April is here and Spring is trying to take the place of winter.  I am sure you have noticed the construction that is going on in North Beach.  They are replacing sewer mains and it will be a mess for quite some time.  Our sewer system is in good shape, and you will be glad to hear that we will not be taking on a major project like that.  We will, however, be adding a well on 76th Street in the near future.  We are looking for some of the infrastructure money to defray some of the cost.  The State is forcing us to install an additional well, because we are using more water than our allocation permit allows.  Installing meters has not reduced consumption, and we are left with no other option, but to install the new well.

We are working with the Taxpayer’s Association to team up and improve some of the plantings around town.  We are looking for volunteers, with a green thumb, to help us make the town look better.  There are also a couple of clean up days coming, in the next two months, to pick up after the long winter.  We are happy that Southern Regional will be sending some kids over for one of the cleanup days.

Public works has a few projects to complete, including drainage and the water main on Bay Terrace. We will then turn our attention to getting ready for the summer.  Beaches, park, trash cans, walkovers, bathrooms, and painting.  So much to do and summer will be here before we know it.

Your Public Works team is working hard to make Harvey Cedars better.

April is the start of what we hope to be a great series of presentations: the Harvey Cedars Police Department Community Forums. This series, to roll out over six months in the Spring and Fall, begins on Wednesday, April 27th, 5 P.M. at Borough Hall, with our Chief of Police, Robert Burnaford, presenting the HCPD Organization, staff, and Day-to-Day Operations. I know that you will find this an interesting and enlightening presentation. Please try and attend. Seating is limited.

April brings two great new additions to the HCPD. Chief Burnaford and I are happy to welcome Patrolman Matthew MacCorkle as a new full-time Harvey Cedars Police Officer. Officer MacCorkle comes to us with 5 years of law enforcement experience, maturity and the passion for community policing. He will be a great asset to our agency and we are lucky to have him on board. Officer MacCorkle is not an addition to the department but replaces an Officer who is leaving.

Also new to the HCPD is Danielle Tilton who will be the department’s Confidential Administrative Assistant. Ms. Tilton was previously at Bank of America and will be responsible for many administrative duties, as well as communicating with the public as they enter the Borough Hall to assist them with any requests and inquiries. As Confidential Administrative Assistant, she will be able to relieve the officers of many tasks, greatly improving their productivity and time on the road. When you are at the Borough Hall be sure to welcome her to Harvey Cedars!

Throughout April, HCPD Officers, through a $7,000 grant that we received from the State, will be participating in the “Distracted Drivers” Campaign. During this time, you will see an increased presence of our officers on the road.  No one should ever be driving while distracted, texting, eating, drinking or doing anything other than paying attention to the road. The April Distracted Driving Campaign is meant to educate motorists to help prevent accidents from occurring.

I am happy to report that in April the HCPD will receive a $3,333 award from the Ocean County Joint Insurance Fund as a result of their continued successful achievement of being an accredited agency through the New Jersey State Chief of Police Association.  Congratulations to Chief Burnaford and the entire department.

With Spring here, more and more people will be out walking and biking and enjoying our great town. Please be careful on our roads and remember to bike with traffic (and obey traffic rules when biking) and walk against traffic.