ALERT DETAILS:

Please take a moment to read this Memo as it contains important information about the Borough of Belmar’s response to the threat of the spread of COVID-19. 

To our knowledge, there is no specific issue in our community now.  However, the health and safety of our Employees, First Responders, Residents, Business Owners, and Visitors remains our top priority.

The following proactive steps serve to protect essential functions of municipal government and reduce both the potential of immediate virus spread as well as the associated inundation on our local healthcare system.

The Coordinator of the Borough of Belmar Office of Emergency Management is in regular contact with the Monmouth County and NJ State Health and Emergency Management Teams and has been working together to monitor this evolving situation. Out of an abundance of caution, we have taken steps to modify our Borough services.

Effective Monday March 16, 2020, the Belmar Municipal Building, 601 Main Street, Belmar NJ, 07719 will be closed to the public until further notice. Our Front Office Staff will be working from 9:00 am - 4:30 pm and you can call 732-681-3700 and follow the prompts for the department you require.  If you have any questions, please call.

The Belmar Borough Council Meeting on Tuesday March 17, 2020 at 6:00pm will proceed as scheduled. Please refer to the Belmar Borough Website for information on future Council meetings.

The Belmar Planning Board Meeting scheduled for Monday March 16, 2020 is cancelled. 

Belmar Police Department:

The Police Department lobby will be closed to the public until further notice. The Police Department, Fire Department and First Aid Squad remain at full staff.  Call 911 in the event of an emergency and 732-681-1700 for non-emergency issues.

The Belmar Police Department is constantly monitoring the evolving recommendations for the health and safety of the public and our police officers as they relate to COVID-19.

In order to continue providing the best police services to both the Belmar and Lake Como community, the Belmar Police Department will be limiting our face-to-face interactions when possible. We are concerned with the health and well-being of our staff as well as the public we serve. As this virus continues to spread, our goal is to maintain a healthy police force for the continuation of services without resorting to contingency plans. 

If you come to the police station to file a report, or to speak to an officer, know the conversation may occur through a window and/or intercom.

We are encouraging you to call in to the station rather than walk in for non-emergencies. Non-emergent matters may be reported over the phone and an officer will take your report in this manner. This applies to a variety of less serious offenses that ARE NOT IN PROGRESS. 

If you are calling for medical assistance and are requesting first aid/EMS, the dispatcher will ask you a series of questions to make sure that all pertinent information is relayed to the officer and/or EMS that will be responding.  When it is possible, you will be asked to exit your home and meet with the officer or members of the first aid/EMS.

If it is determined that a response by an officer is warranted, please understand that they are likely to keep a “safe distance” and unlikely to shake hands, etc. Again, this is out of an abundance of caution to keep our staff and the public safe and not an indicator of the officers’ willingness to help. 

OFFICERS WILL ALWAYS RESPOND TO CRIMES OF VIOLENCE AND CRIMES AGAINST A PERSON.

Tax and water payments can be mailed to 601 Main Street, Belmar, NJ 07719. You can also pay tax bills and water/sewer bills online and view account statuses.

Most of our forms and applications can be found online at http://www.belmar.com, Print Municipal Documents. Construction Permit forms can be found online at https://www.nj.gov/dca/divisions/codes/resources/constructionpermitforms.html. Questions on what type of permit forms to submit can be directed to the Municipal Clerk at 732-681-3700 Ext. 225 or clerk@belmar.com. 

Vital Statistics: Marriage Licenses can be obtained by appointment only by contacting the Municipal Clerk, 732-681-3700 Ext. 225 or clerk@belmar.com. For certified copies of marriage licenses: Please call the Municipal Clerk to schedule an appointment if the record is required immediately. Otherwise you can go to https://www.state.nj.us/health/vital/order-vital/online-requests/index.shtml to order your records online from the State Office of Vital Statistics & Registry. 

There is a MAIL SLOT located in the front lobby off the Main Street Entrance where you can drop off payments for the Municipal Court, tax and water, construction permits, applications and other documents. The door will be open from 8:30am until 4:30pm. PLEASE FOLLOW THE POSTED INSTRUCTIONS.

The Belmar, Lake Como, and Spring Lake Municipal Court sessions are canceled until further notice. If you have a court appearance scheduled, you will receive a new court date in the mail. Please call 732-681-3700 and follow the prompts for any questions.

The Belmar Public Library is closed until further notice and all library programs will be postponed.

All Belmar Recreation programs are cancelled until further notice.

The Taylor Pavilion and the Belmar Historical Society will be closed until further notice. 

There are no changes in recycling and trash pickup and the Belmar Recycling Center remains open.

Belmar Season Beach Badge pickup is suspended until further notice although you can still purchase Regular Belmar Season Beach Badges online at https://register.communitypass.net/reg/index.cfm. Badges can be mailed for a fee of $10.00 or you can pick them up once Borough Hall is reopened.

To register for Code Red Alerts go to www.belmar.com and click on GET BELMAR ALERTS on the top of the page. Then click on the Code Red Logo.

By putting a priority on health and safety of all of us, we can ensure that we maintain the essential functions of our Borough under these unusual conditions.  We will keep you updated as we know more. Please visit our website and our social media outlets for up to date information.

Thank you.

 Mayor Mark Walsifer