Booths on the north boardwalk for Bridgefest. June 22, 2013. PG photo. Left click for full view
By Paul Goldfinger, editor @Blogfinger
Saturday, June 22. Location: The Ocean Grove beachfront, on the boardwalk (what’s left of it at the north side of town)
Do you hear a drumbeat on Blogfinger? I don’t mean “The Leader of the Pack” playing below. I mean the sound of an injustice that is so obvious, all you need to do is come to Ocean Grove and check it out.
Several months ago, many people in Ocean Grove predicted that the town would come to life as always when summer arrived. After all, we didn’t have much structural damage except for the beachfront. Our commercial district was fine. The only potential problem was that we would not have most of our boardwalk, and as we all know, the boardwalk along this stretch of the Jersey Shore is a life-giving artery that requires continuity for its full potential.
In addition, for the people who live and visit in the Grove, it would cause some hardship in terms of lifestyle, comfort,traditions, beauty and safety. (If you have any doubt about the latter, just go down on Ocean Avenue and witness the semi-chaos of the scene where cars are interacting with crowds of pedestrians and bikers.) I , on my bike, was cut off by a car on Main and Ocean. I yelled at the guy (I’m normally not like that) but he ignored me and left me hanging out at that intersection like a deer in the headlights.
Looking north from the boardwalk, just south of the pavilion. All photos by Paul Goldfinger, Blogfinger Photo Dept. ©
So I went up on the boardwalk near where it ends, just south of the Pavilion. I was reminded of the title of a famous book : A Tale of Two Cities. If I looked north and took a photograph, I saw crowds of people enjoying themselves. If I turned and faced south, I saw a wide stretch of empty sand. That stretch, “no-mans land,” used to be the location of the mid-section of our boardwalk. It is empty because no one is allowed on it, but that whole “middle beach” area is stark by comparison to the opposite way.
Now turn around and face south.
Turn east toward the beach. Bridgefest is doing fine.
It is a glorious day to be at the beach. The town is alive and happy today—everyone is trying to ignore the 800 pound sand dune in the room. But, they don’t completely succeed, because “it” is a common topic of conversation.
In short, OG has come to life as summer begins, even without the boardwalk, but there is something that can’t be ignored. It’s the feeling by many people that an injustice has occurred. It’s a sour taste that lingers. What FEMA has done really makes no sense.
For over 140 years, the CMA has provided a boardwalk for the general public. Over those years they have rebuilt boardwalks after serious storms that tore the boards and the pier apart. Then they would resume their giving to the public—-it has been a mission for them. In 1992, FEMA helped, but not now. Doesn’t the CMA deserve some help now from our country for 140 years of boardwalks open to everyone? Don’t the people of Ocean Grove deserve the help that has been given to other beach towns up and down the Jersey Shore?
I saw a man, about age 40, standing on the sandy/grassy strip as I walked my bike. There were quite a few people using that strip to get somewhere, but many were out on Ocean Avenue. I spoke to him but I didn’t ask his name:
Me: Hi. Are you from Ocean Grove?
He: No, I’m from Elizabeth; here for the day.
Me: What do you think about all this? ( as I motioned toward the scene before us)
He: It’s so beautiful here. When I was in college I developed a beer belly and I wasn’t healthy. I came to live here for awhile and rode a bike every day. Soon I lost a lot of weight and felt much better. I love to come to Ocean Grove.
Me: (Curious if he had any idea about our situation). Do you know why our boardwalk is not rebuilt?
He: Of course. It’s because we are Christians.
Me: Wow. Hey…enjoy your day here; I must be going.
So this is what has happened. I have heard such sentiments voiced before on Blogfinger. Some people have lost faith that our country is fair. They mistrust our government to treat us all with equal truth and justice, especially with the recent revelations in Washington.
Our situation in the Grove has now become about more than our big smile with the front teeth missing. Where’s the sense in it?
JOHN CAFFERTY AND THE BEAVER BROWN BAND—–“Boardwalk Angel.”
The FEMA rules regarding private nonprofits changed in 1993. The White House, who governs FEMA, was held by a Dem for eight years, then a Republican for another eight, then a Dem for another four before Sandy. Congress changed hands numerous times in between.
Yet the 1993 rules stood, and were apparently made even more stringent after Katrina. While the damage was much less, the CMA was denied funding after Irene, based on the ’93 rules. Stop blaming partisanship, Washington and FEMA and start looking at the CMA and Neptune government (or OG residents, myself included) who didn’t have the foresight, energy, or desire to challenge these rules and/or plan for them prior to Sandy, especially after Irene.
And what ken said. And also agree with Doubting Thomas, continue the appeals process, as long as the money spent on it wouldn’t be better spent elsewhere.
Paul at Blogfinger…Relax, It’s not your continued coverage, I was referring to the commenting kvetchers.
Ken: If you are referring to our coverage as “continued complaining,” you should know that FEMA does watch the media coverage of its actions, and they do read Blogfinger. We are the only media outlet at this time that is keeping the heat on. It’s not over until it’s over, so keeping the spotlight on that unjust decision is worthwhile until the CMA decides to move on.
And, as far as “let’s get on with it,” the decision is currently being discussed at the OGCMA, and we will soon learn if they plan to change horses or try for another FEMA appeal. By the way, the possibility for a second FEMA appeal was offered by FEMA in their denial letter to the first appeal. —Paul
I have read and heard repeatedly that when FEMA’s denial of funds to rebuild the boardwalk is finalized there will be funding available from other government programs. Let’s get on with it. Continued complaining about the FEMA interpretation of the regulation changes re private owners is accomplishing nothing.
You seem to be stuck on the idea that regulations are regulations, but those FEMA regulations are subject to the DISCRETION of those who get to INTERPRET them. That is the whole point of an appeal. Otherwise, if those regulations are so darn set in stone, then why bother having appeals?
That is why the CMA is considering a second appeal. Do you think that they and their consultants want to waste time with more FEMA appeals if there might not be a chance for a different ruling? We don’t know yet if they will try for a second appeal. They may choose another approach at this point, but without hope and dogged effort, we will never see success.
Our boardwalk is exactly as recreational as any other boardwalk. Every boardwalk is recreational, as it does not need to exisit and doest not provide public services that would otherwise not exist. Ours is privately owned, whereas others are publicly owned and that is the difference and determining factor in giving us funding. Public tax dollars should not go to fund private recreational facilities, and while OG does not restrict access, they technically could as it is private property.
How is my attitude biased? That would imply that i am a FEMA employee, which i am certainly not.
I root for the home team when they do the right thing, i do not think the CMA has done their due diligence in this matter, and it extends far before Sandy ever hit
Joe: You are comparing the Ocean Grove boardwalk where families walk for free to a bar where the owners make money from selling alcohol to adults only. The CMA makes no money from their boardwalk. If you are tired of reading these articles, then if you have a wound, would you tire of changing the dressing? Just don’t read them if you don’t like them.
As for FEMA regulations, they do give money to privately owned entities that provide public services. You distort the truth. The issue for FEMA is to recognize that OG does qualify for aid according to their regs—we are asking that they re-interpret the designation of our boardwalk as a “recreational facility.” Our boardwalk is no more recreational than any other boardwalk that got money. The FEMA regulations are biased and need to be re-evaluated in Ocean Grove.
And as for CMA being negligent, they are no more negligent than any other town prior to Sandy, which was not an “extremely possible scenario.” It was a super-storm that took everybody by surprise.
Joe: Instead of your rigid and biased attitude, why not root for the home team instead.
Probably not, considering their denial of funds was within line of the regulations regarding federal reimbursement
Obama only visited 2 towns, so its not like he intentionally avoided Ocean Grove while stopping in every other town.
I am really tiring of these articles and of people complaining about FEMA. The CMA was negligent in not preparing for this extremely possible scenario, which will increase in probability as long as ocean temperatures rise and drive tropical systems north. Their situation in regards to property ownership is not a newly created scenario. I honestly agree that FEMA should not give public money to private organizations to rebuild their structures. If they gave money to rebuild the boardwalk, then The Headliner should also receive money to rebuild its place. It is used by the public more often then the boardwalk is even though it is privately owned.
This has moved from the absurd to the outright dangerous. FEMA said that it is denying us the assistance received by every other municipality on the East Coast because the boardwalk was not an emergency thoroughfare. Well, what about the risk that serious emergencies will create by forcing people to walk in the street, including disabled people and those with infants in strollers?
As an afterthought, would a petition to FEMA posted at the beachfront for visitors to sign be effective? Gathering so many signatures in support of our plight has got to help.
I, too, am very frustrated and yes, downright angry about our pathetic boardwalk situation. As a downtown business owner, I am spending WAY too much time trying to explain away why we don’t have much of our boardwalk, and now that the crowds are here, feeling even MORE angry that our government would leave us in this predicament.
The fact that the wonderful people who love our town, and travel 8 hours to get here, are then put into an unsafe situation, is absurd. They are being very nice and understanding about it, but they are just as baffled as I am. I honestly don’t know what to tell them anymore.
When President Obama and our Governor visited Asbury Park and purposely avoided Ocean Grove and our sandy Sandy situation here, I felt insignificant and snubbed.
It is as if our little town doesn’t matter at all. Ocean Grove attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. How can our government ignore this fact and put these fine people’s safety in jeopardy? The fact that people are walking and biking and pushing baby strollers out in the street is terrifying and truly an accident waiting to happen.
What can we do to get some help BEFORE someone gets hurt? Could those sand mats that allow wheel chair access down to the water be placed in the grassy strip area so that it is easier to walk? Should the beachfront parking spaces be turned into a pedestrian walkway and bike path? Parking is such an issue and to lose so many spaces would drive people nuts, but someone getting hit by a car would be tragic. There should, at the very least, be some police presence and signage to keep people out of harms way.
If people are going to walk along Ocean Ave rather than the grassy/sandy strip, the town really needs to put those “stop for pedestrians in crosswalks” at ALL the intersections. As I was out and about I saw far too many close calls and near misses with both cars AND bicycles.
Because of the diagonal parking, pedestrians need to venture out onto the street just to see around cars. It is worse when oversized vehicles are parked at the crossings.
This past Saturday really showed the need for more beach access to the ‘center beach’. Both sides were packed while the center beach was quite open.