May flowers are coming up all over, and Memorial Day is just around the corner.  Public Works has a lot to do before summer begins.  We just completed the water main loop to Bay Terrace and the water pressure has increased dramatically.  We will be completing North Holly and Essex Avenue in the next two weeks.  I want to thank everyone for their patience during this project.  

We have a lot of work to do down at the park.  A number of pieces for the playground are backordered due to supply chain issues.  Within the next five years we are going to have to invest in new playground equipment.  We are working on plans for a look-out near the flagpole at the point, overlooking Woods Island.  More information on this will follow.

I am looking forward to improving the gardens at the Borough Hall and at Sunset Park.  We are working with the Taxpayers Association and are looking for volunteers to adopt gardens.  If you have an interest and a green thumb, please let us know.  You can make a big difference and help make Harvey Cedars a better place.

The DOT will be working on the Causeway throughout the summer.  They will be closing one lane on both the east and westbound lanes.  Construction will be Monday through Thursday nights.  Although there will not be construction during the weekends, the lanes will remain closed during the project.  If you plan accordingly, you shouldn’t experience delays when you travel on or off the Island.

We are looking forward to a great summer.  The Fourth of July will be here before you know it.

The HCPD Community Forums kicked off on April 27th with a great presentation by Chief Burnaford, with the assistance of the HCPD’s new Confidential Administrative Assistant, Danielle Tilton. They did a great job laying out the HCPD Organization Chart, Mission and Values Statement and Day-To-Day Operations. I want to thank all of the HC residents who attended; a great Q & A session was an instrumental part of the Forum - great questions and comments from the attendees. A great discussion; thank you all!
 
Next up for the HCPD Community Forums will be Sgt. Kevin Snow on Wednesday, May 18th at 5 P..M. at Borough Hall. Sgt Snow, our 2021 Officer of the Year recipient, will present the department's Administrative functions, including Administration, Scheduling, and Record Keeping. Please come, meet Sgt Snow and learn more about how your HCPD works, so mark your calendars now!
 
Chief Burnaford attended all of the meetings with the 3 Commissioners as we approved, with some modifications,  the outdoor seating plans for the Borough’s restaurants. The Chief’s suggestions, meant to improve parking and traffic flow, will go a long way to ensuring a successful summer season for all.
 
On Saturday, April 30th, the HCPD participated in the DEA  “Operation Take Back” during which residents could bring in unused, unneeded medications for safe disposal. Don’t forget that we have a permanent prescription drug collection box in our Boro Hall for all to use 24/7/365.
 
Today, May 3rd, I will be attending the Resilient LBI meeting where municipal representatives on LBI will review specific sites and actions to be written into the organization’s Resilience Action Plan, and review site-specific demo projects.
 
Traffic light activation date is set for Monday May 23rd and the speed limits are reduced around this time period. Please, as always, drive carefully.
 
Among all of the activities of the HCPD in April, two Police Incidents are worth noting:

On April 23rd at approximately 12:39pm, Officer Ben Mrozinski was on a Distracted Driving Detail when he pulled over a possible stolen vehicle near the intersection of 80th Street and Long Beach Blvd operated by 44 year old male from Croydon, PA named Rafal Delega. After further investigation, Officer Mrozinski confirmed that the vehicle was stolen and after conducting a preliminary search of the vehicle, a loaded 9mm handgun was recovered. The vehicle was impounded in our impound yard and Mr. Delega was processed at our police headquarters and transported to the Ocean County Jail in Toms River.

During the early morning hours of Sunday April 24th, Neptune Market was burglarized by two persons. The suspects left with cash and a few items from Neptune Market. Det. Butler, Officer Chris Oldham, who is the HCPD’s Juvenile Officer,  and others  worked tirelessly to identify these two suspects. Pictures of the suspects, taken from video surveillance,  were enhanced and posted on the HCPD social media accounts, where they reached over 40,000 views. The suspects were subsequently identified and arrested. Terrific work by the Harvey Cedars Police Department resulted in this quick resolution. They are to be congratulated on fine police work.