Parking was difficult for the Neptune High School Graduation. This grad was fortunate to park by Firemen’s Park. 6/16/17 Paul Goldfinger photo ©.
This article is about parking and crowding. It is not a criticism of the event itself which is something very special which most Ocean Grovers undoubtedly support and hope that it continues in our town.
Tonight I returned home at 6:3o pm to find nearly every single parking space taken because of the graduation. I estimate that 98% of OG parking was taken due to the graduation. I have no idea how many guests had to drive out of town when they could not find a space.
It isn’t fair that this event should so totally envelope our town and its parking.
And what about the graduation families and friends who had to worry about parking and getting to this important happening on time? The lockdown lasted about three hours.
The Neptune Board of Education should have concerned itself with this issue.
The key is to find ways to reduce the number of parked cars. The Board of Education should have provided at least 10 buses to transport people including students from the High School parking areas into Ocean Grove and then provided transportation back to their cars. Car pooling and taxis should have been encouraged. That would have been a help and a respectful sign that Neptune appreciates the chance to graduate the class of 2017 in our beautiful, peaceful, historic and spiritual town.
And then tomorrow we will have the giant Craft Show on the Pathway, and with it we will again be gridlocked due to an invasion of FMT’s (flea market tourists) who will clog our town with no consideration at all for those who actually live here.
You homeowners and renters in the Grove pay to live here, and you deserve some consideration. You provide cheerful personal support for such events as the Craft Show and the NHS graduation. Tourists come here to enjoy the town, but isn’t it time for Grovers (owners and renters and their guests) to be given favored-nation status by our own government and organizations here?
Give us a break and encourage the visitors to figure out how to get in and out of Ocean Grove.
Paul Goldfinger, Editor.
JERRY ORBACH from The Fantasticks:
Reblogged this on Blogfinger and commented:
Repost from June 2017 but a worthwhile discussion before these two events occur for 2018. Parking talk never gets old because it is a central issue when we discuss our hometown——-Ocean Grove, a place to live and not just a place to visit.
We got into town around 7 pm and had to park 6 blocks south of our Lake Avenue home. Not just families of graduates but usual AP crowd getting free OG parking.
I think it’s wonderful that the graduation is held in the Auditorium. It allows more family members to celebrate this evening
Having taught high school for more than 40 years I know how difficult families find the have only two tickets to such an event.
As a long time resident of OG, I am happy to give up a spa email. One does it daily for beach goers. Why not for this.
Editor’s note: Speaking of gobbledygook, this is what Google says: “Secure Password Authentication (SPA) is a proprietary Microsoft protocol used to authenticate Microsoft email clients with an electronic mail server when using the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), Post Office Protocol (POP), or Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP).” Anyone want to expand on Gail’s suggestion?
Now that is a wonderful photo for that child on this special day.
When it come to parking in our town, the most high King Neptune has ruled, “We are not concerned”.
Buy a non-working motor scooter and save a space for yourself. Main Ave residents have figured it out….