Belmar scraps plan to raise beach fees after Sandy

A popular Jersey shore town that was pummeled by Superstorm Sandy won’t be raising the price of its beach badges this summer after all.  Belmar has dropped a plan to increase the cost of its daily and seasonal beach badges to help pay for repairs to the beach and boardwalk.  Mayor Matthew Doherty says Belmar has sold more than 2,600 beach badges already this year, up from just over 1,800 at the same point a year ago. That extra money, plus a lower-than-expected cost to rebuild the storm-battered boardwalk, will enable the borough to keep the current prices of $7 for a daily badge and $50 for the season.