(Supplied Image)
A brand-new Barnegat Light borough councilman was nominated and unanimously approved at the regular meeting of Oct. 8 to fill the seat vacated by Ed Wellington when he became mayor. After his swearing-in, Joseph Saburn joined the governing body at the dais, and the appointment was cemented by resolution.
He was assigned to chair the docks and harbors committee, replacing Councilman James Gutowski, who took over for Wellington as public works chair.
“I am excited to assume my new role on the Barnegat Light Council,” Saburn said after the meeting. “I’m looking forward to working with my new colleagues to help maintain and enhance the unique place that is Barnegat Light and to help continue the cooperative and consequential example set by Kirk Larson.”
Saburn described himself as a semi-retired corporate lawyer, having spent many years in corporate America and then as a partner in a law firm. He has owned his home in Barnegat Light for 30 years and lived there full-time for over five years.
“I hope to bring my legal and business expertise to help support the council,” he said. His personal reason for getting involved and wanting to serve the public is “to make a meaningful contribution to my friends, neighbors and everyone who lives in Barnegat Light.”
In other business, Mayor Ed Wellington announced, starting in 2026, the state of New Jersey has mandated public notices be migrated from newspapers to the municipal website. Currently required notices and schedules are posted there, at barnegatlight.org.
He also announced the borough will hire a contractor to drive a pile into the 11th Street beach alerting swimmers and boaters to the site of the Sea King wreck. The Coast Guard had said it could give the borough one of its safety buoys but wouldn’t be able to use official boats to place it in the water. So, instead, a signpost will warn of the danger.
Some parking congestion and safety issues have arisen as a result of the new ramp that has been installed at the post office/building department, so Wellington proposed the driveway on the west side of the building be made one way from 10th to 11th Street to allow traffic to flow more smoothly in and out of the parking lot. Additionally, a few new parking spaces may fit by the pumping station behind the post of office, for ease of entry by the building department staff, he said.
Hitting the ground running as mayor, Wellington has also priced out some new signs for the Kirk O. Larson Sr. Memorial Park. He was initially thinking one at each entrance – by the restroom, off Bayview and off Seventh Street – but a quote for three came in at about $13,000.
“While I think Kirk was worth it, I don’t know that we want to spend that kind of money,” he said.
Other alternatives will be explored, and grant money may be available to use toward the purchase.
“If someone could get me the specs and what you want on it, I will send it out to get the three required quotes, and then we’ll go from there,” CFO Kathleen Flanagan said. “There are other options we can discuss with the (Larson) family,” she added.
Gutowski added his two cents: “I personally think it’s the least we could for the guy who sat in that seat for 30 years,” he said. “Whether it be one or three, I think it would be nice to have one very well-made sign, similar to this rendering, that would maybe sit at the front of that pavilion facing east.”
Finance committee chair, Councilman Michael Spark, announced a budget workshop will be held Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 9 a.m.
“Public is welcome,” he noted. “That’s the first discussion; we’re starting from scratch. That’s how the process starts.”
He also mentioned the borough has a property reassessment coming up this month.
“Be prepared,” Spark said. “Remember, just because you’re being reassessed doesn’t mean your taxes are going up.” It’s more of a rebalancing, he said. Reach out to the tax assessor with questions.
Some discussion was had around the strain being put on the first aid squad and fire company, with Councilman Frank Mikuletsky suggesting the borough might make some kind of arrangement where housing could be provided in exchange for volunteering in the off-season.
In his committee report, Mikuletsky said Barnegat Light first responders have answered 179 fire calls and 460 first aid calls so far in 2025, and both organizations could really use new members.
“If our first aid squad is compromised over the winter, that’s something we really need to work out,” Gutowski said. “To me, that’s a thankless position that they work really hard at, so anything we can do to help facilitate more participation, I think we should.”
Councilwoman Dorothy Reynolds and Clerk Brenda Kuhn revealed the new seasonal holiday beach badge design, bearing “a scallop shell in honor of Kirk,” Kuhn said. Holiday badges will soon go on sale at borough hall.
On the topic of beach access, which Reynolds has raised before, “We’re the only (Island) town that doesn’t provide any kind of access to the beach” for people with mobility limitations, she said. Each does it differently, she said, be it in-house, or by hiring someone, using lifeguards, using municipal office staff, or contracting with a beach taxi.
Wellington said it would be a topic for discussion at the budget meeting at the end of the month.
As for other upcoming events, the Barnegat Light Republican Club will hold its annual picnic this Saturday, Oct. 18, starting at 12:30 p.m. at the Memorial Park pavilion, according to club President Dan Malay. Admission is $20, and club membership is not required.
Barnegat Light Taxpayers Association President Rich Brodman announced a litter and debris cleanup will take place on Saturday, Oct. 25 from 9 to about 11 a.m. Volunteers, to include Coast Guard and Scouts members, will meet up and conclude at the 29th Street porch, where refreshments will be provided.
— Victoria Ford
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