Atlantic City Boardwalk Committee Meeting: Crime, Rooming Houses, Tennessee Ave & Parolees

tennessee ave crime atlantic city


Boardwalk Committee Meeting Review. NOV. 8, 2017

Is Atlantic City a tourism attraction or a social services mecca? Can it be both? Like oil and water, these two Atlantic City industries are forced to co-exist within the tourism district controlled by the CRDA. That’s just one of the hot-button topics discussed at the recent Boardwalk Committee meeting on November 8, inside Boardwalk Hall.

LISTEN > Tom Lamaine talks about Tennessee Ave. crime & boarding room problems in Atlantic City. From WOND Radio 1400am.

It’s an ongoing problem in AC. Too many people living in one structure. Some homes have 50 people living inside. Some rooming houses are within 1000 ft of each other, which is illegal.

There are approximately 55 rooming houses in Atlantic City. Regular police calls to these buildings are often cited for ‘excessive use of service’. Too many absentee landlords, so the problem rarely get fixed.

It could be a penalty of $300 per call if the ACPD is involved. The City of Atlantic City pays for re-locations. That’s a cost of $4,000 per person. Landlords often play sympathy card.

In past 2 weeks, 20 parolees were assigned to rooming houses on Georgia Ave. in Atlantic City.

Parole is a temporary release of a prisoner who agrees to certain conditions before the completion of the maximum sentence period.

There is a particular parolee half-way house inside the Tourism District, just steps from Boardwalk Hall and upscale dining & retail destinations such as Docks Oyster House and the Tanger Shopping Outlets. Grants are applied for, and received, thru Atlantic County by Atlantic City landlords.

Atlantic City doesn’t need to be notified when parolees are coming to town. WTF?

There’s an overabundance of social services that AC provides. That was the general attitude at the past few Boardwalk Committee meetings. A conflict exists between Atlantic City as tourist attraction vs AC being a magnet for drug rehabs, rooming houses & needle exchanges.

The Piccilli Pub voiced their concern about crime and drug activity on Tennessee Ave. and adjacent streets. Concentration of rooming houses near the busy Boardwalk hurts Tennessee Ave businesses and residents. ‘Degrades the neighborhood. Keeps people away.’

A dog beach or dog park is being considered for Atlantic City. Grants can be applied for. Ordinance must be introduced. L&I says this should be no problem.

Sound levels on the Boardwalk. More than just the beach bars having loud music. Much of the loud music and commercials are coming from a variety of speakers all along the Boardwalk. In some places, one can hear dueling commercials blaring from 2 different areas.

Jitney routes were discussed, as some neighborhoods claim they get poor or no service at all. No worries. The growth of ride services like UBER & LYFT are taking off in Atlantic City. Residents, convention attendees and summer time tourists are increasingly using UBER & LYFT, forgoing local cabs, buses and jitneys. Learn more at https://www.uber.com/cities/new-jersey-shore/

Other Atlantic City chatter from the Boardwalk Insider:

It took 8 cancellations, but Mike Salvanto, CEO of Songbird Entertainment was finally figured out. His WAR-ASIA-JOURNEY-lite concert scheduled for NOV 11 at Boardwalk Hall was cancelled due to poor ticket sales. Less than 300 tix sold. Geez. So far, no refund info has been made available. Does anybody do any vetting these days?

Allegations being leveled at both local talk stations in town WPG and WOND for the heavy ‘pay for time’. No need to check the facts. Just pay the fee….and your live on air.

NJEA convention saw slight decline in attendance. That slide has been going on for past few years.frank gilliam atlantic city pot marijuana


With Phil Murphy as new Governor, will his pro-pot and pro-sanctuary state position, add to Atlantic City’s problems? Will New AC Mayor, Frank Gilliam, also support sanctuary status for Atlantic City?

Will Mr. Gilliam cut the ribbon on a new bong shop on Tennessee Ave in Atlantic City?

News & Info from Atlantic City

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