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State Officials Approve New Beach Access Rules

The rules side with special interests by blocking access to beaches and waterfronts, Sierra Club says.

 

State environmental officials have approved a revision of the state's public access rules for beaches, bays and tidal waterways, the Associated Press reported Friday.

Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin says the new rules maintain existing public access, while granting more power to local communities to write their own access plans, subject to state approval, the AP reported. The Public Access Rule was signed Wednesday, and will take effect Nov. 5.

Jeff Tittel, head of the Sierra Club's New Jersey chapter, wrote a blog post for Patch Friday saying the rules "side with special interests by blocking people from getting proper access to beaches and waterfronts."

"When they first proposed the rule it was a major roll back of our public access.  With each new change to the rules they are cutting access even more," he wrote. "This is part of the overall chipping away at the Public Trust doctrine and the right of the people of New Jersey to access our waterways."

He also said that allowing municipalities to plan public access "will let the towns do whatever they please instead of providing the necessary access. These rules will be open for political games and subject to abuse."

For more information, see the Associated Press story here: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/new_jersey/20121004_ap_njofficialsapprovenewbeachaccessrules.html

Tittel's Patch blog can be found here: http://manasquan.patch.com/blog_posts/anti-beach-access-rules-finalized.

Related Topics: Beaches

Mac

3:12 pm on Friday, October 5, 2012

It must be great to be a lawyer involved in a political action case such as public beach access. It's like having a guaranteed income for life.

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Martin

3:12 pm on Friday, October 5, 2012

Gov. Christie said "Get the hell off the beach" (when a hurricane was approaching, and again today).

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ariah moyer

10:26 pm on Friday, October 5, 2012

i hope that my tax $ are not spent to maintain these" public beaches", that includes the marine corp of engineers.

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Rick

10:14 am on Saturday, October 6, 2012

Ariah, That would be the Army Corps of Engineers

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Vince Latchford

3:00 pm on Saturday, October 6, 2012

Didn't a Court rule just this week that if public funds are used to replenish the beach, the public must have access, even though private beach clubs have been preventng it for decades? This seems contrary to that ruling.

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marylou

4:59 pm on Saturday, October 6, 2012

Vince,all of the beach clubs provide public access. Non-members can sit on the sand and swim int the water.What they cannot do is use the other facilities,restrooms,pools hot tubs or any water sports equipment.They cannot park in the parking lots.There is 1 in Monmouth Beach that does aloow non members to use their restrooms as well.

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Dentss Dunnagun

8:23 am on Sunday, October 7, 2012

Marylou ...why should a private establishment grant access to it's restrooms to someone who is not a paying customer ....ever try to use a restroom in a restaurant by just walking off the street ? ...I don't believe I'm off base here

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Joseph Herbert

8:23 am on Sunday, October 7, 2012

I would Point out to Ariah that it is called "The Army Corp of Engineers". the U.S. Marine Corp has no Engineers, they are pare of the Navy's Sea Construction Battalions (SEABEE). Additionally, the Sierra Club's Claim that all beaches are "Public Beaches" is false, based in the states' Reparian Legal Rights which grant the several states secondary right of possession after the deeded owner.
Now to the pictures, in the first case, I may be mistaken because of the limited view, but it may be the "Wannamaker Estate" in Island Heights which is closed for public Safety, there is a danger of the cut-bank collapsing; the second is a standard Rip Current Sign, again, because people are stupid, a Public Safety issue as is the last, where there has been, again because of stupidity, excessive cost to the public because of unneccessary energency response requirements.

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Rick

10:46 am on Monday, October 8, 2012

Joseph Herbert pointed out that the first picture was taken at the Wannamaker Estate and is there for safety reasons.
The third picture is captioned as "Signage at north side of sandbar, Silver Sands State Park.
Silver Sands State Park is in Connecticut, not NJ and the signage there is also for safety reasons.

Frederick John LaVergne for Congress

4:03 pm on Friday, October 5, 2012

I am NJBBA # 3816. This will not go unaddressed.

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Local

4:03 pm on Friday, October 5, 2012

NJ DEP is managed by a Businessman and that's wrong. Christie's administration has been making it habit of overturning longstanding Environmental Protection rulings purely for Politics and the hell with the environment as well as taxpayers' right to enjoy the All the beachfronts that their tax dollars help protect.
The Dept of Environmental Protection is a joke now.

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ariah moyer

10:26 pm on Friday, October 5, 2012

now christie is thinking about treating wastewater from fracking in our state. i'm scared of this governor and connections to ALEC that are allowing these unhealthy decisions to be made, very scared.

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Ellen

8:23 am on Sunday, October 7, 2012

Christie is the gov-ner (as we say in the south) of NJ. Of course he's crooked. . . it's NJ for God's sake! Sad state of affairs that the citizens of this state have to put up with this stuff..... OR DO THEY?

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Joseph Herbert

8:23 am on Sunday, October 7, 2012

You need to really think before you write, both you, Tonto and Ariah below, any bureaucrat in a management had better be a business person, the average person off the street is completely unable to manage a department like the DEP. Would you as a self-proclaimed environmentalist say that Lisa Jackson was a bad administrator? She who is now head of the U.S. EPA? There have been no major policy changes since Christy took Office, she set those policies. There is a more marked requirement to insure compliance without writing citations, that’s all. And Ariah, point of Engineering Truth - propaganda aside, There is no such thing as waste water from FRACKING (Fractural Cracking to release deposited Hydrocarbon Minerals [Gas & Oil]). That operation is performed by infusion injection [Of Surface Water] at approximately 14.9732 PSI >12,000 feet below ground. That does not produce waste water, Hydrocarbon recovery is 60 - 80 % gas, the balance being shale oil and that is 95% ‘dry’ light sweet crude. When you carp the party line but don’t know what you are talking about, you lessen all of our appreciation of your intelligence.

joe

4:03 pm on Friday, October 5, 2012

Communities can write their own plans, subject to state approval. Yeah right. How long will it take the state to approve or not allow the communities limiting access? And what happens in the meantime? Do we have access to certain beaches or not? What a joke.

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Frederick John LaVergne for Congress

4:03 pm on Friday, October 5, 2012

State funding for beach replenishment, but unequal access?

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Barbara Aussicker

5:56 pm on Friday, October 5, 2012

I agree. If the state provides funding, which are my tax dollars at work then there should be access for all.

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ariah moyer

10:26 pm on Friday, October 5, 2012

if it happens, we need to show up in numbers and protest. it is something the public hates. public funds for private land!

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Tom Cular

8:57 am on Saturday, October 6, 2012

Let me begin with saying that I've earned my living working several beach nourishment projects from the Carolinas through NJ. It has always been primarily federal funding. Why should folks from other states pay to nourish "private beaches" or the so called "public beaches" claimed by municipalities. No other state on the Atlantic coast has the NJ beach mentality. DE, MD and VA seem to maintain their beaches without user fees.

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Ellen

8:23 am on Sunday, October 7, 2012

Barbara you are absolutely right as is Frederick John LaVergne for Congress and Ariah Moyer and Tom Cular.

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Joseph Herbert

8:23 am on Sunday, October 7, 2012

As stated beach replenishment, which is not scientifically sound and has no engineering validity, is a Federal Program, until the current "Federal" administration it was free, now there is a state match. All the sand that they pile on the Jersey Beaches just extends the Cape May bar, now seven miles longer to the south than it was. Natural wave action carries all that sand south.

Barbara Aussicker

5:56 pm on Friday, October 5, 2012

No one in New Jersey should own a beach. Period. That's hogwash.
In Hawaii, you must leave access to the beach for the public. You could own a 3 million dollar home, but the beach doesn't belong to you.
I've lived here all my life, but to own a beach is nonsense.

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June Kreutzer

5:56 pm on Friday, October 5, 2012

I don't know how many of you have ever been to California, but even multi million dollar houses have to allow beach access. Works for them.

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Nicole Magnotti

10:26 pm on Friday, October 5, 2012

Shame on the State. Myrtle Beach allows for full access along its entire Grand Strand.

I say the next time these homeowner's beach begin to erode, they should not allowed to use public funds for their replenishment!! Plain and simple.

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marylou

8:23 am on Sunday, October 7, 2012

I have family in the Myrtle Beach area.While it's true that anyone can use the beaches,sometimes you have to pay of you need a restroom.And from what I've heard,beach clubs have been built,Members pay a fee to for changing rooms,hot showers, pools,etc.

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marylou

8:23 am on Sunday, October 7, 2012

Nicole,I have family who live in the Myrtle Beach are.While it's true that everyone can use the beaches,not everything is free.Restrooms are not always free and some of the are quite disgusting.What I'm told,too,is thagt there are beach clubs with private facilities,and members pay a fee to use clean restrooms,hot showers,changing rooms,etc.

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Joseph Herbert

8:23 am on Sunday, October 7, 2012

Believe me when I say that it isn't, I've seen houses on LBI collapse into the sea because they wouldn't pay for Federal Sand and were undermined. And by the way, when you complain about "Beach Fees" complain about the local towns, the state gets none of it. They charge it because they have to clean up after all you leave the beaches.

William J Moss

10:26 pm on Friday, October 5, 2012

Will not work here because of one single word (GREED)

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lisad

10:26 pm on Friday, October 5, 2012

that jack ass from the sierra club thinks the public should be able to access lagoons from our water front property... they also wanted marina's to open to the public...what are they on crack? beach access is a little different.

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Joseph Herbert

8:23 am on Sunday, October 7, 2012

Right on Lisa, bet ya Jeff Tittel would freak if you walk through his yard to get to your beach!

IMFROMHERE

10:26 pm on Friday, October 5, 2012

Its All Part Of The UN Land Grab! Search: (Agenda 21) Local & State Governments Are Being Tricked Into Submission!!!!

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Sal Sorce

10:26 pm on Friday, October 5, 2012

How can such a tiny fart of a state have so many
environmental problems ...it's been designed by politicians
to create and build on the many once pristine areas ...
both the DEP and NJ Pinelands Commissions have been
gradually stepping away from the long standing rules ...
latest Pinelands Commissioner was or is connected to
the NJ Home Builders Association ... great lobbying crony
is just what this state needs ... anyone ever monitor what
has gone down in Stafford for well over 30-years by a
totally connected OC-GOP bunch? The give it away rules
to feed the Walters Group of entities has move into once
age restricted housing to non-age restricted housing ...
the Ottawa Study showed the change would bring only a few
children into our school system ... if so what the nice play ground
and loads of kids in area school buses ...
Cronyism has been the builder of a city form of problems ...
infrastructure ... 14,000 gallons of water in charges for those
who barely use a few thousand? The administrator recently
struggled with trying to explain the weird billing system to
a woman who was terrific ... she had to leave without any
real satisfaction ... more folks must start coming to regular
township meetings ... almost SRO standing room only for
a bare bones agenda ...

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Opinionated

8:57 am on Saturday, October 6, 2012

Here's a basic math problem that no one seems to know or care about. By building these developments, it uses up our watersheds which decreases the amount of available water while creating an added demand. I also despise new developments because it always attracts NIMBY's into our area who quickly complain about everything around them despite the fact that they have been there for years. We have such an abomination in Point on the Manasquan River. They whine about everything since they have been here. That whole site should have been a park.

ariah moyer

10:26 pm on Friday, October 5, 2012

if only because of this, and the mockery made of the dep , christie has to go. people need to take back control, clean house!!

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Sal Sorce

10:26 pm on Friday, October 5, 2012

I have been convinced the once conservative GOP
has turned into a Liberal form of government ...
as a Republican since 1969, I do not recognize my party.
Judging by what has gone down in the last 5-decades
or 50-yearss, the motives, rationale and decisions are
clearly for big government and big problems with sadly
the paved over mass of mini malls pavement storm
water drainage systems that have cost millions if maintained
or constructed ... all in place of the vital trees that can
or would control the constant flooding issues ...
how can anyone not see how the builders were allowed
to construct basement in homes or even offer them
as an incentive for buying a Walters home?
Are the buyers assured of proper drainage systems?
Hey did you hear of the once former CEO founder
of Kara Homes is back in town???
He and his buddy are now back and involved with
the LANDINGS IN STAFFORD ... neat how one
can file chapter 11 and swing around for a few years
and end up back where you left off???
INTERESTING A WOMAN WHO IS NOW LIVING IN
THE LANDINGS HAS HOME BUILT BY KARA ...
sold out due to issues in wrong color brick and a list
of issues ... she obviously could not escape Zudi ...

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none of yobusiness

10:26 pm on Friday, October 5, 2012

Florida has some awesome beaches, most have barbecue pits, lifeguards. Ive been to some that only allow fishermen, imagine that, if you dont have a pole you will be asked to leave by the sheriff officers that patrol them. How much does it cost to use these beaches? Nothing. They are free. If NJ could figure a way to charge for the air we breathe, they would.

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Leslie

8:57 am on Saturday, October 6, 2012

IT IS A PUBLIC BEACH... the "landowners" don't have Riparian rights to the tidelines. The own the property their buildings are on. My taxes pay to use those beaches but we are denied because of the elitist hypocrisy that surronds these clubs. I have also been a member of several clubs. Only for convenience when my kids were little.

It is about time.....Right "Bryan" har har

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Sal

8:57 am on Saturday, October 6, 2012

The best way to complain about this issue is to email Congressman Frank Pallone Jr. and ask him to stop getting beach replenishment for any town that does not allow open beach access to ALL.Hundreds of millions of our Federal Tax dollars go toward beach replenishment in NJ__-yet the towns operate the beaches like they "personal property".
Open access or cut off replenishment funding__it is that simple.

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Opinionated

8:57 am on Saturday, October 6, 2012

Going to play Devil's Advocate here. If we try to say everyone should have access to private beaches because public money replenishes them. And this was done without asking such owners. Does this mean they could go to court in the future and request a halt to such projects based on their lack of desire to comply with the state's wishes? What do you think?

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Uncle Moe

8:57 am on Saturday, October 6, 2012

All part of UN Agenda 21. The Sierra club is a shill group run by them

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justaskin?

10:14 am on Saturday, October 6, 2012

Iam confused... are people opposed to cleaning up a beach area that is now not being used?? will it only be used for private use? I believe it states it will be public use..
Why would you rather see a closed beach then a beach being used???

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Rick

10:14 am on Saturday, October 6, 2012

So the Corps of Engineers shouldn't spend money replenishing levies in New Orleans because they protect private property?

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Tom Cular

12:27 pm on Saturday, October 6, 2012

Rick, there's a big difference between the levee systems and nourishment of beaches held for private use. Levee systems help protect the general population in the area and are freely accessable to the public in most instances, unlike the private beaches claimed by homeowners, businesses and municipalities.

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Rick

3:01 pm on Saturday, October 6, 2012

There is also a similarity between levees and beach replenishment. They both protect the entire area, not just the single unit. If beaches and dunes aren't replenished the entire area could be eroded in subsequent storms.

And, New Orleans has been rebuilding levees since the city was started in 1718.
We, the taxpayers get to rebuild the levees and the city so people can continue to live in a place that is below sea level and will get flooded the next time a major storm hits.

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Frederick John LaVergne for Congress

6:02 pm on Monday, October 8, 2012

Nobody is arguing against replenishment - what is argued is expense of public funds and the access to the newly created public lands. Public Lands Trust doctrine is at issue.

Local

12:27 pm on Saturday, October 6, 2012

"Environmentalist" Christie is good friends with BillionaireKochBros.They want EPA to take known Carcinogen Formaldehyde OFF of Carcinogen list because one of their Companies, BRAWNY PAPER PRODUCTS produces it as a BYPRODUCT in GREAT QUANTITIES & then they have great expense to properly handle it. That's why Koch Brothers are Massively funding Tea Partiers Nationwide in order to Dismantle the Fed. EPA.

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Opinionated

7:56 am on Saturday, October 13, 2012

Better than George Soros and his nazi ties. But then the EPA let New York dump their garbage of our coast. Remember the 80s and the beach closures?

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Ellen

8:23 am on Sunday, October 7, 2012

Hi Ho Silverware Tonto lost his underwear. He say 'me no care' Lone Ranger buy me another pair.

Sorry, my grandfather used to sing this to me and I could not resist when I saw your handle:)

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Spooner

11:26 am on Monday, October 8, 2012

The former Bogata, NJ Mayor, Steve Lonegan has been bought off by the Koch Brothers too. Remember him promoting "property tax" reform a few years back. . .ah what money does?

ariah moyer

12:27 pm on Saturday, October 6, 2012

the" city" of new orleans is not a private ocean front home that posts keep out signs, to what has been historically and primarily public use property.(thx for your correction earlier, it is the army , not the marine corps of engineers).

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Rick

3:01 pm on Saturday, October 6, 2012

Please see my reply to Mr Cular.

Poindexter McSmash

12:27 pm on Saturday, October 6, 2012

Stop charging for parking along the beach during the off season.
It's not fair to us, when we pay out of our taxes aready...

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vic

3:01 pm on Saturday, October 6, 2012

finally, sanity has set in. each individual municipality can now decide how they want to handle beach access. that's the way it should be. for too long the state has been dictating to local municipalities how it wants thinks done. this decision is a hugh victory for local control.

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Local

10:54 am on Monday, October 8, 2012

10% Unemployment in NJ & where's Christie? Not here in Jersey.

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Dominick Palermo

1:45 pm on Tuesday, October 9, 2012

To all the people who say " i i dont want my tax dollars going to the beaches Well i dont want my tax dollar going to illegals -- or going to hospitals for healthcare for illegals or going for welfare for illegals or supplemental SSI for illegals -------but guess what it is ----So put your BIg Boy pants on and get used to it

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Sal Sorce

9:57 pm on Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Speaking of "access"
About 4:40 PM I chose to take the WARETOWN EXIT 69
ON THE SOUTH BOUND TOLL PLAZA ...
TRIED AS I DID THE COINS WERE OVERFLOWING THE
THROAT OF THE DAMN THING ... GOT OUT AND TRIED
TO UNJAM THE MASS OF MIXED COINS ...
SOMEONE EVEN WROTE IN MARKER 'FIX ME"
HAVING AN INCIDENT EARLIER THIS YEAR
I CALLED THE GARDEN STATE PARKWAY
AT 732-590-5300 THE WOMAN SHERYL WAS
EXTREMELY CORDIAL AND TOOK MY
PLATE NUMBER, TYPE OF CAR AND PHONE
NUMBER-- DO MENTION THE TIME AND TOLL
EXIT AS THEY CAN OR WILL ATTEMPT TO
INVESTIGATE OR STOP ANY SUMMONS FROM
REACHING YOU ...
THE STATE GOVERNMENT MUST WORRY
ABOUT ACCESS TO OUR TOWNS NOW THAT
THEY HAVE A "DRACONIAN" CONTROL OF
OUR MAIN COMMUTING ROADS ...
GOT BETTER SERVICE WHEN THEY WERE
A MERE DIME PER ...
WHAT'S NEXT TOLL BOOTHS ON THE BEACH?

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Frederick John LaVergne for Congress

6:44 am on Wednesday, October 10, 2012

It's funny you bring that up - on the way to the "Editorial Board Review" for the candidates in our district today at the Asbury Park Press, I entered the parkway at the Route 70 exit in Brick - NO HUMAN BEINGS IN SITE - just three orange cones, and an easy pass or exact change lane. I have had tickets issued on booths where I have had a human toll take give me a receipt - it was wrongly time stamped. I have since come to know that some less than ethical persons punch receipts on cash sales when not asked, then hold them in their hand until a person asks for a receipt - they then hand them the evidence that they passed through the toll, and then "violate" the driver with a camera - with the intent, apparently, that, since they have the receipt, they will fight the ticket and not notice the skimmed dollar in the booth. Meanwhile - do that 20 times an hours, 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, 50 weeks a year - that's 40 grand stolen, with receipts given.

If there is no human collector, the toll should not be charged. No "envelopes"

Have you ever seen the coin box at the Newark entrance at South Orange Avenue? It took shoving 4 bucks worth of quarters before it recorded the toll as paid.

Fraud, fraud, fraud....(and, yes, we're already working on THAT one, too - I have a retired insider on board.)

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jenna 3

7:56 am on Saturday, October 13, 2012

really.. do you understand all the service we already are paying for? our school buses from our town picking up seniors citizens ( sometimes just one person at a time) during the day picking them up at the mall & taking them wherever they need to be... the cost of fuel alone , salary of paying someone & insurance to drive 1 person on a large bus.... all coming out of our taxes that the seniors do not contribute to, nor will they EVER vote for a school budget. Personally would rather see our beaches cleaned up where EVERYONE can enjoy them not to service that is age discrimination program ( sorry but if any of us called Brick transportation & asked for a free ride to the mall we would be laughed at)

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