By MELISSA BEVERIDGE
Bradley Beach Mayor Gary Engelstad administered the Oath of Office to James Arnold who has served as a police officer for the past 14 years and was promoted to sergeant this week.
Police Chief Leonard Guida said it was a “promotion well deserved.”
“It feels like yesterday that I stood up at the same spot 14 years ago and I was being sworn in as a regular police officer,” Arnold said. “All those years ago I had an opportunity to go to the State Police and a lot of guys told me to stick around and I’d have a great career. You guys were right.”
The borough also presented former Fire Chief Joseph Everett with a proclamation for his service from 2011-2015. Everett was unable to attend, but First Aid Squad Captain John Zech accepted the award.
Borough Engineer Gerald Freda updated the council regarding Ocean Avenue. The handicap ramps are complete and Monmouth County is expected to begin paving around April 18th. Freda said the paving is expected to take two weeks.
The council expressed their concern that funds will be needed to repair the bulkhead on the northeast corner of Sylvan Lake. The borough was originally able to reduce the cost of the lifeguard station improvements to $250,000. But the safety of the bulkhead is in question after a car drove into Sylvan Lake Friday.
“There’s a serious and significant liability there,” Engelstad said. “I’d love to do both (the lifeguard station and the bulkhead), but we can’t afford to do both.”
Freda said he’s aware that the insurance company notified the borough that there is an issue with the bulkhead. Freda said they could install a new composite sheeting bulkhead over the existing bulkhead, about 300 feet, to secure the area. The project would require permits from the Department of Environmental Protection.
Councilman Harold Cotler suggested that the borough fix the entire bulkhead, not just the collapsed area. Freda estimated that the entire bulkhead is about 1,000 feet long and would cost about $600 per foot. Freda is expected to bring project proposals to the next council meeting for the council to review.
Councilman Norman Goldfarb introduced the suggestion of banning tents on the beachfront after receiving numerous complaints and reviewing other municipalities who have similar ordinances including Avon. The council agreed, due to safety concerns including the police and lifeguard’s ability to monitor what is happening within the tent. An ordinance will be drafted and discussed at the April 26 council meeting.
An ordinance was introduced amending outdoor café seating for borough restaurants. Cotler suggested that the ordinance be amended to allow for young residents to open up lemonade stands in front of their house, not wanting to “stop kids from being industrious.” Volante said he was voting yes to the introduction, but that it was a “slippery slope.”
“We should take a good look at this to have some seating in restaurants and cafes,” Volante said. “You’re going to have every business to say I’m a business, I’m going to have tables outside, but I don’t serve customers inside.”
