Corson, Palombo and Cascaccio review past year, look ahead for UTBA
BEESLEYS POINT — Township officials say developing a sewer system is a future goal but financially prohibitive at this time.
Mayor Curtis Corson, Committeeman Tyler Casaccio and Committeeman Zach Palombo reviewed a couple of projects that took place in 2025 and noted others that are coming up this year and in the future during the State of the Township address.
The address took place during the Upper Township Business Association’s membership dinner Feb. 11 at the Tuckahoe Inn. Restaurant owner Tyson Merryman asked when the township was going to get sewer service.
Casaccio told the business group that a study done “years ago” put the price tag of installing sewers at $75 million. That would be three sections — Route 9 south to Church Road, Ocean City to Middle Township and Strathmere.
He said it would be less expensive to hook up to the sewage treatment plant in Ocean City but that island officials have refused to share their pump station.
“The problem is, since Ocean City refuses to participate in any type of a shared service type of agreement, we have to build our own treatment facility, and that is where the substantial cost comes from,” Casaccio said. “We will probably some time in the near future explore putting a sewer plant in Upper Township.”
Casaccio serves on the subcommittee that is working with the Beesley’s Point Development Group (BPDG) on its planned redevelopment of the former B.L. England Generating Station.
The BPDG bought the 350-acre site bordering Great Egg Harbor Bay in 2021 with plans for bayfront attractions, along with residential development and a significant nature component that will be open to the public.
Part of that project involves construction of a sewage plant in Beesleys Point, but not one large enough to accommodate the community.
“The Beesley’s Point Development Group has applied to the state of New Jersey for a permit to build a plant,” Casaccio said. “We have supported it 100 percent, what they’ve proposed.”
Chad Parks of the BPDG confirmed that they have applied for permission to build a wastewater treatment plant but noted that due to its size, it would “support our development only and would not be able to accept waste from the surrounding community.”
As for the larger project, Casaccio said after years of evident progress — multiple structures on the site, including a cooling tower and smokestack, have been dismantled and removed — progress appears to have slowed.
However, the BPDG is seeking partners to develop a hotel, marina and housing and the group says it’s nearly ready to formally present its plan to the township.
“A lot of developers were kind of scarce and as the economy slowly seems to have a little daylight into it, they’ve had three major offers from developers to move forward,” Casaccio said. “So it is moving forward and starting to really generate interest from some big-time developers.”
Cannabis sales
The mayor addressed Township Committee’s plan to create an overlay zone on Roosevelt Boulevard to allow a cannabis dispensary to open there.
“There’s a lot of pros and cons on that. I’m looking at it strictly for a revenue standpoint. It’s going to be good revenue for Upper Township,” he told the business group. A second reading and public hearing on the matter are set for Feb. 23. Township Committee meets at 6:30 p.m.
Budget
Casaccio, who oversees revenue and finance, said the township would be presenting its municipal budget next month. He said the finance department is waiting on Gov. Mikie Sherrill to deliver her first spending plan to learn how much state aid will be forthcoming.
“Last year, we had $650,000 taken away from us last minute so we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves,” he said, noting the township is within the 2 percent cap on tax levy increases. “There’s not a lot of fat in the budget.”
He noted that only 14 percent of what the township collects is used for municipal purposes, while 70 percent goes to the school district and the remainder to the county and fire districts.
Recreation
Township Committee has secured grants to reconstruct its skatepark at Amanda’s Field. Casaccio said the facility is more than 20 years old and “in need of some repair and revitalization.”
He said plans also call for an outdoor fitness facility.
Palombo, who oversees the Department of Public Works that performs much of the buildings and grounds work, said the workout equipment would be popular with people who are at the park while their children play sports.
He said other plans for Amanda’s Field include lights for the softball and soccer fields and a bathroom facility.
“The idea behind it is to get all of these rec programs into specific spots in our township to consolidate and also keep costs down for you as a taxpayer,” Palmobo said.
Shared services
Palombo said Township Committee is taking multiple steps to cut costs, noting that Public Works staff members are cross-trained in multiple disciplines.
“We try to keep all repairs in-house so that way we don’t have to go and get a third party to fix a broken truck. We want to make sure that we keep our good equipment going so we don’t have (workers comp) claims,” Palombo said, adding that absent a police force, “Public Works equals public safety.”
He also said the township is expanding its shared services, contracting with other municipalities for EMS and court.
– By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
