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Public Raking Of Private Beaches Sparks Discussion Of Program's Merits
By Catherine Galioto
The township has three public beaches. Between them sits private property.
For years the township staff raked the beach from one end to the other, taking one long walk from Beach I, to II and III.
That is, until recently, when township staff wondered whether it was OK to use its equipment and staff to preserve lands that could be seen as private. How public is a private beach, anyway?
In a lengthy discussion among township council members last week, township attorney Jean Cipriani offered her opinion: up to a line called the mean high water mark, a beach became public. Several council members agreed.
But Councilman Dan Toth was still concerned.
"We are taking township resources … to prevent beach erosion. I've got a fundamental problem with using township resources on private property," Toth said, adding that not every inch of the beach is public property.
Councilman Michael Thulen said it must be OK - the federal government sees fit to replenish the entire coast line, spending billions of dollars, and beach buggies ride up and down the beach. No one stops walking the beach, goes back to the street when private property begins, and then re-enters in a public beach.
Other officials said the value of the beaches was reason enough.
"There aren't any more coastlines being built in New Jersey," Councilwoman Kathy Russell said. She urged the council to vote "yes" to reactivating the beach raking, saying conservation is key.
The amount the beaches bring in, as far as beach pass revenue, is $360,000 annually, officials said. Compare that revenue flow with the cost of paying someone several hours a week to use the beach rake, officials suggested. Several estimates put that figure below $10,000.
"Let's not be pennywise and pound foolish," Council President Stephen Acropolis said.
The raking could help preserve dunes. Also, it nets about eight dumpsters full of debris in one month, township Administrator Scott Pezarras said. Without the raking, that garbage sits among the sand. It's a program the township used for 20 years, Pezarras said.
Preserving all the beaches helps residents enjoy the entire beach, Councilman Anthony Matthews argued. Having a well-kept beach serves the township well by keeping property values for beachfront property high, allowing the township to have a public beach revenue, boosting tourism and putting tourist dollars in the hands of local businesses.
Pezarras estimated that 300 fulltime beachfront residents throughout the township have property taxes that net 12 percent of the entire tax base. But while property taxes and beach pass revenue can be easily estimated, the value of tourism dollars is immeasurable, Matthews said.
"We're not just serving the 300 residents with private beaches (if we rake), we're serving the tens of thousands of residents of Brick Township and its visitors," Matshops thews said.
Acropolis also said the Brick beaches are in great shape now because of the regular maintenance spent preserving them. Beaches can shrink, and though he remembers walking over hundreds of yards of beach as a child, it could be as small as other beaches are now without the preservation.
In the end, all but Toth voted "yes" on the measure. Pezzaras said the staff will be notified to resume its prior raking program.
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