Long Branch Area Business Meeting Notes Around Town

Ablel Gomez, Director and UEZ/CDGB Coordinator,; Christian Perez, Associate Director Brookdale Community College LB; Councilwoman Dr. Anita Voogt; Dr. Jackeline Fuertes, BCC; Carlos A. Reynolds,Vice President Long Branch Chamber of Commerce, Mayor John Pallone and Councilman Glen Rassas.

By Patty Booth O’Neill

The city held its monthly business meeting recently at Brookdale Community College on Broadway. The meeting is held every three months, where business owners are invited to learn information about what’s going on in town, talk about what is new with them, and are encouraged to ask questions.

Christian Perez, Associate Director at BCC Long Branch, opened the meeting, having everyone introduce themselves. Also in attendance was Mayor John Pallone, council members and other representatives from the city.

Danna Kawut, Special Events Coordinator spoke about upcoming programs beginning with the Art in the Park, coming up in May. The city is looking for artists to sell their wares for a $25 donation to participate in the event held in West End Park.  “The summer concert series will be on Sundays, Thursdays and Tuesday in July.  There will be four bands on West End Beach this year,” she said.

Danna Kawut , Long Branch Programs & Events Coordinator

The Father’s Day car show and West End Car show are on this year. On May 19 there will be a disability fair at the Senior Center with information vendors and entertainment, activities and food. 

“To find out more information about upcoming events you can go to our Facebook Page,” Danna added.

Lieutenant Brendan Cahill, Joe Corcoran and Officer Jorje Silverio from the Long Branch Police dept.

Lieutenant Brendan Cahill and Officers Jorje Silverio and Joe Corcoran from the Long Branch Police Dept. gave a UEZ report, going over the New Jersey law prohibiting E-bikes, and other electric vehicles without proper licenses and safety gear. New Jersey now has strict new regulations classifying electric bikes and motorized bicycles, requiring riders to have a driver’s license or special permit, mandatory registration, and insurance. Riders must be at least 15, and must wear a helmet.

For those of you wondering where electric scooters fall they have do not have rules or regulations like E-Bikes. They are allowed to be driven without E Bike laws and can be driven on sidewalks, but at a safe speed and must keep safety in mind.

“There will be a grace period,” Cahill said. “We’re not going to go hard on drivers right away and we expect there’s going to be a lot more as summer arrives.”

Officer Silverio spoke  about an application on line for new officers. “There’s an application on line for police officers this month and we were looking for some really good people. If we interview them and we see, they are good people we can make them into great police officers,” Silverio said. 

Dr. Jackeline Fuertes, New Jersey Small Business Director at Brookdale Community College for 15 years, gave a presentation about how they offer free, expert consulting for business owners, business development and entrepreneurs. Find more information here.