Verizon Sues Belmar Over Beachfront Utility Poles

BELMAR, NJ – During its recent council meeting on May 18, the Belmar borough council discussed the recent lawsuit filed against the borough by Verizon regarding the placing of wireless cell nodes along the beachfront.

The lawsuit was filed after the borough council did not respond to the initial proposal by Verizon back in January regarding the placing of 18 Verizon wireless cell nodes along the beachfront.

A major bone of contention for the borough was that Verizon did not want to share its poles with any other utility.

“Verizon was unwilling to share with anybody, and one of the big things we were worried about is one pole for each company on Ocean Avenue,” Belmar Mayor Mark Walsifer said. “That would have made our oceanfront look horrible.”

To prevent that, the borough introduced an ordinance that would force utilities to hide their wireless facilities while also making them share utility poles.

“We want to put this ordinance in place, so then we can control the aesthetics and what gets put in our town,” Walsifer said.

George Meese, the attorney representing Verizon, did not return an email or phone call request for comment on the case.