SEA BRIGHT — Beginning Memorial Day weekend, beachgoers may need a badge on weekends to access Anchorage Beach, which has been free to the public.
Borough officials have been moving forward with plans to charge for access to Anchorage Beach on Saturdays and Sundays. If the Borough Council adopts the proposal, the beach would remain free to the public on weekdays.
“This municipality needs revenue,” Acting Borough Administrator Joseph Verruni said at the council’s workshop meeting on April 16.
The suggestion to require beachgoers to pay for a badge at Anchorage Beach came from Beach Administrator Don Klein and Police Chief John Sorrentino, according to Verruni.
Mayor Dina Long has said previous attempts to require badges at Anchorage Beach did not prove profitable.
The proposed change would require two guards and two parking attendants, and would cost the borough $540 a weekend in salaries, or $240 per day, officials said.
Councilmen Marc Leckstein and John Lamia Jr. said it would be a good idea to try the beach badges out on weekends.
“We can try and see what happens,” Leckstein said.
Long said Anchorage Beach has been a popular place for surfing and fishing. It is located at the northern end of Sea Bright, across from the site of the former Anchorage
Apartments.
During weekends, the 40-space parking lot near Anchorage Beach would be monitored starting at sunrise to make sure those using the lot have beach badges.
Councilwoman Peggy Bills said many people from Rumson and as far away as Hazlet use the free beach.
Members of the council agreed that the change would be positive for the borough — not only creating a revenue source, but also providing lifeguards and beach staff during the weekends.
Sea Bright has a main public beach guarded by lifeguards that requires badges to access the beach.
Verruni said new bathrooms with ramps accessible for those with disabilities have been installed at Anchorage Beach, and since superstorm Sandy, the area has benefited from beach replenishment.
The proposal to require a badge to access Anchorage Beach is in accordance with the borough’s agreement with the state Department of Environmental Protection on public beach access regulations.
“In the agreement, the Anchorage Beach is required to be guarded,” Verruni said, noting that the proposal would be an added protection for beachgoers.
“We have had to do a couple of rescue [missions] at the beach,” he said.
Aside from the main public beach, there are seven other access points on either side of the municipal public beach where the public can access the beach without a badge, according to Candace Mitchell, administrative assistant.
From Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, beach badge season fees are $100, or $8 for a daily pass that includes weekends.
Season badges for senior citizens (age 65 or older) and persons with disabilities are $35 each.