June 30, 2023 Newsletter

June 30, 2023

Greetings Bradley Beach-

One of our BIG weekends is upon us- July 4th! The long weekend weather looks pretty promising right now. Fingers crossed!

I’ll update you on two Infrastructure projects we are focused on right now. More to come as we get more into planning for the remainder of the year.

New Infrastructure project: The Biase Center roof replacement

The Carmen A. Biase Center at our municipal complex has had a roof leak for some time. We brought in an architect and the recommendation was for total replacement. Due to some material supply issues, we are now scheduled to start work the week of July 10th. The roof will be completely replaced. Following that, a mold remediation effort for the building interior will take place. This was necessary and long overdue!

We will then move the Community Development (Zoning/ Code, etc.) and Meals on Wheels back into the building; and groups like the Seniors, Arts Council, and committees/ commissions will have access to the facility.

Another infrastructure project nearing implementation:

Lake Terrace Park Improvements: Monmouth County Open Space Grant!

Here are some of the planned changes/ upgrades to this important park-

-6' Chain Link Fence Gates replaced

-New Brick Pavers

-Leyland Cypress trees along back border

-Replace the 8-foot fencing (back border)

-New surface Course Walkway

-Fiber safety mulch

-Small Sensory Dome Play Structure

-Two Belt Swings plus one Expression Swing

-One Zero-G Swing Chair on

-Decorative 6' Bench

-Decorative Picnic Table

As I mentioned above, this weekend kicks off our July 4th celebrations. The weather since Memorial Day Weekend has been a bit challenging; and the upcoming days do have variable weather patterns- lets’ hope for the best! Fireworks are Monday evening- July 3rd. Rain Date Sunday July 9th. Other events will be mentioned below in the attached ads.

Some big news from our State Budget adopted on Friday!

The Bradley Food Pantry will receive a $25,000 grant from the state budget.

We are so grateful for the work Senator Vin Gopal is doing in the area of food security. The Senator put this earmark into the budget in recognition of the important work we do in Bradley Beach. This grant, along with the many other contributions we receive- are a key success factor for the Pantry. Our “X-Factor”, though, is the generous spirit of volunteerism by our neighbors, residents and friends. The Pantry has 168 volunteers on the books that support almost 900 families from 10 different Monmouth County towns- remarkable. I have often said that the Bradley Food Pantry is the most important enterprise in town- this I believe!

A shout out and congratulations to the Bradley Beach First Aid Squad for 90 years of continuous service to the community of Bradley Beach.

As many of you know- the Bradley Beach First Aid Squad is an all- volunteer organization who does not charge for any of the services it provides. Please help them continue their work by supporting them in their annual Fund Drive which is currently underway. Additionally, you’ll see the Squad on the promenade this weekend as part of the fund drive. Please support!!!

If you attended the 130th Celebration on the Promenade on June 10th, you might have noticed and electric trolley picking up and dropping off residents. It was a success. Since then, I have sat down with “Feel Good Trolleys” and we are working on a limited “pilot” to assess how we might proceed in 2024. This is very exciting from a parking, safety, support to businesses, and environmental perspective. We are working on 1) Bradley Beach On Demand by Text - Friday 5pm-10 pm and

2) Dinner Shuttle by Reservation - Monday - Saturday 5pm -10pm Saturday. This gives our residents access to short trip travel to and from our Main Street businesses. More to come next week- we are getting close to a launch!!

This should complement the restaurant experience in our community.

Restaurants have become a defining characteristic of our community. They bring visitors here, bring out our residents, and are viewed outside our town as one of the things that makes Bradley Beach such a cool town.

R E S T A U R A N T R O W- from the south side (Vic’s) to the north side (Scratch Kitchen, Uva, La Fogata Ideal), and every block in between, we have 25 of the most delicious. interesting, diverse, “good vibe” establishments in Monmouth County, if not the state of New Jersey. This should be valued by each of us. It helps define our town and helps drive our local economy. More to come on this important topic. But look what NJ Monthly is saying about us!

New Jersey Monthly- 24 hours in Bradley Beach READ MORE

A few other quick topics:

Our Municipal Budget:

The adoption hearing was held Wednesday and PASSED- Thank you to the Council and Greg Fehrenbach, our interim Business Administrator!

The municipal levy increase is about 11%- not an amount we are happy about. In 2021 and 2022, the increases were 1% and 2% respectively, so this is a more significant increase. We are averaging about 5% increase for these 3 years. This doesn’t minimize the current increase. We’ll have to take a hard look at minimizing the 2024 increase through critical assessments of our costs and revenue opportunities that are possible.

I’ll go into our “go forward” plans in the coming weeks. I can say, contrary to some social media banter that I have heard, that we are in sound financial shape. Our reserves are stable; and we have good ideas on keeping Bradley Beach affordable.

OUR BEACHES ARE COMING ALIVE-

As the water warms up and the infrastructure project is complete, our beaches are all open and coming to life, as they do every year. Swimming, sunbathing, shell searches, surf fishing, music concerts, are among the activities we enjoy each year with our family and friends.

And Finally, an update from the Bradley Beach Business Community Alliance:

Both Bradley Beach Alliance events for this weekend have been canceled due to unhealthy air quality.