Lavallette beach on ‘Tumbleweed Tuesday’ 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)
Lavallette officials have introduced the fee schedule for beach badges for the 2025 season, while also planning additional accessible mats for beach entrances – including one on the bay.
As is the yearly tradition, holiday beach badge sales will begin next month, however the borough has decided to simplify badge prices from three “tiers” – holiday, pre-season and in-season – to a single pre-season discount and a single in-season price. Badge sales for the holiday season will begin Dec. 2 and will be available for sale from Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and on three Saturdays in December (the 7th, 14th and 21st) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The badges will be for sale at borough hall.
Seasonal badges for 2025 will cost $60 from Dec. 2 through June 1, an extension of the pre-season pricing over previous years. After June 1, the price will increase to $65. This remains stable from 2024, though there had been an additional $5 discount for holiday badges since pricing had not been updated by December. Senior Citizen badges for 2025 will be $20 pre-season and $25 after June 1.
Weekly badge prices in 2025 will rise to $40, compared to $35 last year. Daily badges will rise a dollar, from $13 to $14 this coming year.
People considered “totally disabled” will be able to purchase a season badge for $15, and veterans and military personnel – active or not – have free access to the beach. Badges are not required for those ages 12 and under.
More Mats
Lavallette, in recent years, has been expanding the number of beach access points with “Mobi-Mats” that provide a flat surface over the sand with traction to allow for an easier time when walking. The mats also provide better access for wheelchairs and other mobility devices. The Mobi-Mats have been paired in many instances with “Matrax” surfacing, similar to the surfaces of a floating dock or a formal outdoor event floor. These mats are even more accessible to wheelchairs than the Mobi-Mats.
Officials have said a Matrax system will be installed this season at the bay beach to allow easier access for children and adults with disabilities who are seeking out the calmer bay waters and less of a dune incline. The new bay beach Matrax system was donated by Bloomin Properties, based in town, with a value of about $9,000, according to Council President Anita Zalom. It will be placed at the Washington Avenue entrance to the bay beach near the borough’s playground.
The Lavallette bayfront at Washington Avenue, where new playground equipment will be donated and located. (Photo: Shorebeat)
Zalom said the borough is also engaged in discussions with Jessica Krill of the organization Beaches For All, which assists towns in obtaining funding for Matrax and similar systems in order to allow more people to access beaches. Beaches For All has pledged $5,000 towards new accessible Matrax mats for the ocean side, with the street to be determined.
