City of  Cape May

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Note: This page was last updated on September 23, 2008

Cape May Fire Dept. "Brick Paver" Fundraiser  - New 9/17/2008
BEACH MANAGEMENT  PLAN  - New 3/3/2008
CONVENTION HALL CONCEPTUAL PLAN  - New 4/8/2008
 WASHINGTON STREET MALL POWERPOINT OVERVIEW - Takes a few minutes to load depending on connection speed
  GO TO SCHOOL FUNDING STUDY 
  ON-LINE CODE BOOK 
 HPC DESIGN GUIDELINES 
GO TO 2007 WATER MAIN FLUSHING SCHEDULE 
  GO TO PARKING INFORMATION AND DATES - Updated 5/1/2008
  GO TO CITY ZONING MAP 
  GO TO FREE PARKING LOCATIONS AND DATES - Updated 9/5/2007
GO TO SIDEWALK REPLACEMENT APPLICATION 
GO TO BEACH OPENING and TAG INFORMATION  - Updated 5/9/2008
GO TO SURF CHAIR INFORMATION   
GO TO STATE OF NEW JERSEY ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE OF THE COURTS 
SHADE TREE COMMISSION INFORMATION  
GO TO ASK THE HPC    
GO TO MASTER PLAN
RETURN TO HOME PAGE

PARKING METER INFORMATION

ALL PARKING METERS IN THE CITY ARE NOW ON

PARKING METER HOURS IN CITY OF CAPE MAY

With the following exceptions, parking meters are in effect May 1 to October 31, every day, from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM. All meters are 25 cents per fifteen minutes and stand-aolne meters only accept quarters. Multi-meters also accept credit cards. Change is available from several businesses and at beach tag sales booths, during the beach season. The City  provides a five (5) minute grace period on all meters, before an overtime violation occurs.

Exceptions:

1.  Community Center Parking Lot on Lafayette Street - No Parking on Wednesday and Saturday from July 1 to Labor Day 

2.  Broadway from Beach to Grant, First Avenue from Beach to street end, Mt. Vernon Avenue from Patterson to street end, Patterson Avenue from Beach to Mt. Vernon Avenue, Second Avenue from Beach to street end. June 1 to September 15, from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM

FREE PARKING LOCATION

Free parking is available at the Cape May Elementary School located at the intersection of Lafayette Street and  Madison Avenue Saturday and Sunday only.

SIDEWALK REPAIR GRANT 

The City of Cape May has received a matching grant to repair public access concrete sidewalks that have been damaged by tree root growth. This grant will allow the City to contribute one half of the cost to repair theses types of damaged sidewalks. If you wish to participate in this sidewalk replacement program, please complete the following application, and send it to: City Manager, 643 Washington Street, Cape May, NJ 08204.  This grant does not cover sidewalk work previously completed. 

BEACH TAG INFORMATION

2008 SEASONAL BEACH TAGS ON SALE

Beach tags are available for purchase, in person, at the City Hall Tax Office, located at 
643 Washington Street, from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM, Monday thru Friday, excluding Holidays. 
The in-person per tag costs for a Seasonal Tag are as follow:
$15.00 thru March 31
$25.00 beginning April 1
A maximum of five (5) seasonal tags, per season, per individual, can be purchased. 

Up to five (5) Seasonal Tags, per season, per individual, can also be ordered by mail.
The mail order per tag cost for a Seasonal Tag are as follow:
$15.75 thru March 31
$25.75 beginning April 1

To order, send check, made out to City of Cape May, and mail to - 
Beach Tags - Tax Office
643 Washington Street
Cape May, NJ 08204

NOTE: Tags, once purchased, are not refundable. No exceptions to the dates
 and timeframes shown above can be considered.

ENFORCEMENT DATES

CODES:
A            Beaches open May 24, 25, 26, 2008.   Open weekends until June 14, 2008; every day thereafter
B            Beaches open June  21, 2008  for the balance of the summer.
C            Beaches open June   28, 2008 for the balance of the summer.

BEACH KNOWN AS         CODE 

WEST OF CONVENTION HALL:
Third Avenue Beach                     C
Second Avenue Beach                  B
First Avenue Beach                      A
Broadway Beach                          B
Colton Court Beach                      B
Grant Street Beach                       A
Cleto L. Cannone Beach               C
Windsor Beach                             B
Congress Beach                           C
Steger Beach                                A
Hunt’s Beach                                B
Hagy Beach                                  B
Stockton Beach                            A
Colonial Beach                             C 

BLOCK 1000 EAST OF CONVENTION HALL:
Howard Street Beach                    B
Jefferson Beach                             B
Queen Street Beach, Section 1      A
Madison Avenue Beach                 B
Philadelphia Beach, West of Jetty   B
Philadelphia Beach, East of Jetty    A
Wm. J. Hughes Beach                    B
Baltimore Beach                            C 

BLOCK 1196, LOT 1 & BLOCK 1221 LOTS 1&2 - POVERTY BEACH
Poverty Beach                               B

 Subject to “safety conditions” as determined by the Beach Supervisor or designated representative, and subject to any other approvals as determined by the City Manager, the above listed beach parcels are hereby designated as protected bathing beaches for the 2008 summer season. 

In order to provide the necessary funds to protect, guard, clean, police, maintain, and otherwise manage the beaches of the City the following fees are charged when the beaches are open and guarded:
    
     a. Fifteen ($15.00) dollars per person, per season, for seasonal beach tags purchased from the initiation of sales through March 31. 
     b. Twenty five ($25.00) dollars per person, per season, for seasonal beach tags purchased after March 31.

Please note: The City of Cape May prohibits the transferring of seasonal beach tags. This means that no one is allowed to give you a tag to use on a temporary basis, be it an individual or a commercial establishment. It is also illegal to "rent" or pay a deposit fee for the use of a seasonal tag. In the event you are offered, and use a seasonal tag, that you do not own, you could be subject to the confiscation of the tag and a fine.

    c. Thirteen ($13.00) dollars per person, for an eight (8) day, Saturday to Saturday,  beach tag, valid from a Saturday through and including the Saturday of the following week, which shall be available during any portion of the bathing season. The last valid date for access to the beach, for a Saturday to Saturday beach tag, will be imprinted on the  tag. 
    d. Nine ($9.00) dollars per person, for any consecutive three (3) day period, for a three (3) day beach tag which shall be available during any portion of the bathing season.
    e.  Four ($4.00) dollars per person, per day, for a daily beach tag which shall be available during any portion of the bathing season.
    f.  No beach tag shall be charged for, or required by, any person under the age of twelve (12) years.

Regulations Governing the After-Hour Use of Surf
Chairs For Persons with Mobility Impairments 

2.                 Surf chairs are to be signed out prior to 4:00 pm on the day of the request and are to be returned the same day.  Chairs cannot be reserved in advance. 

3.                 Use of the surf chair is restricted to the promenade and beach front.     

4.                 The surf chair must be returned to the designated storage box, and the storage box is to be locked once the chair is secured. 

5.                 To promote the safety and well-being of the patron, the following guidelines are to be strictly adhered to:

a)    Use of the surf chair is restricted to those individuals weighing less than three hundred (300) pounds.

b)    An attendant must be present when the chair is in use.

c)    The attendant must not undertake tasks which exceed his/her physical ability.

d)    At no time, and under no circumstances is the surf chair to be placed in the water beyond a depth of six inches. 

6.                 Although the beach patrol provides surf chairs free of charge as a public service, the applicant is responsible for damage to and/or loss of the chair.  Replacement cost is currently $2,355.00.   

  ON-LINE CODE BOOK

The City now provides on-line access to all of our ordinances. As new ordinances are approved, or existing ones modified, the on-line file will be updated on a quarterly basis. In the event you are  researching an ordinance, you may call the Clerk's office at 884-9532 to confirm that the most recent version is on-line. 
To access our Code Book click here ->ON-LINE CODE BOOK  

COAST GUARD TRAINING CENTER (TRACEN) EVENTS

Sunset Parades - are colorful, inspiring military ceremonies featuring the Recruit Band, Drill Team, marching troops, cannon fire, and a low-level fly over by a Coast Guard Helicopter.  They take place at sunset on the Training Center parade grounds, are open to the general public, and there is no admission charge.  Children are welcome to attend, but must be accompanied by an adult.  

STATE AUDIT REPORT

To review the City's State Audit Report, Click Here -> AUDIT REPORT
(Requires Adobe Reader)

TIPS FROM THE SHADE TREE COMMISSION

MULCH: The Good and the Bad

Horticulturists and landscapers agree: mulch is good. But the kind of mulch you use and how you use it will make the difference between a nutritionally deprived tree or shrub and a healthy, attractive garden. In our area of long, warm autumns and relatively mild winters, a layer of protective mulch should not be applied until AFTER a good freeze, or when the winter cold has set in permanently. Mulch  doesn't keep the soil warm. Rather, it moderates soil temperature by holding moisture in -- the higher the soil moisture content, the slower the rate of temperature changes around a plant's roots, in all seasons. In winter it  prevents heaving during freeze-thaw cycles. In summer's heat, the mulch  keeps the soil cool.  Mulching perennials after they've gone dormant gives them the same benefits; remember to rake it away in early spring.

Here are a few mulching guidelines.

Rule 1: Never throw away leaves. When you rake up autumn's falling leaves, pile them in an open, sunny location and let them break down. (It's easier to use  a mulching mower, gathering them into a catcher.) Or, simply spread them around your trees and shrubs and into your flower and vegetable garden.

 Rule 2: Never throw away grass cuttings, either. Mix them with your leaves. Grass breaks down quickly, heating up as it goes, which encourages the decomposition of the leaves. Eventually, you have compost, either in a neat pile or around your plants.

Rule 3: Shun wood chips. This mulch, often distributed free from municipal sites, contains unknown substances, some of which may be toxic -- treated lumber, for instance, is treated with arsenic. You don't want that anywhere in the soil! In addition, wood chips absorb moisture and can even draw it from the soil. It will not break down easily, but rather tends to sink into the soil. You think it's gone, but it's actually still there, sucking up the water and nutrients your trees need.

Rule 4: Use finely ground bark mulch. This material actually sheds water, which means that rain will pass through and soak into the roots of your trees, where it belongs. The bark has nutrients, it is free of unknown additives, and it breaks down at a good, slow rate, allowing moisture and nutrients through to the soil. Pine needles are nice, too, and will not increase the acidity of your soil.

Rule 5: Moderation, moderation, moderation. Mulch should not be deeper than about 2 inches. More than that will draw off so much water (See Rule 3) that a young tree could die, even if it's been irrigated properly. Too much mulch (say that three times, fast) ties up nitrogen and promotes the growth of molds.

Rule 6: NO VOLCANOES! Don't pile up the mulch closely around the trunk or stem of plants. Keep it several inches away from the area where the roots join the trunk -- the crown, which is a few inches ABOVE the soil. That area needs air. A big volcano piled up around the stem will invite all sorts of critters that do your plants no good at all: fungus, small rodents (who will munch the nice, moist bark right through ), and all sorts of disagreeable diseases.

Rule  7: Go outside and sit under your tree and enjoy it!