The Embury Ave fishing pier built in 1881. This photo is from 1882.

Pier project 12/20/22. Is the CMA renting these by the hour?   Blogfinger photo.

By Paul Goldfinger,  Editor. Blogfinger.net.  Dec. 22, 2022:

Are we done being fascinated by the pier project?  The Coastericans have once again put their ace reporter on their front page today making malarkey out of gibberish.  It seems that the project has stopped again “due to bad weather.”     Evidently the CMA wanted to be done by Christmas.

Once again the Coaster  pier piece provides a forum for Michael Badger to explain the misfortunes of the pier.  It turns out that pilings collapsed in the face of a recent “coastal storm.”   Did any of you notice that storm which could bring down the hurricane-proof pilings?

“This is a weather-dependent project,” said Michael Badger, who is now projecting a finish by next summer.  He also got defensive and  took this opportunity to explain, according to the Coaster’s  newbie reporter, that “the pier’s design has many practical advantages including more view length, more endpoints, more stability (really?)  and more locations for emergency services equipment.”

So that equipment will be kept on the pier instead of on  land?   And where will the fishermen and fisherwomen go?   He has yet to use the F word during any of his many Coaster front page press releases.  What does he have on the Coaster to give him all that press?  Is he paying for advertising?

And, he is quoted as saying, “While the design is highly functional, the shape of the pier  can serve to remind people of the love and forgiveness God has for all people.”    Couldn’t he just hand out some pamphlets?

And then he took this front page opportunity to remind everyone that the CMA “owns the beach” and that the government did not fund the project.  The latter is true, but how much of that CMA funding was provided by Grovers and visitors?   And why did the CMA fail to appeal the FEMA decision not to fund the pier?  After all, they said “yes” before they said, “no.”    And the Coaster also pointed out that Badger is “an engineer by training.”  Really? What are his engineering credentials?

As for the  history of the pier’s design, you can see its historic shape* above.  No sign of a cross.

Rich Amole, a Blogfinger reporter, using the OG Annual Report of 1882,  sent us that photo, and this is part of our conversation about that 19th century pier:

Rich:      “Strippers were far and few between and it turned out to be a bad year for fishing as they made only $650 in the July to September season.  Of course those folks just wishing to take a stroll down the pier had a nice unobstructed view of the Atlantic and there is something to be said about this simple pleasure.”

Editor’s note:    Rich, you can be darned sure that “strippers were far and few between”   in the 1881 religious community of Ocean Grove.    But stripers are another story—— a fine kettle of fish.  —-Paul Goldfinger.

So, will it  be done by summer?    That’ll be the day:

THE CRICKETS AND BUDDY HOLLY

ADDENDUM:

Comment from historian David Fox;    “The picture of the old pier is curious. OG did not have electricity until Aug. 1888 and the light fixtures, if that is what they are, on the pier are not the low kerosene fixtures used prior to that time. Could this be an image of another place?”

EDITOR:  Our historian sent us this photograph without a source mentioned,     * We do know that the original pier went out straight from the boardwalk 500 feet.  Below are two photos that verify that there was no historic cross shape.   What is historic is the fact of the Embury Avenue pier designed by Stokes.

So, as far as Michael Badger’s latest comments, nothing of his December 2022 Coaster spin changes that fact.  And by the way, the fact of an Ocean Grove fishing club is also historic.

Who can justify why the pier design now was taken out of the hands of Neptune Township and the HPC?

Note that Neptuneunited.org has complained about a cross shaped pier, but they have taken no substantive action other than to ask Grovers to write letters to politicians. Just like the Better Parking Alliance, this group so far is all talk and no action.

We already have plenty of talk—on Blogfinger.net–Paul Goldfinger. Editor. Blogfinger.net

From Ted Bell’s Images of America: Ocean Grove. With Ted’s permission.

From Morris Daniel’s Story of Ocean Grove 1869-1919.