Renovations at pavilion to be done piecemeal Borough voters reject a $2.85 million bond for beach club repairs MONMOUTH BEACH - The mayor of Monmouth Beach established committees last week to work on plans for future renovations at the municipal bathing pavilion. The establishment of the committees comes in the aftermath of a $2.85 million referendum for renovations and upgrades at the pavilion that was rejected at the polls Nov. 6 by a vote of 784 to 392. "The voters of Monmouth Beach do not want to have to bond," said Mayor Susan Howard last week. "The deal is that we did not want to increase taxes. "This project is to be paid for by members [of the bathing facility]," she said, adding, "This is not going to cost the taxpayers anything." Howard established two committees at the Nov. 13 municipal meeting, both of which will be composed of borough residents. One of the committees will be in charge of prioritizing the order in which repairs and renovations are to be done at the Ocean Avenue building. The second committee will address other concerns currently at the pavilion, such as the snack-bar service, Howard said. "I am the commissioner in charge of the pavilion and beach, and I will lead the committees," Howard said. "I will work with them to come up with a priority list of what needs to be done and addressed first," she said. The original pavilion was constructed in 1921 and was rebuilt in 1962 after it was destroyed by a storm, according to Howard. The current pavilion building needs to undergo a "major" renovation, according to Howard, who said plans called for the $2.85 million referendum to support a renovation project at the facility. The project included electrical and plumbing work, new lockers and bathrooms, a community room and repairs to deteriorating pilings, Howard said. She explained that the Borough Commission increased beach club fees at the pavilion over the summer and raised $311,000 in additional revenues in order to cover costs for the loan payment. The funds raised by the increases were put aside for work on the pavilion once the ballot question was determined. "We can begin to use those revenues and start the project," Howard said. "We can do the project piecemeal. We have to think about the safety of our residents."