Tea time at Nagle’s. Open the bag and read the leaves, like Jack. Paul Goldfinger photo . Undated.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor, Blogfinger.net. 2017
Jack Bredin, Ocean Grove activist, sat quietly at the August 28th Neptune Township Committee Meeting while waiting for the boring endless session to begin. He knew that permit parking was not on the agenda, but that a stalemate had been reached and something needed to be done. Surely there must be a road map which would take this important matter in a productive direction.
He wrote into his legal pad: “5th time over the years…”
Former Committeemen Randy Bishop used to recall that the subject of a parking solution had come up seriously that many times in the past with no resolution, even though the matter had been studied by the Township, the HOA Parking Committee, the Parking Task Force from 2016 and, now again, it had arisen like some sort of recurrent crabgrass infestation.
Although there had been no past agreement on a solution, the idea of a permit plan was popular, and most all Grovers who weighed in felt that something should be done, especially now at the North End near Asbury.
Two weeks ago, the CMA crazily and irresponsibly announced a possible law suit over permit parking. Do they really have the standing to push the Committee around like that?
The Committee now seems to have no way to turn. The situation has run out of options—–the quest for parking relief for Ocean Grove had reached the end of the line.
Jack studied his pad and decided that the key to advancing the controversy is for the Committee to send the matter to the Planning Board.
Looking back, the matter never reached fruition because the HOA is not the Planning Board and does not have the resources to be one. They should have pushed the Committee to make a proper referral instead of futzing around with it themselves.
The Township is also not the Planning Board, so it just dithers around the problem and doesn’t refer the matter.
The Planning Board established a Master Plan for the town, but it pays no attention to it, and although it has resources to pursue parking, such as planners and lawyers, it has not done so. It doesn’t even do any planning. It has become a place where dubious site plans are approved.
So, after sitting through the agenda, the public portion arrived, and about 20 Grovers went to the microphone to tell their parking horror stories. They had been encouraged to do so by the cowardly lions at the HOA, who sees it as some sort of strategy: send emails so that sad Grovers can whine to committeemen.
The Mayor seemed sympathetic but promised no further progress.
Then Jack got up to say what he had been composing on his yellow pad. He suggested that the Township refer the matter to the Planning Board where proper experts can study the matter and then to hold hearings in Ocean Grove.
Stalling, snoring, dithering, tabling, thinking, looking into it, or just ignoring it are all moribund strategies.
At least Jack is pointing in a hopeful direction.
BEVERLY KENNEY Tea leaves for two. From her album This vintage now
