Qoaster Quote:
In a letter published on page 51 of the Qoaster, on August 31, Joyce Klein, “On behalf of the OGHOA Parking Committee,” offered a plan for moving permit parking out of the shadows.
She said, “We urge the Neptune Township Committee to place the interests of its residents first and take action and adopt a pilot permit parking program for Ocean Grove.”
But that request has already been rejected—since 2016.
Does she really think that this Qoaster message will impress the Neptuner Ninja committee?
Like the Cowardly Lion, the HOA needs courage and a new strategy. They are stuck in the muck.
At least Jack Bredin came up with an original idea. (See our recent “tea leaves” link about the parking stalemate below.)
So far, what we have here are the gods of comedy and tragedy:
ZERO MOSTEL: From A Funny thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.
The Camp Meeting Association has made it clear for many years that its priority is its “mission.” Ordinarily, we wouldn’t particularly notice that it has little direct interest in the residents who make OG their home; it’s no different than other groups in town, such as the Chamber of Commerce, but the land ownership aspect turns the situation into an enigma.
Having founded the Town, it is disappointing that the CMA doesn’t feel more protective toward the Grove’s history and Master Plan.
OK, I agree that OGHOA has failed to make any significant positive difference for OG homeowners in recent years.
I was praising Ms. Klein for trying to make a difference (on parking permits, an issue many of us think is important).
Talking to the Neptune Township Committee may be like talking to a wall. But, who knows who reads the Coaster? I think that letters to the Coaster and other papers, comments by you and others on this blog, etc. are useful in continuing to point out how the OGCMA is much more concerned with making money from visitors than it is with the well being of OG residents.
Surfer: There are other reasons as well as to why Grovers should be dissatisfied with the performance of the OG Groaners.
1. They went along with the illegal conversion of single family home zoning at the North End in 2007 into a high density re-development plan which they have still backed to this day, in defiance of the Master Plan. They should have totally opposed it back then.
They have never recanted that back-stabbing, inexplicable policy, in cahoots with the Township Committee and the CMA.
2. They proposed putting new parking slots along Founders’ Park including on Lake Avenue—an obvious prequel to eventually turning Lake Avenue into a road for cars —once again, we believe, to enable the North End Redevelopment Plan.
3. Their derelict housing program is now somnolent. It was originally started by Charles Layton when he was with Blogfinger. Now the most progress they have made is to pick a new Chairwoman, Nancy Clark, and to change the name of the program to the “Preservation Committee.”
4. They have failed to protect the HPC guidelines which are currently in the evil hands of the Township whose priorities are not historic preservation.
5. They have failed to muster an aggressive and effective strategy, including demonstrations and legal challenges, to get a flicker of assistance with parking for those of us who are, in fact, homeowners. (That’s why we have changed their name from “Homeowners” to “Home Groaners.”) They claim to support permit parking, but try and find any reference to permit parking in their minutes of the last six months.
6. They never make reference to the Master Plan which is supposed to protect our historic town.
7. They spend thousands of dollars on a lawyer to look into ground rents, but they have not made that legal opinion public. Who will want to contribute to that legal fund any longer? I won’t.
8. They have inexplicably gotten involved in the Neptune Midtown Urban Renaissance Corporation. How about the renaissance in Ocean Grove?
9. They had a speaker on tax appraisals, but they have never seriously looked into alleged favoritism in those appraisals for certain wealthy homeowners in OG. If you don’t look, you don’t see.
10. Name one important program that they have achieved clear success with on behalf of the residents of the Grove. If you can document that, BF will happily praise them for it.
11. Through some sort of black magic, they were given a Beersheba Award this year by the HSOG; and their minutes say that the award was for their “work to improve quality of life” in Ocean Grove. Talk about fake news!
12. And Surfer, why do you praise a group that says the same thing, meeting after meeting, about parking and gets nowhere? Praise should be reserved for results. A tape recorder could be sent to the Committee to play back the HOA plea at each open mike session.
As you and your readers may know, I have been critical of OGHOA on several issues such as:
1. Not insisting that buildings under renovation be secured (to prevent fires like 4 major ones in 7 years).
2. Not going after the OGCMA with a lawsuit over land rent after hiring an attorney to do this.
However, in this case I want to praise Ms. Klein for her letter (unfortunately printed on p. 51), but moreover for all her work on this issue.
The OGHOA formed a parking committee almost two years ago and presented some reasonable suggestions to the Neptune Township Committee last year. Then, the NTC formed a Parking Task Force which basically came up with nothing (a few diagonal spots on Main Ave.)
On parking permits, OGHOA is trying.
Now, whether it is of any use opposing OGCMA on this issue and talking to Mike and the Misfits (Neptune Twp. Com.) at meetings is another issue.
Defender: Speaking directly to the Township Committee is a waste of time. Talk is cheap, and the Neptuner Committee has made it clear that they don’t give a hoot about this issue, and you know that because of their inaction and their condescension towards the HOA’s weak-kneed speakers.
The HOA needs a new strategy to make a good idea become a good ordinance. Repeating the same mantra (“testimony”) hasn’t worked, as you indicate.
Joyce Klein’s letter to the Coaster is a summary of her testimony to the Township Committee this past Monday, and twice a month for a long time. Those who attended would have heard her and many others speak directly to demanding action from our elected officials.