Deal Plans New Pool, Improvements to Casino Beach Club
By ANDREW CANGIANO
Deal Mayor Harry Franco has named borough resident Norma Cohen as the chair of a committee of citizens who will gather suggestions about the future of the boroughs Casino Beach Club.
Franco said he appointed Cohen because she is an innovative, creative person who is a social coordinator and planner.
The decision to form a committee of residents was made by the mayor after over 100 people attended a special meeting of the Board of Commissioners to discuss the future of the boroughs operation of the beach club.
Due to the large public turnout the meeting was moved from a packed Deal Borough Hall to the Deal School.
At the beginning of the meeting architect Frank Tomaino gave a brief public presentation about the construction of a new toddler pool inside the beach club casino.
The pool will include a new deck and will be made of concrete. Its size will be 24 feet wide and 50 feet long, with the deepest portion being 16 inches.
Tomaino said he expects construction to start immediately after the casino closes for the season. He said the pool and its surrounding deck space will cost a little over $200,000.
While residents did not object to the building of the toddler pool, most felt that more needs to be done to improve the quality of the casino beach club.
After the presentation about the toddler pool, the public was given the opportunity to address the board with their concerns, complaints, and recommendations about the future of the casino.
In making their comments residents addressed a broad range of issues, including the possibility of privatizing the beach club, adding more activities for young people, increasing and improving the services at the casino, as well as the condition of the Deal beach.
Many said the casino is not drawing as many young singles and parents with young children as it used to and that there needs to be more amenities and activities geared towards these groups.
We need other things, we need activities, for people older than five, said Janice Shaab, a Norwood Avenue resident.
Robert Frastai, Phillips Avenue, agreed, as he said one demographic that seems to be missing from the casino is singles and young people in their early 20s.
He said there needs to be more activities and programs geared towards young people, who often choose to go to the beach in other towns, like Long Branch.
We have to ask ourselves, what draws in a teenager? said Ocean Township resident and Deal beach club member Rene Beyda. What draws in a young mother with her children?
Borough resident Sonny Dwek said the casino is losing its youth to Long Branch and other towns and asked that a committee be formed to make suggestions about the future of the beach club.
He said certain aspects of the facility were nice, but others needed to be fixed.
The pool itself is beautiful, Dwek said, but said that it needed to be kept cleaner and the deck should be redone.
The lounges are in terrible disrepair, he added.
David Franco, Darlington Road, said that years ago the casino was a fabulous place to go, but has since been eclipsed by other towns, such as Long Branch, which have made improvements to their beachfront.
Franco made a number of suggestions to improve the casino, including adding a Starbucks or coffee shop, a beachfront restaurant, and a boardwalk along the casino.
One resident suggested the beach club should have a venue where alcohol is served.
Another major concern residents had was the quality of service at the beach club as well as conditions on the beach.
Eileen Kean, Neptune Avenue, expressed her displeasure with the condition of the beach.
There is no beach as filthy in Monmouth County as Deal Casino beach, she said, adding that those who use the beach were partially to blame.
Adele Soffer, Monmouth Drive, agreed that the beach is dirty and said the beaches in Loch Arbour and Allenhurst are 10 times cleaner.
She said none of her friends will bring their children to the Deal beach because of the conditions and lack of services.
You need service on the beach, she said.
One resident said the beach should be kept open into the evening hours and shouldnt have to leave the beach by 6 pm. She suggested a lifeguard could stay on duty for extended hours.
Mayor Franco said the borough has a significant liability to protect its swimmers, which could make access to the water during the evening risky. However, he said it could be possible for residents to have continued access to the beach, but not the ocean, into the evening hours.
Some residents suggested that the borough give up its ownership of the beach club and sell it to a private owner.
I think the town should get out of the beach club business, said Monmouth Terrace resident Joseph Cohen, who suggested the borough sell the beach club to a private owner.
He said he would be willing to pay more money in taxes and towards beach club services, but give us a quality product for a quality town.
Mayor Franco said the board of commissioners is taking all of the residents suggestions into consideration.
He said selling the beach club to a private owner is a possibility, however the state will not allow the borough to lease the beach club to a single private owner for a period of more than five consecutive years.
The beach club casino is currently being run by Jim Foley, the mayor said.
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