Upper Unveils New Beach Signage

PETERSBURG – Upper Township Business Administrator Gary Demarzo unveiled new signage that will be used at Strathmere and Beesleys Point beaches that present a uniform and consistent look rather than the hodgepodge of metal signs that have been erected haphazardly over the years and are in deteriorating condition.
The signs, in panel format, present consolidated information through QR codes that can be scanned and read with a smartphone. The information will be updated regularly and have details on tides, lifeguard news with a link to the township lifeguard homepage, ocean conditions and currents, temperatures, and other details useful to beachgoers, boaters, and fishing afficionados.
Text also appears on the signs to inform about beach rules and regulations, dogs being permitted on the beach, and no digging of holes which are dangerous to beach walkers are among listings of various rules.
“The process took several months because of all the agencies that we had to go through to change our signs from rusting metal to these environmentally sound and sustainable sign panels,” Demarzo said. “We modeled ours after a lot of research about what other municipalities are using, and whose own signs average about $70,000, while ours only cost $ 20,000 because we weren’t starting from scratch.”
During the public comment portion of the meeting, the Strathmere Improvement Association president, Janice Connell, said, “We’re really pleased about these new signs. For years residents have complained about the deteriorating metal signs, dozens of them along our roads that no one could read…with metal flapping in the wind off their supports.”
The signs will make their appearance for the 2023 summer season at 30 locations throughout Strathmere around the entrances to its beaches and at one location at Beesley’s Point beach.