OCEAN COUNTY – A local resident wanted to increase winter tourism by opening an exposition center on Robert J. Miller Air Park in Berkeley.
Bill Gumper, a resident of Holiday City at Berkeley, said the location would be perfect for an exposition center on the fairgrounds. Ocean County already owns the property, it would just need to raise the money to construct the building. There could be live theater and other attractions.
“Every season of the year would bring in some money from tourists,” he said.
Freeholder Director Joseph Vicari said they have been considering something like that since the late 1990s, but not at the public expense. They would want to attract a private financer to build and market a facility like that.
“The expense would be tremendous,” Vicari said. Also, that particular location might not be ideal because the application would have to go before the Pinelands Commission to make sure it was environmentally sound.
The county site is also the home of the annual Ocean County Fair, as well as an off leash dog park and some recreation areas, in addition to the runways and hangars of the airport.
