By Paul Goldfinger,  Editor @Blogfinger

For those of you who don’t walk the boards in OG very often, especially since Sandy hit in October 2012 and then since the ribbon cutting in July 2014, you might be surprised to find out that there are significant portions of the old boardwalk still intact to the north and to the south.

Areas of boardwalk that survived Sandy  were protected by preexisting rubble and metal bulkheads.  At the North End, the original boardwalk remains, with some repairs, extending from the Pavilion north to Sea View Avenue where it meets the asphalt path that extends to the Casino. 

Another stretch of retained wooden boardwalk is at the South End.  You can see in the photo above that there is a nice 2 1/2 block run of traditional wood boardwalk that stretches from south of Heck Avenue to Bradley Beach.  

Those areas of original wood boardwalk did require some repairs, and now they are a monument to history.  

Sandy destroyed the Middle Beach area, and the region that had to be rebuilt extended north to the  Pavilion and south around the beach offices.  It was estimated at the time that 60% of the boardwalk was irretrievably damaged.  The first part that was fixed was near the offices and the pier.  The North End received a temporary asphalt path.

The severely damaged pier was repaired to a limited extent, and its recovery is enjoyed today, with wooden boards,  on a daily basis, although there is no fishing at the OG Non-fishing Pier.  Unfortunately, in an act of inconsistency and flip-flopping, FEMA refused to consider the pier as part of our Boardwalk Public Boulevard.

Once FEMA relief was approved and money raised by the Together Fund and by a Neptune bond offering, the new Trex Middle Beach  Boardwalk was installed in 2014.   It was built after careful attention to engineering challenges.  The OG Camp Meeting Association deserves praise for doing the job right, and we must specifically admire the fortitude and resolve of Dale Whilden, Ralph del Campo and Bill Bailey—CMA officials.

Along with the new Trex boards, new cement access walkways, stairs and other related structures were put in place. Sand dune reconstruction was started,  and now the new season has begun.

During the Memorial Day weekend, a delighted beach and boardwalk crowd enjoyed the reborn and still evolving Oceanfront.

The North End boardwalk work  is on the launching pad, and Neptune Township has provided temporary funding until FEMA writes their check.  That work will begin after the summer season when the asphalt trail will be replaced.

Major dune grass planting will be done this year. The CMA is seeking volunteers for that project.

Take a walk over to the Boardwalk this season and appreciate what was not destroyed by Sandy and the fine work which continues by those involved in all aspects of the rebuilding  at our beachfront.

In some ways, the Sandy devastation made Ocean Grove better; and especially we must recall and admire the spirit of volunteers, citizens, contributors, OG organizations, fundraisers, and those politicians in Neptune, Trenton and Washington who helped in the recovery.

It is said  that “what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.”  That idea holds true in Ocean Grove.

SHIRLEY MACLAINE:   Music by Cy Coleman; words by Dorothy Fields.