Like other shore towns trying to balance their budget, Brigantine might be forced to raise taxes and cut back on some city services. Nothing new there. We’d like to suggest another way to get our finances in check: Grow New Revenue.
Since the Brigantine Chamber of Commerce could really use some help with this stuff, we thought we’d chip in with some no-brainer ideas.
New Business Development is Needed at Brigantine Chamber of Commerce.
While taxes increases & cutbacks are inevitable everywhere, they wouldn’t be so bad if we could also grow new, positive cash flow. Here’s a short list of events & potential new revenue, that’s just sitting there for the taking.
- Brigantine Triathlon
- Plenty of regional advertisers would love to sponsor one of Brigantine’s premier, summertime events. For some reason, we don’t even offer sponsorship. That may be due to the current arrangement where an outside company is paid to run OUR triathlon. Hey Chamber of Commerce, wake up. Do your job. Sell something. There’s an easy $50k sitting there.
- 4×4 Beach Blast
- See pics here: Brigantine 2012 4×4 SUV Beach Event. Now it’s time to cash in. We know of 2 car dealers that would KILL to sponsor this popular event. Unfortunately, we’re probably running the 4×4 event at a LOSS when you consider overtime, clean-up & other city related services devoted to this day. The in-effective Brigantine Chamber Commerce recommendation of charging only $5 for a 4×4 pass, is leaving an awful lot of money on the table.
- Jet Ski Weekend
- Wow. This was truly awesome. 3 days of Jet Ski competition and showing off in the Brigantine Surf….right in front of the old Brigantine Hotel. This type of event is the future of Brigantine and is a sponsorship magnet. Watch video & see pics of Brigantine Jet Ski Weekend 2012 here.
- 4×4 Beach Permits
- Instead of just ‘one size fits all’ permits, why not sell premium $75 weekend passes as well? And please….don’t force people to schlep to the Community Center to buy a permit. Let them EASILY buy it online.
- Beach Tags
- Lot’s of beach tag revenue and tourism related income goes scurrying into the surf when our lovely ‘Beach Tag Beauties’ are in sight. Smart phones with credit card swipers would make it easy to charge PREMIUM fees to those who claim to ‘have no cash’.
- Miniature Golf
- Parents would love to take the kids to our ‘like new’ mini-golf course on 42nd street. Too bad visitors have NO idea it’s there. It’s barely used. That’s why it looks ‘like new”. Click to see pics of the Brigantine Miniature Golf Course.
- Parents would love to take the kids to our ‘like new’ mini-golf course on 42nd street. Too bad visitors have NO idea it’s there. It’s barely used. That’s why it looks ‘like new”. Click to see pics of the Brigantine Miniature Golf Course.
- Soccer Tournament
- Sponsorship dollars are there for the asking. Too bad we don’t ask. Click to view pics from our Brigantine Soccer Tournament.
- Life Guard Races
- Mr. Kuhn would blow a gasket if he knew that this annual gathering (in his name) is virtually invisible to non-residents. Bill Kuhn would also be disappointed knowing that much needed revenue is being left on the table. Click to see pics from Bill Kuhn Lifeguard Invitational Races here. Watching our Brigantine Beach Patrol do battle against the guards of Atlantic City, Margate and others is absolutely amazing. It all happens on OUR beach. Hey Brigantine Times….STOP calling it the KUHN races. Call it something EVERYBODY can figure out.
WATCH THIS VIDEO…
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So many simple fixes that we all knew this years ago but nothing changes.
it’s gonna change now.
What about charging non-Brigantine residents that use the jetty for summer vacation double the amount Brigantine residents pay for their permits?
Many of the off islanders sleep on the beach all weekend!
thats a real good way of chasin your cash of the Iland,they dont charge extra anywhere else on the east coast because u don’t live there typical thinking from B.B.
I have a question. When will the north end open for fishing?
that answer is probably connected to the completion of Beach Replenishment project going on now.
Question…we are new second homeowners in Brigantine and we have wondered why the “beach tag beauties” (as you call them!) don’t sit at the beach entrances to ask beach goers to show their tags? I’m sure there aren’t enough of them to “man” each entrance, but they could alternate entrances daily/weekly and turn away those with “no cash” and invite them to return after they visit an ATM! Just a thought…
great idea!
We rent a house in Brigantine every year for a week. We have been doing this since our children were very small. We put several thousand dollars of our hard earned money into your town every year. After we returned from our vacation in 2011, I saw some Brigantine sites on Facebook and “Liked” or “Joined” them because I really love it there…and that’s where it happened. It was a bunch of locals calling people like us “Shoobies” and telling us to go home. The remarks made about people who vacation there turned my stomach. And you seemed so friendly! We did not come back in 2012. If you want to make some extra money…maybe you should keep your people in check and remember where a lot of your money comes from. Too bad. It was my favorite little town and really looked forward to going there every year.
Lisa, we are also from PA & have rented an oceanfront condo for years with our children just like you. I totally agree Brigantine is wonderful.. When I first saw “Shoobie” Tuesday I was shocked & hurt. I tried to spend every dime I could in Brigantine & then to see that. We still go down for weekends sometimes. Finding an oceanfront weekend place in Brigantine is impossible in the summer. They all say the “condo association” doesn’t allow it. At one time I wouldn’t dream of going anywhere else, now we are spending our money in Wildwood, they are very welcoming.
It’s unbelievable some of the things that are being said about me on this facebook page. I didn’t say it was just the “shoobie” name I also said the other nasty things turned my stomach. This just proved my point. They are telling me to grow a thicker skin and get my panties out of a bunch and telling me to get over it cause it happens “everywhere else”. UM HELLO…I am not someone who HAS to keep going there and put up with it so why in the world would you tell me to get over it. I can bring my business somewhere else. Wow. Just…wow.
Well I saw the comments on the FB site. Some are nice – some not so much.
My parents used to take me there when I was little (I have been to Brigantine Castle etc)and THEIR parents took them there! We are going back 60 or so years! When I mentioned all the years we have been renting a house down there, I was talking about the time I actually started paying for it – as an adult. Not just the house…also boats, fishing equipment, surfing lessons, ETC! …. I said my family didn’t come back in 2012. I wasn’t planning on taking any vacation again there (although we do plan on staying near Atlantic City) but I didn’t say I would never come back. But, now hearing how much a lot of the people that live there feel about us, saying I’m “bad mouthing” “their” island (with all do respect) when I was simply stating a TRUTH about the nasty posts I read (which apparently are spot on), why would I go back?
If you send your kid to school and then come across a post their teacher wrote about how much she hates kids and grumbles about them – would you feel comfortable sending them back the next day?
And if I am handing people money over a week or 2 that takes us months to make…YES, I do care who I’m giving it to.
Yes Lisa, what you say is true from some people that live full time in Brigantine. It is a small hand-full and sometimes you just have to consider the source…. I own homes in Brigantine and get the same treatment from those “type” of people. Please come and enjoy the island. It was made by God for all of us to enjoy, in spite of rude comments by a small group that think they own the ocean. I hope to see you on the beach, enjoying the small shops and restaurants and perhaps renting a bike to ride on the “safe streets” of Brigantine. …… summer is coming- see you soon 😀
We have a great revenue opportunity – expand and market the marine mammal stranding center. The gas station lot next to it should be purchased and the historical museum and mmsc could all be one big tourist center. I have tried contacting several companies to sponsor this. It would bring a lot of tourist dollars and support one of the truly unique organizations on the east coast.
Excellent ideas…now is the time to act!
It took over 100 years for Brigantine to realize they had the power to shake things up in city government. It will just take a little longer…for local Brigantine business owners to realize they must shake things up with their Chamber of Commerce.
We pay a high price for the 4×4 tag compared to other towns in so. jersey why don t you allow us to use the front beach from the sea wall to the south jetty and cove for fishing only from Jan to May 15th and from Oct 1st to Dec 31st. As it is now we get limited use on the north end due to the pover fence going up. Give us more beach for our money
I love Brigantine! Raising fees on tourists will drive us away, not bring us it. It might bring in revenue short term, but not long term. “The Brigantine Chamber Commerce recommendation of charging only $5 for a 4×4 pass, is leaving an awful lot of money on the table.” All that means is charge the consumer more. If anything, make it more affordable to be there. We can cross the bridge to AC if we want to get gouged.
Now real ideas….
Dog beach in the summer. Promote dog friendliness.
Triathlon-if you can get a sponsor for 50k and you are not, then shame on you. Maybe a 5k race that will appeal to more people (not everyone has time to train for a triathlon, but even the most modest athlete will sign up for a 5k).
All in all, don’t make us pay more to bring in revenue. Create new things that will bring more people in, not charge the people more who already like going there. I love that there are no parking meters in Brig. It has that small town feel, so please don’t put in parking meters.
Also, tell Brigantine Beach Bagels to speed up their service, or i’m going to stop going there, lol.
We’re second home owners in Brigantine. I’m not appealing our RE tax assessment out of solidarity with the city. Why hasn’t any Brigantiner responded to the people who commented here and expressed feeling looked down on and not particularly valued by Brigantine residents. I’m hoping someone is responding to them – in a nice, welcoming way—but we can’t see it because they’re doing it by email or something. If no one has responded, that is clearly one symptom of Brigantine’s problem. Does the city have a social media maven who is willing to volunteer some time or is it a task that can be part of someone else’s job in city government?
I think a dog beach open in the summer would be a great idea and might make some folks decide to summer in Brigantine rather than elsewhere. (I realize there is a dog park, but when people bring their dog to a beach town, they would kinda like to take the beast to a beach). There is some south end beach that is pretty unoccupied most days. You could definitely charge a fee.
WHY DON’T THEY SELL WEEKLY 4X4 PERMITS,people like to fish from all parts of the east coast
That was a good illustrative video showing a fresh family friendly approach to promo’ing events in Brigantine. Is anyone paying attention thou? The shocker to me is how easily the island could capitalize on the golf course, total waste. Hard to believe a deal isn’t brokered with casinos is some form or fashion.
As for the shoobie thing…who cares? are you really offended? let them have a huge shoobie party ever year, eat drink and be merry in shoobie honor!
I am a second home owner in the south end and pay for both 4×4 permit and beach tags because at times the beach is too crowded to use my 4×4 permit. So we are forced to walk to the beach.
I think raising the rates for 4×4 permits for those that don’t live on the island is a good idea. For those of us that pay triple, (local taxes, 4×4 permits and beach badges) need a break especially when we need to buy both because of over-crowding.
Possibly an “south end owner’s only” 4×4 section with a special permit would be a reason I would be willing to pay more but not more that off-islanders.
Why are people sleeping on the beach? This practice draws TROUBLE. This seems contrary to law. Our PD should be made aware of the location and should ticket violators!
We have an amazing tourist attraction on our Island. It’s unique in many ways and one of only a few on the entire east coast. It’s the Marine Mammal Stranding Center. Bob and his team do terrific work year after year. It should be a required visit by every biology class in the four state region. And it should be invested in with private and public money.
We had a shot when the circle gas station was demolished to expand the facility. I called the oil company that leased the land. If you can picture a cedar shake complex there (no fake grass) a state of the art recovery and viewing area and a little bit of parking – you’d have a world class learning facility and a tourist draw! Maybe the Exxon or BP MMSC. GET IT DONE COUNCIL !
Tom, you are so right. We have personally reached out to MMSC, Brig Chamber & City….with no luck. Our gut tells us that there’s still an aversion to tourism in Brigantine….by a very small…but powerful handful of people.