Department of Public Works & Public Property - Commissioner/Mayor Jonathan Oldham

March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.  Some of the old timers may recall that the 1962 storm occurred in March.  It blew out of the northeast for fifteen days and the dunes could not hold up with all the high tides.  Over half of the homes washed away during that great storm.  We watched many homes wash out of Harvest Cove and into the bay.  When you looked out of the window of our home, there was only one house that remained to the east and that was the house on Burlington Avenue in which Judy Gerkins now lives.  In fact, my mother took one of the pictures used in the National Geographic magazine which covered the storm.  You may have seen it.

We are fortunate today that our dunes are intact.  They could withstand a pretty good storm.  The problem is that the beach is not in good shape.  I met with the Army Corps of Engineers and State Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to develop a plan to access the beach where there is a significant drop-off from where the dune is eroded down to the flat beach.  We will have that plan in place very shortly and will make sure all public beach accesses are accessible by Memorial Day.  We do not want to start the project too soon and have a random storm destroy all our hard work.  It is disappointing that the beach sand replenishment will likely not be done until the fall.

Our Streetscapes Committee has finalized the plan for improving the downtown area for pedestrian traffic.  The plan will provide a contiguous sidewalk from Borough Hall to 80th Street on the west side of Long Beach Boulevard and from 78th Street to 80th Street on the east side of the boulevard.  The project will be a tremendous improvement for public safety on the boulevard.  We will be submitting our final plan to the DOT for final approval shortly and will then proceed to the bidding process.

I had our yearly meeting with the Ocean County Road Department and requested from them to add a crosswalk at James Street, along with trimming trees along Long Beach Boulevard, and clearing the shoulder to the edge of the pavement.  Other plans in place are to raise the bulkhead on 80th Street and various yearly activities like cleaning storm drains to improve drainage. We discussed the Streetscapes project, and the County will be supporting us as we seek the final approval from the DOT.

There are many other things happening to get ready for summer.  Please feel free to contact us with any of your concerns.

Department of Revenue & Finance – Commissioner Paul Rice

The Harvey Cedars Activity Committee is having their first meeting of 2023 in the upcoming weeks to discuss the summer events and Labor Day fireworks! A donation request for fireworks was included in the mailing of water bills. Thank you again to all of those who have already donated!

The 2023 beach badge order form is now available. The form was mailed with water bills this month.  A special email was sent to our e-bill account holders.  If you did not get the email, please check your spam mail.  The forms can also be found on the Harvey Cedars website by clicking here. This form is for pre-order of regular seasonal badges only. Badges will not be available for pick-up until the spring. 

Please support our summer events by visiting our storefront. Click here to check it out! All events are paid for by donations and merchandise sales only. 

In case you missed it, the Borough of Harvey Cedars and the Harvey Cedars Taxpayers Association are working together to create beautiful new areas in our park with a personalized brick campaign. For more information and to purchase a brick, click here.

Department of Public Safety & Public Affairs – Commissioner/Deputy Mayor John M. Imperiale

I hope everyone is safe and healthy, and ready for Spring to arrive. 

In February I received the report on the review of the HCPD by the Law Enforcement Risk Control Consultant, J.A. Montgomery Consulting. The review is done annually in conjunction with the Ocean County Joint Insurance Fund, on which I sit as the Harvey Cedars representative. The review covered some 31 points and concluded with: “There are no suggestions for improvement at this time.” Anyone or any department that has ever been audited knows what a rare accomplishment that is. Congratulations to Chief Burnaford and the entire HCPD. And note that while the auditors may not have found anything that needs improvement, achieving constant, steady improvement is and always will be a guiding principle of the HCPD!

I want to thank our Traffic Safety Officer, Ben Mrozinski, and Chief Burnaford for their review of the proposed Streetscape plan as it relates to boulevard safety. Their review and input was presented at the last Streetscape Committee meeting and was extremely useful in finalizing plans.

In February I met with Dan Krupinski, LBI Health Department to further develop a plan in case we are hit with a dead fish problem again this year. Input towards a plan has already been provided by Public Works, Public Safety, and Public Finance and we will all meet again to finalize a plan so we are ready…..just in case!

By now you have probably heard that outdoor dining will be permitted again this year in Harvey Cedars. We try to learn every year how to make the process smoother, safer, and more convenient. I want to thank the many people who emailed, wrote, and called expressing their support and offering their thoughts, especially around traffic and parking. The Chief and I are committed to making sure the process improves year over year, so that our residents and visitors can enjoy our great restaurants. Remember to obey all regulations and to respect the neighbors and we will have another great year.

Last summer we were extremely fortunate to have Officer Danielle Bialecki with us as a Seasonal Officer. She was a constant presence in Harvey Cedars, biking around town, patrolling the beach, and interacting with so many residents. I am happy to say that Officer Bialecki will be with us again this season. We were fortunate to have her last year and we are fortunate that she will be back!  We do have an opening for an additional Class 1 Seasonal Officer for this summer. Applications may be picked up at Borough Hall or downloaded on the Harvey Cedars website. Please share the opportunity!

I want to thank the many Harvey Cedars residents who attended the presentation I gave in February at the Library in Surf City at the request of the Friends of the Library. Part 2 of this American History program, focusing on the policies and people that have kept us together as a nation, will be on Sat., March 11th at 10 A.M. I expect we will have another good interactive discussion.  For information about membership in the Friends of the Island Library, stop by the library for a brochure or email lbif@theoceancountylibrary.org

Another reminder to Mark Your Calendars !

- Casino Night: Saturday, April 22nd, 6 P.M. at the High Point Firehouse, to benefit the Harvey Cedars Police Foundation and the High Point Volunteer Fire Company.

- Thursday May 25th, 5 P.M. at Borough Hall, will be the Harvey Cedars Beach Patrol Community Forum, led by HCBP Chief Randy Townsend, and modeled after the very successful HCPD Community Forums.