This Live Nativity procession from about 15 years ago has a real sense of history and authenticity. This town needs to keep history alive for its survival as a special place. Paul Golfinger photo.
The letter, dated September 14, 2011, posted on Blogfinger , is from the President of Historical Society of Ocean Grove addressed to the Chairman of the Neptune Planning Board. It was sent at a time when a new Township Master Plan was being considered, and what is most fascinating is the sense of fear on the part of OG historians that Neptune will not include much about OG’s history.
You can sense in Gail Shaffer’s tone that OG’s history is about to get swept under the rug, and this is significant, because without adequate protections based on our history, then all sorts of mayhem could become justified.
It is wonderful to see that that the HSOG was willing to do battle over these issues , along with the OGHOA and the HPC. I don’t know how it all turned out, but we now know that both the HPC and the OGHOA have become mute and rarely speak up publicly on behalf of Ocean Grove—the supposed “Historic District” of the Neptuners.
And forget about the CMA—that organization does not even have an official historian and it rarely seems interested in the town’s history, except for the history of the CMA. They probably don’t care that Mrs. Wagner invented her pies in this town or that Southside Johnny was born here–at our south-side.
So what has happened to the HSOG , the HPC, and the Home Groaners since 2011? Are they now “sick and tired” of it all or have they just retreated into their own insulated clubhouses?
OG needs a strong resident-based activist organization to stand up to those who lack vision for our town; and they can start with a clear-eyed review of the current Master Plan.
Paul Goldfinger, Editor, Blogfinger.net
To Joseph Shafto, Chairman of Planning Board
The Historical Society of Ocean Grove has concerns about the threatened historical impact of the proposed 2011 Neptune Township Master Plan. We concur with the issues raised in the communications to you from the Ocean Grove Home Owners Association and Neptune Township Historic Preservation Commission. These two letters also address our concern in regards to the weakly defined language that urges sweeping changes to the present regulations without adequate discussion on the benefits or negative effects of such regulations.
For example, the sentence including item 9 on page 174 ends with the words “where appropriate,” but does not define appropriate.
Neptune’s Historic District of Ocean Grove is poorly presented. Neptune should be proud of the Camp Meeting, but one would have to read the 2002 amended May 22 Historical Preservation Element (attached) to understand why the Camp Meeting is an example of a Victorian planned community and as such was nominated and placed on the National and State Register of Historic Districts.
We urge you to place the physical context section of the amended May 22, 2002 Historic Planning Element in the proposed 2011 Master Plan. This more than adequately describes the uniqueness of our Historic District. This is missing from the 2011 master plan as is the Old Corlies Avenue area. We also recommend that the Historic Neptune section be rewritten as it contains inaccuracies and provides little bases on the uniqueness of our Historic District.
On page 103, table 7-2, Founders Park is listed as a 1.34 acre passive park but misses important features of the history of our township, i.e.: a civil war cannon, a massive Fisk urn and a Fisk water fountain. These items along with another urn on Broadway and Central Avenue are part of our historic heritage and should be protected by being listed in the master plan. Other items would be the unique concrete fish street signs along Ocean Avenue with one located in Shark River Hills. Other examples include the Tent Community, the guard house at the entrance to Ocean Grove and the World War I and II monuments at the Broadway entrance.
Please consider this as a letter of concern about the 2011 master plan and in particular The Historic Planning Element which should be rewritten due to its omissions and inaccuracies. The Historical Society of Ocean Grove is available to meet with your consultants to discuss these issues.
Yours truly,
Gail Shaffer, President, HSOG
The Board Members of the HSOG
EVA CASSIDY “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore.”