2020_06_Blues_Final_Reduced

mer will bring. When will they be able to
open? How will they incorporate socialdistancing
rules? Will they need to hire
the usual number of seasonal workers?
Where will those workers come from?
Many seasonal businesses fill thousands
of open positions through the
exchange visitor, or J-1, program, of
the federal Bureau of Educational and
Cultural Affairs. The Shore relies on these
foreign students to supplement the small
numbers in local hiring pools. Without
these employees from overseas, businesses
may come up understaffed.
“It [could] potentially be a rough
season,” says Lou Cirigliano, director of
operations for Casino Pier and Breakwater
Beach in Seaside Heights, as he
ponders the impact of the coronavirus
state of emergency on recruitment. “We
closed right as we began hiring,” he says.
“The virus has affected the international
student program, and many more people
may be afraid to work in close proximity
with others.”
Given the pandemic, the federal Bureau
of Educational and Cultural Affairs,
while not suspending the J-1 program,
recommended that start dates for foreign
workers be postponed “for 60 days after
March 12, 2020,” according to a State Department
official. That meant Shore businesses
were unable to employ J-1 workers
until about May 12—less than two weeks
before the traditional Memorial Day
weekend start of the summer season.
Even without a strict suspension,
current U.S. travel restrictions on foreign
nationals remain a potential barrier for
the J-1 workers. President Trump’s declaration
in April of a temporary ban on
immigration further clouds the situation.
Then again, some believe the need for
J-1 students may be reduced this year. “I
don’t know if those jobs, respectfully, will
even be available this season,” says Michael
Egenton, executive vice president
of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce.
“I have to imagine that there’s
going to be several businesses there that
may not be in full operation or may not
even be able to open.”
In additon to addressing staff uncertainties,
municipalities and private
businesses are working
on new sanitization and
projected dates to lift
the suspensions, others,
such as Sea Girt, have
suspended issuance
of COs “until further
notice,” leaving renters,
landlords and realty
agents in limbo.
If and when a start
date for the Shore season is announced, that, too, will create a problem: a mad dash for
last-minute rentals.
“If we open up for business for Memorial Day, anyone who wants to rent in June or
July will need to jump on it,” says Eric Birchler, the broker owner of Birchler Realtors,
with offices in Lavallette, Ortley Beach and Seaside Park. In such a scenario, Birchler
predicts that rental demand could easily outstrip supply.
What’s more, when reopening dates are established, many preexisting rental contracts
will need to be reworked. Some renters might want to postpone their vacations
until later in the summer. Others might want to apply their deposits to next year or
attempt to get refunds.
Depite the uncertainty, brokers say renters shouldn’t expect any significant fluctuations
in rental rates. “Most [contracts] are already done. I don’t see owners giving a
discount on existing contracts,” says Birchler. “And I won’t be recommending any owners
raise their prices.”
To address renters’ concerns, some Shore realty agents have agreed to a standardized
addendum for new leases signed this season, according to Birchler. The addendum states
that deposits will be returned if, at the time of the lease start date, New Jersey has not
lifted its stay-at-home order and/or if beaches remain closed.— Shea Swenson
social-distancing systems.
In the Wildwoods, Rose says, the tourism
industry is implementing advanced
sanitizing protocols for hotel rooms and
public areas. Local restaurants will have,
additional approved outdoor seating. The
area’s main attraction, Morey’s Piers, is
installing queues and spacing protocols.
At Beach Haven’s Fantasy Island
Amusement Park, similar spacing and
sanitization rules are in place for the
season. Park owner Brian Wainwright
says they are considering removing every
other arcade game and filling only half
the seats of carnival rides each go-round.
And for the first time in the park’s 35
years, guests may need to be counted at
controlled entry points.
even with all of these precautions in
place, some communities are concerned
that people will be reluctant to travel this
summer—or at least, that the season will
get off to a slow start.
“We did a projection,” says Rose, “and
we’ve been looking at the studies, and it
looks as though, even when the travel ban
lifts, people will still be cautious in the
beginning.” Those projections show the
Wildwoods would only have between 30
and 42 percent of their usual business
this year. And that reduced market is
something every town will be competing
to capture.
But for some potential beachgoers,
months of lockdown may be more of an
incentive for summertime getaways. At
La Mer Beachfront Resort in Cape May,
while preseason reservation rates were
lower than projected before the pandemic,
cancellation rates were low as
well. When he looks at his numbers, La
Mer owner George Andy feels confident
that this summer season will still be a
success.
“We were at first very concerned with
cancellations and the fallout from the virus,
but so far, the majority of our guests
say they can’t wait for us to reopen,” says
Andy, whose family has owned La Mer
for more than 50 years. “While the state
of air travel is unclear, I am confident
staycations will prevail and be even more
popular than ever once we come through
the other side of this.”
Additional reporting by Lauren Payne in
Point Pleasant Beach.
JUNE 2020 NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 51