Protestors oppose beach RVs

Last Updated on Wednesday, August 08, 2012 04:03 pm Written by Christie Rotondo Monday, July 30, 2012 04:27 pm

Protestors oppose beach RVs

WILDWOOD- Protestors rallied on the boardwalk Saturday against what they called an “eyesore at the shore” and told officials to keep their “hands off God’s beach.”

They want to head off a city plan for an RV park on the beach, which the city sees as an important way to raise revenue.

Protest organizer Bob Grandinetti, who is also board president of Ocean Towers condominiums, estimated about 300 protestors attended the rally between Hildreth and Leaming avenues on the boardwalk. Of those 300, he said only 100 protestors were residents of the Ocean Towers condos.

“It’s truly an island issue, that people do not want these RVs,” Grandinetti said. “The voice we had was the voice of everybody.”

The proposed RV park will be on the beach on Cresse Avenue, the beach in front of the Ocean Towers condos. Residents of Ocean Towers organized the protest, as well as attended commissioners meetings to fight the proposed park.

Ocean Towers also paid for a banner plane to fly a “Ban the RVs on Wildwood Beaches” sign over the beach at 11 a.m. and noon during the protest, Grandinetti said.

Grandetti said no Wildwood officials came out to the protest, however, Ian Cairns, chief operating officer of Point Break Management Group, spoke to media about the expected park.

Point Break recently received a five-year beach concession contract with the city, and according to CEO Jamie Peterson, residents can expect to see RVs rolling onto the beach this week as part of the park’s “soft opening.”

“The pictures they are portraying of what’s going to be out there isn’t what’s going to be out there,” Peterson said.

Peterson said the spots are $150 a night for large spaces and $120 a night for smaller spaces, and that about a dozen of the 80 available spots have already been reserved. He added that the RVs must be self-contained, and not more than 18 years old, to park on the beach.

The RV parking is an aspect of a five week beach festival set to kick off Aug. 18, Peterson said, which will include surfing lessons, beach volleyball, cabanas, and other entertainment.

“Our intent isn’t to pack it in overnight,” Peterson said of the park. “We want to do this slowly, judiciously, and do it the right way.”

Grandinetti said a smaller protest is in the works for the day the RVs will arrive on the beach at Cresse.

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