Residents say there is more flooding since road work
August 11, 2011
Eatontown playground dedication in Wolcott Park
August 11, 2011
Originally published Aug. 11, 2011
By Neil Schulman
Sea Bright — Three different organizations are holding special events on Saturday, Sept. 10, which has caused some concern about managing the crowds.
At the Aug. 2 Borough Council meeting, council approved a request from the Sea Bright Fire Department to hold its Family BBQ on Sept. 10, but only after some discussion.
The Seventh Annual PBA Luau is also scheduled for that day, on the beach by Merrimakers. It’s also the first day of the September SkimBash, held on the municipal beach, which attracts numerous skimboarders and fans of the sport.
“A skim bash, a barbecue and a luau, all at the same time? That’s a lot of events in one area,” Chief John Sorrentino said.
However, borough officials believed that they should all be manageable, and approved the fire department’s request.
New pumper coming
Council has approved the acquisition of a new pumper for the fire department.
Council president William Keeler said that when it arrives, two older ones will be retired and sold. They have become very expensive to maintain.
Keeler said that the last time Sea Bright purchased a truck, they hired a consultant to look at it before the final inspection.
“That seemed to be helpful,” he said.
Keeler said that if the borough wants to spend the money, they could hire a consultant again, or even consider hiring one to follow the whole process as the pumper is built rather than waiting until the end. On the other hand, it would also be possible to accept what the Public Safety Committee recommended, without bringing in an outside source.
How to use beach funds
Councilwoman Dina Long asked to table a discussion on how to use $200,000 in settlement funds for beach access, until the borough’s Beach Committee can discuss it more thoroughly.
As part of a settlement agreement with the Department of Environmental Protection, the borough must allocate the money to improving beach access.
Long said that there were several possibilities being considered. They include putting real bathrooms at the Anchorage lot to replace the portable ones, putting a walkover by the stairs near the Peninsula House, and examining how to create parking by North Beach.
Long said that she wanted a chance to examine these options, and possibly some others, in more detail before deciding what would work best for Sea Bright.
“We’re not at the point where we’re ready to give a recommendation,” Long said.
