Times Talk
AVALON, STONE HARBOR SUPPORT COALITION’S BEACH CAMPAIGN
Avalon and Stone Harbor recently announced their commitment to join the American Coastal Coalition’s #YestoBeaches 2026 campaign. The ACC’s mission is to protect beaches and the 129 million people who live within 50 miles of coasts across America.
The coalition was founded in 1996 to ensure that government policies protected beaches and coastal restoration projects. The ACC has represented more than 150 communities on coastal projects involving federal agencies like FEMA and the Corps of Engineers. Over its 40 years, the ACC has awarded more than $1.5 billion in federal funding. The 2026 campaign, #YestoBeaches, aims to specifically address storm protection, economic impacts, community stories, and environmental influences. The campaign outlines direct calls to action for Congress. Avalon and Stone Harbor became two of many coastal towns in New Jersey to join the ACC and support its 2026 campaign.
Said Avalon Mayor John McCorristin: “We’ve worked with [ACC executive director] Dan Ginolfi and his group for years on different funding for our beach management and different resources. They have been just unbelievable in representing us in Washington. This year it became very, very important since the earmarks weren’t there for us to get the funding when it was our turn for the actual hydraulic beach fill. This organization is here to support everybody and to try to get us funding for not only the beach fill, but consistent resiliency along the beach. We appreciate all that they have done.”
Stone Harbor also supports the ACC’s 2026 campaign. Said Mayor Tim Carney: “[The ACC] are advocates for federal funding for our coastlines, and they are out front on the effects of erosion and storm damage. They also help us secure federal investments in sand replenishment. Both are good things.”
So, what can you do? The ACC asks you to sign its petition, join as a member organization, call your representatives, and spread the word.
“We’re a small community,” McCorristin said, “and we need the people that live in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New York to talk to their Congress people and let them know how important it is. This affects all of us.”
Said Carney: “It is always great for residents’ voices to be heard. Reach out to your municipality leaders, council members, county commissioners, and your congressional representatives.”
Go to americancoastalcoalition.org for more information.
Posing with Stone Harbor Women’s Civic Club plaque (from left): Katie Hinchey-Wise, Teri Fisher, Mayor Tim Carney
PLAQUE HONORS STONE HARBOR WOMEN’S CIVIC CLUB HISTORY
When the Women’s Civic Club of Stone Harbor held its annual opening event on May 19, members of the Stone Harbor Museum marked the occasion by presenting the Club with a vintage plaque honoring the building’s rich history.
The Stone Harbor Museum aims to preserve the town’s rich and unique past through the “Vintage Houses of Stone Harbor” program. Houses constructed 60 years ago or earlier are eligible to apply for a plaque.
“The program is how a small town decides to remember itself on purpose, before the buildings are gone,” said Museum Curator Katie Hinchey-Wise. “We lose antique treasures here all the time, and the Vintage Houses program is the only historical-designation effort in Stone Harbor. It gives anyone who cares about preservation a real place to begin.”
The plaque dedicated to the Women’s Civic Club building recognizes the enduring legacy of the resilient members, as the original clubhouse was destroyed in the Great Storm of 1962, and the organization saw it entirely rebuilt by 1963.
“The plaque on this clubhouse is special because the building behind it was taken down by a storm and rebuilt smaller,” Hinchey-Wise said. “So often we watch buildings in our community come down that are absolute antique treasures. A plaque is how we say this one stays in the story. It marks the building, but it points to the women who bought the lots, refused to leave the beach, and rebuilt twice.”
The opening event itself celebrated this history with a luncheon that included a display of WCCSH artifacts provided by the museum and a fascinating presentation that outlined the early history of the Women’s Civic Club. The gathering also featured the presentation of $2,500 donations each to the Holy Redeemer Food Pantry and Shriners Hospital, and a special appearance by Mayor Tim Carney.
If you would like to learn more about the Women’s Civic Club of Stone Harbor, the Stone Harbor Museum is hosting a talk to discuss its incredible history on July 1 at 7pm.
Cape May County Commissioner Director Len Desiderio, Commissioner Bobby Barr and Commissioner Patrick Rosenello joined Avalon Mayor John McCorristin and members of Borough Council for the ribbon-cutting at Bay Park Marina.
AVALON’S BAY PARK MARINA OPENS
Avalon’s new Bay Park Marina at 54th Street and Ocean Drive was officially opened in a ceremony with Mayor John McCorristin and county officials on Friday, June 5.
McCorristin spoke about the genesis of the project: “Administrator Scott Wahl attended an Open Space county meeting, and they brought up the idea of handicapped kayaks. Immediately, we said we needed that, and that was the beginning of the development of what happened next here at Avalon Bay Park Marina. We went from the handicapped launch to the rehabilitation for the kayak launch and the new kayak storage, and we started the development process.”
The new park was supported by Cape May County’s Open Space program by a grant of $1.1 million. It includes waterfront access, resilience, safety regulations, nature preservation, and environmental sustainability functions, including a new living shoreline. It also has a brand-new boat ramp, bulkhead, accessible kayak launch, dockmaster building, piers, a gazebo, benches, sidewalk, parking lot, and a turtle retention barrier.
“We wanted to provide storm protection for our neighbors and our infrastructure,” McCorristin said. “As you notice, when you drive in, you come up a few feet. We raised the entire elevation of the parking lot to try to help from when we had the infiltration from the tides that would come right off our boat launch and fill the streets.”
The new Bay Park Marina also prioritizes wildlife protection. The marsh resilience program is currently in progress and includes a 36-inch-wide retention wall to help protect turtles from traffic while giving them a safe home in the marsh.
In September 2024, Fred M. Schiavone Construction, Inc. – which constructed Surfside Park – was awarded the contract for the Bay Park Marina for $8.68 million. Construction began on Dec. 19, 2024, and was completed in two phases, finishing in the middle of the summer of 2025.
The senior project engineer, Shawn Carr, was awarded a first-place award by the New Jersey Society of Municipal Engineers for his management of the marina reconstruction in the “Municipal Project/Construction Management of Parks & Recreation Projects” category at the New Jersey League of Municipalities conference in Atlantic City on Nov. 19.
“This multimillion-dollar project could not have been or would not have occurred without the support from the County of Cape May and the Open Space Board,” McCorristin said. “The board provided over $1 million in additional funding to us. I’m here to tell you it’s much more than just funding. Avalon and the county recognize that once the waterfront is replaced with development or new homes, it’s gone forever. So now with the county’s support of this project, this guarantees the waterfront access will remain for the duration of our lives and for many generations to come.”
Said Sea Isle Mayor Len Desiderio, in his role as Cape May County Commission director: “The Open Space Board is here to help municipalities to preserve land and to reserve land for the future for our grandchildren and their children. As the mayor stated, there won’t be a high-rise here. This is a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful project.”
The boat launch ramp opened on May 9 and will stay open until the first Sunday after Labor Day weekend. The ramp is open daily on Monday-Friday from 7am-3pm, and on Saturday and Sunday from 7am-5pm.
Members of the community joined Mayor Tim Carney, Borough Council members, Stone Harbor’s Recreation Advisory Committee, Cape May County Commissioner Bobby Barr, and State Assemblyman Antwan McClellan to celebrate the official ribbon-cutting of the 97th Street Recreation Complex.
STONE HARBOR OPENS UPGRADED RECREATION COMPLEX
Stone Harbor Mayor Tim Carney and other local officials hosted a patriotic ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the newly upgraded 97th Street Recreation Complex on June 6. The Complex is a state-of-the-art community space designed for residents and visitors of all ages and abilities. The event included free hot dogs, ice cream, and water for those who attended.
The $2.07 million project, which included $1.1 million in funding through a Cape May County Open Space grant, transformed the much-loved but aging facility into a safe, modern and inclusive recreation space for residents and visitors.
Key upgrades include: an accessible and inclusive playground designed for multiple age groups and abilities; a regulation-size basketball court with professional-grade surfacing and adjustable hoops; upgraded bocce ball courts; shaded seating areas; new sidewalks, and enhanced accessibility features throughout the property.
The ribbon-cutting event featured remarks from county and local officials, followed by a tour of the new facilities and family-friendly activities. Carney emphasized the long-lasting value of these new renovations, intended to provide long-lasting memories for residents for generations to come.
“I think it’s great leadership, from the Borough Council, down to the rec committee, which is made up of citizens,” Carney said of the efforts that helped make the project a reality. “They were really the voice of the design. They had a vision, and then we worked with our engineer, Marc DeBlasio & Associates, and he grabbed an architect and designed it away.”
The project was driven by community input from Stone Harbor’s Recreation Advisory Committee, presented to the county Open Space board and approved following a public hearing before the county commissioners. The well-received concept aligns with the county’s Open Space and Farmland Preservation Program’s goals of developing public amenities that promote active lifestyles and draw visitors to the Jersey Cape.
Cape May County Commissioner Director Len Desiderio presented Mayor John McCorristin and members of Avalon Borough Council with a grant for America’s 250th anniversary celebration during its May 13 council meeting.
AVALON, STONE HARBOR GET COUNTY GRANTS FOR AMERICA’S 250TH
On May 13, County Commission Director Leonard Desiderio presented the Borough Council of Avalon with a $20,725 grant, and Stone Harbor received a grant of $12,500. This money comes from the Cape May County Board of Commissioners’ “CMC Land of the Free, Celebration 250” grant program. The towns are among 16 to be awarded a grant, and Avalon is one of six to receive the maximum individual amount. The awards were unanimously approved by the commissioners during the public meeting on April 28, totaling $248,346 in grant money.
In Avalon, festive fun starts a few days earlier on July 2 with a reading of the Declaration of Independence prior to the Thursdays at Surfside performance by American Soul. A new patriotic golf cart parade with prizes will take place on July 3 followed by a special concert by Nashville Express Americana. On July 4, the boat parade is scheduled for noon, and this year it will be livestreamed. Finally, there will be an expanded fireworks show starting at 9pm.
“We were able to add a longer, more spectacular type [of firework] show than we’ve had before,” Mayor John McCorristin noted. In addition, on Aug. 27, there will be a grand finale patriotic drone show over Surfside Park during the Summer Concert Series. The Johnny Folsom 4, a Johnny Cash tribute band, will perform before the drone show at 7pm.
McCorristin added: “We’re looking forward to a good summer. We really appreciate the county for helping us out, and Lenny Desiderio for coming over in person to deliver the check. We do appreciate that.”
Stone Harbor is gearing up for the 250th celebration as well. Its America 250 Home and Business Decorating Contest began on June 10 and will run through July 2. Register your house today so the judges know where to find you.
On July 3, head to 82nd Street Recreation Fields for all the evening events. Awards will be given out to the most patriotically decorated homes and businesses. At 7pm, there will be a concert by Jim Bannach & the BLT Orchestra. The enhanced fireworks show will follow the concert and will begin at dusk (approximately 9:15).
On July 4, the Stone Harbor traditions continue at 10am, with activities on 82nd Street until noon. The opening ceremony will begin at 10am and will be followed by a sandcastle building contest, a Phillies home run derby, and the iconic kids’ bike race. For each event, there will be trophies awarded for first, second, and third place. At noon, a USA decorated golf cart parade will begin from St. Paul’s parking lot and will end at the recreation fields.
“From the excitement of our America 250 celebration to the simple joys of a day at the beach, Stone Harbor is ready for a summer to remember,” said Mayor Tim Carney. “We invite residents and visitors alike to join us as we honor our nation’s history, celebrate our community’s traditions, and create new memories with family and friends. Whether you’re enjoying our special America 250 events, shopping along 96th Street, attending concerts and recreation programs, or simply watching the sunset over the bay, there’s something for everyone in Stone Harbor this summer. We look forward to welcoming you and sharing all that makes our hometown such a special place.”