All Letters Between Belmar First Aid, Borough Posted Online

BELMAR, NJ – During recent meetings, the Belmar borough has been asked questions about how much the borough helped in regards to trying to keep the Belmar First Aid Squad (BFAS) from disbanding on March 31.

To quell these concerns, the borough of Belmar has posted all correspondence between the borough and the BFAS from September of last year up to the end of June.

The first letter was a letter from the BFAS to the mayor and council on Sept 20 explaining that they would have to start billing Belmar residents unless they had a “solid plan in place to ensure the financial stability of our Squad.”

Jerry Dasti, the borough’s then-attorney, sent a letter to the BFAS on Nov. 25 requesting their financials going back to 2018 for an audit. On Dec. 2, Ken Pringle, the BFAS’ attorney and former Belmar mayor, responded via email to Dasti’s request by stating that the BFAS didn’t have to submit their books to the borough as they didn’t meet the amount listed in the statute Dasti referenced in his Nov. 25 letter.

On Jan. 4, Pringle sent a letter and email to the mayors of Belmar and Lake Como informing them of the BFAS’ plan to dissolve. Four days later, Dasti responded to Pringle, asking to reconsider and meet with the city to figure out a solution.

Pringle responded on Jan.10, stating that the dissolution was not a negotiation tactic and that the BFAS would do everything in its power to help the town transition.

There is then a gap in correspondence until May 11, where Dasti informs Pringle that the borough is “considering eminent domain proceedings in the future” and that the BFAS should let all prospective bidders on the BFAS property know this. The borough did approve an ordinance allowing for the potential use of eminent domain at their July 6 council meeting.

The following correspondence between Dasti and Pringle on June 7-14 shows the two lawyers going back and forth over the various deed restrictions that the BFAS included in the sale, which the borough did not accept and led to the BFAS being no longer willing to sell to the borough.

The last couple of emails include an email from borough business administrator Edward Kirschenbaum to the BFAS members disputing Pringle’s claims and assuring them that the borough has no desire to knock down the current building.

“We want to continue to house the Belmar EMS in that building,” Kirschenbaum said in the June 14 email.

“I just want you to know that what we are going through is in the best interest of public safety for our residents.”