Times Talk
Bob Ashman presents the Stone Harbor Museum’s 2021 Risley Award to Dr. John Sprandio and Ed Breen.
STONE HARBOR MUSEUM PRESENTS FILM, RISLEY AWARD
The Stone Harbor Museum had some important events this summer, including the showing of the documentary film, “The Miracle on 81st Street,” and the presentation of the Risley Award.
“The Miracle on 81st Street” tells the story of the Black community that flourished for more than 80 years. The film was based on first-person accounts of life as a Black person in Stone Harbor.
“I hope people who see the film walk away with an image of a Black community that was not victim,” said writer/director Jim Talone. “A community that created their own little paradise out of hard work, love and discipline.”
Talone, a retired English teacher, produced the film along with Anthony Anderson and Angela Rodriquez in conjunction with the Stone Harbor Museum.
Former neighbors from 81st Street came back to Stone Harbor to watch the film and meet with classmates from Stone Harbor Elementary School they hadn’t seen in years.
The film can now be viewed on YouTube by searching “Miracle on 81st Street.”
Meanwhile, the museum presented its fourth annual Risley Award to Dr. John Sprandio and Ed Breen at the “Tour Through Time Gala” held at The Reeds at Shelter Haven.
In the early 2000s, Sprandio had the idea to turn an empty lot in Stone Harbor into a destination in the heart of town. As with any new business, Sprandio found himself overcoming many obstacles. But once he met Breen and shared his idea over coffee, the two became an unstoppable team. Their hard work led to the opening of The Reeds at Shelter Haven and has continued to grow into the Refined Hospitality Group, which now employs more than 650 people.
“As community members of Stone Harbor for decades, and now business owners, we are truly honored to be presented with the Stone Harbor Museum’s Risley Award,” Sprandio said.
The award is presented to Stone Harbor residents who share the vision and dedication of the Risley brothers, who founded Stone Harbor years ago.
Said Breen: “We hope that The Reeds at Shelter Haven will continue to be a place where both locals and visitors can gather and enjoy our wonderful town, and all that it has to offer, together. We are always committed to supporting our community, and the museum, in its efforts to remember our past, as we look forward to our future. Stone Harbor is a very special place, and we are happy to be a part of its history.”
Rendering of the new Avalon Fire Department Station after an addition and renovations.
$6.5 MILLION AVALON FIREHOUSE PROJECT UNDERWAY
The Avalon Volunteer Fire Company building is being renovated and expanded following the Borough Council’s approval of a contract with Arthur J. Ogren, Inc. for $6,527,600. Council also approved Mott Macdonald to provide construction phase engineering services for $127,900.
Work on the project began in the area behind the firehouse, located at 3100 Dune Drive, and is expected to continue through the spring of 2023. The area around the firehouse will be a construction zone through the completion of the project. This area includes the Avalon Senior Center, but the borough assures that the ramp to the Senior Center will remain open.
The expansion of the firehouse is necessary for many reasons, the most important being safety.
“We have added equipment to our safety fleet for which the original firehouse was not designed to hold,” said Scott Wahl, Avalon’s business administrator. “We have equipment that is placed between other equipment, which is unsafe. “
Once the construction is complete, the department will have larger areas to ensure safe storage of the various pieces of apparatus as well as more space to clean and care for the equipment.
Since the borough created the stipend program for firefighters to stay at the station overnight to cut response times, these firefighters needed a place to sleep on quiet nights. This addition and renovation plan includes just that.
Another area to be expanded during the addition is the shelter space. During weather emergencies, the firehouse is used as a local shelter. With the growth of the community, the amount of possible shelter space needed to grow as well.
Due to the construction project, the path of traffic around the west side of the firehouse has changed slightly. The parking lot and access lines of the Avalon School and the Avalon Free Public Library will remain open at all times throughout the construction work.
AVFD RECEIVES GRANT FOR DUAL-BAND RADIOS
The Avalon Volunteer Fire Department has been awarded $571,428 by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for the purchase of 120 dual-band radios, Chief Ed Dean announced Sept. 8.
“This is a major win not only for Avalon, but for the 11 other departments and communities that partnered with us in this application,” Dean said. “By making the switch from our current VHF radios to dual-bands, all of our departments will be able to better coordinate efforts before arrival on scene and maintain safety while performing our firefighting duties.”
The money comes from FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant program – a competitive national funding opportunity that provides grants to fire departments for “critically needed resources to equip and train emergency personnel to recognized standards.”
Avalon Mayor Martin Pagliughi, who also is the director of the Cape May County Office of Emergency Management, spearheaded the AVFD’s effort. He said while some fire departments in the county are already using dual-band radios, many are not. This, he noted, can make coordination difficult when departments responding to the same call are using different equipment to communicate with one another.
“This is a public-safety issue,” Pagliughi said. “Having interoperable radios in the hands of more departments will ensure that commanders can focus their efforts on controlling the incident. This will allow for more effective and efficient deployment of firefighters and resources, which will lead to better protecting of people and property.”
According to Dean, departments that participated in this application with the AVFD and will share the awarded funds include Cape May, West Cape May, Erma, Middle Township, Ocean View, Rio Grande, Villas, Sea Isle City, Belleplain, North Wildwood, and Marmora.
The grant awarded to AVFD will be supplemented by a required 5% local match of $28,571, to be shared equally among the 12 participating departments, under the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding signed by all parties.
The radios are expected to be purchased, programmed, and in use by early 2022.
HOLIDAY BEACH TAGS TO GO ON SALE
Celebrate the holidays with an eye on next summer by purchasing holiday beach tags for the 2022 season.
The Borough of Stone Harbor’s holiday beach tag this year, features the shadow of Santa and his reindeer as they fly past a shell-shaped moon on Christmas Eve. The tags will be sold for $25 and can be purchased at Stone Harbor Borough Hall on Nov. 26 and 27 from 10am to 4pm using cash or a personal check. Supplies are limited, so be sure to get there early.
This year’s holiday beach tag for the Borough of Avalon features a happy turtle carrying a Christmas tree on its back as it wears a Santa hat. The tags will be sold for $25 and can be purchased Nov. 26 and 27 at the Beach Tag Booth from 10am to 4pm with cash or a personal check. The Beach Tag Booth is located next to the Avalon Community Hall at 30th Street and the beach. If there are holiday beach tags still available after Nov. 27, they may be purchased at the Avalon Tax Collector’s Office inside Avalon Borough Hall from Nov. 29 until they are sold out. Avalon’s holiday tags are also on sale online starting Nov. 1 at jerseycapetags.com.
The beach tags are reciprocal between Stone Harbor and Avalon.
AVALON SWEARS IN TWO ADMINISTRATORS
Amber Oliver, the new deputy court administrator and Melissa Bakley, the new deputy municipal clerk
The Borough of Avalon welcomed two new members to its government family on Sept. 20. Amber Oliver was sworn in as deputy court administrator and Melissa Bakley as deputy municipal clerk.
Oliver previously served as deputy court administrator in Somers Point. She holds an associate degree in psychology from Atlantic Cape Community College.
Bakley had been a financial clerk at Crest Haven Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. She is a 2014 graduate of Middle Township High School and continued her education at Atlantic Cape Community College.
Runners from the Run for the Fallen and the family of Gregory Dalessio listen to the children of Stone Harbor Elementary School as they sing “God Bless America.”
‘RUN FOR THE FALLEN’ RETURNS TO 7 MILE BEACH
The 13th annual New Jersey Run for the Fallen brought a wave of patriotic pride through Stone Harbor and Avalon in September.
This year’s four-day run included 29 “Core Runners” ranging in age from 25 to 50 who ran more than 190 miles along the New Jersey coast to pay tribute to fallen service members and their families. Among them were Rob Grant, 46, and Dana Febbi, 41.
For Grant, the Run for the Fallen means “visiting with Gold Star families and honoring their loved ones.”
Runners from all over the country come together to form the “Core Runners,” who run the entire four days, while others join them along the journey.
Each stop was marked for fallen service members from New Jersey. There were eight such stops on Seven Mile Beach.
The first was at American Legion Post 331 at the corner of 117th and Second Avenue, and honored Ryan Iannelli.
The next stop, at the Stone Harbor Fire Department, honored Gregory Dalessio. Then at the “Avalon” sign on Second Avenue between 80th and 79th streets, honoring Terrence Allen.
A stop honoring Jonathan Cohen and Joseph Weiglein was placed between 56th and 55th streets on Second Avenue. The next stop, between 41st and 40th streets on Second Avenue, was in honor of Jason Mann.
The run stopped at the Avalon Fire Department to honor Marc Ryan, then at Veterans Plaza on Dune Drive at 21st Street in honor of Jeffery Stevenson and Jason Jones.
The last stop on the island, in honor of Jeremy Kane and John Spahr, was on Second Avenue between 12th and 11th streets.
“As a Gold Star sister, this run is so special,” Febbi said. “To be with the amazing team that honors my brother and so many others … It means the world, to honor so many, it’s humbling.”
Pat Sutton led the “Pollinator Garden” series this past summer.
AVALON WINS AWARD FOR 2 ENVIRONMENTAL SERIES
The Borough of Avalon was recognized by the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions with the 2021 ANJEC Environmental Achievement Award for the two multi-lecture series it hosted this summer, “Pollinator Garden” and “Beachside Science at Surfside Park.” The award was presented virtually on Oct. 22 during the 48th annual ANJEC Congress.
Both series were created by the Avalon Environmental Commission. “Beachside Science at Surfside Park” was also sponsored by The Wetlands Institute of Stone Harbor. The five-lecture series covered a variety of topics such as diamondback terrapins, shorebirds, and migration.
The “Pollinator Garden” series was led by pollinator expert Pat Sutton. It included discussions about the pollinator habitat in Avalon as well as how to include pollinator gardens in local landscaping. The pollinator habitat near Armacost Park on Ocean Drive was the meeting place for this series. The habitat was launched in 2016.
“I’m thrilled to receive the recognition award from ANJEC,” said Donna Rothman, chair of the Avalon Environmental Commission. “Beside advising the Borough of Avalon on environmental issues, another role of the Avalon Environmental Commission is to educate residents about Avalon’s unique and rich ecology. ‘Beachside Science at Surfside Park’ and the ‘Pollinator Garden’ lecture series addressed this need by highlighting creatures and native plants that share our barrier island. We hope the attendees are more ecologically sensitive to these creatures and plants. Additionally, I’m hoping that our programs will stimulate our residents to volunteer for future environmental initiatives.”
ANJEC is a nonprofit organization that helps New Jersey environmental commissions, individuals, local and state agencies preserve natural resources and promote sustainable communities.
Both the “Beachside Science at Surfside Park” and the “Pollinator Garden” series will be returning in 2022. More information about next year’s programs will be posted on avalonboro.net.
Seven Mile Publishing’s Dave Coskey, Avalon Recreation Director Chuck McDonnell and Avalon Borough Business Administrator Scott Wahl pose with the Telly Award.
AVALON WINS AWARD FOR MEMORIAL DAY VIDEO
What do Jennifer Garner and the Avalon Department of Recreation have in common? They were both recognized in the 2021 Telly Awards competition. Garner was honored for a television cooking series that she produced during the pandemic while Avalon’s Department of Recreation won a silver award for its 2020 Memorial Day video. Produced by Seven Mile Publishing and Creative, the video was viewed more than 50,000 times over Memorial Day weekend and was part of the Borough’s Memorial Day salute to veterans. The Telly Awards are the premier competition for video productions made for all video platforms. This year there were more than 12,000 entries from all 50 states and five continents. Shown here with the award (from left) are Seven Mile Publishing’s Dave Coskey, Avalon Recreation Director Chuck McDonnell and Avalon Borough Business Administrator Scott Wahl.
AVALON HISTORY CENTER’S ARCHIVES GO DIGITAL
A copy of The Round Table of Avalon from June 1890, now digitized at the Avalon History Center.
The Avalon History Center’s collection of local newspapers spanning 1890 to 2019 are now available to read online.
Avalon History Center has been preserving some of its more fragile artifacts, like old maps and newspapers, by digitizing them. While staff members are careful when they handle these fragile documents, some damage just can’t be helped; hence the use of the digital files rather than pulling the original documents out of storage.
“Museums still need traditional climate-controlled storage to preserve physical objects, but digital storage provides us with new opportunities for research and community engagement,” said Jonathan Gibson, the center’s digital collections coordinator. “The greatest benefit of our digitization project is that it allows us to make historic materials available online for other people to explore and enjoy.”
Given the technological abilities of the world around us, the Avalon History Center has been able to use these digital files to help visitors learn the rich history of the island even though they might not be able to visit the history center in person. Whether you’re down the street or across the country, you can learn more about your favorite little beach town right from your computer, tablet, or smartphone.
The history center currently has six publications available for reading online, such as Avalon Herald, The Round Table of Avalon, and the Avalon Beach Patrol yearbooks. To view these publications and more, visit avalon.advantage-preservation.com. Go to avalonhistorycenter.org for more information about the Avalon History Center.
AHLOA ELECTS NEW OFFICERS
The Avalon Home and Land Owners Association announced the 2021-22 leadership following the group’s annual election in August. The organization announced a new president, two new vice presidents and three new trustees.
Lynn Cruser, an AHLOA trustee since 2017, succeeded Chuck O’Hara as president. Trustee Trey White moved up to
1st vice president, and Joseph Dvorak became the 2nd vice president. Liz Thomas and Paul Disdier won three-year terms as trustees, and Jack Tarditi won a two-year term.
Cruser, who retired as vice president of Bank of America, has a degree in business management from Penn State. She continues to volunteer with Penn State in many roles, including president of the Smeal Alumni Society Board. Continuing with her philanthropy, she has volunteered for both Many Hands and as a Chiari Board Member in Washington, D.C., and continues to volunteer at Junior Achievement teaching financial education. Cruser holds a longtime love of Avalon, starting with family vacations through her childhood and continuing through present day after she and her husband George built a home on the island in 2013.
“I am delighted to be serving as the President of AHLOA and I am fortunate to be working with a very talented board that strives to be the ‘Community Connection for Avalon,’” she said. “I look forward to meeting our members, keeping them informed about Avalon, and sponsoring programs that everyone can enjoy. Avalon truly is cooler by a mile.”
White is vice president of corporate development for SAP America, following a career as an attorney in Philadelphia. He and his wife, Christine, reside in Erdenheim, Pa., and became homeowners in Avalon in 2016 after many years of vacationing on the island.
Dvorak is a member of Avalon’s Environmental Commission, chair of the commission’s tree committee, and serves on the Pastoral Council of St. Brendan the Navigator Parish. He had a career as a researcher on the development of high-energy rocket fuels for the U.S. Department of Defense, followed by a legal career after receiving his J.D. degree from Seton Hall Law School. He and his wife, Rosemarie have been residents of Avalon for 17 years.
Thomas will serve as AHLOA’s public relations chair. She is the CEO of Thomas/Boyd Communications, a Moorestown-based public relations and marketing firm she co-founded in 1998. She also is a founding member and vice chair of New Jersey Public Media. Additionally, Thomas serves on the executive committee of the Chamber of Commerce of Southern New Jersey board of directors, and the board of the Greater Atlantic City Chamber of Commerce. Thomas has lived part-time in Avalon since 1995.
Disdier recently retired from a career as a financial services executive. His career began in 1977 in Philadelphia with Girard Bank’s Trust Department, followed by an investment career in New York with companies including Smith Barney and The Dreyfus Corporation. He and his wife, Anne, reside in Princeton and have been Avalon homeowners since 1998.
Tarditi has a long history of civic involvement, having served Haddonfield for more than 23 years in roles as mayor and borough commissioner. An insurance executive, he is the managing director of Conner Strong & Buckelew Companies. Past positions include president of Associated Insurance Management, corporate officer of Penn Mutual Life, and member of the Advisory Board of Directors for Liberty Bell Bank.
All Avalon home and land owners are encouraged to become members of AHLOA, and attend the organization’s monthly meetings that keep residents apprised on important island information. For membership information, announcements, Borough Council updates and more, go to ahloa.com.
