Juvenile osprey in nest in bay across from Ventnor Plaza shopping center.
Ventnor's Board of Commissioners took actions to ensure proper markouts for driveways, named a new street, welcomed back former Public Works Supervisor and Engineer Ed Stinson, and agreed to provide additional funding to fight offshore wind turbines last week.
The city introduced a revision to its Streets and Sidewalk ordinance to allow the Public Works Department to stripe no parking areas in front of driveways to ensure vehicle ingress and egress. Residents will be able to request a markout instead of doing it themselves. The revision establishes a $25 application fee for the markout request, which will be placed through the Code Enforcement Office.
The city often fields calls from residents who do not understand the proper striping configuration, Mayor Tim Kriebel said. Having the Public Works Department do the striping will make the markouts more uniform and enhance parking regulations.
A public hearing on the ordinance will be held 5:30 p.m. Thursday, June 27. If the ordinance is approved, property owners will no longer be allowed to do their own markings.
The city also agreed to give an unnamed street between the 4900- and 5000-block of Wellington Avenue between Dollar General and Provenza a new name. The street running adjacent to Ventnor Plaza shopping center, which has been undergoing extensive redevelopment over the last two years, will be named Osprey Place. The new name honors the raptor, which is often seen perching on osprey nests erected in the bay across Wellington Avenue. The osprey is also Stockton University’s mascot.
Commissioner Lance Landgraf said “Talon,” Stockton University’s official mascot, will attend a dedication ceremony, the date of which has yet to be announced.
The board also unanimously approved resolutions “unequivocally” opposing offshore wind and approving an additional $20,000 legal expenditure to join a shared services agreement with Long Beach Township in its Phase III fight to stop Atlantic Shores from erecting up to 200 wind turbines off the coast of New Jersey. The city previously contributed $10,000 toward the fight.
“We are not opposed to alternative energy sources, but the projects as proposed along our coast will bring an industrial type of use to our shore,” Landgraf said. “These offshore turbines will turn a beautiful natural vista into seeing industrial windmills a few miles from our beaches.”
The projects will also require “huge” public subsidies to make them feasible, he said.
The board also welcomed back Stinson to serve as the city’s engineer. Stinson’s firm EStinson Engineering, LLC was awarded a professional services contract not to exceed $50,000 through Jan. 31, 2025.
“He did a great job for us in the past, and we look forward to having him assist Ventnor in the future,” Landgraf said.
