Join Us to Keep Belmar Safe!

As concerned Belmar and Lake Como residents who are looking forward to the reopening of our state--including our beachfront operations---we are coming together in the spirit of unity to ensure the health and welfare of our community and our guests.

Our police force is starting this 2020 beach season with fifteen (15) fewer officers than years past. With the advent of COVID-19, our beach town is facing unprecedented challenges and concerns. 

We are optimistic that our Mayor, Council, and town administration will continue to work toward a proactive approach to keep our community, Belmar Beachfront Staff, and Police Department safe. We encourage our town leaders to adopt a plan that is consistent with our neighboring communities. The beach towns to our north and south have implemented measures to prevent opening up too abruptly and to avoid statistics going in the wrong direction. 

Our goal is to avoid an extended quarantine period, with the threat of a beach shutdown, and, of course, having any more of our loved ones getting sick!

With this goal in mind we have examined the State’s Executive Orders, Belmar’s current plan, and the mitigation efforts of neighboring Shore communities, and we request implementing the following measures:

1. Support our local businesses by assigning Belmar’s Social Distancing Task Force members to assist in efforts encouraging patrons to adhere to all safety guidelines.
2. Restrict the overall number of seasonal and daily badges sold over the course of the summer in a controlled fashion.
3. Use defined calculations to determine how many daily beach badges to sell by zone to ensure distribution and to prevent overcrowding.
4. Restrict the parking on Ocean Avenue to 50% capacity (both east and west side).
5. Require all patrons to wear masks when accessing the boardwalk, bathrooms, and badge booths; interacting with any Belmar Beachfront Staff; and/or when social distancing is not possible.
6. Require the Belmar Police officers to wear masks when interacting with the public and social distancing is otherwise not possible. 

In order to best safeguard the community, Belmar Beachfront Staff, and Police Department, we propose the immediate implementation of these measures.

If you agree and support our effort to keep Belmar safe please sign this petition. Thank you!

-Colleen S.

-Deb B.

-Leigh Kelsey O.