Community Corner

A Bit Less Bay Head Beach Access This Year

Construction of stairs to beach may temporarily limit some access points

A little patience will go a long way this summer if you plan to beach it in Bay Head.

Superstorm Sandy not only wiped out the wooden stairs and platforms from the street ends to the beach, but it also badly damaged the building where badges are sold.

Plans are in the works for full restoration but, meanwhile, as construction progresses, there may be days where there is not full access to every beach access point.

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But the beach will be open on June 15, the typical starting date, beach badge prices are the same as last year and there will be lifeguards, as usual, according to Tom Gage, president, Bay Head Improvement Association.

Prices are: $70 for the season, $45 for half season and $7 for the day for those 12 and older. Those younger than 12 do not need badges, but must be accompanied by an adult. There is no discount for senior citizens.

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The association office is still under construction, but it's expected to re-open the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, Gage said.

Those wishing to purchase beach badges must do so by visiting the association office and filling out an application. The office is at Lake Avenue and Mount Street (next to Scow Ditch), P.O. Box 42, Bay Head, NJ 08742. Phone: 732-892-4179.

Office hours are:

  • Saturday and Sunday of Memorial Day weekend from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • June 1-2 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • June 8 through Labor Day: open 7 days a week. During the week of June 8, hours will be 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and then after that from 9:30 am to 4:30 p.m.

Street parking and parking in the municipal lot on Bridge Avenue is free but tends to fill up quickly all summer, especially on weekends and holidays. There is no time limit except for two-hour restricted street parking in the Bridge Avenue business district.

The only bathroom facility available to the public is in the municipal complex and police department on Bridge Avenue. Only the police department part of the complex is open on weekends and holidays but is not always accessible.

Food and drinks are not allowed on the beach except for water in clear, plastic containers. Beach goers may sit on benches at the entry points to the beach (if they are available in light of the reconstruction of stairs and platforms that will be taking place this summer) and eat food they have brought. There is no place to buy food or beverages on the beachfront, though there are local shops on Route 35.

When Gage was asked which access points may be temporarily inaccessible, he said, "I don't know. There may be some access points not accessible all summer. Hopefully by June 15, we will have more information. We will have to determine almost on a daily basis what is or what isn't available. There will be some major construction. During a normal season, there are 11 entrances."

Beach goers will need to be "very understanding this year," Gage said. "Certain things are beyond all of our control. We'll do the best we can, but it won't be like past years."

The Borough of Bay Head is responsible for replacing the wooden stairways and platforms and signed a contract to have the platforms reconstructed. Meanwhile, until those are replaced, temporary walkovers will be installed so folks can get onto the beach, Gage said.

"Those will be our access points," said Gage. "We're in the process of getting that together now. I can't say exactly what they will consist of or how they will look. They will be installed at most of the beach access points. I don't know if they will be at every single one."

There will be steps and a horizontal platform, as with the previous structures, but Gage said he's not sure of the size.

In past years, because there are no food or beverages permitted on the beach, except for water in clear, plastic containers, many beachgoers sat on the wooden platforms to eat lunch.

When asked if beach goers will be able to sit and eat on the temporary structures, Gage said, "I think people will be able to sit up there and eat. But there may not be a place to eat lunch, depending on whether the temporary structure is there and when the permanent structure is finished. 

"I think there will be many challenges for many people," Gage said. "This year will be totally different and we've never faced it before. We'll just have to take it day by day and hopefully make it as enjoyable and safe as we possibly can."

The size of the temporary installations are not yet known either.

"I don't know how large they will be," Gage said. "There may be different sizes on different street ends. It's Borough property, so we're at the mercy of how large the permanent structures they'll be building will be."

In other words, the construction of the permanent structures may be occurring while the temporary structures are in place, so it's not yet clear how much space will be available for the temporary structures, he explained.

"They do not want us to have temporary walkovers while piles are being driven in," he said. "However, they're going to be driving in piles at all of the beaches first and then going back and working on platform structure afterwards."

The stairways heading up towards the beach and the wooden platforms are Borough property, but the stairways going down and the beach itself are owned by the association, Gage said.

From the police perspective, all parking and traffic regulations will be enforced, just as in past years, said Bay Head Police Sgt. William Hoffman. He said the orange signs prohibiting parking on the oceanfront side of East Avenue are posted because the permanent signs had been destroyed in Sandy and may not be replaced fully until late summer.

Regulations include that from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. there is no parking allowed on street ends and no parking against traffic.

Any police advisories for this summer?

"People should be a little more conscious of what's going on, because of the extra work, equipment and construction," Hoffman said. "Everyone needs to be a little more patient and obey parking laws. There won't be any exceptions just because there was a storm."


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