The opening of a beachside bar amid unspoiled nature of Island Beach State Park draws raves and concerns.
BERKELEY TOWNSHIP -- For more than a half century, Island Beach State Park has been the place to go for New Jersey nature lovers looking for unspoiled beaches, wind swept dunes and wildlife ranging from songbirds to humpback whales.
Now parkgoers can top off their day in the park with a $3 Miller Lite or a pineapple dream cocktail.
The park's first ever bar, dubbed The Red Fox Tiki Bar and Grill, opened quietly Sept. 8 near an existing snack bar and a concession area in the ten-mile long park. Whether its arrival is worth toasting, however, depends on your point of view.
Named after the commonly spotted foxes that roam the park, state officials hope the open air tiki bar will provide another lure for visitors and raise much needed revenue for a cash-starved state parks system.
"Our park system is in need of services to help it become more self-sustaining,'' said New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Larry Hajna. "There's just not enough revenues coming in and we don't have to raise our entrance fees for people, especially for our state residents. "
Hajna said the approach is based on that of the U.S. National Park Service, which has private contractors running restaurants, hotels and other attractions throughouth national parks across the country.
"It's certainly not different from what other communities are offering and it offers a service that will help keep the park sustainable" Hajna said.
But the Christie administration's efforts to parks to more private business has been the source of long-simmering controversy, with Liberty State Park being the primary flashpoint so far.
The appearance of the tiki bar on the most pristine stretch of the state's heavily developed shoreline is raising concerns among environmentalists that they could face a similar fight there.
In June, the DEP hired the food vendor that operates the adjacent snack bar, PPCF Inc., to open the small 100-seat bar at the park's northern swimming beach, according to the DEP's website. The company also operates Chippy's Fresh French Fries on the Point Pleasant boardwalk, and Jimmy's Cucina restaurant in Brielle.
Hajna said information on how much PPCF was paying the state for the liquor concession was not immediately available. While he could not provide exact figures, PPCF owner Jim Miller said his five-year-contract calls for him to turn over a percentage of of his sales revenue to the state.
Possession of alcohol is limited to within a fenced-in area that includes the plywood-constructed bar, a tent over the bar and 20 small tables on a patio.
Visitors to the park are still prohibited from possessing alcohol anywhere else in the park.
On a sparkling late summer day Tuesday, visitors appeared taken aback by the appearance of a full service bar on their favorite beach. Several beachgoers lugging their chairs to the beach stopped and stood slack-jawed at the sight of a sandwich board advertising a list of beers and cocktails. "We were so happy to see it,'' said Anita Marchetti of Manchester Township, sipping a Pineapple Dream cocktail at the bar while Bob Marley music played over the speakers. "It's been the only thing missing from this beach."
Seated two stools over, Marchetti's nephew's wife visiting from Pennsylvania for the day called the idea "sheer genius."
But not everyone is ready to party.
On the Facebook page operated by the concession operators, several commenters worried the arrival of a bar -- and the bar crowd -- would alter the vibe of a place many head to specifically for its lack of bars and other commercial attractions. Jeff Tittel, head of the New Jersey Chapter of the Sierra Club, said he had no problem with a small "beer and a burger" operation opening up in the park.
But he worried about what he called the latest step by the Administration of Gov. Chris Christie to privatize and introduce larger scale commercial businesses into state parks.
"I'm concerned this is like the camel's nose in the tent," he said. "Sometimes things start small and then get big. My main concern is that this doesn't open up the park for bigger development or commercialization."
Tittel added the administration's efforts to bring more commercial ventures to other state parks and plans to install a sewer line into Island Beach State Park raise concerns that more commercial ventures could be in the works for the barrier island park.
In a 2011 report entitled "Sustainable Funding Strategy for New Jersey State Parks" state officials said "safe and reliable access to state parks is at risk" due to staff reductions and budget cuts.
The report called for new initiatives to increase revenue for parks, but also cited Island Beach State Park as the only state park that generates more revenue than it costs to run.
Jim Miller, the owner of the new bar, said he has no plans to expand the capacity beyond the 100 seats allowed by his contract, but does hope to replace the temporary tent with a more permanent open-air structure.
"We're not looking to make it like a boardwalk with flashing lights," Miller said. "We're trying to keep it pretty conservative and just have a place where people can go and relax."
Brian Donohue may be reached at bdonohue@njadvancemedia.com Follow him on Twitter @briandonohue. Find NJ.com on Facebook.