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Fit Walk Route planning

Belmar Recreation will be meeting interested persons on the boardwalk in front of the Belmar Fishing Club starting Monday March 15  at 11:00. The purpose will be to measure different routes with  Belmar residents using a Rolatape. This will assist people in setting goals and distances for walks or jogging and helping them keep accurate times and distances to mark improvement.

Our goal is to get you moving in a positive direction towards better health. The walks can start in Belmar and go in any reasonable direction and distance. If you have specific needs please plan ahead and call Michael Campbell at 732-681 3700 dial 9 then 211.

Weather permitting we will meet every weekday starting March 15 thru March 25th 2010.

Film Series to Begin at the Belmar Arts Council

On Friday, February 26, at 7:00 p.m., weather permitting, Ira Wallace and Sandy Cook of the Belmar Arts Council will be hosting the first film in their Independent Film Series, “Like Water for Chocolate.”  An interactive  discussion will take place following the film.  All are welcome, and movies are free.  To preview this film, click on this link:  Like Water for Chocolate

You can contact the Belmar Arts Council at (732) 749-3360 or email Info@BelmarArts.org.  The BAC is located at 608 River Road, at 7th Ave. and the railroad tracks (just behind the police station).

Mayor and Council seek bidders for Seasonal Restaurant Concession on Ninth Ave Pier

With piles of snow on the ground, and another blizzard on the way, it’s hard to envision a beautiful July evening enjoying dinner and cocktails on a pier with a spectacular view of the Belmar marina and the sun setting over the Shark River. But that’s the sizzle the Mayor and Council are hoping will attract more than 80 area restaurateurs who have been invited to attend an informational meeting on February 11, 2010 at 9 a.m. at the Belmar Municipal Building. The purpose of the meeting is to outline the Borough’s plans to bid out a concession to operate a seasonal bar and grill on the Ninth Avenue Pier, and get feedback from interested bidders so that the Borough can properly prepare bid specs for the project.

Over the past decade, the Borough has upgraded its marina into one of the finest facilities of its kind on the east coast, including more than 70 slips available for transient boaters who can rent on a daily or weekly basis. This spring, the Borough will start the next phase of upland marina improvements, which are designed to make the already popular marina a top destination for transient boaters in the New York metropolitan area, as well for land-based visitors and especially the residents of Belmar. These improvements will include the renovation this spring of the Ninth Avenue pier to include not a seasonal bar and grill, but also landscaping and seating areas for the public, a nautical flag pole and memorial area to honor Pat and Sandy Breslin, areas equipped for festival or seasonal vendors to display their goods and a booth where visitors can book kayak rentals, charter fishing, diving and sightseeing trips, eco-tours other activities.

The restaurant concession will be offered with a Special Concessionaire Permit from the State of New Jersey to serve alcohol pursuant to N.J.S.A. 33:1-42 and N.J.A.C. 13:2-5.2 (liquor license). The permit will be subject to limited hours of service and other conditions, which will be discussed at the February 11 informational session.

Currently there is only one location for service of food in the marina, a luncheonette located in the Borough’s Harbor Master building. This concession is also currently up for lease. The Mayor and Council are preparing bid specifications for both locations, and would like input from experienced restaurant owners, who may be interested in leasing this space and/or the Ninth Avenue Pier. Although 80 restaurateurs have been invited to attend, the informational meeting is open to all interested potential bidders, as well as the public at large, and the Borough plans to use information and ideas obtained during the informational meeting when preparing the bid and lease documents.

This bid opportunity is not in lieu of, but rather in addition to, the Borough’s longer-term plan to replace the Harbor Master building with a much larger, permanent building which will include a fine-dining restaurant with Concession Permit License on the second floor, as well as a variety of first-floor uses including a casual foods, ice cream, bait, tackle and chandlery, and other marine-related retail uses. The Borough has applied to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for a CAFRA permit to develop this larger facility, most likely pursuant to a long-term ground lease, and will hold additional meetings in the future once the necessary permit has been obtained.

Anyone interested in attending the February 11, 2010 meeting or in leasing the new outdoor concessions on the Ninth Avenue pier and/or the current luncheonette, and would like to review either the draft lease agreements should contact Borough Administrator Robbin Kirk at rkirk@boro.belmar.nj.us

Belmar.com webcams provide bird’s eye view of the February 6th blizzard

The (latest) blizzard of the winter of 2010 is already well underway in Belmar, with several more hours to go. DPW crews worked overnight to keep the streets clear and to stay ahead of the storm, which will likely rage for the rest of Saturday. Fresh crews will be brought in once the end of the storm is in sight, and will work through the night to clear Belmar’s streets.

So far, it’s an unusual snow storm, and appearances are deceiving.

Because the snow is very light, areas exposed to the ferocious northerly wind appear to have little accumulation. In areas shielded from the northerly wind, accumulations appear to be roughly 6-8 inches (at least in my back yard) as of 10:00 a.m. Saturday morning.

Today is a good day to stay indoors and watch the storm via the streaming webcams on www.Belmar.com/webcams.

Dr. Philip L. Hanapole Is Hosting a Free Day of Dentistry with Dentistry From The Heart

Dr. Philip L. Hanapole Is Hosting a Free Day of Dentistry

with Dentistry From The Heart

Belmar, NJ      March 26, 2010 – Dr. Hanapole is out to change lives by offering free smiles to anyone who needs dental work, as he hosts the latest event for Dentistry From The Heart (DFTH) on Friday, March 26, 2010.

Dr. Hanapole is being joined by Dr. Larry Gardner of Manasquan, Dr. Robert Belott of Sea Girt and Dr. Dennis Sternberg of Freehold and many volunteers to help approximately 100 people in need of fillings, extractions and cleanings.  This is their first year of participation and they are really looking forward to its success.

Dentistry From The Heart is a national non-profit organization with a simple mission – making people smile. Founded in 2001 by a Dr. Vincent Monticciolo in New Port Richey, Florida, DFTH was created to aid those in need, including the growing population of under-insured Americans.  Over 100 million Americans lack dental insurance, and over 29 percent of adults have untreated cavities. Without events like DFTH, dental care simply isn’t an option for many of the uninsured. To date, DFTH has helped more than 25,000 patients and provided over $5.5 million in dental care.

The event will take place on Friday, March 26, 2010 at HANAPOLE DENTAL CARE in Belmar.   Starting at 9:oo am, Dr. Hanapole and his volunteers will treat the first 100 patients, or however many they can service by 5:30pm.  For more information, visit www.HANAPOLEDENTALCARE.com or the organization’s national website at www.dentistryfromtheheart.org.

Belmar Power Outage leaves 1,000 residents in the cold and dark

Nearly 1,000 residents lost power on the brutally frigid second night of the New Year when a main Jersey Central Power & Light circuit into Belmar lost power. The outage, which began at about 7:30 p.m., blacked out the entire residential area east of E Street from Fifth Avenue to the inlet, as well as a swath of Belmar along D Street from Ninth to Sixteenth Avenues.

JCP&L trucks responded quickly but were unable to reset a tripped circuit breaker at the 18th Avenue substation. Suspecting that the icy winds had knocked down a wire or tree somewhere in the darkened neighborhoods, Belmar police and JCP&L personnel, along with the Superintendent of Public Works, began to methodically search the streets for any sign of the cause. Meanwhile, several other JCP&L line crews were called in to try to figure out a way to re-route power to the outage area, without causing a larger blackout.

Fearing that the frigid temperatures and high winds could quickly cause problems for residents who had lost heat, Belmar began initiating its emergency response at 8:00 p.m. and supervisory personnel were called in, and preliminary preparations began to open the Municipal Building for residents. Shortly after 9:00 p.m., after receiving JCP&L’s assessment of the problem, the Belmar Police Department sent out a Code Red alert to residents of the affected areas letting them know that JCP&L was working on the problem, and that the Belmar municipal complex would be open for anyone who needed warmth. At 10:00 p.m., as temperatures in blacked-out homes continued to drop, the Belmar Fire Department and First Aid were called out to use their search lights to look for fallen wires or downed trees near rear-yard poles.

At 10:35 p.m., JCP&L’s efforts to backfeed the outage area succeeded, and power was restored to all but 23 homes. Power was restored to the last of these remaining homes by around 11:10 p.m. Once it was clear that JCP&L’s fix would hold, Belmar’s emergency personnel were told to stand down at 11:30 p.m. JCP&L is continuing to attempt to identify the cause of the outage.

Thanks go to Acting Belmar Police Chief Palmisano, Borough Administrator Robbin Kirk, DPW Superintendent Andy Meuerle, the Belmar Police Department, the Belmar Fire Department and Belmar First Aid volunteers who turned out, and the JCP&L crews who braved the brutal weather to get Belmar’s power restored.

Mayor & Council to hold meeting to discuss Main Street streetscape plan and assessments

The Mayor and Council will be holding a special meeting on Wednesday, December 16, 2009 at 5:30 PM at the Municipal Building to discuss final plans for a Main Street streetscape improvement planned for 10th to 16th Avenues. This project, which is scheduled for the Spring of 2010, will mark the first phase of a multi-year capital plan to improve the appearance of Main Street.

This phase of the project will include new curbing, trees and attractive sidewalk lighting fixtures that will replace the existing “Cobra-head” street lamps, and provide brighter illumination of our sidewalks and Main Street. The project will also include installing conduit and related infrastructure that will be used during a future phase to eliminate the overhead secondary wires on Main Street. The County of Monmouth has agreed to repave this section of Main Street when the new curbing is installed.

In addition to these Main Street improvements planned for south of 10th Avenue, the Borough will be installing matching trash receptacles and benches throughout the downtown area.

The Mayor and Council propose to fund this phase of the project through $630,000 in Transit Village grants the Borough has received to date, with the balance to be financed through a combination of bond debt to be paid by Borough taxpayers and special assessments to be levied on Main Street property owners in the project area. The proposed special assessment will apply to all Main Street property owners from 10th to 16th Avenues and will finance the projected $266,000 cost of the lighting fixtures and foundations. This cost will be apportioned based on Main Street frontage, and can be repaid with interest over ten years. We project that the cost of the street lighting assessment for a Main Street property owner with 50 feet of frontage will be approximately $176 per quarter, which amounts to about $60 a month. Additionally, those property owners in the project area who have not already improved their sidewalks with pavers will also be assessed for the cost of installing brick sidewalks.

Belmar’s Mayors Wellness Campaign recognized at League of Municipalities conference

Efforts made by Belmar’s Mayor’s Wellness Campaign were highlighted during a conference panel meeting at the League of Municipalities Conference in Atlantic City on Wednesday, November 18, 2009.^th.  During the panel, titled “Developing Cost-Effective Strategies to Develop Healthy Towns”, Belmar was featured alongside two other New Jersey municipalities that have embraced the Mayors Wellness Campaign as a way of promoting healthy lifestyles among residents.  Panel leaders noted that Belmar’s campaign hinges on a committee comprised of Councilwoman Claire Deicke, Belmar residents Connie Vassallo-Gutierrez and nutrition councilor Christine Stoner, who each bring their special brand of expertise to the committee, and Belmar Recreation Director Michael Cambell.   Since the Belmar Mayors Wellness Campaign’s inception in 2008, the committee-members have put together a number of free events– including large-scale Health Fairs staffed by physicians, pharmaceutical companies and organizations like the American Cancer Society– by recruiting healthcare professionals willing to donate their time and making municipal buildings available for health fairs and other wellness-related events free of charge.  Belmar has also hosted Walks with the Mayor and promotes healthy eating and exercise through free obesity prevention clinics for parents and students in Belmar’s schools.

Click here to learn more about NJ’s Mayors Wellness Campaign.

Save Money – Get Your Discounted Season Beach Badges on Sale through December 31, 2009

Seasonal beach badges will be on sale beginning December 1, 2009. For the whole month of December the regular season beach badge fee will be $45 and seniors and disabled badges will be $15. Beginning January 1, 2010 the regular seasonal beach badge fee will be $50 and the seniors and disabled badges will be $15.

You can also purchase a gift box for an additional $2.

The Art of Pastel with award-winning artist, Dannielle Mick

The Belmar Arts Council presents The Art of Pastel with award-winning artist Dannielle Mick on November 7, 2009, from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at 608 River Road, in Belmar.  The workshop will combine structured exercises that will help you stretch your creative muscles as well as learning the basics of painting with pastels.  Each student will create a small pencil study that will  incorporate format, composition, value, color theory, and a light source.  Simplification of the subject will be encouraged.  Working from photographs, students will complete several small paintings.  Discussions will explore the principles of the pastel medium, including different paper surfaces as well as hard versus soft pastels.  Demonstrations and class critiques will round out this informative workshop.  All levels.  Workshop fee $90.  Dannielle is the President of the Pastel Society of NJ and an elected Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America and the Pastel Society of NJ.  She is also a member of Catherine Lorillard Wolfe Arts Club, Allied Artist of America, Audubon Artists, and appears in the Who’s Who in American Art.  For more information contact the Belmar Arts Council at (732) 749-3360 or visit their website at www.BelmarArts.org.  You can also email Brenda@belmararts.org

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