Announcements

CITY DEEMS SOUTH SEAVIEW TOWER AN IMMINENT HAZARD; EXPEDITING DEMOLITION OF THE BUILDING (Long Branch) - Mayor John Pallone announced Thursday January 14th that the South tower at Seaview Towers has now been elevated to an Imminent Hazard which will speed up demolition of the building. For the safety of the residents, road closures will be posted around the property beginning today. The City engineer conducted a structural inspection that determined the south tower to be an Imminent Hazard. At this time, the City has notified the property owners of this status and have given them 24 hours to take down the building. If the property owner fails to abide by the City’s order to demolish the building, the City will proceed to demolish the tower and recapture the cost by a lien to be placed on the propertyThe City building official will also proactively seek access to the north tower to ensure that the same hazard does not exist there. Out of an abundance of caution, there will be road closures in the area of North Bath to South Bath Ave to both vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Part of the boardwalk will also be closed. "We have notified the property owners and if they do not demolish the south tower, we will do it. A lien will be put on the property and this will not be an expense to the taxpayers. This building needs to come down as soon as possible," Mayor Pallone stated. ##### City Engineer Statement (Seaview Towers) 1/15/21: Due to the condition of the south building associated with Seaview Towers, the building has been found to be an imminent hazard, and immediate demolition is recommended. It is important to clarify, although the demolition process will be expedited given the condition of the structure, all demolition will be performed by a licensed contractor and occur in accordance with standard practices, including but not limited to development of a demolition plan, implementing proper safety measures, ensuring proper barricading, removal of hazardous materials, if any, removal and disposition of building material, and site clean-up/restoration.

Dear Business Owners, I am writing you today to let you know that the City Council and I are suspending the increase in fees for 2021 Mercantile and Food Licenses. Just to give a little background, we made the decision to increase fees before the pandemic began. Our city has had a dramatic increase in cost in the Health Department and we have not raised these fees in over a decade.  If you sent a payment already with the increased fee, your payment will be sent back to you. A new bill will also be sent to you. Since the beginning of this pandemic, it has been our goal to be there for our business community. We continue to offer grant opportunities and resources through our Economic and Community Development Department. This support will continue through 2021 and until this pandemic is over. Please do not hesitate to reach out to our office (732-571-5640) or the Economic and Community Development Department (732-923-2040) as we will continue to get through this pandemic, together. Best Regards, Mayor John Pallone 

EFFECTIVE 6PM 1/16 UNTIL 8AM 1/22, A CODE BLUE HAS BEEN ISSUED 

Food Pantries/ Kitchens    For the most recent information! 12-11-2020 Lutheran Church of the Reformation   992 Broadway, West Long Branch 07764   732-229-9180  Tuesday 7pm-8pm   Saturday 830am-10am      St. Vincent DePaul Society at Holy Trinity Church, Christ the King Parish   385 Division St., Long Branch 07740   732-222-3216  Wednesday 11am-1pm       St. Vincent DePaul Society at St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church   6 West End Court, Long Branch 07740   732-222-8080  3rd Saturday 12:30pm-4:30pm       St. Luke’s Methodist Church Food Pantry   535 Broadway, Long Branch 07740   732-222-1341  Every other Friday 3pm-5pm    **Community Dinner from 4-5pm every Tuesday      First Baptist Church   499 N. Bath Ave., Long Branch 07740   732-229-1453   2nd Thursday & Fourth Thursday 12pm-4pm       Second Baptist Church   93 Liberty Street, Long Branch 07740   732-229-2035  **Meals at Noon       St. Brigid’s Food Pantry at St. James Episcopal Church   300 Broadway, Long Branch 07740   732-222-1411  Monday & Wednesday 11am-2pm  New Hope Church  200-206 Garfield Ave, Long Branch Food Pantry is every 5th Saturday at 10am -12pm for Delivery or Donation contact 609-448-9424 and mention the Long Branch Campus as we have 3 locations throughout New Jersey   ** = meals 

Due to the spike of positive cases nationwide and locally, out of the concern for our residents, we have moved from by "appointment only" in city hall to being closed to the public. We hope to open when conditions improve. This is effective 11/23/2020. OUR OFFICES WILL REMAIN OPEN TO SERVE OUR RESIDENTS AND OUR EMPLOYEES ARE AVAILABLE TO HELP. TO REACH THE OFFICE YOU ARE LOOKING FOR PLEASE CONTACT THEM VIA: Administration - 732-571-5645 - administration@longbranch.org  Building - 732-571-5690 -  building@longbranch.org  City Clerk - 732-571-5686 -  cityclerk@longbranch.org  Finance - 732-571-5688 - finance@longbranch.org  Fire Bureau - 732-571-5651 firebureau@longbranch.org  Health - 732-571-5665 - health@longbranch.org  Library - 732-222-3900 - longbranchpubliclibrary@gmail.com Personnel - 732-571-5662 - personnel@longbranch.org  Planning/Zoning - 732-571-5647 - planningandzoning@longbranch.org  Public Works - 732-571-6520 - dpw@longbranch.org  Purchasing - 732-571-5656 - purchasing@longbranch.org  Recreation - 732-571-6545 - recreation@longbranch.org  Senior Center - 732-571-6542 - senior@longbranch.org  Tax Assessor - 732-571-5658 - taxassessor@longbranch.org  Tax Collector - 732-571-5657 - taxcollector@longbranch.org  UEZ - 732-923-2040 - uez@longbranch.org

"Ring" in the New Year Giveaway! Win a FREE Ring Video Doorbell System! No Purchase Necessary! The #LongBranchPD is giving away A Ring Video Doorbell System! 1 Lucky Winner will be selected at random. Entries accepted from 8:00 AM on 12/01/20 through 11:00 PM on 01/22/21. Winner to be announced on 01/29/2021. One entry per person per week. Must be a Long Branch resident or business owner & 18 or older. To enter, visit: https://www.longbranch.org/ring-in-the-new-year-giveaway

CITY OF LONG BRANCH NOTICE As per city Ordinance 247-4 “Permits for Special Events” no events or gatherings can be held on municipal property (parks or beaches) without submission of a Special Event Application or a Wedding Application. Fees and insurance applies to all submissions. No alcohol or generators are allowed on municipal property either. For more information contact Danna Kawut at dkawut@longbranch.org or refer to: https://www.longbranch.org/departments/ProgramsEvents/programsevents

Introducing Long Branch Local To Go! www.longbranch.org/LocalToGo For a list of Long Branch Restaurants offering delivery and/or take-out services during the Coronavirus crisis visit: www.longbranch.org/LocalToGo! Please help to support these local restaurants that have remained open to serve our community! TO BE ADDED TO OUR PAGE VISIT: https://bit.ly/LBTakeOut  

EFFECTIVE 7/13/2020, LONG BRANCH OFFICES ARE OPEN BY APPOINTMENT ONLY - 732-222-7000 Attention Long Branch residents: Beginning Monday March 16, 2020, Long Branch offices will be CLOSED to the public to protect residents and employees and to help stop the spread of the Coronavirus. However, our staff will be available to assist you by phone or email. Please check our website at longbranch.org to find phone numbers, emails, and forms. You can also contact the department you are looking for by calling 732-222-7000. We will be updating our website constantly with modifications to any services. Thank you for understanding. Please also sign up for Long Branch Alerts at longbranch.org/alerts to receive the most up to date texts, calls, and emails. Administration - 732-571-5645 - administration@longbranch.org  Building - 732-571-5690 -  building@longbranch.org  City Clerk - 732-571-5686 -  cityclerk@longbranch.org  Finance - 732-571-5688 - finance@longbranch.org  Fire Bureau - 732-571-5651 firebureau@longbranch.org  Health - 732-571-5665 - health@longbranch.org  Library - 732-222-3900 - longbranchpubliclibrary@gmail.com Personnel - 732-571-5662 - personnel@longbranch.org  Planning/Zoning - 732-571-5647 - planningandzoning@longbranch.org  Public Works - 732-571-6520 - dpw@longbranch.org  Purchasing - 732-571-5656 - purchasing@longbranch.org  Recreation - 732-571-6545 - recreation@longbranch.org  Senior Center - 732-571-6542 - senior@longbranch.org  Tax Assessor - 732-571-5658 - taxassessor@longbranch.org  Tax Collector - 732-571-5657 - taxcollector@longbranch.org  UEZ - 732-923-2040 - uez@longbranch.org 

Long Branch has a new and improved system for keeping in touch with our residents.  We are calling it Alert Long Branch and the service is being provided by smart911.com. Click the link above to sign up.  We plan to use Alert Long Branch for more than just emergency alerts, in the near future we will use it for community notifications.  

SHOP LONG BRANCH A program designed to encourage residents to support local businesses. Individuals who sign up for a SHOP LONG BRANCH card will receive discounts at participating businesses. Discounts will be applied directly to the individuals property taxes or provided in the form of a year-end check for non-residents or those who rent. Businesses that have signed up thus far: Bacon Beach Grille (49 Atlantic Avenue) BBQ & Salad Shack (138 Myrtle Avenue) Bella's Pizza (425 Liberty Street) Bell Liquors (706 Broadway) Butcher's Block Restaurant (235 West Avenue) BR Help Center (489 Broadway, 2nd Floor) Caputo's Italian Pastry Shoppe (444 Ocean Blvd North) Cortez Cigar (23 2nd Avenue) Dancing Through Life (132 West End Avenue) Finer Details (187 Westwood Avenue) Jackson Hewitt Tax Service (103 Brighton Avenue) Lapidus Décor (182 Broadway) Leonard P. Kiczek, Esquire (226 Broadway) Max's Bar & Grill (25 Matilda Terrace)  Natural Healthcare (10 West End Court) Norah's Irie Jamaican Restaurant (530 Springdale Avenue) Sands Dry Cleaners (444 Ocean Boulevard North) Shelly's Jewels (605 2nd Avenue) Sip's Ace Paint & Hardware (700 Joline Avenue) The Link News (176 Broadway) The Peddler (150 Ocean Boulevard North) V & S Auto Brokers (517 Broadway)    And More To Come! Shop Long Branch cards are available to all residents and city visitors at various municipality locations including: · Long Branch Public Library - Main (328 Broadway) · Long Branch Public Library - Elberon (168 Lincoln Ave) · City Hall - Information Desk (344 Broadway) · Community Development Office (228 Broadway, 2nd Fl) · Senior Citizens Center (85 2nd Ave) · Recreation Department (231 Wilber Ray Ave) · Chamber of Commerce (228 Broadway, ground level) · BR Help Center (489 Broadway) · Finer Detail (187 Westwood Ave) Each participating business will have a window cling identifying itself as a member of the program. If you are a local business and would like to learn more about the program, or to sign up for the program, please contact Roberto Ferragina of Long Branch's Office of Community & Economic Development rferragina@longbranch.org  / 732.923.2041