BY GINA G. SCALA

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

COMMENTARY

Here’s the thing about living in a resort area, everyone who comes during the peak time expects everything to be perfect; especially the beaches. They don’t care how things get to be perfect, just that they are.

Well, Hurricane Sandy had a different vision in mind for most of the Jersey Shore during this offseason and the beaches are far from being pristine. There’s no doubt the beaches will be as close to perfect as possible when Memorial Day Weekend arrives in six months. But how the beaches and the Jersey Shore get there is up for some debate.

To the two North Jersey senators insisting, beach communities build and maintain free access to beaches in exchange for money to rebuild, I couldn’t disagree with you more.

When I was in college I went to Jones Beach (the first and only time, by the way). My only recollection is how filthy it was; dirty diapers on the beach and garbage all over the place. I couldn’t wait to get home to the Jersey Shore.

But even at the Jersey Shore, with people who pay for access, slobs persist. Last summer, most of my time on the beach was spent cleaning up after people who failed to recognize the garbage and recyclable bins at the entrance to my beach. Or they were just lazy and disrespectful of the environment and other people, I am not sure.

All of this to say, beach fees are for a good cause when the money goes to keeping the beaches clean and safe.

Without good, clean and safe beaches there would be no Jersey Shore; no tourism dollars and revenues; making it more costly to live in the Garden State. I can’t imagine either of you would advocate that.

In wake of your sugestions, I am struggling with who would be responsible for paying to keep up the beaches and pay the lifeguards. Would it be only the taxpayers in those Jersey Shore towns? Hmmm….that doesn’t seem fair.

If you continue to insist beach communities are mandated to build and maintain free beach access, please do me a personal favor and STAY away from the Jersey Shore. You don’t want to protect the natural beauty she is, and therefore are no smarter than the Long Beach Island homeowners still planning to fight dunes because it violates their constitutional and civil rights.

I don’t know where either of you grew up, but I grew up in Jersey and where I come from you don’t get something for nothing. If you don’t like paying the beach access fees than go elsewhere; like Jones Beach. But I bet you won’t like the dirty diapers anymore than I did. Just saying.