Ocean Grove 'Singled Out' By State For Sunday Beach Closure: Church

OCEAN GROVE, NJ — The president of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association said he thinks the town is a victim of religious persecution from the state of New Jersey, after the state Department of Environmental Protection sent a violation notice to Ocean Grove last week for keeping beaches closed on Sunday mornings during the summer.

"It seems as though the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, with its religious heritage, is being treated differently than other private and municipal beaches on the Jersey Shore," said Camp Meeting Association president Michael Badger.

A DEP spokeswoman said the agency would not be responding to Badger's assertions.

The DEP sent a violation notice on Sept. 14 to the tiny town of Ocean Grove, for their decision to close the beaches from 9 a.m. to noon on Sundays during the summer. This is the second violation notice from the state; the DEP sent Ocean Grove a first violation warning Aug. 10.

Ocean Grove began, and continues to this day, as a Methodist summer seaside retreat. The Camp Meeting Association, which is a Christian 501(c)3 non-profit, owns all the land in Ocean Grove, and also owns the beach.

Since the 1800s, Ocean Grove has closed public access to the beach on Sunday mornings. From 9 a.m. to noon on summer Sundays from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend, the main staircase down to the beach is closed, and the town deliberately does not put lifeguards on duty.

Badger said Ocean Grove does this for two reasons, one religious and the other being quality of life.

"Keeping the beaches closed leads to a quieter, less crowded and more relaxed Sunday morning in Ocean Grove: You do not have the crowds that you have on a Saturday morning. You don't have the jingle from the ice cream trucks running up and down the beach. You can get a parking space so you can walk to breakfast or yes, walk to church," he said.

He argues there are many towns up and down the Jersey Shore that decide to close their beaches for a whole host of reasons:

"Look at Sandy Hook, which is run by the federal government, they close their beaches at night (All of Sandy Hook closes at 9 p.m.). After Long Branch had that problem with the pop-up parties last year, they closed their beaches at night. And Asbury Park, which just had the Sea.Hear.Now festival this past weekend, put barricades up at either end of their beaches to prevent people from getting onto the beach. Those barricades were in place all weekend," he said.

This summer, both Ocean City and Seaside Heights started closing their beaches at 8 p.m. to discourage teens from gathering there. Neither town was issued a violation notice from the state.

Last week, Jenkinson's made the unprecedented decision to padlock all the access gates along the beaches it owns in Point Pleasant Beach. Jenkinson's decided to do this due to rough ocean conditions from Hurricane Lee and after the town was sued by the family of a Morris County man who drowned in a rip current in September 2020. By Tuesday of this week, the DEP sent a warning letter to Jenkinson's telling them they were in violation of New Jersey's mandate to provide public access to the beach.

Related: Jersey Shore Beach Access Battle Has Precedent Dating Back 2,000 Years

Badger contends Ocean Grove is being singled out for closing its beach access for a total of 15 Sundays, 45 hours out of the year.

"In Ocean Grove, it is only the public stairs down to the beach that is closed," he argued. "Any member of the public can still access the beach on Sunday mornings from either the north or south end of the beach. It's just the stairs that are closed."

"Going to court" not out of the question, says Ocean Grove leader

Badger also said Ocean Grove has no intention of complying with the state's request.

"The DEP has not said yet if there will be a fine, or how much, but there is a possibility when the beach opens on Memorial Day weekend 2024 we could be fined if we don't comply," he told Patch.

But "going to court" is not out of the question, said Badger this week.

Badger said he will be writing to the NJ Department of Environmental Protection this week to schedule a meeting and discuss the issue.

"The Department recommends that representatives of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association engage in compliance discussions with the Bureau of Coastal and Land Use Compliance and Enforcement aimed at resolving this matter as soon as possible," wrote the DEP on Sept. 14.

In their Sept. 14 notice, the DEP specifically asked that Ocean Grove stop using a chain and pad lock on the stairs down to the beach.

On the topic of public access to beaches on the Jersey Shore, and Ocean Grove's continued battles with the state: NJ Looking Into Jenkinson's Beach Access Closure In Pt. Pleasant Beach (Sept. 15)

Ocean Grove Sunday Beach Closures Violate NJ Rules, DEP Says (Sept. 15)

Pier In Shape Of Cross Stirs Up Anger In Ocean Grove (Aug. 2022)

Judge Rules In Favor Of Same-Sex Couple In Ocean Grove Discrimination Case (2012)