West Long Branch Council Briefs You may be able to raise a glass to America on July 4

By Neil Schulman
West Long Branch — Assuming there are no legal hurdles or insurance obstacles, you may be able to enjoy a glass of wine or bottle of beer while watching this year’s summer concert series at Franklin Lake.

At the June 17 Borough Council meeting, Councilman Chris Neyhart said that he had been reviewing some of the borough ordinances relating to parks. One of them states that alcoholic beverages are not allowed there without a permit from the borough.
Neyhart said people often like to enjoy concerts and special events like the Fourth of July with a little drink.
“If someone shows up with a little glass of wine, technically, they’re in violation,” Neyhart said.

He suggested that West Long Branch issue a permit to allow people to bring alcoholic beverages to Franklin Lake for these special events, possibly kept to a specific area in the park.

West Long Branch would not be supplying alcohol; merely permitting it. And council members seemed to be expecting small quantities only.

While some council members are concerned with possible drunk and disorderly conduct, others said that it’s the “disorderly” part which is worrying, not the drinking itself.

Borough Attorney Greg Baxter said that there might also be issues with the borough’s insurance policy, and with the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Commission. Officials will investigate those before deciding to issue a permit.

Neyhart also had concerns with how the borough’s picnic ordinances are written. While they specify groups of 25 or more need a permit, they don’t actually say that smaller groups are necessarily allowed. It’s possible that someone who decides to eat their lunch by the lake is technically violating the borough’s ordinances, and he suggested fixing the language.

Wall Street traffic study
Mayor Janet Tucci reports that the county is doing a traffic study on Wall Street following comments from the borough.
Wall Street is a county-owned road. Residents have been worried about speeding, accidents and a potentially dangerous situation.

“We’ve had a lot of recent complaints,” Tucci said.

One of the problems is that Wall Street has four relatively sharp curves. That poses a risk for someone unfamiliar with the road who is speeding, especially at night or when it is foggy.

One of the things the county is considering is enlarging the chevrons, the arrows that indicate a curve is coming up.

Tucci said that the 35 mile per hour speed limit there was unlikely to change, and the borough would need to find a way to make sure that it is enforced.

95 Poplar delays
Work to demolish the building at 95 Poplar Avenue has hit a snag; the borough has – again – had trouble contacting the architect.
“Our patience with the architect is starting to run thin,” said Councilman Jose Villa. “He is holding up the process at this point.”
Villa said the borough administrator would try to get ahold of the architect. If that doesn’t work, the borough attorney will step in.