Community Corner

With Revenue Down, Towns Counting on Fourth of July Crowds

Governor calls holiday the 'first test' of tourism.

Written by Local Editor Catherine Galioto.

Parking was nonexistent at Point Pleasant Beach. Vehicles slowed on Route 138 eastbound and up and down Route 71 around Belmar. Onlookers filled new benches lining Seaside Heights' boardwalk.

But would the Fourth of July crowds at the Jersey Shore be enough to fill the financial expectations of local businesses and government?

Some were hopeful that this holiday, which would stretch from Thursday to Sunday, would be the usual boon to revenue.

In Belmar, Mayor Matt Doherty said the Fourth of July is usually the busiest for the borough. While the boardwalk there has been famously rebuilt, much work remains on the infrastructure for Belmar, and beachfront pavilions have been replaced by temporary trailers renting to concessionaires.

Revenue for June year over year is down in Belmar, as it is elsewhere. But Doherty said the borough's beach utility is close to earning enough to cover its budget, already drawing revenue of more than a million dollars.

"Are the numbers down, yes. But would the surrounding towns love to have our numbers? Yes they would," said Doherty.

The mayor said this weekend was expected to give numbers a further boost. Gov. Chris Christie also saw hope in the revenue for Independence Day Weekend tourism, he said in a recent press conference.

"Fourth of July is really the first test of the summer... more so than Memorial Day," Gov. Chris Christie said.

The obvious hurdle many towns are facing is the recovery after Hurricane Sandy, and also the perception that many of their attractions are closed, he said. That will affect business but the state is making a large scale effort to court visitors from New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware with tourism commercials.

"We need to encourage people to come down here," said the governor. "People will realize we've recovered much much more than we thought."

Manasquan Business Administrator Joe DeIorio had an identical message for that borough. A newly repaved "boardwalk," reopened inlet and beach businesses should be courting visitors, he said, while the largely unaffected downtown shops eagerly await customers. 

"We may be rebuilding some elements," he said. "But we have a whole nother destination in our downtown. We need to get the message out that we are open for business," DeIorio said at a recent Manasquan Council meeting.

Revenue associated with the beach is down nearly 30 percent comparing June over June, nearly across all categories: beach badge sales, parking, parking tickets and associated violations' court revenue, according to the Manasquan Council.

Still Mayor George Dempsey was hopeful that the Fourth of July and subsequent weekends could see crowds larger than earlier in the season, somewhat closing the shortfall. A wet June had a busy dry day here and there, he said, and "hopefully the weather is there" for the rest of the summer.

It was for the Fourth of July, with ample heat indexes past 100 drawing crowds eager for ocean breezes. New contracts for beach rentals were just approved this week in Belmar, giving another business owner a chance to grow his business renting umbrellas and beach chairs to tourists. Parking meters were just installed and flipped on along the beach front of Belmar.

Christie said the key for both the local business and the local governments' coffers is to promote. He said the tourist dollar will help overall with recovery for local residents' destroyed homes.

"The more we promote business and get people down here, the greater the revenue will be for municipalities, the greater the leverage we'll have on the federal government to get funding to rebuild homes and get these people back," Christie said.


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