Urns and benches stored at the North End. Paul Goldfinger photo.  Left click for large view.

By Paul Goldfinger

Ralph delCampo, the Chief Administrative Officer of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association (OGCMA) was thrilled with the public’s response to his request for volunteers to help with the beachfront cleanup.  An estimated 700 people showed up including Ocean Grove townspeople and outsiders. He said that the response “exceeded our expectations” and that it was “gratifying”  to see how young and old were willing to work to accomplish 80% of the job. It was essential to recruit volunteers,because the CMA has only 14 employees.  The workers labored all day long and filled up 3 dumpsters with debris.  He noted that Ocean Grove is a very special town where “we have seen the best in people.”

delCampo was especially impressed with the young workers who appeared “like out of the woodwork” in response to announcements on social networking websites. He said, “What I saw spoke to me about the future of the greatest country in the world.”

What was accomplished was the respectful removal of a large number of heavy benches and urns which are memorials that are important to so many people.  Those objects had to be removed because heavy equipment would soon be brought in to dismantle the boardwalk. Huge amounts of sand were shoveled back onto the beach.  Bulldozers are moving that sand into mountains at the north and south ends of the Grove.

Boardwalk looks different afterwards with the removal of benches, urns and much of the sand. PG photo

The destruction of the boardwalk is not covered by insurance, so that will be a huge strain on the budget of the CMA. The boardwalk restoration “will cost millions.”

The benches and urns were moved to the North End near Spray Avenue and they looked a bit like a regiment of the Chinese Terracotta Army standing at attention next to Wesley Lake.

delCampo said that there was the possibility that a certain Christian ministry might be able to offer skilled framers to help take the boardwalk apart. That idea is still under consideration, but it would obviously be a huge help with the project.

He also thought that another Saturday event might be scheduled, but that idea is still being discussed. Further cleanup is required at the north end. There are more benches near the shuffleboard courts, and there is a lot of sand still in the streets in that area.

The question of “what’s next” is not yet answered.  This project is a work in progress, and the plans are being designed as they go.  If all goes well, delCampo said that the CMA ministry would like to reach out to help other towns in the area.