The City of Brigantine Beach

MAYOR OUTLINES CITY’S PROGRESS IN STATE OF THE
CITY ADDRESS
Says prudent fiscal policies helping Brigantine in recessionary period
Mayor Philip J. Guenther said in his annual State
of the City Address that the city is working to ensure that any new
structure on the site of the former Circle Tavern will be esthetically
pleasing and in line with existing Brigantine architecture.
Guenther also said that the city will ensure that its treasured
institutions -- the Circle Lighthouse, Marine Mammal Stranding Center
and Historical Museum -- are not impacted in any way by a new building
on the tavern site.
Due to the work of City Council’s Mixed Use Committee interest in the
site from developers is increasing, he added..
“Preliminary plans have been announced by the owners of the property for
a large commercial enterprise,” the mayor said in his State of
the City Address on February 3. “I credit the interest in this location
to City Council’s Mixed Use Committee that has spent months evaluating
the zoning options for the site as well as the former diner and bank
building.”
“The comprehensive report developed by this committee focused much-needed
attention on this area and undoubtedly sparked the interest of potential
investors,” he said. “The Mixed Use Committee is also concerned with
making the circle intersection safer for both pedestrians and
motorists.”
Regarding the economic downturn, the mayor said the recession has had an
adverse affect in every community in New Jersey, including Brigantine.
But, he said, because of prudent fiscal policies the city has been able
to weather the recession better than many other communities.
“We found our community facing the same fiscal problems that placed some
of our fellow communities on the edge of economic disaster,” he said.
“But I’m pleased to report that at the present time we are weathering
the economic storm without having to resort to layoffs of city workers,
cutbacks in resident services or onerous tax increases.”
“The main reason is that our City Council has consistently taken a
conservative approach to the budgeting process,” he continued. “This
approach includes closely monitoring how each and every dollar of our
residents is being allocated.”
‘Fiscal responsibility and controlling property taxes have always been
priorities of our city administration,” Guenther said. “We have been
diligent in exploring new ways to protect taxpayers’ dollars while
providing the necessary resources to maintain a viable and successful
community.”
Staff levels have been greatly reduced through attrition without
impacting safety or program efficiency or neglecting infrastructure
maintenance, Guenther said. He added that in December he asked City
Council to institute a hiring freeze until the city can assess the
impact of lost revenue from tax appeals and imposed budget caps.
For instance, he said, under the supervision of City Manager Jim Barber,
staff levels have dropped dramatically. There are a total of 14 unfilled
positions in the Police, Fire and Public Works departments.
The mayor said the school district has also taken an aggressive approach
to reduce costs at both our elementary and middle schools. Even though
enrolments are stabilizing, previous falling enrollments drove decisions
to reduce the number of full time licensed and certified teaching staff
from 112 to 86 over the past eight years.
Brigantine public schools have also entered into ten Shared Service
Agreements ranging from custodial and grounds services with the city to
joint insurance funds and technology consortiums that have resulted in
considerable savings annually.
In addition, the saving for five years alone in cooperative bidding for
classroom supplies has resulted in savings of over $119,000.
Guenther said while the city’s school board has worked hard to protect
taxpayers’ dollars, it has ensured that the schools have the necessary
resources to ensure the overall mission of our excellent schools is not
compromised in any way.
The schools received several more awards in 2009, bringing the total of
state and national awards they have earned to over two dozen.
“Our schools are deserving of our praise for the excellent job they do in
providing an education experience for our youngsters that is second to
none in the entire state,” he said.
The mayor said the city owes a debut of gratitude to school
superintendent Dr. Robert Previti and Brigantine’s competent teachers,
administrative staff, parents and school board for making the schools
among the very best in the state and the nation .
Among the city’s accomplishments last year was the completion of the
purchase of the St. Philip Tract and beginning the planning, design and
development stage of the renovation project at the former school
building, he said.
He said CER director Jim Mogan has continued to meet with the specific
groups that will be primarily using the new community center to ensure
that the city has their input for planning and scheduling purposes.
“The project is presently out to bid and we should commence construction
in the spring,” Guenther said. “In addition to the recreation,
educational and cultural benefits of the new community center, it will
also serve as a catalyst for economic development as an agreement to
employ Brigantine craftsmen to construct this new community asset has
been forged with building trades labor unions.”
The new pumps installed last year to alleviate the serious flooding
problem in the Sheridan Boulevard area, he said, performed excellently
in their first major test last fall. They removed accumulating flood
waters from a November Nor’easter in a matter of hours. Using the
previous methods, it took much longer.
The mayor said thanks were due to Councilman Robert Solari and City
Engineer Ed Stinson for their work in helping the city qualify for a
$505,000 federal grant that covered most of the cost of the project. The
city’s share of the project was $168,000, which was covered through a
bond issue.
Guenther also reported that as a result of the efforts of City Council’s
Energy Committee the city moved closer to a plan for utilizing solar and
wind energy to generate electrical power for City Hall. He said in
addition to lowering Brigantine’s energy bill it will keep Brigantine in
the forefront of environmental innovation.
Also, he said, he has asked Councilman John Murray, chairman of the Mixed
Use Committee, to expand the scope of the committee this year and join
forces with Chamber of Commerce president Emmett Turner to become a
Business and Commercial Development Committee. This group, he said, will
be asked to review all city ordinances and zoning laws to ensure the
Brigantine is creating a pro-business and development atmosphere.
The city, he said, is also looking forward to working with new State
Education Commissioner Bret Schundler on educational issues of
importance to Brigantine. He said these include the exorbitant amount of
tuition Atlantic City charges for Brigantine students attending Atlantic
City High School and the lack of representation from Brigantine and
other sending districts on the Atlantic City School Board.
“Tuition for a regular education student is presently $20,342.00 and
tuition for a special education student is $30,899.00,” the mayor said.
“Over the past five years, tuition for regular education students has
increased 65 percent and special education tuition is up 137 percent.”
Because these issues need to be addressed legislatively, he said,
Brigantine will be calling on legislative representatives to work with
Commissioner Schundler to craft a bill that is fair to sending districts
Another educational issue that concerns the city, Guenther said, is the
threat of violence directed at Brigantine students attending Atlantic
City High School. In one recent incident, a student from Brigantine was
beaten by a group of other students. The youth suffered serious injuries
that required hospital treatment.
The mayor said the city’s school board is working with the Atlantic City
School Board to ensure that an incident of this type is never repeated.
Because last year’s Nor’easters caused extensive beach erosion on the
North End of the island and other locations, the city will be asking
Congressman Frank A. LoBiondo for his help in obtaining federal funds
for beach replenishment projects, he said.
He said the city worked with Congressman LoBiondo’s office and Stockton
College’s Coastal Resource Center on problems related to the dredging of
sand from Absecon Inlet to replenish Atlantic City beaches. These
projects, he said, resulted in serious erosion of the inlet beach
directly in front of homes on Ocean Drive and creating a dangerous risk
of flooding during storms.
As a result of focusing attention on this issue, the mayor said, the city
has been assured that the Army Corps of Engineers will not dredge sand
from the same borrow zone in the future.
“Congressman LoBiondo deserves our sincerest thanks for the excellent job
he has done in helping us to obtain funding to protect and improve our
beaches,” Guenther said.
During his address the mayor said city’s thanks are due to the city’s
police and fire departments for the excellent job they do in keeping our
city safe. He said the Public Works Department also deserved thanks for
keeping city property and beaches well maintained.
The mayor said Police Chief Jim Frugoli, Fire Chief John Frugoli and
Public Works Superintendent Ernie Purdy deserve praise for their
excellent leadership of these vital departments.
Thanks also are due, Guenther said, to Emergency Management Coordinator
Lt. Jim Bennett for effectively coordinating essential services during
numerous Nor’easters last year.
He said the city’s lifeguards executed 120 rescues last year, provided
first aid to 447 persons and helped reunited 75 children with their
parents. In addition, lifeguards using special chairs donated by the
Brigantine Elks helped 61 persons with disabilities to and from the
beach. “Chief Joe Guenther deserves our thanks for ensuring our beach
personnel are exposed to constant training and preparation as well as
innovation and modernization of lifeguard techniques and equipment,”
Guenther said.
The mayor said also deserving of praise is City Manager Barber for the
remarkable job he does as both city manager and public safety director.
Under the excellent leadership of Director Jim Mogan, the mayor said, CER
activities and programs were enjoyed by several thousand residents and
visitors during 2009. He said thanks were due to Director Mogan for his
exceptional work in creating and organizing an interesting schedule of
educational and recreational programs.
Guenther also offered his thanks to the citizen volunteers who invest
their talent, time and energy without personal gain to serve on boards,
commissions and clubs, run sports and recreational programs and lend a
hand with activities for those with disabilities, seniors and others.
He said the True Spirit Coalition helped make the Thanksgiving and
Christmas holidays memorable by collecting food and gift items from
business and individuals and delivering them to the neediest of
families.
Under the direction of Tom Shanley, the mayor said, drivers on the senior
shuttle bus donated over 750 hours of their time and drove over 6000
miles transporting citizens to doctors’ appointments and other personal
errands in 2009. Meals on Wheels volunteers drove their own cars and
delivered over 1000 meals to make sure home-bound residents had adequate
nutrition.
The Meals on Wheels volunteers, senior shuttle bus drivers and
dispatchers donated a combined total of 2,500 hours of their time to
make sure the programs were successful, he said.
“This year marks the 15th that Tom and many of his volunteers have
donated their time in service to our citizens,” Guenther said. “I
congratulate you, Tom, and the volunteers who work with you for
enriching the lives of your fellow citizens.”
On behalf of the city, the mayor also extended thanks to the brave men
and women who serve our country in the Armed Forces of the United
States. He said among the distinguished service personnel are Marine
Corps Corporal Jeffrey Quigley, Army Specialist Kaili Barrett, Air Force
Airman 2nd Class Tommy Belle, Marine Major Kyle G. Phillips and his
brother, Navy Lt. Commander Jason T. Phillips, and Navy veteran Dr. Pete
Snider, a Navy radiologist.
“We owe all of our residents who serve in the military our sincerest
appreciation for their service to our country, their sense of duty and
their courage,” Guenther said. “We thank them for their service and pray
for their safe return to our community.”
Working with City Engineer Ed Stinson and Public Works Superintendent
Purdy, City Council approved capital improvements totaling over $3.8
million in 2009, the mayor said.
These included a $380,000 contract for resurfacing of Caverly Drive,
Hackney Place and the beach block of 3d Street North. Also included were
contracts totaling $371,000 for drainage improvement to 14th Street
South, 26th and 27th streets, Jenkins Parkway and Marsden Place.
Poor weather and the poor economy were responsible for a reduction in the
number of rounds of golf played last year, but the Links continued to be
one f the most popular courses in South Jersey, the mayor said. Revenues
were $1.6 million, but there was a loss of $55,000. Guenther said the
loss will have no bearing on the city’s budget because the difference
will come from the Golf Course Utility Fund surplus which totals
$971,488.00.
“No taxpayer money will be used to offset this loss,” the said. “By
saving profits in good years, the Brigantine Links will remain
financially solvent even in difficult times and will be completely debt
free in eight years.
Guenther said the members of City Council deserve thanks for their hard
work in helping the city progress in 2009.
He said in addition to the economic downturn,. the city faces serious
challenges in the coming year.
“Given the dynamics of the economy, it’s imperative that we stay on the
same austere course that has helped us weather the worst effects of the
recession,” Guenther said. “We must continue to take a conservative
approach to the budgeting process, find ways to do things better and
smarter, and ensure that we maintain our high quality of life.”
Guenther said he was confident that Governor Chris Christie will find
ways to address the unprecedented $10 billion hole in the state budget,
but he said the local impact of the state’s actions to secure the state
may mean Brigantine will face additional financial challenges.
The city is hopeful, the mayor said, that Governor Christie’s reform
agenda will include dismantling the Council on Affordable Housing and
the many regulations that have cost Brigantine taxpayers thousands of
dollars in legal and consulting fees as the city attempted to come into
compliance with their constantly changing and irrational requirements.
“We are also hopeful that the governor will reign in the illogical DEP
water resource regulations which are stifling new development and
additional tax ratables in our community,” he said. “No doubt, the
challenges are big and daunting. But I’m confident that we have the
resourcefulness to meet them and come out stronger and better than
before.”
“I’m confident because of the solid core values of our community,” he
added. “These ideals inspire us to respect and help each other, motivate
us to achieve lofty goals, and ensure that Brigantine remains ‘an island
you’ll love for life.’”
BRIGANTINE HOMEOWNERS QUALIFY FOR LOWER FLOOD INSURANCE PREMIUMS
As a result of Brigantine’s flood mitigation
efforts, homeowners will be entitled to a further discount on their
flood insurance premiums this year.
Mayor Philip J. Guenther said this year the city qualified for a rating
level under the FEMA/National Flood Insurance Program that entitles
homeowners to a five percent discount on their insurance premiums. He
said as a result of this year’s new rating, the city now has a flood
rating level that entitles homeowners to flood insurance premiums that
are 20 percent lower than those of communities at the highest rating
level.
“Significantly, we are the only community in Atlantic County to qualify
for this excellent rating,” the mayor said. He added that thanks were
due to the city community rating coordinator, Tim Maguire, the
Brigantine Flood Committee and Emergency Management Coordinator Lt. Jim
Bennett for helping the city achieve this accomplishment.