BOROUGH IS INVITED TO JOIN SUBSTANCE ABUSE PROGRAM

MONMOUTH BEACH -- The borough has been invited to join a substance
abuse prevention organization anchored by the city of Long Branch.

Madelyn Barrett, coordinator for the Coastal Monmouth Alliance for the
Prevention of Substance Abuse, made the pitch at a meeting of
interested community members and police officers on March 22. In it,
she asked Monmouth Beach to join Long Branch, Oceanport and West Long
Branch in the organization. She said she also was asking Sea Bright if
it wanted to join.

Barrett explained that if it chose to join the alliance the borough
would be required to apply for a $15,000 grant from state Demand
Enforcement Drug Reduc=ADtion (D.E.D.R.) fund and would have to come
up with 25 percent of that amount -- $3,750 -- in cash to fund its
operations. Money from the grant, which comes from the state through
Monmouth County, is raised from fines on drug offenders.

The discussion that followed in the meeting in Borough Hall revolved
on how Monmouth Beach would raise its portion of the money, and
whether it would have to open the programs it un=ADdertakes to combat
drug and alcohol abuse to other communities in the
al=ADliance.

Barrett said she encourages every town in the alliance to make its
pro=ADgrams available to people in every other town in the alliance,
but said a town doesn't have to do that. She said the D.E.D.R. dollars
the town receives can do as it wishes for anti-substance abuse programs.

"It's up to you how you want to spend your money," she said. "Long
Branch is the lead town, but it can't tell you how to spend your
money. You would have a separate account."

Asked who makes the appeal for do=ADnations for the borough's
contribution, Barrett said she makes presentations be=ADfore groups on
behalf of the borough.

She said the borough would be asked to sign a contract for three
years, for $3,750 a year, but the borough can drop out if it wants.

Barrett said if Monmouth Beach joined the alliance, it would need to
form a municipal alliance committee, or MAC, which would have a
minimum of 10 people on it of various backgrounds.

Police Chief Richard White, who at=ADtended the meeting, said Monmouth
Beach already has a DARE program and remarked, "This isn't something
we have to start from the ground up."

"You're already there," Barrett said. "We just have to fine tune it a
little."