By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger
In December 1992, a vicious nor’easter destroyed the Ocean Grove Boardwalk and Fishing Pier. FEMA, understanding that the Ocean Grove boardwalk was owned by a private non-profit group (The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association,) readily agreed to pay for the reconstruction of those beachfront structures.
After that, FEMA regulations were changed, many times, over the ensuing years. We don’t know exactly which/when regulatory changes affecting PNP’s (private non-profits) were put in place, but OG ended up being rejected by FEMA after Sandy, and we don’t know why those changes were made.
Ralph delCampo, interim COO of the OGCMA, in interviews with Blogfinger, said, at least twice, that we were suffering now because of rule changes made after Katrina hit New Orleans on August 29, 2005. New regulations were published in 2007.
Yet it seems that if we were eligible in 1992, then surely we should be eligible now. If our boardwalk was understood to be for the public good then, so why is it now written off as a “recreational facility?” Nothing has changed with respect to the Boardwalk’s functions. If there were problems after Katrina, how could that have been something that would cause the rejection of Ocean Grove now?
Consider this quote from the New York Times, last week; in an article about how the Governor has been recently criticized regarding his failure to rebuild after Sandy in many parts of the Shore and to return thousands of citizens to their homes:
“Mr. Christie has blamed the slowness of federal agencies for delays in getting money to residents, and said that New Jersey was paying for the sins from Hurricane Katrina, as the Federal Emergency Management Agency put up hurdles to prevent fraud.”
Again a reference to Katrina, this time from the Governor, and it is about fraud after Katrina. So how does Katrina fraud in New Orleans result in making OG ineligible for aid after Sandy?
Is it possible that Ocean Grove is being punished by being swept up in a storm of regulatory changes that weren’t meant to hurt places like the Grove? Perhaps the issue was also one of cost cutting, but why cut out our boardwalk when it was equally as deserving as all other boardwalks back in 1992? If cost is the concern, then why pay for every boardwalk except ours?
Here’s a quote from a FEMA regulatory statement dated 2007:
“FEMA policy 2007 ineligible PNP Facilities. ‘ Some PNP facilities that might have been assisted prior to 1993 are no longer eligible under the governing statutes and regulations. Examples include: recreation facilities, etc.’ “
We have complained on Blogfinger that OG has been treated unfairly. BF is not the only source of such complaints on behalf of the Grove. Below is a resolution from the NJ Legislature (the link is below)
The synopsis says: “…. urges the President and FEMA to ensure funding necessary to repair Ocean Grove’s boardwalk”
ASSEMBLY JOINT RESOLUTION
No. 103
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
215th LEGISLATURE
INTRODUCED APRIL 4, 2013
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman MARY PAT ANGELINI
District 11 (Monmouth)
Assemblywoman CAROLINE CASAGRANDE
District 11 (Monmouth)
When I appeared on a panel (BF Link to podcast ) recently to discuss our situation, Mark DiIonno, a Star Ledger columnist who was nominated for a Pulitzer this year said, referring to our denial by FEMA, “Their reasoning was absurd regarding the designation of the OG boards as ‘recreational,'”
He noted that every boardwalk in New Jersey was recreational in the same way that ours is. He referred to the “skewed reasoning of FEMA.”
Joe, if that were true then there would be no point in appealing the decision. However there is room here for interpretation. Camp Meeting Association has been advised by experts in dealing with FEMA including some with experience from Katrina and others who were recommended by the governor’s office.
No matter the owners, boardwalks are seen as recreational facilities in FEMAs eyes, the difference is that they cover publicly funded structure
Say Nay: FEMA is forbidden by law from paying to rebuild a church or other houses of worship. Our representative Smith proposed a bill in the House of Rep. to allow FEMA to pay for such worship facilities that are damaged by Sandy. But I believe that bill got buried somewhere in Congress.
Also, although a church is a private non-profit, it does not benefit the public the way that OG’s boardwalk does. Just read the NJ Legislature proclamation about the benefits that our boardwalk offers to the public, and none of those benefits are like those offered at a church.
The truth is that private non-profits can receive FEMA funding, but only if certain criteria are met. There is an argument to be made for the OG boardwalk, but none to be made for a house of worship.
I grew up as a full time resident in the Grove and also continue to live here year round, attended, sent and send my kids to St. Rose and contributed $$ to the Together campaign and also volunteer regularly for OGCMA events.
I must say that I agree with “St. Rose fan” in the post in comparison of the ownership of St. Rose to the OG boardwalk.
OG boardwalk is privately owned by the OGCMA which is a 501c3 just as St. Rose is owned by the diocese of Trenton which is also a 501c3.
Yes, it can be enjoyed and used by the public (just as much as any church can) but the 501c3 non profit organization physically owns the land.
Christie doesn’t have to do a thing for OG. That would be like saying why can’t Christie come and pay for the Temple Bethel synagogue or St. Paul’s Methodist Church to be rebuilt
The entire town of Ocean Grove is a LEASEHOLD not a covenant vs grantor deed.
The focus to rebuild should be on obtaining aid from other non profits or historic preservation grants, residents, and those who wish to privately contribute (via Together campaign or Material repair gifts in kind) – not from the government .
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CMA — Note that Christie will be much more likely to help us BEFORE the election than after. I’d reach out again NOW. Get his commitment for help if FEMA says no again (and they will). After the election, all his focus will be on running for President and we’ll never get anything. Trust me, this is good advice.
Congratulations to St. Rose for rebuilding their private religious high school. But except for the Great Auditorium roof, which is being fixed totally by private funds, there is no comparison to the situation in Ocean Grove.
The reasons why there is no comparison have been spelled out on Blogfinger over and over again. The OG boardwalk should be rebuilt with the help of the Feds because it is totally a public space providing public services for all comers, unlike the tuition-collecting classrooms at St. Rose.
And, St. Rose Fan, perhaps you don’t know that CMA fund raising efforts have raised over $1.5 million in private money to help with our Sandy damages, including a large sum for the boardwalk. So maybe you want to retract your remark about “setting an example to everyone at the OGCMA.”
And as for Christie, he has proven himself to be a phony. When is he going to make a public appearance on the OG sandy strip where our boardwalk used to be? Maybe he’ll redeem himself by walking over to the Grove from Belmar and telling the citizens here what he is doing for our situation.
Go over to St. Rose high school in Belmar and look how the community and faculty and students rebuilt. That school was wrecked.
The way the recovery and rebuild was handled there is an example to everyone at the OGCMA how they handled destruction and practically rebuilt that school and all in less than a year.
The school reached out and counted on people who had attended in the past and the community who volunteered their time- and this is a school that is being considered to close.
Nj Government officials and Governor Christie will be there tomorrow on the anniversary to speak about how this school was quietly able to rebuild using their own resources – that they had a lack of insurance, problems getting funded from diocese and all kinds of timing issues as kids needed to get back in school and they did it with what they had, made due and moved forward with grace.
Let’s Forget FEMA. They will never give us a dime. When does NJ come in and give us money like they did to Seaside after the fire? We only need $4 million or so — not a lot relatively speaking.
FEMA has provisions to pay for some PNP facilities, such as a homeless shelter or a medical facility for the poor. The decision about whether they will pay for our boardwalk hinges on the fact that so far they have not viewed our boardwalk as anything more than a recreational facility and thus not eligible for disaster funds.
FEMA needs to be convinced that our boardwalk is more than that—that our boardwalk provides much in the way of public services. Read the NJ legislature proclamation (the link is in this post) to understand the argument.
However the argument goes deeper into why FEMA changed its rules about PNP’s after Katrina. If Katrina fraud, as stated, is the reason, then that does not explain the regulation change that would deny payment to the Grove.
So are you saying that FEMA is saying that some PNP facilities are eligible or are all facilities of PNP’s ineligible. Not clear here.