July 3, 2014 issue. Note the first paragraph. Click to enlarge.
July 10, 2014 edition
In last week’s July 3 Coaster, they said unequivocally that the CMA wants to take over the JSAC property and that is because the JSAC had violated a prior lease agreement. (see the first paragraph above.) However, in that Coaster article they did not interview anyone from the CMA. They based their facts on what the JSAC officials had to say and on what a letter said from the CMA lawyer to Herb Herbst at the JSAC.
Since then, the COO of the Camp Meeting, JP Gradone, has refuted the truth of those allegations, and we posted that denial a few days ago on Blogfinger. Gradone contacted the Coaster and requested that they publish a clarification, which appeared in a headline article in today’s edition (July 10, 2014)
We spoke to JP Gradone last evening. He stood firm on what he said two days ago: i.e., the CMA has no intent to take over the JSAC property and they did not accuse the JSAC of violating an agreement. He said that the lawyer for the CMA had gone overboard when he made those assertions in his letter to JSAC and that no one from the CMA had seen the letter before it went out. H e also said that the CMA board had not even discussed having an interest in the old Neptune High school.
Gradone said that the CMA lawyer was supposed to be sending a letter to the JSAC to clarify “loose ends” regarding real estate issues. He said that the CMA does not even have a land lease agreement with the JSAC.
So it appears that the new facts of life in this situation are what the CMA says they are. Perhaps Herb Herbst and his lawyer should have talked personally to the CMA before flying off the handle. On the other side, the CMA was slow in providing their point of view after this story first surfaced.
Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger
How do all of these people know who is gay? I call my best friend of forty years “Dear” and have a personally autographed picture of Liberace to “Pal Tom” on our dining room wall. Your “Gaydar” is about as good as a Ouija Board.
Just enjoy the fact that OG is coming along fine due to everyone’s contributions other than the out-of-town slumlords. Gay, Straight, Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, Italian, Jewish, English, Irish and everyone else all help make Ocean Grove a great town to live in. On second thought lets keep an eye on the Irish. (WINK)
Actually, I would say that the best of times in Ocean Grove were when there were no cars on Sunday, neighbors actually knew and respected each other, and summer nights were calm and peaceful—not filled with too many people jammed into small houses screaming on their porches.
As a native Ocean Grover who actually has to get up and go to work at 5 a.m.—even on the weekends—I yearn for a little more old Ocean Grove and a little less Belmar north. I know I am supposed to be more grateful for our “saviors.” But I wonder…Because in my world, sometimes quality of life trumps property values.
Historian: Your comments are interesting, and if factual, are a surprise to this OG homeowner since 1993.
Yes, there was density at the north end back in the days of the north end hotel, but it didn’t involve year-round usage and a sprawling condo complex.
Is there data that supports the following statements?
“. . .when all the others started purchasing”
“. . .the families didn’t start to purchase until 2003”
Thanks.
Historian, I have to disagree…. the gay OG community didn’t start selling and move to Asbury Park!
If anything, the gay presence in Ocean Grove is considerably larger than it was in 2003. Yes parts of AP have attracted new buyers both gay and straight, but I personally don’t know any Ocean Grovers that have chosen to sell their homes in order to move to Asbury.
AP and OG are literally two completely different worlds. People in OG worry about their bikes getting stolen, while AP residents have to deal with the multitude of violent crimes that occur there every single week.
Historian – I do not have a problem with the proposed hotel for the North End, with adequate parking. And, yes, I’m aware that there was once a large hotel at the North End…that’s why I don’t have a problem with replacing it with a new one.
My problem is that instead of using a portion of that space for parking facilities to support the hotel, they want to fill that space with condos, which will only further increase the parking issues. Change the North End redevelopment plan to a (reasonably sized) hotel (only) – with adequate parking – and I’d be fine with it.
Historian has adequately responded to Doubting Thomas re: the early and dramatic impact of the professional gay community on Ocean Grove’s comeback.
My documentation: my Christmas card list which has grown over 15 years.
Dear Doubting Thomas ..There is no rewrite..those who lived here then all know it was the gay community that invested …When the gay community decided to start selling and move on to Asbury Park is when all the others started to purchase… The families didn’t start to purchase until 2003 ….and now has become a destination for families.
As to the monstrosity at the North End obviously OG Jamie you do not know the history of Ocean Grove.. Please go to the museum and see what was originally on that property ..There are numerous pictures you might be surprised. The problem is parking today (more then in the past and it has always been hard) in the Grove… More families who live here or have summer homes here …or rent here ..have numerous cars…and many are parking on the streets of Ocean Grove and going to Asbury Park to avoid paying for parking there..
Something really needs to be done by Neptune and the CMA about this situation …..Either they need to have meters at the Beach and stickers for residents or they need to designate a space for each house hold… like they have done in other densely populated areas
I.M. Radar: Not to diminish the role of our considerable gay community in Ocean Grove, but people of all types have contributed to the resurrection of OG. These people include heterosexuals, homosexuals, senior citizens, men, women, professionals, retirees, families who bought second homes, and others.
I find your singling out one group for credit to be an outrageous attempt to rewrite the history of this town. Where is the documentation to prove your point?
I did not live in Ocean Grove when Mr. Herbst fought the placement of de-institutionalized rooming house clusters but have heard enough to applaud him for those efforts.
But when they wanted to leave a “legacy” in the form of the JSAC (admirably restored through hard work, donations and government grants), Messrs. Herbst and Paladino were more than willing to sell that lot to a developer who was looking to build a 64(!) unit “luxury” monstronsity that would have, essentially, destroyed the neighborhood.
Only because the local residents rose up in opposition did that proposal fail. (More accurately, it was abandoned). Subsequently, the lot was sold for $1m+ to a developer who is also the selected developer for a similar proposed monstrosity at the North End.
Mr. Herbst and his colleague, Mr. Paladino, are indeed historic heroes of this community. Their past leadership in delimiting the State’s role in institutional housing and the dramatic influx of professional gay homeowners have created the highly valued enclave we live in today.
But even a mishap should provide an opportunity for both the Arts Center and the Camp Meeting to explore areas of collaboration that will mutually contribute to our quality of life–throughout the year.
Herb Booster: Not only was Herb Herbst a hero, with his colleagues, for dealing with the problem of the deinstitutionalized in town, but also for dealing with those rooming houses that were providing awful care for those who lived in those places. Out of those ashes of the 1980’s came a new Ocean Grove with rising property values and a bright future in the 1990’s.
As for mea culpa’s, the emergence of a seemingly wrong narrative here was the product of mistakes on the part of all concerned including the press (and including Blogfinger because I should have waited until the CMA told its side of the story; but they were slow to do so when we requested their side, and the Coaster had gone with the story without that information, and so we felt obligated to have something for our readers.)
But we didn’t call it “truth” as the Coaster did in the first paragraph of their first article. How could they say that they knew what the CMA was thinking when they didn’t hear from the CMA—only the lawyer? At least we said, “supposedly” and we were able to get the CMA denial out as soon as it appeared. But if a news source waits for all information to roll in, then important news might be delayed.
Yet, the part of the story which is still murky is why the CMA lawyer sent that letter in the first place. Was he delusional? I can’t recall ever hearing any news about the CMA that was revealed by a lawyer. Especially in a situation like this where lawyers are usually pretty careful.
Was there any truth at all in that letter? Are there other relevant facts that have not been made public? We will be left to wonder, because it is probably better for both parties to now let this subject evaporate.
So, is this really non-news? Should we just let it go because it is merely a misunderstanding? Perhaps, but it seems like we have had a peek into some important topics for Ocean Grove. So keep the comments coming.—–Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger
Mr. Gradone is to be commended for providing openness in terms of Camp Meeting Association operations that has not been characteristic of previous administrations. That augurs well for the future as the CMA fulfills its responsibilities as OG’s “landlord.”
OG Jamie, I complained to the township about an house near us with debris, overgrown…. The cited the owner and the owner cleaned it up and fixed it up a bit. Might be worth the effort. I think it would be Code Enforcement link at :
http://www.neptunetownship.org/contact-us/township-directory
OGJamie: That’s the point I raised in another thread. The sale of that lot by a nonprofit to a developer for a huge profit? I don’t see how that was the intent of the original Neptune/JSAC deal. If it was, then … wow! How can I get in on a deal like that! $1 investment for $1,000,000+ return!
I agree with Davis…I think the one doing the mea culpa here is the CMA not the Arts Center… and you should all thank Mr. Herbst for what he has done with the Arts Center over the years ..for all those that remember what it was like..and while you’re at it, thank him for less rooming houses in the Grove ….
I think most of us would have “flown off the handle” given the content of the original correspondence.
I wonder if the real estate “loose ends” are related not to the school but the adjoining lot that was sold several years ago to a private, for profit, developer?
I have three theories – two of which paint one or the other as the bad guy and a third that makes all parties look bad but I won’t elaborate on them because they are just theories. I will say that the fact that Mr. Herbst and his organization attempted for many years and finally succeeded in selling formerly taxpayer owned property – that they bought for one dollar – for $1M+ has never passed the smell test.
Also wonder why the township allows that lot to stand overgrown and be visibly and openly used for purposes that clearly violate zoning code.