NORTH WILDWOOD – The Irish Fall Festival may be a weekend of dueling fiddles this year now that headliner Blackthorn is taking its act south to the Bolero, and plans are in the works for a satellite Irish celebration in Wildwood.
“I know a lot of North Wildwood bar owners are not very happy about it,” Wildwood Mayor Ernie Troiano said.
And apparently neither is the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH), who have hosted North Wildwood’s signature event for 15 years. It is estimated that the weekend brings as many as 200,000 people to town.
In previous years, Moore’s Inlet hosted Blackthorn and its significant following in a big tent set up on its Spruce Avenue parking lot, but when the landmark bar met the wrecking ball last fall, Blackthorn was homeless. Festival planners scrambled to come up with a new arrangement to compensate for the loss of the major venue. The city even offered to donate the use of its Spruce Avenue municipal parking lot to North Wildwood bar owners who might want to host the band. But the businesses were unable or unwilling to pay Blackthorn’s hefty asking price, a figure reported to be about $110,000 for the weekend.
“Nobody wanted them,” said Bolero’s owner, Wally Lero said, but he did, even though by his own account, the band is “very expensive.”
Blackthorn’s annual appearance at Moore’s was a tradition with some festival-goers, but the landmark bar was demolished this year to make way for the condo boom, and the band was homeless.
And he went a step further and booked six additional Irish acts to play at the Bolero and in a tent on the adjacent parking lot throughout the weekend. “I bet we have more Irish bands at the Bolero than they have in all of North Wildwood,” he said.
The city offered to donate it’s Municpal parking lot to the North Wildwood Tavern Association The band inspired the ire of festival planners, when it advertised on its website that the party was moving to Wildwood this year. According to AOH Treasurer Jack Maley, the band also made repeated announcements at their Philadelphia performances that the festival was moving to Wildwood this year.
“That got people irked,” Maley said. “They thought they were the festival. That is not the festival.”
“We’ve had this festival for 15 years.
announce the festival also s of the The band played for 15 years in the big tent set up for the occasion in the Moore’s Inlet parking lot, but with new condos being erected on the site of the former landmark bar, the headliner band was homeless.
Mayor Ernie Troiano has no reservations about managing the crowds…even if they are “Fighting Irish”
“We’ve always been able to handle crowds,” he said, and “We’re interest to see how it works out. Anybody brings a more tame crowds than the Hotrods.”
By MAUREEN L. CAWLEY
Correspondent
WILDWOOD CREST – Sometimes Zoning Officer Elizabeth Terenik has to tell people things they don’t want to hear. It’s part of the job.
People sometimes buy a property with false expectations, she said, and more than once, a new home buyer has come to the zoning office with plans to expand a property, only to find out that his big plans exceed what is allowed by the borough’s zoning laws.
A new zoning ordinance requiring sellers to obtain a “Certificate of Zoning Use Compliance” before settlement is expected to help change that. The goal, Terenik says, is to inform buyers about what is permitted on the property before they buy.
“It’s a consumer protection issue,” Terenik said. “So they know what they are buying.”
The zoning certificate will ensure that a property is compliance with local zoning laws, or let buyers now if it is a “pre-existing non-conforming use” in the zone where it is located. As zoning laws change, sometimes properties that are in place no longer conform to the new regulations. They are “grandfathered,” in that use, as long as no major changes are made to the building.
The borough adopted a new Master Plan last year, and permitted uses and requirements were changes to suit the borough’s long term plan for development.
With a certificate of compliance in hand at the time of title transfer, a buyer should have a good understanding of what exists and what is allowed on the property being purchased. So a new homeowner, who hopes to expand his non-conforming duplex, will not be surprised to find out that it can’t expand beyond the current footprint of the building. Or the owners of a bungalow on a 30-foot lot will not be surprised to find out that they may not be able to build up as high as their neighbor.
“I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news,” Terenik said, and the new ordinance will help.
The new law will also help the zoning office to get a handle on the condo-conversions that are taking place in many area motels. Terenik emphasizes that the zoning office only has jurisdiction over how a property is used, not over who owns a unit. In fact, if a motel owner wants to sell his units to individual owners, he may bypass zoning altogether and apply to the State Department of Community Affairs for the permit to divide the ownership of the property.
Crest zoning law requires that regardless of who owns each unit, to be considered a motel under current zoning laws, the building must meet the requirements of motel – that is, it must provide transient lodging, pay tourism taxes on rooms, and provide onsite management.
In exchange, motel rooms are only required to have 1 parking spot, and in some cases they can exceed the height requirement for a multi-family dwelling. The zoning certificate will make these requirements clear to buyers who are purchasing motel rooms as investments. Properties that cease to operate as motels must then meet the zoning requirements for multifamily dwellings, Terenik said. That means providing appropriate storage for longer term use and two onsite parking spots, instead of one.
Terenik said the different requirements are best understood by comparing the way a family might use a motel room as opposed to a private apartment. In a condo, they might need more storage for bikes or other equipment, and they might bring two cars over an extended stay. In a motel, storage isn’t as necessary, and a family may be more likely to arrive in one car together.
The certificate of zoning compliance will ensure that properties continue to meet the zoning requirements they were built under. If an owner wants to make changes that do not conform, they will need to present their plans to the zoning board for a variance.
The zoning certificate will also be a valuable tool for the tax assessor, as well, since it will create and continually update the descriptions of properties in the borough. The certificate will provide a record of a property’s location, the structures on the lot and the number of rooms within the structures.
Side Bar
-Property owners are required to apply for a certificate of ownership prior to transferring the title of their property. The application fee is $50 if requested more than ten days before the transfer; $70 four to nine days before, and $125 less than ten days before.
-If a transfer occurs without the certificate, the buyer or the seller has 20 days to obtain the certificate before being subject to violations or penalties.
-The certificate will be issued based on an inspection by a zoning official, a current survey or other documentation. The tax assessor may accompany any inspector for tax assessment purposes
-New construction (within the past 18 months) is exempt from the requirement, as are family transfers or estate planning if under $1,000.
-The certificate is valid for 180 days.
WILDWOOD CREST – Sometimes Zoning Officer Elizabeth Terenik has to tell people things they don’t want to hear. It’s part of the job.
People sometimes buy a property with false expectations, she said, and more than once, a new home buyer has come to the zoning office with plans to expand a property, only to find out that his big plans exceed the borough’s zoning requirements.
A new zoning ordinance requiring sellers to obtain a “Certificate of Zoning Use Compliance” before settlement is expected to help change that. The goal, Terenik says, is to inform buyers about what is permitted on the property before they buy.
“It’s a consumer protection issue,” Terenik said. “So they know what they are buying.”
The zoning certificate will ensure that a property is compliance with local zoning laws, or if it is a “pre-existing non-conforming use” in the zone where it is located. As zoning laws change, sometimes properties that are in place no longer conform to the new regulations, but they are “grandfathered,” as long as no major changes are made to building.
The borough adopted a new Master Plan last year, and changes were made to the allowable uses and requirements in different zones. With the certificate in hand at the time of title transfer, a buyer should have a good understanding of what exists and what is allowed on a property. That way someone, who hopes to expand his non-conforming duplex, will not be surprised to find out that it can’t expand beyond the current footprint of the building. Or the owner of a bungalow on a 30 foot lot will not be surprised to find out that they may not be able to build up as high as his neighbor.
“I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news,” Terenik said, and the new ordinance will help.
The new law will also help the zoning office to get a handle on the condo-conversions that are taking place in many area motels. Terenik emphasizes that the zoning office only have jurisdiction over how a property is used, not over who owns a unit. In fact, if a motel owner wants to sell his units to individual owners, he may bypass zoning altogether and apply to the State Department of Community Affairs for the permit to divide the ownership of the property.
Crest zoning law requires that regardless of who owns each unit, to be considered a motel, the building must meet the requirements of motel – that is, it must provide transient lodging, pay tourism taxes on rooms, and provide onsite management. In exchange they are only required to have 1 parking spot and in some cases they can exceed the height requirement for a multi-family dwelling. The zoning certificate will make these requirements clear to buyers who are purchasing motel rooms as investments. Properties that cease to operate as motels must then meet the zoning requirements for multifamily dwellings, Terenik said. That means providing appropriate storage for longer term use and two onsite parking spots, instead of one.
Terenik said the different requirements are best understood comparing the way a family might use a motel room as opposed to a private apartment. In a condo, they might need more storage for bikes or other equipment, and they might bring two cars over an extended stay. Storage isn’t as necessary in a motel, and a family may be more likely to arrive in one car together.
The certificate of zoning compliance will ensure that properties continue to meet the zoning requirements they were built under. If an owner wants to make changes that do not conform, they will need to present their plans to the zoning board for a variance.
The zoning certificate will also be a valuable tool for the tax assessor, as well, since it will create and continually update the descriptions of properties in the borough. The certificate will provide of record of a property’s location, the structures on the lot and the number of rooms within the structures.
Side Bar
-Property owners are required to apply for a certificate of ownership prior to transferring the title of their property. The application fee is $50 if requested more than ten days before the transfer; $70 four to nine days before, and $125 less than ten days before.
-If a transfer occurs without the certificate, the buyer or the seller has 20 days to obtain the certificate before being subject to violations or penalties.
-The certificate will be issued based on an inspection by a zoning official, a current survey or other documentation. The tax assessor may accompany any inspector for tax assessment purposes
-New construction (within the past 18 months) is exempt from the requirement, as are family transfers or estate planning if under $1,000.
-The certificate is valid for 180 days.
Photo Credit – Wildwood Historical Society
Caption - During a Nor’easter in 1962, nearly 100 of 400 homes in West Wildwood were washed off of their foundations by flood waters.
By MAUREEN L. CAWLEY
Correspondent
WILDWOOD – What would happen now if a major hurricane with 40 foot waves and 100 mile an hour winds hit Wildwood? And what would still be standing when the water receded and the winds stopped?
It’s a “what if” proposition that few local officials are willing to entertain. But not one without precedent.
A Category 4 hurricane once slammed the Coast of Cape May County, and blazed a trail of destruction that roughly followed the route of the Garden State Parkway. But in spite of 200 mile an hour winds, not one building in Wildwood was destroyed.
The reason?
The storm hit on September 3, 1821 more than a century before the Parkway was built. The island then was a lush forest, populated only by wild animals and grazing cattle from the mainland. Since then the Jersey shore has gotten a taste of big storms, but Wildwood has evaded the majority of the damage.
The Great Hurricane of September, 1944 battered the coast and cost New Jersey residents $25 million in damages, but Wildwood got off relatively easy. The bulk of the damage occurred elsewhere. Atlantic City’s Steel Pier was split in half, and portions of Cape May’s boardwalk was reduced to splinters. In Long Beach Island, some 300 homes were destroyed.
According to newspaper reports from the time, a fishing pier in North Wildwood was also destroyed, the bridge tender’s house was washed off of grassy sound bridge, and railroad service was temporarily suspended when the train tracks in Wildwood Crest were washed away.
In the Wildwoods, however, during a Nor’easter in 1962, West Wildwood was severely damaged, when waters from the rising tides washed almost 100 houses from their foundations and floated them away.
But it could have been worse, some say.
In an interview with the Middle Township Gazette in 1996, local historian Bob Bright, Sr., characterized Wildwood as “very, very lucky” in its experiences with major storms.
“We didn’t have the bad winds. We didn’t have as many houses washed down with the exception of West Wildwood,” Bright said.
Learning from the past?
Since then, the Wildwoods has seen a major real estate boom, and some who have watched the quickly changing landscape have wondered how new construction (and well-known landmarks) would weather a storm like Hurricane Katrina.
FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) is looking for answers to these questions, and when the flood waters recede from a major storm event, they dispatch Mitigation Assessment Teams (MATs) to look at how different types of structures have withstood Mother Nature’s blows. The findings are designed to help plan more effective reconstruction and to prevent loss of life and property in future disasters.
According to a MAT 2004 report that looked at the damage done by Hurricane Charley there is some good news. Since damage done by Hurricane Andrew in 1992, “structural capacities appeared to have improved” due in part to stronger building codes and better enforcement, the report says.
The bad news is two fold. Populations in coastal towns continue to increase, and in some cases weak building codes and poor enforcement still leave the infrastructure in coastal towns open to severe damage from winds and water.
Floods
The impact of flood waters or a storm surge on a structure is tough to imagine, but North Wildwood Emergency Management Coordinator Gus Mason uses this analogy: Imagine a gallon of milk. You know how big it is and how much it weighs. “Now imagine a wave 25 feet high,” Mason said.
A pounding from a wall of water that heavy and powerful can obliterate a wall of wood and gypsum board. That’s why MAT, recommends that building codes require new construction to be built above the flood zones on foundations or pilings that allow flood water to flow underneath. Homes on slab foundations on the Gulf Coast faired very badly during Katrina, and many were destroyed by “waves, surge, and floating debris.”
The MAT team also found that high rise structures faired rather well against flood waters. The report on Katrina states: “Some of the high-rise casino hotels and condo¬miniums close to the shoreline experienced some of the worst storm surge depths and wave heights, (but) the foundation stability of the large buildings was not affected.” Most were made of cast-in-place, reinforced concrete, and though the water flowed through the lowest floors of the buildings, the foundations were not destroyed.
Winds
The gusts that damaged the Gulf Coast during Hurricane Katrina were believe to have been as high as 120 miles per hour, but the MAT investigation found that significant damage occurred even where “wind speeds were well below the design levels specified in the latest codes.” That may mean that current building codes don’t do enough to protect structures from wind damage.
Wood buildings of both old and new construction sustained the most damage during Katrina. Structural damage occurred when roof sheathing panels failed and caused an ““unzipping” effect or progressive failure where one failure leads to a series of subsequent failures,” Mat’s Katrina report states. Vinyl siding and synthetic stucco, or EIFS, also failed against Katrina’s winds.
Robert J. Scully, curator of the Wildwood Historical Society and a local builder said that modern-day Wildwood has never seen winds like those from Katrina, and they could be cause for alarm.
“If the roof trusses used in today’s construction are not properly braced, it’s quite possible it could cause a failure in the truss system,” he said. That means that roof could be flying off properties.
Concrete and steel reinforced buildings withstand storm the best, Scully said, and that is what the MAT team that studied Katrina found as well.
It’s not what you are, it’s where you are.
Though in some cases it matters less how a building is made and more where it is located. The center of the island for the most part tends to be higher and drier. Bayside property owners expect flood with high tides. During a storm event the likelihood of storm damage goes us exponentially.
There is no predicting The Wildwood Convention Center might withstand the onslaught of the ocean and high winds. It is new construction and therefore built according to recent building codes, but it also sits in the v-zone and would likely be assaulted by a tidal surge and large waves in a storm.
The boardwalk is also built in a v-zone, but because of the way it’s constructed, “the water would pass underneath,” Scully said. But he added: “The rides would take a beating.”
It’s better to be on higher elevation if a storm hits, but there are no guarantees. If a storm is headed our way, every attempt will be made to get people to leave, Emergency Management Coordinator Gus Mason said. Because by all accounts, the best place to be when a hurricane hits is as far away as possible
