The City of Brigantine Beach continues its struggle with new business development, tourism and marketing.
Last year, after 15 years of debating ice cream, Brigantine finally pulled the trigger on letting 3 kids push ice cream carts up and down the beach. Coincidentally, 2013 was the first year in a while that Brigantine didn’t have a council member in the ice cream business.
According to an archived Philadelphia Inquirer story, the ability to purchase ice cream on Brigantine’s beach had been former Councilman Bob Solari’s dream for a decade and a half. But his efforts long went nowhere because businesses in town wanted to sell the stuff themselves.
Last year, ice cream vending rights were offered & split three ways at $30k a piece. The ice cream peddlers wouldn’t get rich off the deal, but most agreed it was an acceptable start. One vendor claimed that he lost money. The City of Brigantine had the opportunity to make $90,000 in vendor fees.
Brigantine beach goers were happily having a cone just like every other Jersey shore town.
But here in Brigantine, we do things different when it comes to summer tourism. For 2014, instead of possibly keeping or lowering the $30k bid, Brigantine decided to charge a minimum of $40,000 to just one bidder…. for much of the front beach, jetty and cove. How many stepped up to bid on this number that some say was designed to kill ice cream on the beach? Who knows. Many wonder why the City may didn’t immediately offer the rights to the highest bidder.
We get the funny feeling that Brigantine City Council might just ditch ice cream on the beach. We’ll soon see as Council should announce a decision soon.
Killing off the popular Ice Cream man on Brigantine Beach would also kill much needed city revenue from vendor fees. City Council ignores popularity of this summertime tradition along the Jersey shore?
No word yet on how City Council deals with food vending by the ‘Water Weenie’ at Brigantine’s cove and lagoon beach.
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At the recent June 21 council meeting, an ice cream vendor (from Egg Harbor) asked council to lower the bid threshold for 2014. See video below.
The Brigantine Chamber of Commerce had no comment at press time.
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That’s a shame. Everyone loses.They need to look into the operations of other successful shore towns,&
learn from them…..
From Jamie Nastasee DiIanni:
Why don’t we just make Brigantine a gated retirement community? because ridiculous decisions such as these really make city council look clueless to what keeps brigantine a family town. As a multi generational and multi family home owner with many small children, decisions like this make me question the direction brigantine is going…not in favor of a family friendly atmosphere? Not in favor of supporting business? This really makes no sense
I don’t get it. I love Brigantine, but I really question the decisions made when it comes to bringing revenue into town. Maybe city council should take a ride to rehoboth and see that’s it’s possible to offer good restaurants, entertainment for kids, and still keep it clean and family friendly. Why do they squash businesses trying to make a living and offer limited resources for people vacationing there?
Because they just want tax dollars not visitors.
In addition, they’ve made the trucks in the street stop ringing their bell and park farther from beach entry. It makes no sense!
Good sense is not what they want. It is destruction is what they want and are acquiring.
Who are they kidding? Brigantine on its best day could never get $30,000.00 for its IC license.
But they did lose a $120 ,00.00 for a year for 5 years for paying that pussy Chip Reid to be Chief of Police.
And now NJ residents lose $70,000.00 paying his pension for him doing about the same when he was chief.
Who are they kidding? Brigantine on its best day could never even get $30,000.00 for its Ice Cream license.
But they did lose a $140 ,00.00 for a year for 5 years for paying that pussy Chip Reid to be Chief of Police.
And now NJ residents lose $80,000.00 a year by paying his pension; and he is doing about the same amount of work he did when he was chief.
Pussy Reid also killed the Beloved “Water Weenie”.