By BILL BARLOW/Special to the Sentinel
UPPER TOWNSHIP — Mayor Rich Palombo looked back on the effets of COVID-19 and plans for 2021 in his annual address to the Upper Township Business Association on Feb. 25.
Plans for the sprawling site of the former BL England power plant top the township priorities, he said, in what is likely to be his final state of the township address to the business organization, an event that has become a tradition in recent years.
Palombo has announced that he does not plan to seek re-election in 2021 after serving as mayor for 22 years.
He told the business group during a virtual meeting that he was disappointed that despite campaigning hard for years, he has not yet managed to get a commitment to build a full interchange at Exit 20 of the Garden State Parkway in the Seaville section of the township, an effort the business organization has backed.
That project was included in a list of potential improvements used to justify an increase in road tolls, Palombo said, adding that the township has been working with the county on the matter and with state officials and U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew. It remains possible that the efforts will come to fruition, he said.
“Who knows? Stranger things have happened,” he said.
But Palombo also expressed pride in the progress made in the township, as well as optimism about the prospect of future economic development.
Also at the meeting, he oversaw the swearing in of the UTBA officers, including Steve Zellers, the new president of the organization. The advertising manager for The Sentinel, Zellers replaces former president Jack Griffin of Dompierre LLC on Roosevelt Boulevard, who led the remote meeting Thursday.
During the meeting, Palombo spoke at length about the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, both within the township and in a wider context.
“What a year it’s been,” he said.
Palombo said he was happy to say that the township recently had its first day without a reported new case. There have been decreasing numbers in the area, and he pointed to efforts to provide vaccines, with the potential for them to eventually be available at local pharmacies.
“I hope it’s a harbinger of good things to come,” he said.
Palombo spoke about plans for county-funded improvements at the bay beach on Harbor Road in the Beesleys Point section of the township, which could begin this spring, and other plans for economic development.
The biggest is the ultimate fate of more than 300 acres around the former coal-fired power plant on Great Egg Harbor Bay, which shut down in May 2019. Early this year, after an extensive review by the Planning Board, Township Committee approved an ordinance declaring the site an area in need of redevelopment.
Palombo told the business organization that the township is close to an agreement with the owners of the site, RC Cape May Holdings LLC, and there has been interest from major developers.
“I don’t want to get into too much detail because I’m not sure how much I can bring out, but there are a few developers that have a great interest in what that area could be for us. We have made it a hotel-marina district,” he said.
The idea would be to remove some of the massive buildings at the site and complete a cleanup process.
While he did not give a name, he said a major developer has been in discussion with the township about the site.
“There is a very serious developer with venture capitalists that we have been in communication with over the past three months,” he said.
There has been some resistance from RC Capital, he said, adding that the township has pushed for the holding company to reject a use as an industrial site.
“We don’t feel that that’s the right thing for our community,” he said.
Palombo said the township has spent extensive time on the proposals for the property. He added that he wants to establish what is going to happen there before his term concludes at the end of this year.
“I truly believe that the BL England site is the future of Upper Township. I think there is the potential for so many ratables there. What it will do is help facilitate the town center that we have identified from Roosevelt Boulevard down through the storage facilities. We’re actively working on that,” he said.
Other topics include the township’s long-term planning on road-improvement projects, which Palombo described as a major undertaking, and recent upgrades and improvements to the township’s computer systems. Part of the effort aims at thwarting attempts by hackers to hold hostage township records, in what are known as ransomware attacks.
“That’s the last thing we want is to be paying to get our own information back,” he said. “We’ve taken the extra step. It’s expensive.”
The efforts have improved the township’s rating with the Joint Insurance Fund and will improve the township’s ability to hold remote municipal meetings. Those have become the primary means of conducting local government meetings, but even after the pandemic improves, Palombo believes it will be a part of local government in the future, allowing more people to watch and participate in discussions.
There were also questions from participants, which UTBA member Blanch Adams read at the meeting. That included a question whether it is time for Upper Township to have a full-time mayor.
“I feel like I am a full-time mayor,” Palombo said, adding his time in office was like having two full-time jobs.
Another question related to attracting young families to the township. Palombo said the community cannot survive without young families, adding that he is always disappointed that some young people have trouble remaining in the community due to economic reasons, such as living expense or difficulty finding a job.
He cited the township’s school system and recreation opportunities as attractive to those raising children.
Palombo also said the township needs to work to increase its commercial ratables.