The Full Story On Beach Badges At Ideal Beach In Middletown

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — At their meeting Monday night, the Middletown Township Committee passed an ordinance that aims to address the problems of crowds, illegal parking and over-use that plagued Ideal Beach last summer.

And part of that ordinance includes the possibility of requiring beach beaches at Ideal, even for Middletown residents.

However — should beach badges even need to be instituted — it won't happen until summer 2022, said Middletown Mayor Tony Perry.

Think of summer 2021 as the "test summer" to see if Ideal Beach gets as crowded as it did last summer. Only then would Middletown require beach badges, and it wouldn't be until next year.

"No beach badges this year, no beach badges this year," said Perry emphatically.

Monday night's ordinance takes $50,000 from the town budget and sets it aside to be used to pay for lifeguards, increase police patrols and increase DPW services at Ideal Beach. Part of that includes a provision that Middletown could set up a beach badge system to access Ideal.

Last summer, word got out that Middletown's beaches were some of the only free beaches on the entire Jersey Shore. Also, Sandy Hook was only letting in 50-percent capacity in May and June of 2020. As a result, Ideal was inundated by out-of-towners, with campfires and drinking on the beach, illegal parking and traffic, unprecedented amounts of litter and finally, people "using the dunes as bathrooms."

"I believe we are not going to see that dramatic increase in people coming to Ideal Beach this summer," predicted Perry on Tuesday. "New York beaches are going to open back up. Sandy Hook will be open again at full capacity. So you're not going to have folks descend on the few open beaches, like Middletown, like we did last year."

Should the out-of-town crowds return again this summer, Perry said Middletown will have no choice but to put more police at Ideal, put in paid lifeguards and add extra DPW services. That is what the $50,000 is set aside to pay for.

If there is such a swell of crowds, Middletown would implement the beach badges for 2022, where anyone — including Middletown residents — would need to have a paid beach badge to enter Ideal. The prices would be $8 per day; children 12 and under would be free. Summer passes purchased before March 1, 2022 would only cost $35, a sign Middletown is trying to keep Ideal primarily for locals. Here are the proposed beach badge fees:

Beach Badge Fee: $8 per day.
(b) Veterans and Seniors (65+): $4 per day.
(c) Family Pass Fee (up to 4 people): $26 per day
(d) Three-Day Pass (per person): $18
(e) Children Under Age 12: No Fee.
Season Passes:
(1) Purchased Prior to March 1: $35
(2) Purchased After March 1: $125

The town defines Ideal Beach as "any portion of the beach between the Borough of Keansburg border to the West and Pews Creek to the East."

"I don't believe you are ever going to have the need for beach badges at Ideal Beach," said Perry. "But if we keep seeing the crowds like we did last summer, year over year at Ideal, we are going to need lifeguards, more police, DPW. All those things cost money. That portion of the ordinance allows us to introduce beach badges in the future."

Last month, Middletown made two big parking changes to Ideal, including no parking on the north side of Bayside Avenue, and making Bayside Avenue a one-way street during the summer months.

The new parking laws for Ideal Beach are:

• No parking at any time on the north side of Bayside Parkway from Ocean Avenue to Weehawken Avenue (this applies to residents, too).
• Bayside Parkway East from Ocean Avenue to Weehawken Avenue will become a one-way street starting at the Friday before Memorial Day through midnight on Labor Day each year.

Prior Patch reporting: Middletown Addresses Ideal Beach's Trash, Illegal Parking Problem (July 2020)

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