Ocean Grove boardwalk 2022. Paul Goldfinger photo. © Click to enlarge. ©
Teens at Days. Ocean Grove. 7/22. Blogfinger photo.
Independence Day Parade. Ocean Grove. 2022. Paul Goldfinger photo. © Click to enlarge.
Paul Goldfinger, MD. Editor Blogfinger.net
The first time I saw OG was when I visited Neptune Hospital many years ago for a medical conference. I drove to the beach. It was in the winter, and everything looked grey. I wondered if the town had been abandoned. I thought, “Who would live in such a place?” I didn’t even get out of my car.
Years later, when we moved here, first in 1998, we found Ocean Grove to actually be a dreary place. People often called it “Ocean Grave.”
We came for a variety reasons, but I initially noticed that there were few children, teenagers, young couples, and college age kids, and that made this town different from other Jersey Shore towns where my friends and I caroused each summer, having grown up in North Jersey, frequenting Seaside Heights.
One reason we took a chance on the Grove was that we saw that the town was changing, and we expected that it would continue in a direction that we would like.
And now its outlook continues to improve and come to life partly because of those young people whose presence in the Grove becomes more evident.
Another big reason for a better prognosis is Asbury Park:
Bonney Read restaurant on Cookman Avenue in A. Park. OG newbies love to go there for the food, music, bar scene and lively character. Paul Goldfinger photo. July, 2022.©
However, I do wonder about OG’s future. It is absent a functioning master plan, and there is no strong sense of community among the secular residents who own most of the homes here and those who are renters. It is more about individual neighborhoods, and that’s glorious, but they don’t come together politically as one voice.
Neptune Township shows little interest in us except for collecting taxes, providing essential services and conspiring with developers. They call us their “Historic District, but that ‘s baloney. And look what they’re bringing us at the North End.
Meanwhile the Camp Meeting Association has continued its grand plan to expand a religious prevalence here both in-season and year round, They want to change the character of the town.
But I do see some potential strength in the new second homers and year- round residents who offer the possibility of a strong activist generation in the Grove; shades of Herb Herbst and his Grovarian warriors.
FRANK SINATRA:
Beautiful! Thank you. —Paul
Towns benefit from having a Master Plan. Without one, you run the risk of each Town Council having their own agenda. A few examples of goals included in Master Plans are having a certain # of affordable housing units; having a Green Space, park or children’s playground within 1/4 mile of all residences; having bicycle lanes on all major thoroughfares; establishing/maintaining Neighborhood Watch; making a commitment to sustainable energy in public buildings; making a commitment to change to electric vehicles as city owned vehicles need to be replaced; establishing community gardens; establishing boat and kayak launch ramps; establishing Police Dept Outreach Programs etc.
All these enhance and enrich the lives of the town residents. A well executed Master Plan makes the town a desirable place to live, increasing property values which leads to increased tax revenue for the town.