CAPE MAY POINT ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION

June 11, 2008

Present: Chairman Sally Sachs, Ann Brecker, Marguerite Chandler, Ed Grant, Toni Keiser, Nancy Kirtland, Commissioner Joe Nietubicz, and Bill Schuhl.

Public attending: Commissioner Anita vanHeeswyk, Lake Committee Chair Francine Nietubicz, and Dianna Wentink.

Absent: Mildred Morgan.

Sally called the meeting to order at 9:31 A.M., advising that it was in accordance with The Law of New Jersey, Chapter 32, The Open Public Meetings Act.

Minutes: Ann Brecker had corrections to the April minutes: at the end of the last sentence under New Business, the last three words should be deleted, replaced with “with the consistency issue with multiple departments regarding the Village Center designation”. Under Planning Board, after Commissioner Schupp should be added “and Commissioner VanHeeswyk re a meeting with the office of Smart Growth.” The minutes were then approved as corrected.

Commissioner VanHeeswyk gave us an update on the Village designation and distributed material having to do with discrepancies between the Environmental Resource Inventory and the Master Plan.

Correspondence: 1) A reminder from former Mayor Fraser re the educational panels in the original Triangle Park design. 2) Meghane Smith forwarded an article from the 5/25/08 Atlantic City Press on the subject of rain gardens. 3) Zoning Board annual report. 4) 5/27/08 meeting of the Zoning Board: request for a screening of a porch passed with conditions, and a new plan must be submitted. 5) Minutes and press releases from 5/16/08 Coast Guard presentation and the Cape May Taxpayers’ Association meeting. CMP is credited with being “in the loop”. 6) Letter from Joe Jordan re Dune Day plant materials. At the direction of the EC, Bill sent Joe an e-mail advising that Japanese Black Pines are no longer being used, in favor of native plants. 7) May Fee Log. 8) Letters from Andrea Moffett and Sheila Perlstein expressing disagreement with the use of stakes and monofilament lines to control the Canada Goose population on Lake Lily. Joe advised that the Joint Insurance Fund was going to inspect in order to appraise any possible risk. Francine advised that she had attended a seminar on the geese, and that the lines were erected by Public Works, with Borough Council’s direction, as an experiment to see if they would discourage the geese from staying for the entire summer. The lines on the east side are nor really needed and will be removed. The Lake Committee will comply with any JIF findings. 9) Mark Garland’s e-mail of 6/5/08, apologizing for the delay in the Tree Survey report.

Old Business: 1) Concrete removal at Triangle Park: Ed advised that the park is higher than the street, making a rain garden unobtainable. If concrete is removed, a berm could be constructed, diverting water onto the swales. Joe advised that Public Works may be able to accomplish the work.

New Business: 1) Herald article on Mayor Palioghi’s activities in Avalon. 2) Atlantic City Press article on oil prices and the fact that a Chinese/Cuban consortium will be drilling in the ocean just sixty miles from Florida. 3) Christian Science Monitor article of 5/15/08 on how the adoption of a design based on a whale’s serrated fin has created fans that are 20% more efficient than normal models. 4) Marguerite referred to bio-regional studies, “Exploring a Sense of Place”, and wondered whether a cosmic walk, a study of Cosmology, might be a community event. 5) Joe suggested there should be some effort made for the collection of stories, etc., about CMP, something like a Historic Commission acting on the sense of history.

Planning Board: Ann advised that the discussion on Smart Growth would be continuing.

Lake Committee: The “dog houses” work well, and the noise levels have been greatly diminished.

Commissioner’s Report: 1) Joe advised that Paul Miola, Executive VP of Gallagher Agency, agents for JIF, would be appearing at the Borough Council meeting on Thursday. 2) Bids for the basketball ball court came in above budget and have been rejected. The use of sound-deadening, pervious material is now being explored. 3) People are now making use of golf carts on our streets. Police will enforce State regulations: the driver must be licensed, and the vehicle must carry a license plate and have liability insurance. 4) The “Beach Boys” are in control: the dune at Cape continues to grow higher, and the beaches at Brainard and Stites continue to grow wider.

Public: Dianna Wentink distributed material having to do with the control of light pollution.

The meeting was adjourned at 11:38 A.M. The next meeting of the Environmental Commission is scheduled for Wednesday, July 9, 2008, 9:30 A.M., at Borough Hall.

Respectfully submitted,

William F. Schuhl