During its first public meeting of the year, held Monday, Jan. 12, the Beach Haven Borough Council formally addressed the town’s tent affairs matter by introducing an ordinance amendment that, if adopted, would limit the allowable number of tent permits per residence to eight until Jan. 1, 2016. After that time, the number of tent permits would be limited to four.
If passed, the ordinance would also raise the permit fee from $25 to $100 each. No additional permits would be granted.
“A tent or other temporary structure may be erected on private property for private use by the property owner and/or their guests, and must be dismantled within 48 hours of the conclusion of the event,” the proposed ordinance states.
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| Photo via Google The excess number of tent events at 101 Centre St. has created issues for many of the surrounding neighbors. |
This summer the council approved an ordinance amendment that allowed a limit of eight tent permits per site per year, an increase from the previous four. The amendment also allocated a limit of seven additional permits to be granted upon written approval. This increase in events, coupled with symptomatic issues such as noise, disruption and parking matters, particularly near 101 Centre Street, a former bed and breakfast that is often rented out for wedding parties, has been the main concern for many surrounding neighbors.
“There were 19 weekends where there were tents (at 101 Centre Street), even though there were supposed to be eight,” Mayor Nancy Taggart Davis told The SandPaper. “We sort of looked the other way, but because of all the complaints and the people that are upset, we have to be more diligent about enforcing these ordinances.”
During public comment, seasonal resident John Harvey, who at a previous meeting said he and his wife bought a second home on Second Street because of the “vibrancy and energy of the area,” urged the council “to make decisions based on the common good of its constituents.” He suggested keeping the number of permits at eight even past next year. He said doing so “would represent, at worst, an uncomfortable situation for some people less than 4 percent of the time” during the 214 days between April and October, “when the permits are typically approved for.” He asked elected officials to get together with some of the surrounding neighbors “to discuss some ways to make the events more of a joy for some and less of a negative situation for others.”
“In my opinion, this solution not only reflects good decision-making and effective government, but will also help build a higher level of trust between neighbors; and frankly, trust has taken a hit during this process. This is always a good thing, especially in a community as special as Beach Haven,” Harvey stated.
He also thanked town personnel for updating the meeting minutes on the website, which he said helps those living out of the area to keep up with town matters.
A more concise amendment to the current noise ordinance was also introduced to better help people understand the provisions. The proposed ordinance states that a violation occurs “when an officer can hear plainly audible music or other sound at a distance of 100 feet beyond the property line of the noise-generating property during nighttime hours, or any unreasonable sound at or within a complainant’s property during daytime hours.”
Plainly audible is described as “any sound that can be detected by a person using his or her unaided hearing faculties of normal acuity.”
Nighttime hours are from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Monday through Sunday, and daytime hours are from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Sunday.
Also during the meeting, Borough Manager Richard Crane announced the town’s water plant was recently taken down, and construction of the new one is expected to begin “relatively soon.” The project should be completed by the “early part of May.” During the winter months, water will be supplied by an interconnect with Long Beach Township.
“It’s the perfect time of year for this. This is our lowest time for water usage,” Crane said.
In comparison to the same period last year, water usage is down 2.2 million gallons, he noted.
Due to the frigid temperatures, Crane encouraged those who have not already done so to take precautions to winterize their properties. The town has already had waterline breaks and emergency callouts due to the weather.
“We certainly do not want anyone to have to suffer through that,” said Crane.
The Coral Street water main project is expected to begin within the next couple of weeks, he added. A pre-construction meeting is scheduled for Wednesday.
Proposals for architectural services for the municipal building are also in the works. The town plans to use a commercial architect to design a two-story building that will house all of the administrative personnel as well as the police department.
“This is taking an unusually long time,” Crane noted. “That sometimes happens, particularly when you’re taking in, in this case, state and federal money. There’s a whole other level or two of regulations and approvals you have to get.”
He said he hopes to see progress soon.
Other ordinance amendments for fencing; beach parties; special events and block parties, including bonfires; streets and sidewalks; water meters for unimproved lots; private garages as an accessory use; seasonal rental dwellings; as well as scrap metals, precious metals and other secondhand goods regulations were introduced at the meeting.
It was also announced that the municipal offices will be closed Monday, Jan. 19, for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
At the end of the meeting, members of the council, including Jim White and Don Kakstis, who were both sworn in Jan. 2, congratulated Taggart Davis, a member of the council for the past 4½ years, for being unanimously elected as mayor during the council’s reorganization meeting. Although she told The SandPaper she had “mixed emotions” about being mayor, she said she thought she “could do a good job,” considering she is retiring in June after 41 years from her position as a professor of pathology at the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey.
“I don’t have any classes to teach this semester, so I thought I could probably put the time into it,” Taggart Davis said. “I would not have taken this position if I had to teach, just because of the time constraints with attending meetings outside of the curriculum.”
— Kelley Anne Essinger
This article was published in The SandPaper.
This article was published in The SandPaper.
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