Blogfinger

Middle Beach Boardwalk before Sandy. By Paul Goldfinger ©

By Paul Goldfinger. Editor @Blogfinger

After Sandy, most shore communities floated bonds to allow construction to proceed on destroyed boardwalks. The idea was to rebuild while awaiting FEMA payouts.  That plan worked out for many of the towns.  FEMA was supposed to pay 75% of the costs, but eventually they came up with 90%.

It is true that FEMA has been slow in reimbursing some places, and also that some towns are having difficulty because their reconstruction plans were not first approved by FEMA.

But, in the case of Ocean Grove, FEMA denied eligibility for the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association (OGCMA) to rebuild, so bond financing by Neptune Township was not possible.

On January 14,  the OGCMA and Blogfinger announced that FEMA reversed itself and approved the Ocean Grove Boardwalk as being eligible for disaster relief.

On January 25, the Asbury Park Press got wind of the announcement and they published a piece that mentioned a figure of $1 million as what we could apply for. According to the CMA, that factoid is wrong, and no specific number has been revealed by FEMA.  USA today repeated that number today, but they just got it from the APP  (both are Gannett newspapers)

Evidently the bond announcement came as a surprise to the CMA this past Saturday, January 25, when Committeeman Randy Bishop told the audience at the OGHOA meeting that Neptune Township now could legitimately issue a bond  to supply $1.4 million to be used to start the Middle Beach project, expecting repayment from the CMA once FEMA has come up with disaster funds.

Formal approval for that bond offering was passed by the Neptune Township Committee at their meeting on January 27, according to Committeeman Eric Houghtaling. A process will  now ensue that ought to supply the funds around late February or early March, according to J.P. Gradone, CMA  COO.

Mr. Gradone says that “FEMA is a reimbursement plan”  and that FEMA has given permission for this mechanism to take place.  Since the CMA has gone ahead with engineering plans, FEMA is aware of those plans, and they understand that two phases now exist.  The first is to rebuild the Middle Beach Boardwalk, while the second phase will include the North End access route and the Fishing Pier.

There are no guarantees, but Mr. Gradone hopes that Phase one construction could be done perhaps by July 4 or sooner.

But the news is thrilling, and Mr. Gradone says, “This reveals that  the light at the end of the tunnel  is not an oncoming freight train.”

SARAH VAUGHAN: