By Paul Goldfinger, M.D. Editor Blogfinger.net. Re-posted. Update 2021.
On May 2, 2013, we posted Part I of our piece about the Ocean Grove fishing pier, “a historic landmark in a historic town.” Here is a link:
At the end of that part I article we discussed some of the more recent history of the pier and of the Ocean Grove Fishing Club, also a historic entity dating back to the late 19th century.
We posted part II late in 2013. That is below followed by an important 2021 update.
It would be best to pick up the story in December 1992 when a huge nor’easter destroyed most of the pier and some of the boardwalk. Only a small portion at the end of the pier was left, and the Fishing Clubhouse was carried out to sea. The Club’s activities were curtailed until 1994 when the pier was rebuilt by the Fishing Club which obtained a Small Business Loan from the Government. They borrowed $277,000 which was paid off by the Club members.
In exchange for that financial commitment, the only quid pro quo was that the Camp Meeting Association would grant them a 30 year lease extending out to 2024.
The mortgage was paid off a few years ago. Note that the Club has always paid the property taxes for the pier, even though the property is still legally owned by the CMA.
Fast forward to August, 2011, when a hurricane named Irene damaged the fishing pier causing destruction of 9 pilings and 20 feet of pier. The boardwalk was not harmed.
The Camp Meeting Association applied to FEMA for $150,000 to make repairs to the pier, but the request was denied.
In a Blogfinger article by Charles Layton (10/22/12) about this matter, Mr. Ralph del Campo of the CMA is quoted as saying “The rejection was because the Fishing Club area is private.”
Once again the OG Fishing Club proposed to finance the reconstruction work if they could be granted an extension of the lease for another 30 years.
Link to 10/22/12 Blogfinger article about 2011 Irene damage to pier
Negotiations between the two sides moved slowly, and finally a decision by the CMA was to be presented on October 29, 2012, ironically the day that Sandy hit. That meeting was never held.
Since Sandy, the Fishing Club has met with the CMA, but the CMA has not been willing to make a commitment regarding the future of the Fishing Club which still has 11 years on its lease. The only thing that they will say with certainty is that they will rebuild the pier.
At this point (2013,) the Fishing Club has lost some members, dropping down to 100. Again, it has offered to finance the rebuilding of the pier, but the CMA has expressed concerns about that financing arrangement and will not agree to the proposal at this time. Mr. Del Campo estimates that the pier will cost between $750,000 to $1 million, although the Fishing Club members think it could be less.
Mr. Del Campo will not discuss the pier situation beyond what he has said already. If the CMA has more specific plans for the pier, it has not revealed those plans publicly.
At a meeting of the Fishing Club Board of Trustees today (May, 2013,) we heard some frustration expressed. The members can’t understand why the CMA would refuse their offer to pay. “Where is the downside of accepting our offer?” asked one member. “We are willing to foot the bill.” The members pointed out that the 1992 nor’easter was a similar situation, and the club kept all its promises including paying off the loan “There is a precedent,” said one of the trustees.
The Fishing Club views itself as being “good citizens” of Ocean Grove, always supportive of the town including a $5,000.00 donation to the Phase 1 rebuilding effort. They say, “We want what’s best for the community.” Their frustrations can be heard in their comments including: “We’re very disappointed. We’re saddened and perplexed. What are their intentions? They don’t want to engage us. This is a stalemate.”
The Fishing Club trustees refuse to consider their organization as a private club. They say that anyone can be a member, and the only reason for limiting the membership has to do with size—-“engineering and safety issues.”
Since 2011, the famous “teaching kids to fish program” has been curtailed. The group thinks that their history and their record of being a “community within a community” needs to be recognized.
What if the Fishing Club is not reinstated on the pier? This is something they do not want to consider, but if it happens, they will continue as a surf-fishing club, but without the kids—it would be too risky and there would have to be lifeguards, rescue boats, etc.
President Al Dawson points out that Asbury Park and Bradley Beach have fishing clubs, but no piers. However, continuing a fishing pier tradition in the Grove that is at least 115 years old is the only way to satisfy these OG fishermen and fisherwomen.
EDITOR’S NOTE: May 21, 2013. Besides the members of the OGFC and the management of the OGCMA, I don’t know how many of you actually care about the intricate details of this situation. However, after another interview with Mr. Ralph Del Campo of the OGCMA, I have to clarify a few points.
First, the FEMA denial for funds to restore the fishing pier after Irene (2011) was not due to the presence of a private club at the end of the pier. That is what the October article in BF said, but Mr. Del Campo believes there was a misunderstanding.
Instead, the denial in 2011 was because the pier was defined as a recreational facility owned by a private nonprofit organization.
The only difference now (2013), post Sandy, is that financing for both the pier and the boardwalk were denied by FEMA because they are deemed recreational and owned by a private nonprofit.
Second, regarding the OG Fishing Club, Mr. Del Campo says that he cannot accept an agreement now with the OGFC until he has “clarity” regarding the FEMA appeal. He says that there are “four or five scenarios” which could develop regarding financing which could influence decisions about the Fishing Club. He said, “Once we have clarity we will talk to the Fishing Club and entertain all options.”
He reminded me that in 1992, when the OGFC financed the reconstruction of the pier, the collateral for that financing was the Camp Meeting Association itself. This is the first time that fact has been mentioned in this dialogue. So here is yet another variable to consider.
Mr. Del Campo says that he is working on “parallel sequential decision trees” which make a final decision impossible at this time. One variable that he acknowledges is that he has not seen a formal, concrete financing commitment from the Fishing Club. If one were to materialize now, he says that he would consider it. His working understanding, based on engineering analysis, is that the job will cost $750,000-$1,000,000.
I think I have laid out the facts, so at this point, May, 2013, the two parties need to talk to each other. Either party may, of course, comment below.—–Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger.
Editor’s note January 20, 2018: *Eventually FEMA approved boardwalk funding in 2014, but they did not approve the request for public funds to rebuild the pier, and there was no appeal because the CMA did not want to rattle the cages in Washington once again.
The CMA has placed the pier reconstruction at the bottom of their priority list, and currently the North End boardwalk work is about to begin. At no time has the CMA bailed out on their promise to eventually restore the pier.
As for the Fishing Club’s current status, we have no information, but if that group still exists, they are welcome to comment below.
August 2021 update: I may have missed something, but if you actually read Michael Badger’s welcoming statement on page 1 of the 2021 Summer Program Guide, he says, “Architects are drawing up the plans for restoring the pier so that the OGCMA can begin the process of getting permits.”
About a year ago a design for a new pier was publicized. It was in the shape of a cross. We don’t know if that is still gospel, but such a design could be practical in offering more space for fishermen. We had a discussion on BF about pier design. I’ll find the link.
But we must go back to the post Sandy era when FEMA refused to pay to fix the pier. You will recall the “public vs private” debates as FEMA tried to figure out what to do. And back in 2007 there were debates about discrimination on the part of the CMA.
So, when it comes to the pier, the 800 pound gorilla in the room which has not been discussed publicly is whether OG will ever again permit a private fishing club at the end of the pier.
Our impression is that such a segregated concept will never happen again, because the pier is a public thoroughfare. Add to the mix the agreement to lease the end for the Fishing Club extends to 2024.
As Uncle Milty would say, “What the hey.”
JOHN COLTRANE “Say It Over and Over Again.”
I was a member of the fishing club. They did a lot for the community including children. It was a place for everyone who joined to meet and relax. Everything Ocean Grove was talked about and suggestions of how we could help were initiated.
The club always made it a point to support the town’s local businesses. A lot of the members, myself included, were disabled veterans. That pier was one of a very few places I could access and enjoy the sport of fishing.
I only can pray that the town extends the lease and the club can be rebuilt.
In January 1891, it was announced:
“Property owners, and others interested at Ocean Grove, Will be gratified to learn that the contract for the erection of a pier, connecting with the plank walk at Embury avenue, and running 450 or 500 foot into the Ocean, was signed on the 15th inst. Work will commence on Monday next. The contractors are Richmond Bros., of Delanco, N. J., old and experienced builders in this line, and an enduring structure is arranged for. The date for the completion of the same is April 20th next. With average weather, this is ample time. The pier, which will be used for fishing, and other summer purposes, is designed as a protection of public interests in that immediate vicinity.”
The tastefully omitted “public interests” was an iron pipe that conveyed raw sewage into the ocean when a holding tank was opened at night during low tide. Despite the protection of the pier, a drifting timber from a wrecked schooner smashed into the pipe in 1894.
Has anyone ever been to The Jupiter Pier in Florida? You pay a 3.00 admission fee if kids want to fish and slightly more as an adult. D you are not fishing, entry fee is a dollar or two. You can stay as long or as little as you like and go out to the end of the pier. There are benches and a covered pavilion, not to mention you can rent tackle and buy bait very cheap at the little shop at the beginning of the pier. It is “manned” by seniors. This is a great, low cost way to sustain financial viability throughout the season and it can be open to the public, no cost, in winter off season. Fishing does not have to be exclusive (although I did pay my dues as a member of the fishing club and had the key to the door). However, Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Think outside the box.
I’m all for a boy’s club. But how about a club that does not exclude people from the pier? Sounds good? No exclusion on the pier. We will all fish, but if fishing means you get a private man cave, shutting others out, then it is a no.
The CMA continues to pay its respects to that organization because the OG Fishing Club is part of Ocean Grove’s history. If it weren’t for Sandy, the FC would still be viable today.
The CMA promised to eventually restore the pier to its historic length which I think was 500 feet, but they decided not to accept the FC’s offer to obtain financing for the reconstruction in exchange for a long term commitment to the Club.
You might recall that FEMA changed its mind about paying for the pier rebuilding, and the CMA chose not to appeal that decision.
As for a promise to restate the FC at the end of the pier, the CMA kicked the can down the road and has said nothing public about the matter since then.
The truth is, it was never a “fishing club.” It was just a few guys who wanted a walled-off man cave. Bizarre how they should even have any audience today.
You say it is open to all! Ha…. I was a member. After the loan was paid off they decided to go from 150 members back to 100 members. They no longer need the extra money for the loan. It did not matter that the 50 who left worked very hard on the club house to revitalize it. They found excuses not to renew our memberships.
How about rebuilding a pier that is open to the public for a reasonable fee. Oh, Ocean Grove is a private community. Suggestion, rebuild the Long Branch Pier or put one in Neptune or Asbury Park. All fisherman would be better off!
The latest boardwalk and beach protection methods should make it a lot more difficult for a hurricane to destroy the boardwalk. Look how well Bradley Beach did.
However, I have heard no discussion regarding how to better protect a rebuilt fishing pier.
No one has suggested that the boardwalk be rebuilt with borrowed money. But if the Fishing Club can get certain financing for the pier restoration, then the CMA will consider that option, according to Mr. delCampo of the OGCMA in a recent interview with Blogfinger.
Keep in mind that in 1992, when the Fishing Club obtained a loan to rebuild the pier, the financing was backed up using the CMA as collateral. Detailed plans about possible financing now by the OGFC have not yet been presented. The Club says that they would need a promise of a new 30 year lease before they can arrange a loan, and the CMA will not consider a decision on that idea until some time down the road.
I think it foolish to borrow money to repair the Boardwalk or the Pier. Every 10-years (or even more quickly,) it will be badly damaged and you will quickly borrow yourself into a hole. Better to wait until you have cash in hand.
WOW Wisher—-the Berlin Wall, a little extreme I think. If you pay your dues you can walk to the end otherwise you will have to stop at the gates.
Try going to any other town having a fishing club and state your case as you do here.
I have no idea why people come to this town and want to change everything that has made O.G. what it is.
Doubting Thomas: Fair enough…for now. But in ten years when another storm inevitably wipes out the boardwalk, are these points still going to be irrelevant? If the appeal is denied now, we can’t expect decisions to be any different in the future. And if it’s overturned but with prejudice, the CMA can’t make the same argument.
OGJamie: “Appropriate and relevant question?” It is neither, because reality is what it is. Of course, FEMA would have paid if Neptune owned the beachfront, but Apple would better off if Steve Jobs were still alive. Let’s stick to the facts now and skip the speculation.
I drove through Belmar, Avon and Bradley this past weekend and their boards look about ready to go. OG, on the other hand, has a huge gap and who knows when it will be replaced, never mind the pier.
Wouldn’t this not be the case had the boardwalk been owned by Neptune as opposed to the CMA? I’m not hating on the CMA but at the end of the day, putting tradition aside, what does Neptune gain by having the boards, unlike almost every other Shore town in NJ, owned by a private entity rather than the township? Serious question – not intending to bash the CMA….just think this is an appropriate and relevant question. (And not agreeing with the current FEMA ruling but the fact that it’s privately owned allows them to make this exception.)
Editor’s note: For the record, the CMA’s projections say that the project will cost $750,000 to $1 million.
As an active member of the Ocean Grove Fishing Club, I cannot comprehend why the Camp Meeting Association does not understood that we need an extension of the current lease in order to get financing from anyone. The Fishing Club did find monies to completely fix the pier in 1994 when the entire boardwalk went away, and we can do so this time as well.
The lease extension is necessary because the period of time needed has to be long enough to amortize the loan, with payments that we can afford as in the previous campaign to rebuild the pier and Fishing Club.
Here is an example:
$365,000 loan over 30 years will cost $1,795.58 per month (principal and interest) for a total of 360 payments
$1,795.58
Apr, 2043
Pay-off Date
Thank you for your time.
When you walked on the pier before Sandy, you were greeted by a locked fence, limiting your access to the best, most enjoyable part of the pier — the end. Why? Because the fishing club rented the best part of the pier. And how many fisherman fished in this exclusive, primo, cut off space? I went there every day, and in a whole summer saw maybe five guys fishing at any time in this private Idaho.
Great club, great, history, great guys. But what does that have to do with this issue of having an Ocean Grove version of the Berlin Wall? The pier should be for everyone, and with no interference with the club members fishing happily along side the strollers. Conflating these issues is the problem.
Appleation: There is no controversy about the need to rebuild the pier. Both sides agree about that. The controversy has to do with the future of the OG Fishing Club (OGFC) and whether the CMA will accept their offer to rebuild the pier in exchange for a new 30 year lease.
So how do you feel about the importance of the OG Fishing Club? You say that tourists cannot pass up walking to the end, but before the recent destruction, the only ones who could walk to the end were the OGFC members and their guests.
As for why the CMA won’t reveal more about their plans for the pier, only they can say—-everything else is speculation.
Too bad about this controversy. The pier is a part of the “aura” of OG as well as a lure for visiting tourists walking the boardwalk. Who can pass up walking out to the end?
Why is the CMA unable to be transparent on this issue?
CMA could rebuild the pier to where the club area started and the club could build further, but without FEMA money, they have to do this out of their own coffers. Since the pier is a dead end with no attractions, it just isn’t a priority
Or just never rebuild the pier, seeing as it is most likely to be damaged in a severe storm, and these storms are becoming more common and federal reimbursement seems unlikely. This issue will continue to be a headache, CMA could reimburse the club for the outstanding length of the lease and walk away.
I joined last year and we had the pleasure of using the club all last summer and fall. I loved it! I still want to support it and rebuild…I hope we can continue the tradition.