December 16, 2009
With another spectacular season behind us, and a new year upon us, I 'd like to take a moment to highlight some of our fall events, talk about upcoming events Sea Isle City will host during 2010, and explain the new direction the City is taking to "Go Green."
We had a great fall season and the City felt a little like summer again with the excitement of all our fall activities. Our many autumn festivals, including Fall Family, Irish Weekend, Harborfest and the Italian Celebration, just to name a few, brought people back into town to celebrate all the festivities together. More recently we've been celebrating the Holiday Season with the lighting of our Sea Isle City Christmas Tree, our Santa's Calling Program, our House Lighting Program and many other holiday traditions that have brought family and friends together.
Coming soon will be the annual Polar Bear Plunge Weekend, one of the biggest events of the entire year. With record-breaking numbers of over 30,000 people in town last year for the winter event, we hope that the numbers will grow even more this year. But the weekend is not just about willingly running into a 37-degree ocean, which was last year's recorded temperature, it's also about supporting a cause. The Sunday after the Plunge will be the second Polar Bear Run/Walk for Autism. The event was a huge success last year and was able to raise over $10,000 for Autism Research. We hope to exceed that amount this year.
Aside from events, Sea Isle City is adopting a new policy to "Go Green." We have a couple initiatives that have already been put into place to help Sea Isle become more environmentally friendly. This summer we built the first "green" home in all of Cape May County. The house is not only environmentally friendly, but energy efficient as well to help cut utility costs for homeowners. With special design features and appliances, the home is one more step in the direction of better living. As a City, we are proud to say we're helping to pave the way for more responsible living.
The City also began implementing the Cool Cities Initiative. Sea Isle City has received 100 -200 trees that have been planted in designated areas between 43rd and 46th Streets, from Landis Avenue all the way to the lagoon areas. With this plan, which will resume in the spring, the consequences caused by the "heat island effect" will lessen, as the trees will provide shade and cool the City. Also, homeowners and renters will be able to save money on their energy bills.
Our newest plan is to utilize our website more efficiently for forms that are normally mailed to the community. Instead of sending out multi-paged packets to residents, the City will be sending out postcards to homes with information about downloading needed forms off the website. By better utilizing our website, we will be saving paper and furthering our efforts to "Go Green."
Additionally, the City is continuing the progress of one of its most lucrative endeavors, the Beach to Bay Corridor Project. With the completion of this project, we will truly be able to provide the best possible benefits to our residents and visitors. As a City, we are committed to making every persons' experience an unforgettable one. Our City Government Mission Statement says, "The goal of our City government is the satisfaction of our residents and visitors, and the protection and maintenance of our public assets, infrastructure, and community culture and values, to the utmost degree of honor and professionalism." We want our visitors to leave, and return, with fond memories of their wonderful experiences here that will last for years to come. Best wishes for a Happy, Healthy New Year.