State Senator Jennifer Beck speaking at the Ocean Grove Homeowners breakfast, August, 2012. Paul Goldfinger photo. ©

By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger

I was intrigued by some of Sen. Jennifer Beck’s recent comments about Ocean Grove’s FEMA difficulties, such as when she asserted that  FEMA  was “splitting hairs”  in their decision to deny storm aid for our boardwalk.  She has been supportive of  the Grove from the start, having signed a letter to FEMA  in January, along with other New Jersey legislators, supporting our application.

Sen. Beck’s views on our original FEMA application for funding adds some interesting historical perspective below:

“The letter sent to FEMA officials on January 30th stated that the Ocean Grove boardwalk has been recognized as public property and dedicated as a public roadway since at least 1908 when a Monmouth County court ruling exempted it from taxation because of the boardwalk’s previous designation as a “public highway.”

“The boardwalk, which provides access to communities both north and south of Ocean Grove, has also been clearly recognized in court rulings as a public facility. The Association also maintains the boardwalk while providing full public access and year round emergency services to the residents of Ocean Grove and neighboring towns.”  

She also was solidly behind our recent appeal, so when the bad news arrived on May 31, she expressed “anger and disappointment” as did, according to her, the Governor’s office.  Her web site posted  a statement that day which included these quotes:

“This is terrible news for Ocean Grove and its neighboring towns,” said Beck. “FEMA’s decision is not only short sighted but its negative repercussions cannot be fully evaluated at this point. What is certain is that the denial of funding will hurt the economy of Ocean Grove and of surrounding towns.”

She said,  “There is no way the  Association can afford to rebuild on their own, no town could, and this is precisely why organizations like FEMA exist. This prejudicial decision is singling out one historic town that has been a landmark on the Jersey Shore for over a century.”  (Beck quote May 31)

Today I got to speak to Senator Beck  by phone and I  asked her how she could help us at this point in time.  She said that she and her staff were beginning to look for ways to  obtain other funding.  “We’re not giving up on this fight,” she said.    She told us that there are 30 billion dollars that New Jersey has received from Washington. She and her colleagues, including the Governor,  will be looking at “block grants” and other means to get some of that money for private non -profit entities which sustained Sandy damage and did not receive FEMA relief, including OG’s boardwalk.

Evidently we are not alone in this PNP category, although we have heard of no other Sandy  damaged boardwalks which have been denied help.

As for those FEMA regulations, Sen. Beck said that the main stumbling block in getting help for the Grove is the fact that the boardwalk  is privately owned, because that designation shifts us into a special category where unique restrictions apply, as stated in the FEMA letter to the CMA.   The Senator pointed out that the CMA has maintained and reserved their boardwalk for public use since the beginnings of the town, over 140 years ago,* and that FEMA should have taken that into consideration.

NJ Sen. Jennifer Beck web site

This photograph of the OG boardwalk is not dated, but it is from before 1887, because that year is when railings were first added.*

*Historical note and credit:  The above photograph and accompanying information is from the book “Images of America—Ocean Grove” by historian Wayne T. Bell  of Ocean Grove who has given us permission to use photos from his book.   (Thank you Mr. Bell).     Boardwalks  have been so important in the Grove’s history, that Mr. Bell devoted an entire chapter in his book to the subject. That chapter is called  “Boardwalk-By-The Sea.”