Beach badge sales in Beach Haven this summer totaled $494,582, which is an increase of $14,582 over last year, borough manager Richard Crane announced at the town council’s regular meeting, Tuesday, Oct. 13. The number of daily badges sold increased by 408, and an additional 152 seasonal badges were sold.
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| Photo by Jack Reynolds Sunny days helped bring more beach- goers to Beach Haven this year. |
Given the nice weather and crowds the beaches had every week this year, Crane said he was a bit shocked by the final numbers and also wondered “whether we’ve maxed out.” He noted the town’s free beach admittance on Wednesdays, held for the first time this summer, had affected sales, though he is not yet sure how greatly.
“I don’t know how much of an effect that would have had, but I was a little surprised. I was expecting we’d take in a few more dollars,” Crane said.
On the positive side, Mayor Nancy Taggart Davis emphasized, the borough did bring in more money than last year. She also noted Wednesday Fun Day helped bring more business to town.
“It was an extremely good summer for the merchants. In addition to that, it was a long summer,” Taggart Davis said. “Unfortunately, we had bad weather over Chowderfest, which was a shame. But we did see a lot of activity this past weekend.”
The mayor said she spent more money during the #blinkinglightsale than she did all summer. The campaign during Columbus Day weekend to help local businesses recover from the hit of the Chowderfest cancellation was started by a group of local businesswomen.
This summer, the beach patrol was “extremely active” with 487 rescues, “proving yet again that the Atlantic Ocean is not your typical backyard pool,” Crane said. During a four-day period, from Aug. 27 through Aug. 30, the patrol made 157 rescues. The high number was attributed to the large crowd of people and the rough water conditions from a strong northeast wind and an extremely low tide.
“Swimmers were taking advantage of the relatively shallow water, and then they would step just beyond a certain point, go knee-deep in the water and get caught in the rip current,” Crane explained. “It created a tremendous amount of problems for them, and (Beach Patrol) Chief (Mike) Lawrence said it was the most serious thing he’s seen. He never experienced anything quite like that.”
Crane noted Lawrence also suggested the beach replenishment immediately to the north of the borough in Long Beach Township may have had something to do with it.
“That’s an awful lot of rescues in a four-day period,” Crane emphasized.
In other meeting news, Crane noted the first phase for demolition of the borough hall has begun with Yanuzzi Group of Hillsborough Township, which submitted a successful bid of $237,000. The entire project is expected to be completed by the end of 2016.
The council approved an ordinance amendment that, if adopted, would make it “unlawful to dispose of trash, litter, garbage, or debris by placing it at any location other than the property where it was generated.”
An ordinance amendment pertaining to special events, block parties and bonfire events that require Dumpsters was also approved. If adopted, it would be up to the public works department to decide whether an event must use borough-issued Dumpsters or if the event is large enough to require the use of a commercial Dumpster provider. If a commercial Dumpster is necessary, receptacles would need to be picked up the day after the event concludes. If not picked up at that time, a fine would be applied until pick-up was done. All applications for special event permits would also need to be accompanied by a non-refundable fee of 10 percent of the rental fee pertaining to the organization.
An ordinance amendment updating the permitting process and regulations for newspaper vending machines within the borough was also approved.
Councilman Jim White, who said two of his nieces are battling stage IV breast cancer, urged the public to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month. He noted 250,000 women in the U.S. are affected by the disease.
Councilman Don Kakstis announced the council will be working with St. Francis Community Center to obtain a grant to bring handicapped children to the beach next summer.
Taggart Davis thanked Beach Haven Future for working with the borough on its 125th anniversary events, which are ongoing. An inaugural Fall Festival will take place at Veterans Park Saturday, Oct. 24, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
— Kelley Anne Essinger
This article was published in The SandPaper.
This article was published in The SandPaper.
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