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| Photo by Ryan Morrill The pilot program will hopefully lead to an Island-wide beach badge. |
For the remainder of the summer season, individuals with 2015 seasonal beach badges are welcome to use their tags, regardless of what LBI municipality they are for, to visit any of Beach Haven’s beaches, from 12th Street to Nelson Avenue. The pilot program started by borough officials could lead to the adoption of an Island-wide seasonal beach badge, which is something many local residents and visitors of the Island’s numerous municipalities have been pushing for a long time.
“People have been talking about an Island-wide beach badge for years,” said Beach Haven Mayor Nancy Taggart Davis. “We thought it was time that we did something about it. We hope this action will be reciprocated by other municipalities on the Island.”
If established, the Island-wide badges would allow beach-goers to pass between municipalities without being penalized, and free of having to purchase more than one badge. Municipalities are still considering different options for implementing such a plan, said Taggart Davis. However, Beach Haven’s pilot program is producing interesting data that has the potential to accelerate the negotiations currently underway on LBI, she explained.
Taggart Davis said she hopes more people come to Beach Haven, “to sit there and walk and swim and enjoy” the beaches.
“LBI has some of the finest beaches in the world. Our goal is to balance their accessibility with proper maintenance and safety,” she noted. “For generations, our community has been one of the most family-friendly in America. People come to LBI for its beaches, but they stay for the world-class dining, shopping and entertainment.
“We are just trying to make it as easy as possible for people to have a good time down on the Jersey Shore,” she added. “I hope the mayors and councils of the other municipalities on the Island will take part.”
— Kelley Anne Essinger
This article was published in The SandPaper.
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