community guide

The Current of DB / 2014/2015 COMMUNITY GUIDE

By R.J. LIBERATORE Jr.Staff Writer

There is one main reason why Margate con-tinues to thrive as a premium city for both its residents and business, according to Margate Business Association President Ed Berger.

“All of our member businesses believe that a strong business community means a strong community,” said Berger, who has been MBA president for about four years. “A strong com-munity needs a strong business community.”

And that is where the challenge lies for the Margate Business Association’s 101 members.

“It’s a challenge when you have to make your business year in the 99 days of summer,” Berger said. “You really need to pull it all to-gether.”

Margate businesses face marketing compe-tition from Atlantic City to the north and Ocean City to the south.

“Atlantic City is by far one of the world’s larg-est tourist resorts,” he said, “and Ocean City is one of the largest family resorts.”

Both cities have larger public relations and marketing operations and budgets to promote their image throughout the region and beyond.

Together, the two cities put a squeeze on the smaller resorts of Ventnor, Margate and Long-port, which lie between them.

“In Margate, it takes a lot of cooperation,” Berger said. “It takes cooperation between the city leaders and the business community. And I couldn’t ask for any more cooperation than what we receive from the city.”

After all, he said, Margate is primarily a res-

idential community where only about one-third of the homeowners live in the city year-round. Margate’s seasonal residents either come down for a few weeks during the summer, or spend the weekends here.

“That’s why we are looking to expand our summer by making our shoulder season strong,” Berger said.

For any seasonal business, increasing profi t comes from increasing the shoulder season, Berger said.

“It’s the part of the year up until June and the part of the year that comes after Labor Day,” he said. “We need to give our residents a reason to keep their homes open and stay down here longer.”

Berger said he liked what the MBA had been doing with its Tour de Margate and Fall Funfest. However, he said those events could be devel-oped, expanded and enjoyed by more people.

“We worked with the other Downbeach com-munities and expanded the bicycle tour and turned it into a Tour de Downbeach,” he said. “We went from 100 riders to more than 400 this year. It has become a great family event.”

Similarly, the Fall Funfest has grown from a single-day event to a two-day extravaganza that can draw anywhere between 30,000 and 40,000 people with good weather, Berger esti-mated. This year’s Margate Fall Funfest by the Bay takes place 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27 and noon-5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 28.

“The Margate Business Association’s big-gest event is the Fall Funfest,” he said. “It’s a great family event and one of the largest juried craft shows. There’s gourmet food and nonstop

entertainment,” Berger said.Besides the fun, the Funfest serves Margate

in a much-needed way, he said.“The city needed to have a large event that

gave us something to showcase Margate,” he said. “The spirit of the people who live here make it the city that it is.”

The MBA strives to use its events as a way to give Margate’s seasonal residents a reason to stay a few weeks longer or to come back on weekends.

“We always have to fi nd ways to bring peo-ple back,” Berger said. “Margate never closes. Only three of our member businesses shut down for the winter. The rest of our businesses are open all year round.”

Berger and the MBA wouldn’t have it any other way.

Other members are Rob Hammerschlag, vice president (Downbeach Deli); Randy Young, secretary (Heritage Surf and Sport); Leon Riggins, treasurer (Cape Bank); Anna Maria Blescia, executive director; Glenn Dar-by, professional services representatives (R.E. Darby Insurance Agency); Paula Hartman, real estate services reporesentatives (Hartman Home Team of Berkshire Hathaway Home Ser-vices); Christopher Gualtieri, restaurant rep-resentative (Barrels Restaurant); Ara Mazer, retain services representative (Avant Girl Blow Dry and Style Bar), Cookie Till, trustee, (Steve and Cookie’s By the Bay); Karen Sherman, trustee (Tomatoes Restaurant), Lisa Walker, trustie (Jewish Family Services of Atlantic and Cape May Counties); and Maria De Philipo, trustie (Nix Salon and Spa).

MBA looking to makeMBA looking to make Margate shoulder season strongerMargate shoulder season stronger

Calling all mothers. The Mar-gate Mothers’ Association is a group of mothers that plan and present numerous activities for the community and the community’s children throughout the year.

In addition to the annual Memo-rial Day parade and the Fourth of July fi reworks display, MMA orga-nizes events throughout the year including a Halloween party and parade, holiday cookie exchange, breakfast with Santa, and spring egg hunt, among others.

The Margate Mothers’ Associa-tion is looking to expand its mem-bership and roster of activities for

local children and the community. Local moms are invited to join them and share their ideas.

Meetings are held the fi rst Wednesday of each month from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Martin Bloom Community Pavilion, behind the Margate Library.

If you are interested in sponsor-ing the Margate Mothers’ annual Fourth of July fi reworks display, contact them by email. Without the generosity and support of spon-sors and residents, this spectac-ular event would not be possible.

For more information email [email protected].

Margate Mothers’ Association holds events all year The Jan-Ai Scholarship

Fund was established to help people age 13 to 30 follow their dreams in the arts. It was created to honor the memory of Ventnor native Jennifer Cakert (1980-2006), a writ-er, poet and photographer. It was her love of the arts that inspired organizers to create the scholarship.

Since April 2007 the fund has given out $110,440 in scholarships and cash awards to 94 recipients in the community and beyond. Students who have received the awards can reapply after

a year.The organization will be

participating in the Boscov’s Friends Helping Friends Tuesday, Oct. 21 and has $5 discount passes available. Its new goal is to give out $150,000 by its 10th anniver-sary in 2016.

See www.jan-aischolar.org for photographs of past events, scholarship recipients or to make a donation via PayPal. Checks can be sent to PO Box 8068, Atlantic City, NJ 08404.

For information call Cynthia Walker at 609-442-4992.

Jan-Ai Scholarship Fund


Fast FactsAccording to the U.S. Census Bureau, the

city has a total area of 3.522 square miles, consisting of 1.951 square miles of land and 1.571 square miles of water.

The city’s population is 10,650, according to the 2010 U.S. Census.

Located on Absecon Island, Ventnor is bounded by Atlantic City to the northeast and Margate to the southwest.

It is in the 2nd Congressional District and is part of New Jersey’s 2nd Legislative District.

The city operates under the commission form of municipal government, regulated by New Jersey law under the Walsh Act. Resi-dents elect three commissioners to a four-year term, who then vote among themselves who will be assigned the offi ce of mayor by resolu-tion. The commissioners serve as department heads in addition to their legislative duties.

Ventnor City Commissionwww.ventnorcity.orgCity Commission regular meetings are

held 6 p.m. the third Thursday of each month. Workshop meetings, where no action is taken, are held 4 p.m. the second Thursday.

Mayor: Mike Bagnell, commissioner of pub-lic safety

Frank Sarno, commissioner of fi nanceTheresa Kelly, commissioner of public works

and recreation

Ventnor City Hall6201 Atlantic Ave. 609-823-7900

Unless stated otherwise, department hours are 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Ventnor City City Clerk: Janice Callaghan, 609-823-7904

Code Enforcement: Jimmie Agnesino, 609-823-7987

Municipal Administrator: Thomas Russo, 609-823-7964

Municipal Court Administrator: Kathleen Robbins, 609-823-7974

Planning Board Chairman: Jay Cooke 609-823-7987. Planning Board meetings are held 6:30 p.m. the second Wednesday of each month.

Public Works Director: Dave Smith, 609-823-7935. Public Works Department hours are 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Recreation Director: Jerry Thomas, 609-823-7950. Recreation Board meetings are held 6:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month.

Tax Assessor: Diane Kelly, 609-823-7911Tax Collector: Julie Harron, 609-823-7971Water and Sewer Billing: 609-823-7912Zoning Board Secretary: James Pacanows-

ki II, 609-823-7997. Zoning Board meetings are held 6:30 p.m. the third Wednesday of each month; call 609-823-7987 for more in-formation.

Police DepartmentCity Hall, 6201 Atlantic Ave.Police nonemergency: Chief Michael Miller,

609-822-2101Police records: 609-822-7968. Hours are

8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Fire DepartmentFire Headquarters, 20 N. New Haven Ave.Fire Station No. 2, Little Rock and Welling-

ton avenues, Ventnor HeightsFire nonemergency: Chief John Hazlett,

609-823-7942

Trash and RecyclingTrash and recycling are collected in fi ve

zones:Monday – Jackson to Surrey (beach block

to bay) and Suffolk to Fredericksburg (beach block only); Tuesday – Suffolk to Troy (North Atlantic to bay); Wednesday, Ventnor Heights; Thursday, Richards to Melbourne (North Atlan-tic to bay); Friday – Baltimore to Fredericks-burg (North Atlantic to bay) and Ventnor West and Ventnor Gardens Plaza.

All trash must be placed at the curb by 7 a.m. on collection day.

One bulk item per week (furniture, TVs, electronics, carpeting, etc.) may be placed curbside for collection with trash. No construc-tion waste is permitted. Appliances must have Freon and CFCs removed.

Yard waste is collected every Monday from June through September, and every other Monday from October through May (see www.ventnorcity.org/publicworks.asp). All yard waste must be placed in kraft bags or properly marked containers; plastic bags are not per-mitted. Branches must be tied in bundles less than 4 feet in length and 8 inches in diameter and not exceeding 50 pounds. All yard waste must be placed at the curb by 7 a.m. on col-lection day.

Recycling collection is provided by the At-lantic County Utilities Authority on the same day as trash pickup. Recycling must be placed at the curb by 7 a.m. on collection day at least 10 feet apart from trash. Paper, plastic and metal recyclables do not need to be separated for pickup. Do not include Styrofoam or plas-tic bags. To request recycling buckets, see a list of recyclable items, or for hazardous waste disposal, see www.acua.com or call 609-272-6950.

LongportFast Facts

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the bor-ough has a total area of 1.56 square miles, consist-ing of 0.385 square miles of land and 1.175 square miles of water.

The population is 895, according to the 2010 U.S. Census.

Located on the southwest tip of Absecon Island, Longport is bounded by Margate to the northeast.

Longport is in the 2nd Congressional District and is part of New Jersey’s 2nd Legislative District.

The borough operates under the commission form of municipal government, regulated by New Jersey law under the Walsh Act. Residents elect three commissioners to a four-year term, who then vote among themselves who will be assigned the offi ce of mayor by resolution. The commissioners serve as department heads in addition to their leg-islative duties.

Borough of Longport Commissionwww.longportnj.govThe commission meets 4:30 p.m. on the third

Wednesday of each month and other times as announced. Workshop meetings are the second Thursday of each month and other times as an-nounced.

Mayor: Nicholas Russo, commissioner of public affairs and public safety

James P. Leeds, commissioner of revenue, fi -nance, parks and public property

Daniel Lawler, commissioner of public works and human resources

Longport Borough Hall2305 Atlantic Ave. 609-823-2731Unless stated otherwise, department hours are

9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.Municipal Clerk: Emilia Strawder, ext. 100Municipal Court Administrator: Andrea Brady,

ext. 112 or 113Municipal Engineer: Richard Carter, ext. 121Public Works Supervisor: Bill Trinkle, ext. 120.

Public Works garage hours are 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Registrar: Jenna Kelly, ext. 117Tax Assessor: Jeffrey Hesley, ext. 103. Offi ce

hours are 5-8 p.m. Wednesdays.Tax/Utility Collector: Thomas Hiltner, ext. 111Zoning Offi ce: ext. 114

Police DepartmentBorough Hall, 2305 Atlantic Ave.Police Nonemergency: Chief Vincent Pacentrilli,

609-822-2141Police Records Custodian: Karen McGlaufl in,

609-822-2141. Hours are 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Fire Department2301 Atlantic Ave.Fire Nonemergency: 609-822-9578

Trash and RecyclingTrash is collected every Monday by the Atlantic

County Utilities Authority.Yard waste is collected every Tuesday in May-

Sept. and every other Tuesday the rest of the months by Longport Public Works. Call 609-822-5759.

Recycling is collected by the ACUA every Mon-day mid-May through mid-September and every other Monday during the rest of the year. Paper, plastic and metal recyclables do not need to be separated for pickup. Do not include Styrofoam or plastic bags. To request recycling buckets, see a list of recyclable items or for hazardous waste dis-posal, see www.acua.com or call 609-272-6950.


Margate CityFast Facts

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.6 square miles, com-prised of 1.4 square miles of land and 0.2 square miles of water.

The city’s population is 6,354, according to the 2010 U.S. Census.

Located on Absecon Island, Margate is bounded by Ventnor to the northeast and Longport to the southwest.

It is in the 2nd Congressional District and is part of New Jersey’s 2nd Legislative District.

The city operates under the commission form of municipal government, regulated by New Jersey law under the Walsh Act. Resi-dents elect three commissioners to a four-year term, who then vote among themselves who will be assigned the offi ce of mayor by resolu-tion. The commissioners serve as department heads in addition to their legislative duties.

Margate City Commissionwww.margate-nj.comCity Commission regular meetings are held

in Commission Chambers every fi rst and third Thursday. A work session with possible action taken is held the second Thursday of each month. Agendas are posted on the city web-site.

Mayor: Michael Becker, commissioner of public safety

Maury Blumberg, commissioner of revenue and fi nance

Brenda Taube, commissioner of public works

Margate City Municipal Building9001 Winchester Ave. 609-822-2605Unless stated otherwise, department hours

are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday.City Clerk: Thomas D. Hiltner, 609-822-

2605Code Enforcement: Stephen Schwartz,

609-822-4310Municipal Court Administrator: Maureen

Larkin, 609-822-1998Planning and Zoning Board Administrator:

Johanna Casey, 609-822-0424Public Works Director: Frank Ricciotti,

609-822-5038Registrar’s Office: Tara Mazza, 609-822-

0424. Registrar’s Office hours are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Tax Assessor: James Manghan, 609-822-1950

Tax Collector: Thomas D. Hiltner, 609-822-2508

Water & Sewer Billing: Sandy Miller, 609-822-2921

Zoning Department hours are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday.

Zoning Officer: Roger Rubin, 609-822-5438

Police Department111 N. Decatur Ave.Police Nonemergency: Chief David

Wolfson, 609-822-1151Police Records: 609-822-5063

Fire DepartmentMunicipal Building, 1 S. Washington Ave.Fire Non-emergency: Chief Anthony Ta-

basso, 609-822-5562

Trash and RecyclingTrash is collected in four zones: Monday,

Coolidge Avenue to Wilson Avenue including condos); Tuesday, Vendome Avenue to Je-rome Avenue; Wednesday, Jasper Avenue to Exeter Avenue excluding Exeter Court); Thursday, Essex Avenue to Fredericksburg

Avenue including Bayshore Drive, Exeter Court, 7800 Marshall and 7800 Burk).

All trash must be placed at the curb no earlier than 6 p.m. the night before collection and no later than 7 a.m. the day of collection. Empty trash containers must be removed from the curb on the same day as collection.

Yard waste is collected on the same day as trash in a separate pickup, and must be separated from household trash. Shrubs, branches and tree clippings must be secure-ly tied in bundles less than 4 feet in length and not exceeding 50 pounds. Grass and leaves must be placed in biodegradable pa-per bags.

Recycling collection is provided by the At-lantic County Utilities Authority every other Thursday. Paper, plastic and metal recycla-bles do not need to be separated for pickup. Do not include Styrofoam or plastic bags. To request recycling buckets, see a list of recy-clable items, or for hazardous waste dispos-al, see www.acua.com or call 609-272-6950.

The City Public Works Department pro-vides separate pickup service on Tuesdays for electronic waste, including computers, TVs, VCRs, DVDs and video game systems; and pickup of white goods large applianc-es-and scrap metal on Wednesdays. Resi-dents must call Public Works in advance at 609-822-5038 to arrange for pickup.

Street SweepersMargate operates two full-time street

sweepers in five zones. Vehicles should be parked off the road the night before sweep-ing. The zones are: Monday, Bayshore Drive area; Tuesday, Coolidge Avenue to Union Avenue; Wednesday, Thurlow Avenue to Je-rome Avenue; Thursday, Jasper Avenue to Gladstone Avenue; Friday, Frontenac Ave-nue to Fredericksburg Avenue.

Submitted by Joy Kanter, Assistant Director, Margate Recreation

The Margate Community Education and Recreation Department offers a variety of programs for the Fall 2014 season for all ages.

Scheduled adult workshops include “Long Term Care and Estate Taxes” and “Mac Com-puter Survival.”

Parents with college-bound children can check out “College and Scholarship Search.” Feel like moving? Join the Soul Line Danc-ers on Friday nights or take part in aerobics classes, which run Monday, Wednesday and Friday in the morning. Adult men’s basketball leagues begin the fi rst week of October.

Start your preschooler off in the world of soccer with “Tot Soccer Clinics.” Margate Recreation also has a popular soccer league for students grades kindergarten through eight.

Other youth activities include karate, gym-nastics, chess, painting, clay, pottery, piano, guitar, and cooking, with new classes always popping up.

Please visit us at the Margate Fall Funfest Sept. 28 and 29 where we are scheduling the entertainment for the kids stage near Steve and Cookies Restaurant.

Plan on a full weekend of fun with the variety of performance acts including Brain Wash Trivia Show with Eric Dasher, Magic Show with Joe Holiday, Leslie’s Dance Stu-

dio, Blake’s Gymnastics and Bright Stars Gymnastics, Melissa March – Miss Majorette of New Jersey, Group Fitness Workout with “Big Sarge,” Margate Players Theatre Group, students of Suzie Neustadter, “Runditioning” with Coach Mindy Solkin, and a visit from Miss New Jersey, Cierra Kaler-Jones.

The 17th annual Punt, Pass and Kick com-petition, scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 15, is sponsored with the Margate City Police De-partment.

And if you want to journey out of town, join us for our annual bus trip to the Big Apple Saturday, Dec. 6.

Please contact us for more details at 609-823-6658 or check out our new website at www.margate-nj.com.

Fun for all ages with Margate Community Education and Recreation


By BILL LeCONEYStaff Writer

The traffi c and hot beach weather may be behind us, but there are still plenty of avenues for local sports and recreation in the Downbeach communities of Ventnor, Margate and Longport.

This time of year, the action moves away from the beaches to the volleyball and basketball courts, swimming pools, and playing fi elds.

Margate’s Eugene A. Tighe Middle School has grown into a fi eld hockey power, with its girls dominating the Atlantic Cape Ju-nior Athletic League, under the guidance of coach Tracy Jones.

“I think the key to our suc-cess has been in teaching ea-ger learners the basics at a very young age, and to get the best athletes out for the team,” said Jones. “And, most of all, mak-ing sure that they are having fun while learning the game. Teach-ing the kids responsibility, how to be good teammates, and the joys of being a part of a team are top priorities.”

Jones also runs the Down-beach Dribblers fi eld hockey camp, which has grown to 60-80 girls each summer ages 6-14. Many former Tighe players have gone on to success at the high school level, as well as local club teams, colleges, even the U.S. National team.

Positive role models, coaches and mentors like Jones make a huge difference in youth sports. The Ventnor Little League had a heartwarming success story this past summer when a group of boys under the age of 10 were left without a coach for the All-Star Team. League President Michael Cahill stepped in and signed up to be the boys’ head coach, along with two parents as his assistants, and guided the team to several huge victories, including the championship of the Galloway Tournament.

There are many other oppor-tunities to participate in sports and recreation. One that offers a full schedule of activities for lo-cal youth and active adults is the

Ventnor Department of Commu-nity Recreation and Education.

The Ventnor Recreation Bas-ketball League gives junior high and high school athletes a chance to play structured, com-petitive basketball in a friend-ly, informal environment. Held Wednesday nights at the Lafay-ette Avenue Educational Com-plex, the league has four teams and about 40 players in the junior league (also known as the Hutch League), and eight teams with 70-80 players in the high school league.

For more information on the Ventnor Department of Commu-nity Recreation, see http://www.ventnorcity.org/recreation.asp.

The Margate Community Education and Recreation De-partment offers a host of pro-gramming for all ages, including Tot Soccer clinics, morning fi t-ness classes, men’s basketball leagues, youth soccer, fi eld hock-ey and basketball leagues, pick-le ball, platform tennis, karate classes, gymnastic classes, and much more.

For more information, see http://www.margate-nj.com/rec-reation.

Margate Recreation will hold its 17th annual Punt, Pass and Kick Competition Saturday, Nov. 15, for ages kindergarten through eighth grades.

Heading into its seventh sea-son, the Hoops for All Basket-ball Clinic at the Tighe School is for boys and girls in Atlantic and Cape May counties ages 5 through 16 who are physically or cognitively challenged. For infor-mation or to become a sponsor call director Marianne Christian at the Martin Bloom Community Pavilion, 609-822-2285.

The Milton and Betty Katz Jewish Community Center, locat-ed at 501 N. Jerome Avenue in Margate, is a place for children to play and learn, and a place where health and wellness are a priority.

The JCC’s Early Childhood Education Center provides swim classes in the indoor pool, planned activities in a full-size gym, and outdoor recreation fa-

With the cooler weather, Downbeach sports and recreation heat up

cility. The Lenny Krayzelburg Swim Academy teaches a com-prehensive, results-driven swim method, survival curriculum that stresses water safety, and an award system that engages and motivates children. Call 609-822-1167 or see www.jccatlantic.org.

The JCC Margate Shark com-petitive swim team recently became a USA Swim team for swimmers ages 5-18 years old. The team will compete in dual meets and USA Swimming meets during the season. For more in-formation, contact Alicia Fimple at 609-822-1167, ext. 133.

The arrival of autumn ramps up the competition between area fi shing enthusiasts, as the Atlan-tic County Surf Derby presents one of the region’s most unique annual tournaments. Unlike many fi shing competitions, this one is a land-based tournament

that prohibits the use of any wa-tercraft, from boats to surfboards.

The derby starts on Sept. 24 and runs through Nov. 4. There is a $25 entry fee, and proceeds benefi t the Police Benevolent Associations for the participat-ing municipalities of Brigantine, Atlantic City, Margate, Ventnor and Longport. Complete details are available at local sportsmen shops.

Starting Oct. 1 and continuing until April 1, anglers take to the Kennedy Bridge into Longport in search of stripers, porgy and other cooler-water fi sh. Fishing hours are limited to between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. daily during those seven months. Died-in-the-wool fi shermen will tell you that given the location, its proximity to the Inlet and the current that fl ows underneath, there’s hardly a better place to drop your line.

In what a parent called a true-life “Bad News Bears” story, Vent-nor fi refi ghter Mike Cahill took over the town’s underdog 9-10 Little League team and helped it rally for a championship at the Gallo-way tournament. After losing their last two games of the Absecon tournament, the Ventnor squad rebounded to beat Ocean City, EHT, Chelsea and South Cumberland in the Galloway tournament. Then they beat host Galloway, 10-9, in an exciting championship game.

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