Borough of Point Pleasant Beach The meeting began at 9:00am with introductions. It was pointed out that a reporter from the Ocean Star was present and recording the meeting.
Seth spoke about the annual meeting, scheduled for Saturday, August 13th at the High School Gymnasium. (Note: Meeting now on Saturday, August 6th.)
Mayor Kanitra provided the following report:
- PPB is gearing up for the season. Last summer was fantastic with revenue up, families back and complaints down.
- There is a new police chief and the Mayor is feeling good about the direction of the police department. There will be a strict enforcement of quality of life matters.
- The no smoking of tobacco and cannabis products in public spaces will be enforced.
- The beach ordinances will remain.
- The Mayor is a big proponent of the “broken windows theory,” in which you take care of little issues to show a sense of pride and caring and to prevent them from growing into bigger issues.
- Ocean Avenue – water main replacement program is on-going and it will be paved in the fall
- The historic ship – AJ Meerwald – will be back this summer on Channel Drive.
- Bank of America building on Arnold Avenue – looking to do a mixed use building but wants to design to have some character to it
- The Spot restaurant will likely open under a new owner with a different theme.
- Spikes was approved for expanded outdoor dining.
- The former Dukes on Broadway is going to open and the building has been fixed up nicely.
- A new shuttle service will run throughout town. It will be similar to Uber. The trolley company is out of business.
- Added a code enforcement inspector for the weekends
- Setting up litter patrols
The following items were discussed:
- NRTAC members explained to the Mayor that PPB is our second home and we too have a stake in the town’s success and future. The Mayor said that he is supportive of non-resident taxpayers and makes mention of that in the public. He is concerned about investors coming in and being only interested in making money. NRTAC members expressed their concern about investor owners too.
- The availability of parking passes was raised – 2 hours of free parking at meters and in public lots, except at the Risden and Silver Lake lots.
- The garbage container will be put out again at DPW. There were problems last year about the illegal dumping that took place. The Mayor reminded all that one plastic bag can be placed out for pick up as long as it is next to a garbage can. Sanitation workers will not pick up bags that are left out alone and not next to a garbage can.
- The Mayor spoke about the short term rental ordinance. There is a week minimum rental in season and one month minimum rental off season.
- In speaking about plans for downtown, the Mayor spoke of the creation of a business improvement districts and a new ordinance dealing with streeteries (areas in front of restaurants designated for tables and chairs).
- The issue of the coolers on the beach was raised. It was suggested that a sign go up at the entrance to PPB stating that coolers can only be 13 inches. The Mayor would not commit to a new sign and expressed a desire to eliminate the current sign because it doesn’t look good.
- The Mayor spoke about capital projects that will be done in the next year – water tower painting; Pleasure Park field house/community center; OEM Center on Cooks Lane; Coast Guard station as a museum and community meeting space.
- Pedestrian safety concerns were raised. The town received a $60,000 grant from the state for bike sharrows and pedestrian safety. He is committed to safety for walkers in town. Trees and bushes were trimmed on Inlet Drive and around town. More improvements are coming to Inlet Drive with the potential development along the waterway.
- The Mayor mentioned that he and the Borough staff are very aggressive about getting grants.
- The Mayor spoke about sidewalk repairs, which are the homeowner’s responsibility. He is implementing a plan whereby when PPB paves a street, the engineer will assess which sidewalks need to be replaced. The homeowner will have the choice of fixing the sidewalks her/himself of have the Borough do it and pay for it, without interest, over th next two years.
- The Mayor said there is nothing PPB can do about the train noise. The NJ Transit Quiet Zone is not applicable here. The Borough will not take responsibility if the train horns were not blown at intersections during the night.
- The Borough will upgrade its website and social media – Facebook, Instagram. This is a priority of the Mayor.
The meeting concluded at 10:30am with the Mayor asking us to say something if we see something that needs to be addressed by the municipality.
