Belmar’s boardwalk shell game?
By Dan Radel, Asbury Park Press, N.J. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
It was called Buy-A-Board, and according to a borough-advertised flier, residents and visitors could "bring back
Donations flew in from as far away as
More than
"I thought it was a great idea," said
But the Buy-A-Board campaign has come under attack by residents such as Winn and even former Mayor
The mayor's decision comes after the borough was sued because its original intention was to use the beach utility budget -- or beach badge dollars -- to pay for the pavilions.
"The first thing I have to do is protect the taxpayers of
The proposed
After
Pringle is the attorney representing the plaintiff in the lawsuit against the borough. He said a
He said state law requires that the cost of constructing the boardwalk pavilions could be paid by the beach utility only to the extent that the pavilions will benefit beachgoers.
"Because elements of the pavilions were designed to benefit nonbeachgoers and borough residents, those elements must be paid for by taxpayers," Pringle said.
Doherty said the pavilions' costs now will be split between beachgoers and taxpayers, and he is looking to use the Buy-A-Board money to help cover a portion of the taxpayers' share. "Our worse-case scenario is that taxpayers will have to pay 50 percent of the cost."
That would amount to
Pringle said Doherty's plan to use the proceeds of the Buy-a-Board campaign to defray a large part of the taxpayers' share of the cost of constructing the pavilions is a blatant effort to circumvent the judge's decision.
"I think it's outrageous, what he's doing. If he could justify the cost of the pavilions, he wouldn't need to be moving money like this," Pringle said.
Residents also have petitioned to stop the pavilions from being built, arguing the project should be scaled down so they can be built with the
Some who donated to the boardwalk now say they would have held onto their money if they knew it was going to fund the pavilions.
"If I wanted to buy a board for the pavilion, I would have done so," Winn said. "Right now, we owe millions on the boardwalk and that's what the mayor collected money for, so use it for that. The pavilion is a different story."
Borough Administrator
Doherty stands by his decision to use Buy-A-Board money for the pavilions.
"No one actually bought a board; they bought a board that has their name on it that's on the boardwalk," he said. "Everybody who provided financial assistance to us is up there.
"In our mind, the pavilions were always included as part of the boardwalk, just like railings or lighting," Doherty said.
In
From the state's perspective, "contributions or donations received can be used for more than simply boardwalk reconstruction in the case of
$720G
Amount raised in donations, ranging from
Amount Borough Administrator
The proposed cost to replace the pavilions at Fifth and 10th avenues.
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