Fireworks postponed
By BILL BARLOW/Special to the Sentinel
UPPER TOWNSHIP – The township fireworks show will take place, just not on July 4.
In a report June 12 to the Upper Township Business Association, township engineer Paul Dietrich broke the news at the meeting, held remotely because of ongoing concerns for COVID-19.
Gov. Phil Murphy has eased restrictions throughout the state as New Jersey’s total number of cases of the novel coronavirus continue to drop, even as other regions of the country have seen sharp increases.
As of Monday, June 15, Murphy has allowed outside dining and indoor shopping at many more small businesses and lifted the maximum number of people allowed at an outside gathering to 500 starting in early July.
That will allow some graduation ceremonies to proceed, including the Ocean City High School graduation planned for July 9. But Dietrich told the business group that the township would see more people than that at the fireworks, and so officials decided to delay the event until restrictions lift further.
“We figure we would have more than 500 people at a normal Fourth of July event. There would be no way that we could handle that under the governor’s orders,” he said, and still meet the governor’s requirements.
The township is instead looking to hold the event on Sept. 12. Mayor Rich Palombo, who attended the remote meeting, suggested the event would be focused on the children.
“The plan will be a celebration,” he said. “We’d like to gear it toward the kids.”
There are also tentative plans for a car show in October, he said.
Dietrich said the township would follow the governor’s guidance on opening fields and outdoor sports this summer. Updates will be posted to the township website and to its Facebook page, he said.
Several restaurant owners attended the meeting, in hopes of hearing more details on requirements for outside dining.
The township has enacted emergency measures to speed the process of applying for and receiving emergency site plan approval for changes to businesses to accommodate the operational limitations during the pandemic. That includes allowing outside tables at many restaurants and new ways to display merchandise for retail stores.
Dietrich has prepared a single-page application for businesses, he said. According to Blanche Adams with the UTBA, he has also visited more than 90 percent of the businesses in the township to discuss the procedure.
“We really, really appreciate it in the business community,” Adams said.
She also cited Palombo and the other members of Township Committee.
According to Adams, Dietrich has promised a fast turn-around for applications.
“He wants businesses to succeed,” she said. “He wants all of us to be able to open up, make money and stay in business.”
Some elements of the process are outside the township’s control. For instance, businesses with liquor licenses will need approval from the state division of Alcohol Beverage Control to expand the license area. Dietrich told the business group that the township would move quickly to support local plans, adding that the local State Police barracks, which provides police protection for the township, would also move quickly to review applications.
Dietrich said he sought to make the local approval process as fast and easy as possible.
“You don’t have to hire an engineer,” he said. “All we’re looking for is where are you going to put your tables.”
Some local restaurants already have some outside seating. He said if the owner plans to incorporate a tent, it must be flame-retardant material and any lighting put in place must be installed with plans filed with the township construction office to ensure the wiring is done properly.
At the meeting, Dietrich suggested business owners closely review the state Department of Health website, which has extensive guidelines for disinfecting between customers and up-to-date information on what businesses can be open and what limitations are in place. For instance, non-essential retail businesses are still required to keep at half capacity as of the June 15 reopening. A physical barrier is required between customers and cashiers and there are guidelines for regular cleaning.
“They do recommend testing your employees at the beginning of every shift to make sure they don’t have a temperature,” Dietrich said. “Sanitation is a big thing with them.”
In areas where tables will be placed in a parking lot, Dietrich wants details on how those tables will be protected from traffic.
“We want everybody to be safe,” he said.
Other businesses can also take advantage of the COVID-19 related site plan waiver, he said. They can use the same form.
“This is not just for restaurants,” Dietrich said. If retail stores want to use outside areas for additional space to accommodate the state restrictions, the owners can also apply for the same approval.
As of the Friday meeting, about six businesses had submitted applications for a site plan waiver. Several owners told Dietrich that they would stick with take-out until indoor dining returns, while other restaurants already had outdoor seating approved before the state’s emergency orders.
The site plan waiver application form and other information is available at the township website, Dietrich said.
Palombo added that the township would waive all fees associated with the application process, and the township has agreed to cover the cost of a small state fee connected to the installation of temporary outdoor structures.
He said the emergency order would be in place through the summer, allowing expanded outside dining, even if the state eases restrictions and allows some level of indoor dining.