The summer beach concerts behind Ventnor Library have been cancelled for Summer 2024. This is reportedly due to poorly planned construction of a new stage and band shell at Newport Ave and the boardwalk.
In it’s place, the Saturday night concert series will be held on the other side of town at Ski Beach along the bay.
The announcement is not sitting well with most residents, visitors and vendors. Actually, 99% of those who responded, HATE the idea.
From Ventnor City Facebook:
Ralph Gaskill: It should have been done in time for the Summer concerts. Poor planning. Why not set up a temporary stage like Ski Beach uses? Aren’t there a lot of boaters going in and out of Ski Beach on the weekends?
Gloria Kaminski: Poor planning and city government. Puts Ventnor in a dim light compared to other shore destinations when we can’t build a small stage in one year for the enjoyment of our residents and guests.
Dear Ventnor leadership, bad move on the beach concerts. Also, why do you shut down our pickleball courts during summer weekends for private events. WTF?
Jordan Shapiro: This is absolutely awful news. Ventnor City, New Jersey, no excuse for this. You should have planned better. This is a huge disappointment for us locals who enjoy these concerts every Saturday night. I urge you to reconsider and commence the building project after the summer season.
Jamie Nichole Casey: yes this is super frustrating to take up the boat ramp on a prime weekend in the summer
Susan Chort: Use the old stage, and start again next year. I agree, poor planning, but things happen. A lot of folks enjoy the venue and it is a great asset.
Jolyn Merlino: You had 9 months in the offseason to complete construction. You’re building a new stage at the beach, not the Taj Mahal.
Christine Sagnis: It’s been an extremely mild winter. Really no excuse not to have it done.
Mark Francis: Wow that’s terrible, set up a temporary stage on the other side of beach at the library. Problem solved. All that tax money and you couldn’t set up a temporary stage. This new gazebo better be something amazing if it’s taking all year to build. What a joke! What kind of Mickey Mouse contractor takes longer than a weekend to build a gazebo.
James Hammeke: Empire State Building was finished in 1 year and 45 days. Almost 100 years ago. With slide rules and drafting paper. This is a major league cluster-F. Previous mayor would have been on the ball with this project.
Natalie Knowles Weems: Maybe a city project to join in and help get this task completed in the next 3 months. Ski beach is beautiful with the sunset. It’s just not the ocean or beach.
Eileen Johnstone: Really unbelievable. Because there isn’t already enough traffic on Dorset Avenue on weekends.
Sean Gleason: Could a temporary stage be used there. Yes. But probably have to have EPA approval to do so. The sand itself would be an issue bringing a stage in. Is it set up for summer or set up weekly? Costs? Could be other factors too and I’m assuming the City look at all of them prior to making a decision.
Rochelle Yantes D’orazio: The Ventnor City Beautification Committee is financial sponsor of the planned stage.
Ralph Gaskill: If a temporary stage is not feasible, then use existing gazebo and build new one in the fall. Hopefully the commissioners are listening and will make the beach concerts happen. Tear down what’s there and use a temporary stage for the summer.
Joan Massi Olivieri: I love summer concerts! Rather see (building) put off til next fall so it doesn’t interfere with our summer season . So many people walk to concert. Very disappointing !
Kevin Gould: One house can be torn down and six vacation rentals can be built on its land faster than this gazebo will be built.
Jamie Nichole Casey: Really frustrating to be taking up city’s boat ramp on prime weekend day in the summer.
Kimberly M Schulz: Set up something temporary, the beach concert is what locals and visitors look forward to year after year. How long can it possibly take to rebuild a stage? Keep it simple. It’s worked pretty good so far.
Joe DeLuca: Sad the stage at Newport won’t be finished.
Teresa Minnix: My husband can do it. He’s built many new homes in town and done additions. He can have it done by Memorial day! We live on Cambridge. I can’t live this summer without my beach concerts! Best part of our week. Then, they’ll be a flop and we lose them altogether and lose title for best beach concert. My kids won’t want to go. They like the sand and playground.
First, of all, let’s look at the big picture, what makes the current stage uninhabitable? Can’t it be “shored-up”? Why wasn’t the Building Officer following up often? Is/Was the contractor/builder fined? Who supposedly in City Hall, is responsible, for NOT, keeping checks on the “building of”?
Secondly, since that beach is so large; build another stage right in front of the one, “that is so shoddy, etc”! Then use the old stage for some spare wood, accessories; I’m positive it’s NOT all unusable! (C’mon, it’s only March 8th, you got 2-2&1/2 more months to build a better one; quit dragging your feet!!
They’re are too many townspeople and visitors that “rely on the free musicals”!
As others have stated, Ski beach is NOT an easy place to get to, much less park and have to walk a long distance to get there.
Maybe pick a different beach to have the concerts on; up by the Pier; either side! Or, down around Philadelphia Ave’s beach, where there’s plenty of sand between the Boardwalk and, the Guard house and, bulkhead… I used to live on South Swarthmore and would bike up, and, then sit on the beach. Even now, i live in Margate, I could ride my Scooter there and listen… BUT, NOT, if it’s at Ski Beach!!! Just some thoughts, from a really Senior Citizen!!!
Free doesn’t exist in this ‘world’ .You get nothing for nothing. It’s the end of life as many knew.They. need to put ‘taxes’ on corruption
Don’t understand why the concert on Newport Beach had to be cancelled. Use the old stage and start work immediately after the height of the summer season ends.
Extremely poor planning as this project has been in the making for at least two seasons. Extremely disappointed in our leadership. Residents and taxpayers deserve a full and honest explanation as to why this happened. We pay a lot of taxes and deserve better.
It called being lazy and complacent! Certainly anything can get done if you actually delegate responsibilities make everyone accountable properly managed.
There is plenty of time to build a new entertainment venue for the upcoming season.Contractors and volunteers are probably available and building supplies are plentiful .
I play in a band that has played the gazebo on Newport Avenue over half a dozen times for the Atlantic City marathons. I don’t know the current condition but that stage was fine when we played and see no reason why it shouldn’t be used right now for the summer and then put up a better one for next year. We’d be glad to come back and play as often as we would be asked.
How did this plan fail so terribly??
Mc Mansions are built in a year.
This is crazy, put up a temporary stage!! This is an amazing summer family tradition. We pay so much in taxes, please put it to use!
Stupid is as stupid does.
Is this because of CAFRA permitting
This clown show looks like something you’d see in a small town with 3 Commissioners who run unopposed and don’t have to answer to their constituents.
But this is Ventnor. Oh, wait…
That is bull …. Focus commissioners. Forget about your day jobs for 5 minutes and read your peoples reactions ! Not looking good for you ! A stage could be built in 2 days ! What are you thinking … NOT !! Call the Amish they build barns in a day 🙃
Ski Beach residents love one concert a week, but two is one too many. Between the noise and the traffic, it’s too much. That’s not even mentioning the trash left behind after each concert.
Give us a break and figure out a temporary solution to continue the beach concerts.
Most walk to Newport location. Ski Beach, although beautiful at sunset, is difficult to walk to. Parking is a nightmare as proved by trying to park last year on Wednesday nite concerts.
I’m sure the neighbors around ski beach will be thrilled with the additional traffic.
You are correct! It may as well be off the island.
How can we change this? Is there a way to do it without a stage? Who cares about a stage? Drum circles happen on the sand. Can’t something be done on sand? Bring in an electric truck for electricity for sound. Private DJs must have these
Can’t the people solved this without the city?
There is obviously something really off so we can step in and take charge can’t we? It’s a public sand box isn’t it?
When is the next meeting where the public can show up and demand to reverse this decision. No construction should be done this summer, not only because of the concerts, but also because of the playground. It is jam packed in the summer and is the center of activity for parents and their children in this community. Cancel this until the Fall. When is the next meeting?
Headline is misleading. Concert series wasn’t canceled, just relocated. It’s not the end of live music this summer by any stretch.
I’m glad that people like music so much, but didn’t realize it was so specific to the location.
CREATE THE BOARDWALK TO BE THE STAGE..
WITH THE generator running for electricity.. we can turn our chairs…
an small easement for folks to walk by..
Concerts are a great community event + important for the musicians too + Vendors!
Super fun event !!!
Ventnor CAN DO BETTER!!
If this is an April Fool’s joke it’s not even funny, not only that it’s not even April, call the Carpenters Union they can have that stage built two weeks..
Call John Grasso and he can get the risers to set up a temporary stage!
I mean it’s Ventnor what do you expect. It’s the land of “starting projects and never finishing” Maybe they’re the same contractors that are “building” Lamberti’s in Margate. Would make sense why it’s taking a decade to finish things up.
I copied and pasted from a email I just received. Regarding I-95 rebuild in Philadelphia last summer.
Governor Shapiro has a philosophy he calls “GSD,” for “Get shit done.“ His signature move as the new governor came when a chunk of I-95 collapsed last June and he led the effort to repair it in a mind-blowing 12 days, showing how quickly a motivated government can produce results — and just how big a hole in the road has to be to get some attention around here.
Just ask yourself one question how long did it take to build the Ventnor Life Guard Station! Houses are built quicker!
Lance ALWAYS LATE Landgrab
This is so disappointing. There must be some way we can rectify this, everyone enjoys going to the beach Concerts on Saturday nights. Please reconsider this decision. :(
OK, you three.
If you’re reading these comments you certainly should have had your eyes and ears opened to what the voters of Ventnor are saying. Time to announce a plan to fix this mess. You have lots of options. Pick one and get it done!!
who makes these decisions? prob same person that shuts down pickleball courts in the summer for private events.