Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Grants topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Belmar reports more than $3 million in grants; $7 million more applications pending
Summary
Business administrator Kane told the council that the borough has secured over $3 million in grants under the current administration, listing awards for beach festival marketing, playgrounds, transit village improvements and cybersecurity, and said an additional $7 million in applications remain under review.
Business Administrator Kane told the Belmar Borough Council that the borough has received "a total of over 3 three million in grant funding" during the current administration and outlined numerous awards and pending applications.
Kane said the largest single award listed was a $1,350,000 Cooperative Marketing Grant from the New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism for marketing support for the annual Belmar Seafood Festival, awarded in September 2023. He also listed a $525,500 Green Acres Jake Law playground grant for an inclusive playground at McClary Park (awarded April 2024), a $484,000 Transit Village safety improvement award for the Belmar train station, and a $299,000 NJDOT municipal grant for street resurfacing (awarded November 2024). Kane said grants also funded boardwalk preservation, firefighter equipment, cyber-security technical assistance, and local recreation improvements.
Kane summarized the recent awards and the timing: "in 2023 we received three grants ... $71,000 from New Jersey Department Community Affairs local Recreation Improvement Grants ... $1,350,000 from New Jersey Division of travel and tourism Cooperative marketing grant ... 484,000 from the New Jersey Department of Transportation ..." He added that in 2024 the borough received a mix of grants totaling several million and that about $7 million in additional applications were still under review.
Council members and staff clarified that some grants (for example, projects such as new basketball courts) must still go through budgeting, engineering and procurement phases before construction begins. Kane noted a $2,000 Sustainable Jersey technical-assistance award, multiple traffic safety overtime grants, and a Lieutenant Joseph DeBernardo Memorial Grant award for fire department safety systems. He also said a $1.54 million boardwalk preservation award was made for a permanent bathroom facility at the 16th Avenue beach entrance.
Kane and council members emphasized that application success and implementation depend on subsequent municipal steps: budgeting, engineering approvals, and, in the case of some larger grants, additional state or federal processes. Kane said the borough will learn more about pending applications over the coming year.
What happens next: staff will sequence awarded projects through the borough’s budgeting and procurement processes and return with implementation timelines and any necessary budget amendments.
