Lavallette’s New Benches Are Here, With Replacements Continuing in 2025

Lavallette’s new benches are unveiled at a ceremony in November. (Photo: Vicki Centanni Guy/ Lavallette Boardwalk/ Facebook)

Lavallette is planning to continue its quest to replace the town’s benches in scenic locations, focusing especially on the bayfront and surrounding areas, in 2025.

Councilwoman Joanne Filippone said that at its height, the gazebo area on Barnegat Bay had 105 benches on which visitors could relax in the summer breezes or take in a sunset. Now, that number is down to 63, with many having fallen into disrepair. The borough replaced about 40 benches this year, but had to limit the number in order to remain under the state’s bidding threshold, since Lavallette requires specific types of benches that are both heavy enough to withstand the wind and flooding of coastal storms, yet made out of a durable material other than wood, which can deteriorate quickly in the coastal environment.

Heading into 2025, officials are mapping out where the next tranche of benches will be placed. Two will go near the firehouse, however those will likely be purchased by the fire company itself.

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“The rest are going to go to all the playgrounds, beaches and everywhere along the bayfront,” said Filippone. “We’ll put a few everywhere, we’ll add some by the tennis courts and pickleball court. A lot of people don’t have a place to sit over there.”

The bayfront area has become one of the most-visited in town in recent years, as the pickleball craze has spread to the Shore area, and the popularity of photography, drones and social media have led many to join the pastime of catching sunsets over Barnegat Bay on a nightlife basis.

Lavallette’s new benches are unveiled at a ceremony in November. (Photo: Vicki Centanni Guy/ Lavallette Boardwalk/ Facebook)

“Any place where they are decent benches now, we’ll keep those, but we may relocate them,” Filippone said, adding that the borough will continue to take down names for memorial benches – usually inscribed with the name of a loved one who has passed on to memorialize their love of the town while defraying the cost of the benches.

Filippone said anyone interested in reserving a memorial bench can call borough hall and place their name on the list.