Atlantic City Boardwalk Committee Meeting Notes. June 13, 2018

A.C. Boardwalk Chairman, Tom Lamaine, opened the meeting. After introductions, the main topic for the meeting what is and what is not allowed on the boardwalk and the beach was introduced.

We were fortunate to have Chief Henry White, Deputy Chief James Sarkos, Captain Rudy Lushina, Captain Lee Hendricks, Deputy Chief Jerry Barnhardt from ACPD,  and Sr. Lt. David Russo from ACBP.

The Boardwalk and Oceanfront of Atlantic City are governed by Chapter 92. They were adopted by the  Board of Commissioners, now City Council  of the City of Atlantic City as indicated in article histories.  Amendments have been added to the original document.

Discussions:

Atlantic City doesn’t seem to have the type of incidents that took place in Wildwood. If we do then ACBP takes care of it and if needed contact ACPD.
We seem to have an older crowd and we have an ordinance dictating what we can and can not do. We also have Special Law Enforcement Officers (SLIOS) that handle these situations.

Pacific Avenue Beaches need permits to barbecue on the beach. Maine Avenue barbecuing is allowed.  Propane is allowed. There can be 800 to 900 people at these pocket beaches.

The Beach Patrol Chief can prohibit barbecuing at Albany, New Hampshire and Maine Avenues if it seems dangerous. How much are lifeguards allowed to do?  The Beach Patrol Chief has the power. Chain of command is followed and if needed Chief is notified. Are rules posted? Are they clearly displayed to the public? There are signs posted  as you enter the beach. The signs say a permit is needed. This information is not correct so the ACPD will get in touch with CRDA /SID to update the signs.

There is a very thin line what is and what is permitted. Some things need to be updated by city council. Social media and press releases from the Mayor’s office might help. Communication is very important. Everyone needs to know.

Open containers of alcohol are not permitted on the Boardwalk or the beach.

A smoking ban is sitting on Governor Murphy’s desk. Will have to wait and see if it is signed and what that will entail.

The Noise Ordinance, a topic that has been a major issue in previous Boardwalk meetings the last couple of years was updated by Chief White.

4 ACPD officers and 1 sergeant are now trained and certified so that ACPD will be able to address the complaints. Everything is governed by decibels. Day decibels and night decibels are different. Ordinance says noise levels need to be lower after 10PM. This should be a quicker process than having to wait for someone from the Health Department which has be done in the past.

Loud music is not an emergency so calls should be made to 347-5780.  A summons can be issued, but there is a lot to writing a summons.  It can take over an hour. The Health Department can still be called; that would take even longer because staff would have to be called in for overtime after 5 P.M.

The TVs on the boardwalk remain a problem. Some are higher than others. Rodney from the Health Department got the sound lowered in front of the Ritz.  Rick Santoro from SID can get them turned down.  ACPD Dispatch can be called.

The ACPD Surveillance Center can now have anything put on the tv signs… emergency or non emergency

There is an Excessive Use ordinance.  The state is also involved.  The fines the state gives out are minimal.  Local ABC can tighten restrictions.

There is a brand new radio system between the ACPD and the ACBP. The city’s surveillance cameras on the boardwalk make it safer. Hopefully, by this time next year, cameras will be on Pacific Avenue too

Everything needs to be enforced on the Boardwalk. Bike riding, businesses on the boardwalk, signs, etc. Can the Mercantile Department check the businesses on the Boardwalk’s signs. etc.?

Bicycles –  Very hard to enforce. Too many different hours. Can’t send families to Pacific Avenue. Hundreds of tickets are written. Discretion needs to be used. Sometimes, it’s just too crowded. Laws can be superseded. Can an announcement be made at 12 noon and throughout the day? Can it be audibly announced?

Thank you Chief White and Captain Lushina for getting the four ACPD officers and a sergeant trained and certified to read decibels so that they can help enforce the noise ordinance around the city.

Notes submitted by Sherrie Kendall.
Boardwalk Committee Vice Chair/Liaison.

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