Paid Parking Space Reduced In Sea Bright

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By Liz Sheehan
SEA BRIGHT- The Borough Council at its July 5 meeting approved the removal of 88 parking spaces from its paid parking system. The spaces, located on East Ocean Avenue, Wayne Street, and in the Borough Hall lot will have two-hour free parking from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and will be free after 6 p.m.
A statement from borough administrator Joseph Verruni recommended that and other changes in the parking plan. He said removing these spaces from paid parking would “help daytime merchants that can now give customers the option of free parking. It will also allow fishermen, volleyball players, surfers, etc. some free parking. It will give residents in the downtown area early evening parking.”
Another change made in the plan listed by Verruni was that a lease on a Church Street lot be approved and be used for employee parking on weekends.
In his statement, Verruni said that after 34 days, the new parking system generated revenues of $50,996.
He said that no violations had been issued yet as the borough “has given the public the time to learn the system,” and the borough was looking for ways to place signs that make the parking system easier to use.
The East Ocean Avenue spaces removed from the paid system are in the area in front of Woody’s. Chris Wood, owner of Woody’s Ocean Grille, came before the council at a previous meeting to protest the new parking charges and the fact that the hours the metered system and said it was injuring businesses in the town. He said extending the metered hours to 9 p.m. would “drive people out of town.” “It was driving business away already,” he said.
Wood again criticized the parking system at the July 5 meeting and said it “was penny-wise and pound foolish.”
“I think the paid parking is killing the business in the business district,” he said.
Councilman Marc Leckstein voted against the changes. He said he thought that the people using the paid parking would just move to the free spots when they were available.
Councilman Charles Rooney III, a strong supporter of the new parking system, said parking revenues reached $64,531 as of July 5, and season beach badges increased from 4,138 in 2015 by July 4 to 6,754 for the same time period this year.
Daily badges, which cost $8 a day, jumped by 5,582 this year he said. Rooney said the revenue from the parking fees and the increase in daily badges amounted to just over $109,000.
At the last council meeting in June, Mayor Dina Long read a letter asking the council to make changes in the parking system. She said that she had not spoken out about the parking plan before because “I refrain from using the dais for my personal agenda,” although she might not agree with what the council wants.
But, Long said, she must express her opinion concerning the paid parking system, which she believes poses problems for businesses, residents, guests and members of the church.
After that meeting, Long said she did not want to state the changes she asked the council to make but would wait for their response at the July 5 meeting.
Asked if she was pleased with the changes approved by the council in the parking system after the July 5 meeting, Long said “I am very happy the council decided to meet me in the middle.”