Steve Jasiecki/Using the Ventnor Fishing Pier as a measuring stick, you can see how the sun rises in different locations throughout the year. The top image is the summer solstice in June, The middle image is the equinox in September and March, and the bottom image is the winter solstice in December
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
VENTNOR According to Mayor Beth Holtzman, the nonpartisan Imagine Ventnor team elected in 2016, has accomplished much of what it set out to do, and even more improvements are coming over the next few years.
Ventnor Mayor Beth Holtzman
We ran on a platform to bring a new vision and vibe to the city, and I think we accomplished that over the last six years, she said.
In the commission form of government, each of the three members of the Board of Commissioners controls what happens in their various departments: Holtzman heads Finance, Tim Kriebel Public Safety and Community Affairs, and Lance Landgraf Public Works. Each commissioner has plans to continue the improvements that started with getting the city's financial affairs in order.
But it's the events, recreation, activities and dining that keep drawing people to Ventnor.
From what I hear on the street, Ventnor is now the go-to city, Holtzman said. From the concerts on the beach and at Ski Beach, the new restaurants and businesses, our fabulous Ventnor Square Theater to our new capital improvement projects, we are utilizing and improving our city's resources.
Concerts at Ski Beach in Ventnor.
The city's administrative team, department heads and staff help to get major capital improvements completed, including rebuilding Firehouse No. 2 on Wellington Avenue and establishing new restrooms and a Pier Master's Office on Ventnor Fishing Pier. The city is currently building a new Beach Patrol Headquarters, which should be completed by mid-summer barring any supply chain issues, and plans are underway to replace the gazebo located in the beachfront park on Newport Avenue in the off season. Plans are also in the works to upgrade infrastructure, replace streetlights with LED lightbulbs, time traffic signals and improve storm drains and bulkheads to reduce nuisance flooding.
From left, Ventnor Commissioner Lance Landgraf, Mayor Beth Holtzman and Commissioner Tim Kriebel
All these iconic structures have the same architectural details and are changing the landscape of Ventnor for the better. I call them eye candy' for residents and visitors, she said.
The city's recreation program includes summer camps for children, including a surf camp, and arts and crafts classes at the Ventnor City Cultural Arts Center, but it's the adults who are having fun with pickleball.
Pickleball is huge, Holtzman said. Converting a few tennis courts was definitely a smart move for the city. It's enjoyed by adults of all ages, including those over 70 who are fit. It even spurred a new business to open at the old Wawa on Dorset Avenue that now offers lessons and indoor pickleball year-round.
Some of the offerings are free, such as the city's two concert series offered at the Newport Avenue beach park and Ski Beach on the bayside off Dorset Avenue. Open Pier Nights give visitors a chance to stroll along the longest pier in New Jersey in the evening hours or to catch the 4th of July fireworks and Atlantic City Air Show.
Crowds line the Dorset Avenue Bridge in Ventnor to catch a view of the Go Green Parade.
Dining options have improved with the opening last year of PJ Buckets, a seafood restaurant, and the turnover of Annette's, now called The Dorset. Sack-O-Subs, which closed suddenly last month, is slated to reopen under the management of a Sacco family member. The city has many BYOs, and one of the Imagine Ventnor team's first orders of business was to issue liquor licenses to full-service restaurants. To date, two licenses have been awarded and are operational at Nucky's Speakeasy at the Ventnor Square Theater and Santucci's Original Square Pizza. Both were redevelopment projects. A third license has been awarded to Sapore's Restaurant, which has extensive plans for an outdoor expansion.
Ventnor Square Theater
Restaurants are popping up here and there. I drive around and new places are opening all the time, she said. And many of them are doing so well, they can stay open year-round.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic caused a slowdown in business in 2019, 2020 rebounded and many out-of-town property owners chose to stay in Ventnor while their children were able to attend school remotely.
During COVID, they stayed for the winter and a lot of them made the change permanent, especially because people with children learned the Ventnor schools are among the best schools around, she said. Over the last several years, and even when I was on the school board, several of the top graduates of Atlantic City High School were from Ventnor. The quality of our schools is A+.
Ventnor Educational Community Complex
Ventnor was able to make all these improvements, including establishing a tax abatement program for new construction that generates higher ratables, without raising taxes. This year, the municipal tax rate increased a penny, but thanks to a reduction in school taxes, the overall tax rate went down again.
The real estate market is out of control, Holtzman said. The houses that go on the market get sold within days for double their assessments and with cash offers. A house on my street in the Heights recently sold for more than $500,000, but it was assessed at $250,000. And the rental market is just as strong.
The next big event for the city is the Ventnor City 1-Mile Run to be held on the boardwalk July 3, when a lot of people are here, she said.
This year, the family fun run is celebrating 50 years, and Holtzman is advocating to have a fireworks display in the evening.
We have a little funding available but are hoping to tap sponsorships to help fund it, she said.
Spectators view the Atlantic City Airshow from the comfort of one of Ventnor's boardwalk pavilions.
Although things are looking rosy for most of the city, it is not without its challenges, such as controlling everyone who wants to use the city's crowning jewel the Ventnor City boardwalk.
We have challenges with the bikers, runners and walkers all vying to use the boardwalk. It's only 14 feet wide, and it's hard to limit activities during certain times. The once-leisurely bike rider now has to contend with more serious bikers looking for exercise, which is especially difficult for senior citizens who want to take a stroll in the morning or evening hours. We've had a few close calls.
The city has hired several Class 2 officers to help with patrols, but we don't want to over-regulate, she said.
Although dogs are never allowed on the boardwalk at any time of the year, the city may make an exception when Police Chief Joe Fussner holds a Pet Parade in the fall, she said.
Really all we need is for our people to follow the rules we have posted. That would make life a lot easier for everyone.
Le Tour De Downbeach on the Ventnor City Boardwalk.
Another problem that the commissioners have been unable to overcome is the lack of parking spaces for the thousands of people who descend upon the city during the 100 days of summer.
There's no problem parking in the Heights, but in the main part of the city, it's limited, as it is in all shore towns, Holtzman said. It is what it is. We don't have parking garages like they have in Atlantic City, and when you buy a home here, you already know that.
Nevertheless, Holtzman said she is elated to hear mostly positive comments from year-round, summer residents, and visitors about the direction the city has taken over the last several years.
It's music to my ears because we ran for office with one goal to make Ventnor the best it could be.
This is the first in a series of stories about the sizzling summer ahead in Downbeach towns.
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