300 Engleside Ave Beach Haven, NJ  08008  |  Ph: (609) 492-0111  | Fax: (609) 492-6262

Mayor's Monologue

June 18, 2008

It was a picturesque setting (something out of Mayberry) last night in Beach Haven’s Veterans Bicentennial Park for the graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2008. Many smiles, glad-handing and words of wisdom were imparted to the honorees as they continue their educational sojourn. Parents, patrons, faculty and staff, along with the entire Beach Haven community are to be proud not just of the efforts of this band of merry women and men, but of the school itself, as Beach Haven Elementary was rated number one out of the first one hundred-twenty five schools reviewed under the new NJ State guidelines. Congratulations to Dr. Pat Daggy, the Board of Ed, faculty, staff, PTA and all others who ensure that the children of our community receive simply the best experience possible!

In Beach Haven, we never worry about having an event and not having anyone show up! Memorial Day weekend was just such a case; blessed with wonderful weather, Beach Haven was obviously the place to be. Thanks go to Jill Pharo for all of her efforts in coordinating the annual Memorial Day Parade, and also to Rob Meyer and the Community Arts Program for producing the Memorial Day Ceremony. The swelling crowds for both events were indicative of an outstanding weekend, with many merchants reporting record numbers in their stores and businesses.

As many may remember, last year Beach Haven created a committee to review the operations of the Southern Regional School District and the substantial inequity that exists regarding the funding of that esteemed center of higher education. Faced with a proposed average household increase of $108.54 for 2008’s budget, as if the existing levy wasn’t disparate enough, this group of detectives ferreted out a simplistic administrative oversight – that students had been mis-allocated based upon their domicile. Apparently our fine friends thought that pretty much everything that has the moniker "Beach Haven" in it should be assigned to Beach Haven proper; areas of LBI mis-assigned included North Beach Haven, Beach Haven Terrace, Beach Haven Park and the Crest. The following table will show the changes afforded after fixing the over-sight:

Increase (Decrease) in Tax on the Average Assessed Home

Barnegat Light ($141.45) ($45.20) $96.25

Beach Haven $108.54 $74.84 ($33.70)

Harvey Cedars $16.07 ($45.78) ($61.85)

Long Beach Township $.23 $1.72 $1.49

Ship Bottom ($27.14) ($30.13) ($2.99)

Surf City ($24.44) ($37.44) ($13.00)

Stafford Township $19.95 $24.14 $4.19

A savings of over $100,000 was accrued to the Beach Haven community, along with a decrease in municipal share and inherent tax levy. We hope to receive a final report from the study team at the July Commissioners’ Meeting; the group has re-established a working relationship with SRHS and will continue to monitor the financial impact of SRHS’s actions upon Beach Haven.

Once again Beach Haven has been ranked in the top three for lowest beach badges for the Jersey Shore. Accepting that the Wildwoods do not charge at all, Beach Haven with it’s $20 pre-season rate for seasonal badges rates with Stone Harbor and Avalon as the lowest.

Several major projects for the Beach Haven community have either been recently completed or recently started. Completed projects include upgrades to the Water Department’s filtration room – most importantly instituting a liquid chlorine injection method that is much safer in operation, finishing the West Avenue drainage project to reduce standing water, and the increase of parking spaces on Taylor Avenue and Centre Street to keep more vehicles in the commercial areas, providing some relief for the need to park in the residential areas.

The recent start of installing a revetment at the bay end of Taylor Avenue has been long awaited and will allow Beach Haven to reclaim an area that has been eroding away over the last several years. After much haggling with other levels of government, and their agencies of oversight, the necessary work hopefully will be completed just after the July 4^th weekend, allowing for all to better use the Taylor Avenue Bay Beach and Beach Haven’s Dog Beach for the remainder of the summer. Additionally, engineer review has begun for Second Street, which is scheduled to be revitalized in a manner similar to what occurred on Centre Street this spring.

Lastly, I would like to invite homeowners, taxpayers, friends and visitors alike to come to Borough Hall to meet Sherry Hartman, Beach Haven’s new Municipal Clerk. After more years than she would care to remember, our beloved Judy Howard has retired and can be found helping her daughter Christine operate her business or, hopefully, enjoying the beach at the end of her street that she has always been told of by her neighbors. After interviewing numerous outstanding candidates, Sherry was enticed to join us in our little piece of Heaven from her efforts as Deputy Municipal Clerk, Deputy Registrar and Deputy Court Clerk in Linwood, NJ. We hope that her tenure with Beach Haven will be as enduring and favorable as Mrs. Howard’s.

Summer is upon us here in our happy little hamlet on the beach. Sun is shining, water is almost warm (at least its in the low 60’s), and the waves are great. The good men and woman of Public Works continue to refurbish the beaches and bayfronts for all of our enjoyment and we are open for business; there’s no place like Beach Haven, why not come down and join us!

Kindest Regards,

Tom Stewart, Mayor
Commissioner of Public Affairs & Safety

Back to top.