department at 609-967-3066 or email
cmcdonnell@avalonboro.org.
FALL FOLIAGE TRIPS! Cape May Seashore Lines will run two
more Fall Foliage trips this weekend, between Tuckahoe and Richland. Ride
the rails through South Jersey's pinelands as the greens of summer give way
to the reds, oranges, and yellows of fall! Tickets are $17 for adults and
$10 for children.
More
Info and Tickets: Cape May Seashore Lines
Got milk? Avalon, Peermont, and Stone Harbor did, thanks to J.O.
Garrison!
MARK YOUR CALENDARS: THANKSGIVING WEEKEND is a great one
here on the Island. Festive Friday and Snowfest Saturday return to Avalon,
and "It's a Wonderful Life" returns to Stone Harbor. The weekend is filled
with activities for families, music, shopping, and a huge parade Saturday
evening. If you're able to be here, plan on it!
2018 SUMMER RENTALS: Make your plans now! It's never too
early to begin your search...call or email me with your specifications.
Property Owners: time to get those 2018 rates in!
THE WETLANDS INSTITUTE has received a
grant from the Leff Family Foundation in support of its Coastal
Sustainability and Wetland Health Program. The grant will allow Institute
scientists to continue monitoring impacts to area marshes, and help guide
decision making related to coastal sustainability, beneficial reuse of
dredge materials, and wetland restoration.
HAVE OLD AVALON PHOTOS? The Avalon History Center invites
you to their "scanning party" on Saturday, October 14th, from 1pm to 3pm.
Bring up to ten Avalon photos, and the History Center will scan them for
you, and with your permission, will retain a digital copy. Browse the
exhibits and enjoy refreshments while you wait! (If you have more than ten
photos, let the History Center know so that arrangements can be made to scan
your collection at another time.) What a great way to preserve Avalon's
history! If you'd like to share one or more of your newly scanned photos
with me, they just might appear in an upcoming edition of my newsletter!
Please email me any Seven Mile Beach photo that might be of interest.
Thanks!
THE COASTAL RESEARCH CENTER from Richard Stockton College
of NJ will be surveying the back bays of Stone Harbor twice per year in
order to monitor the need for maintenance dredging, as well as bulkhead
heights to help the borough research and plan for future flood mitigation
efforts.
Blue skies and a steady breeze make for great sailing in the back bay!
DOCUMENT SHREDDING will be offered by the Cape May County
Association of Realtors this Saturday. Stop by the CMCAR building at 1546
Route 9 in Swainton from 11am to 12 noon with your boxes or bags of
documents. Paper only please--plastic bags and binder clips cannot be
shredded (staples and paperclips are fine).
THE MARINE MAMMAL STRANDING CENTER will present a talk on
marine mammals and sea turtles present in local waters, including the
dangers they face in their everyday lives. The talk will be hosted by the
Avalon Free Public Library on Saturday, October 21st at 10am. Learn about
these fascinating creatures and how the Marine Mammal Stranding Center helps
them!
AVALON'S SEAFOOD FESTIVAL, a fall
favorite, returns this weekend! Enjoy a variety of seafood, local beer and
wines, a chowder contest, crafts, art, music, photography, and live-streamed
college and NFL games. The festival takes place Saturday & Sunday, October
7th & 8th, 10am to 5pm, at 30th Street & the beach in Avalon.
A fisherman tries his luck in back bay waters on a beautiful fall
afternoon. Stone Harbor Boulevard is in the background.
MONARCH BUTTERFLIES are making their passage southward
through Cape May County, and have been spotted in large numbers resting on
trees, shrubs, and dunes. Monarchs will likely be seen in the area for
another week or so, as they make their way to their winter destination in
Mexico.
OCTOBER 1ST marks the date when many "No Turn on Red"
restrictions are lifted at various intersections on the Island, along with
the removal of parking meters, and some traffic lights are switched into
"blinker mode." The slower pace of the off season brings a variety of
benefits for those driving & parking on the Island!
NEW YELLOW PLASTIC GAS MAINS will be installed along Ocean
Drive from 62nd Street to 27th Street, with additional installations to
occur along numerous side streets in that area. Work will begin on or about
October 9th, and is to be completed by April 2018. Lane closures will occur,
but property owners will have access to their properties at all times.
"WALTER" JOINS THE CAPE MAY COUNTY ZOO! Walter is a
6-month-old male Bactrian camel with two humps, and joins his "cousin"
Marty, a Dromedary camel which has one hump. Welcome, Walter! The zoo is
open daily and admission is free--donations are appreciated, however.
SPOOKY LIGHTHOUSE TOUR--Shipwrecks, Shoals, and Souls: Set
sail as a foot passenger on the Cape May-Lewes Ferry October 13th through
15th for a nautical tour with a spooky twist. Passengers will ride across
the Delaware Bay to Lewes, then board the Cape Water Taxi for a tour of
Lewes Harbor and the 130 year old East End Lighthouse. Members of the Lewes
Historical Society in period dress will tell tales of shipwrecks from the
perspective of captains, passengers, and survivors.
More Information - Cape Water Taxi Spooky Lighthouse Tour