It's a beautiful day in Beach Haven West.
It's a beautiful day in Beach Haven West.
It's a beautiful day in Beach Haven West.
It's a beautiful day in Beach Haven West.
Beach Haven West is a beautiful community of lagoon and bayfront properties. It is the gateway to Long Beach Island, and is the largest waterfront community in New Jersey.
The Beach Haven West Civic Association is dedicated to advancing the quality of life in our waterfront community. At our meetings, held at 7 pm on the third Friday of each month in the Bay Avenue Community Center, we identify and address community issues of interest and concern of residents.
For years, the Association has proudly contributed to civic projects, such as the township's Arbor Day and Founders Day observances, and to school projects.
The BHWCA is proud of its long-standing relationship with Southern Regional High School’s scholarship program, providing three $1,000 awards to graduating seniors who will continue their education after SRHS.
In 2024, the Civic Association awarded its first graduation award to a graduating senior from Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science (MATES), with which BHWCA has worked on a number of environmental-research projects.
Our monthly meetings host a wide range of speakers, all invited to address topics of particular interest to Beach Haven West. Stafford’s mayor and business administrator, police chief and heads of various municipal departments provide valuable information on local issues and services. Leaders of area organizations as well as government agencies also have joined us to address topics of interest – especially our waterways.
By joining our Association, you will help us to demonstrate that we are a united community of full-time and seasonal/weekend residents that share a common interest - respecting our unique and beautiful section of Stafford Township.
The annual dues to join are $20.00 per household.
BEACH HAVEN WEST NEIGHBORHOODS INCLUDE:
The Beach Haven West Civic Association strives to advance quality of life in its waterfront community by providing members with valuable information regarding its particular environment as well as issues affecting the BHW community and Stafford Township.
Beach Haven West is the largest man-made lagoon community in New Jersey, consisting of approximately 24 miles of waterways in 102 lagoons surrounding some 4,500 homes. The lagoon community is bordered on the south by Mill Creek, which is a natural waterway, and the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge.
The first section was opened in 1957, and various additional sections were opened until the Wetlands Protection Act of 1970 prevented the community from expanding farther into the wetlands to the south. That abrupt ending of the development is believed to be the cause of poor water flushing in the areas farthest from Barnegat Bay. Of course, the natural flow of tides continues to impact the waterways, causing silting and shoaling. So do major weather events, the most recent being Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Beach Haven West’s recovery from Sandy’s devastation continues to this day.
The newest section of Beach Haven West is approximately 40 years old, while the oldest section is approximately 68 years old. Until a Bathymetric Survey was conducted in 2020, no efforts had been made in BHW’s six decades to address the health and maintenance of the lagoons. That statement is based on multiple attempts to find documentation of efforts to address the overall status, including navigability, of the lagoons, as they are an asset not just to Beach Haven West but to the entire Stafford community.
Although much of the waterway network is navigable today, there are areas that need - or will need – attention to maintain healthy as well as navigable status.
The Bathymetric Survey was a very encouraging sign that the township realized the value of our waterways. Perhaps even more important, the survey results show that much of BHW dredge sediment is ”clean,” thus extremely valuable material at a time when experts have adopted policies for “beneficial use” of dredge spoils to restore declining marshlands and bay islands.
In fact, during a recent presentation before the BHW Civic Association, an Army Corps of Engineers official noted that our clean dredge material is “currency” in this new approach of “beneficial use.”
With firm resolve that Stafford’s waterways be treated as part of the township’s infrastructure, the BHW Civic Association will continue to vigorously support these efforts that we believe have placed Stafford in the forefront of this advancing state and national approach to waterway maintenance.
The BHW Civic Association hosts a number of committees, created to help achieve the organization’s goals. We invite all members to consider an area where they can best contribute to our group and to Beach Haven West. To those members unable to regularly attend meetings but wish to become more involved, joining a committee could be the answer!
Descriptions:
Beautification Committee
Members identify public areas within Beach Haven West that could benefit from beautification efforts. In that these areas are public, the BHWCA acknowledges that every proposal that is advanced by the organization must be approved by the township. Additional details are available upon request.
Bylaws Committee – meets upon request(s) for amendments raised by request of the Executive Committee or on the floor and approved by majority vote.
Clean Communities – proposes an area for cleanup efforts as described in an application available from the Department of Public Works. Upon completion of approved project, the BHWCA would be awarded $500.
The funds obtained from such cleanup projects are earmarked for beautification efforts/plantings in areas approved by the township. (such as the Jennifer Lane triangles and Jennings Road sign area).
Community Liaison – a service provided by BHWCA for members who wish to report a concern or offer a suggestion to the appropriate township department/official.
Finance – Members assist the Treasurer, as requested throughout the year and required with an annual review.
Membership – In cooperation with the person(s) conducting digital membership-drive efforts, members of this committee facilitate additional efforts to obtain renewals and new members.
Scholarship – As of 2023,the BHWCA has awarded three $1,000 scholarships to Southern Regional High School graduating seniors and one $1,000 scholarship to a MATES graduating senior. Eligibility requirements are residency in BHW and submission of an essay by deadline.
The BHWCA president, as the contact person for both schools re: names of BHW students to be considered, arranges for committee members to review submissions, either by meeting or by individual review and providing their tallies to the president.
Sunshine – A member volunteers to be the BHWCA’s representative who sends greeting cards to members or their family members upon a life event, such as an illness, surgery, death, etc.
Waterways – In concert with the committee chairman/chairwoman, members may participate in various capacities, including but not limited to conducting water readings (temperature, salinity) and reporting same to the chairman/woman who maintains a database.
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Frances Kosa, President
Thomas Gan, Vice President
Alex Makowski, Secretary
Denise Peters, Treasurer
Vacant, Sergeant at Arms
BEACH HAVEN WEST CIVIC ASSOCIATION, INC.
Click for: BYLAWS - Amended June 2025