Monthly News & Updates

New Jersey American Water June 1 completed the purchase of the city’s water and sewer system for $21.8 million. The sale complies the requirements of the NJ Department of Community Affairs and the Board of Public Utilities and is the first sale in New Jersey completed through the Water Infrastructure Protection Act put into effect in 2015. 

The act permits the sale of municipal water systems that meet certain criteria. The utility did not have the resources to efficiently maintain the system due to changes in state water and sewer infrastructure legislation, which required system upgrades and capital investments beyond what the city and its 3,000 ratepayers could afford.

The sale requires NJ American invest $14 million in the first 10 years to upgrade the system, including $9 million in the first five years, while keeping rates stable for customers. Upgrades include an emergency interconnection with NJ American’s regional system, water and sewer main and hydrant replacements, and wastewater pump station improvements.

“This agreement provides tremendous benefits for our residents,” Mayor Lisa Jiampetti said. 

Proceeds of the sale will help the city pay off existing debt, which will benefit taxpayers, and complete community capital projects, including upgrades to Key-Rec Field, purchasing a street sweeper, wetlands restoration at the old water treatment plant and electrical upgrades at City Lake Park Campground.

The company operates water and sewer services for 190 other New Jersey municipalities.



“Our plan includes rebuilding and modernizing the town’s water and wastewater infrastructure for continued quality and increased reliability while stabilizing rates and providing excellent customer service,” NJ American Water President Mark McDonough said.

The company retained three of the department’s five employees. Utility Department Supervisor Keith Adams will also remain employed with the city will  continue to head the Public Works Department.

The company will start monthly billing in July. Information will be sent to residents to ensure a smooth transition. The company offers online account management and provides its H2O Help to Others program for qualified customers needing assistance paying their bills.

Learn more at www.newjerseyamwater.com/eggharborcity/.

The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs has awarded Egg Harbor City a $400,000 Small Cities Community Development Block Grant to make Americans with Disabilities Act improvements at City Lake Park.

“Being able to enjoy places, activities and recreational opportunities is critical to ensuring a high quality of life,” Mayor Lisa Jiampetti said. “This award will allow us to continue our work of creating a more accessible and inclusive community.”  

The improvements include the installation of paved handicapped parking spaces, complete with signage and striping, ADA-compliant beach access points, removal of architectural barriers in the existing restrooms, and ADA-accessible walking paths and ramps over existing spillways.

“We thank the Department of Community Affairs for this award and for their commitment to Egg Harbor City,” Jiampetti said.  “We look forward to making these needed improvements to the park for the benefit of our residents.”

The Neighborhood Preservation Program to bring back city’s iconic welcome arch

The iconic wooden welcome arch that stood for a time at the entrance to Lincoln Park at 7^th Terrace will be making a comeback, thanks to planning being done by the folks at the Neighborhood Preservation Program, a program administered by the NJ Department of Community Affairs.

The arch was dismantled in the early 1930s when the White Horse Pike (Rt. 30) was widened but has remained a treasured memory of the city’s residents.

The City Council Thursday, June 8 gave NPP Coordinator Karen Adams the go-ahead to start the regulatory process needed to ensure a smaller replica of the arch gets built on a city-owned parcel in the middle of the 100-block of Philadelphia Avenue. The city took ownership of the parcel after a major fire about 10 years ago burned the old Ed & Rick’s grocery and deli. 

The NPP is turning the vacant lot in the heart of the downtown business district into a gathering place for residents to enjoy community events, concerts, movies and more, and has named it “Archway Greene.”

The improvements, which the NPP hopes to fund with a $250,000 grant, include 12 public parking spaces at the rear of the property, including one that will be available to serve those with disabilities, a raised stage area, lighting, native landscaping, and an open green space.

The council previously provided the approval for the city’s grant coordinator to apply for the American Rescue Plan grant being administered by the DCA. If the grant is not approved, the NPP has funding available to implement the improvement over the next three years.

Archway Greene was designed by architect Benjamin F. Risley Jr. of the Scott Taylor Design Group of Egg Harbor City.

The NPP will now seek the approval of the NJ Pinelands Commission to begin the project.

The NPP is a grant-funded program dedicated to neighborhood preservation and revitalization activities that support housing and economic development activities. The DCA provides $125,000 a year for a five-year period to implement economic development activities that revitalize neighborhoods.

The EHC NPP is also forwarding a façade upgrade program for downtown business owners, has purchased planters and flowers to beautify the Philadelphia Avenue streetscape, and is working to upgrade First Responders Park on the northwest corner of Philadelphia Avenue and Route 30. That project includes adding trees, a flagpole area and a “center of place” sign that spells out Egg Harbor City along the existing curved hardscaped fence.

For more information about the NPP and Archway Greene, contact Karen Adams at eggharborcityedc@gmail.com.