Acknowledging problems with gates, council split on keeping, axing them
SOMERS POINT — The city has been struggling for years to make money from its two boat ramps, with gate malfunctions limiting both access and income.
Now some are calling for their removal from ramps at John F. Kennedy Memorial Park and off Bay Avenue alongside the Route 52 bridge.
Council President Charlie Haberkorn addressed the issue March 13, saying he would like to settle the matter once and for all.
He said the gates were not operational for part of last year and wondered aloud whether it was worth keeping them, noting there was more expense than revenue in 2024.
“I hope a direction can be given for a resolution for our next meeting to move forward,” he said.
Haberkorn said the city must decide whether to keep operating the gates, which work via key fob and require a contract with a monitoring firm, or try another method for collecting fees. He said he wanted the solicitor and city administrator to come up with a resolution for the next meeting, scheduled for March 27, regarding what is decided.
Councilwoman Janice Johnston, who was part of the committee that recommended the city buy the gates to replace an attendant, acknowledged they “definitely had issues” but noted Administrator Jason Frost “worked tirelessly to get all of these things fixed.”
The city spent $152,000 to purchase the equipment and install it.
“I think getting rid of them is irresponsible; they’re not paid for yet,” she said in a phone interview last week.
Johnston said there were problems with the gates from the beginning.
“They weren’t working correctly, then damaged. It was one thing after another. We finally got to a point where we had key fobs and they work. We just have to get the credit card part working,” she said.
Johnston added that the city has to maintain the ramps, noting the one at JFK park is pretty old and the parking lot is in pretty poor condition.
“A lot of things that will be expensive and we have to find out some way to pay for that,” she said. “We should try to do everything possible to fix it.”
Johnston said Frost has taken care of every issue, noting it all took longer than expected.
“We did all that; let’s get this last thing done and move on,” she said.
Frost said part of the equipment is out of warranty but the city is having it repaired. He also said the contract would be $14,700 to monitor access this year.
Haberkorn asked what would happen if the city did not contract for monitoring services and a problem occurred and someone could not get through.
“I would assume we don’t have the expertise on staff to do that,” he said.
“That’s part of the problem,” Frost replied, noting a contract would include 24/7 monitoring.
“The idea is someone’s down there at 1 in the morning, the gates aren’t working, you can call and they can open it,” he said.
Haberkorn asked what the income estimates were when the equipment was purchased.
Johnston said it was about $65,000 per year, based on projections from a three-day week with an attendant to a seven-day week without one.
“Last year we collected $17,850,” Haberkorn said, acknowledging that there were issues with the fobs not working.
Councilman Kirk Gerety said he does not like the gates and would like to tear them out.
Likewise, Councilman Sean McGuigan said he does not like them.
“I think that we’re throwing good money after bad money,” he said. “With things being out of warranty and the services required to handle these key fobs, it just isn’t working.”
Councilman Mike Owen said he would like to see the gates work with the key fobs, especially on weekends, but if not the city could require permits for trailers.
“I like the idea of stickers, not necessarily having an attendant but everyone who parks down there should have a sticker and we would be able to check it,” McGuigan said. “We can generate income that way, but the amount of effort that we put into these boat ramps is not worth it.”
City resident Charlie Falkenstein said the city would be missing out on a lot of money if it did away with the gates. He provided council members with projections for different fees based on 10 boats or personal watercraft per day for eight months.
He said the city could take in $24,000 a year at a fee of $10, $28,800 at $12 and $36,000 at $15.
“The usage of 10 per day is a very low estimate — you can go down there during the week, especially during striper season, and there are much more than 10 vehicles down there with trailers lined up both sides of Bay Avenue. The $65,000 estimated, I think that’s a low number,” he said, guessing the city could make $75,000 to $100,000.
“There is an opportunity here. With the taxes going up, we need to look at every avenue we can to generate revenue,” Falkenstein said.
Bill Collins was happy to hear City Council discuss the issue, but asked “where have you been for the last three years?”
“I think there is a great opportunity there. It’s a great ramp, you’ve got a great parking lot there that goes with it. You got it for no charge from the state. You’ve got two municipal ramps there that are wonderful,” he said. “It’s a user fee; if you use it, you pay. It’s not a big deal. If you look at it, it’s two sets of gates. We’re not talking about rebuilding the world here.”
– By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff