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Archive for the ‘Feature article’ Category

Theft of Baby Jesus: Was it Just a Prank or Something Else?

Posted in Feature article, tagged on November 30, 2011| 1 Comment »

Christmas Eve 2009. Firemen's Park. By Paul Goldfinger

By Paul Goldfinger, editor  @Blogfinger

With the theft of the Jesus statue from the nativity scene in Firemen’s Park yesterday, the Ocean Grove Fire Department has been left wondering why this has occurred and what to do about the situation.  According to Mr. Bob McEwan, the secretary-treasurer of the OGFD, there is no way that the $600 hand-painted “work of art” can be replaced by Christmas. The firemen are looking for some sort of replacement that they would position in the crèche on Christmas Eve when their annual Santa celebration event occurs. Bob remains hopeful that the star of the show will be returned before Christmas.

Bob was more focused on the display’s missing figurine than he was on any motives for the crime.  He thought that it was probably a prank — a “senseless” act.  He said that the theft would not interrupt a tradition that has been going on for many years—perhaps back to the 1940’s.  Bob  remembers the event in the park when he was a kid, but the addition of the nativity has been part of it only since 1997.  When the Jesus statue was stolen in 2009, it was the first time there ever was a problem.

A neighbor who lives across the street from the park said, “It’s a shame that we have to live in fear of theft, muggings and other crimes.”  He thought that this was  a crime of opportunity and that the economy could be a factor in motivating some people to steal.  He said that he always calls the police when he sees something worrisome. “Let the police decide if it’s important or not. Don’t worry about political correctness.”

Another neighbor suggested that someone might be “resentful” of Ocean Grove and that this target might have been specifically chosen to dampen our spirits.  She thought it might be “a gotcha kind of thing.”

It does seem odd that the Jesus figure was the one targeted, while no other parts of the display were stolen or damaged. It would be difficult for someone to fence the item. Maybe  the thieves were hired by a collector, or maybe this is some sort of anti-Christian message or a bizarre political statement.

Mr. McEwan is taking a more positive approach as he focuses on Christmas Eve at 6 pm when hundreds of gift bags will be handed out to kids and adults. The firemen prepare 700 bags filled with apples, oranges, cookies, candy and special treats for the kids. They also take their goodies to nursing homes and other places that will welcome their good will. Nothing will diminish the joyful spirit of Christmas Eve in Ocean Grove, even if some child’s doll is substituted in the manger.

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Facing Fear at Founders’ Park

Posted in Feature article, Ocean Grove photographs, tagged on October 13, 2011| 11 Comments »

Park lights on, bridge lights off. Photos lightened a bit to show some detail.

By Paul Goldfinger, text and photos.

Last night, during a light rain, I was down at Founders’ Park. For those of you not familiar with the location, the park is on the OG side of the Wesley Lake bridge which is closest to the ocean.

Twilight was ending, and the lights had come on around the park. But the lighting does not illuminate the place very well. It seems foreboding because of the dearth of people, the concerns about crime in the Grove, and the dark shadows all around. Except for me, making some photographs of the crime risk situation down there, no one else was around. As it became even darker, I began to worry a bit, but we had to get those end-of-day shots.

A Neptune Township Police Special Officer soon walked by and then vanished on his beat. I relaxed for those few minutes. Then there I was, alone again, waiting for a little more darkness. Eileen had dinner waiting, so that added a bit to the pressure to leave.

Lights were twinkling over at the condos on the Asbury side, and the bridge lights were still out (Evidently JCP&L hadn’t yet responded to the complaints). You could see the white swan boats glowing faintly on the Asbury side, all huddled together, as if they were worried as well.

Swans huddle together for the night.

As I adjusted my camera for the lack of light, I heard a sound—-voices—coming from across the park behind me. I turned slowly: there were three people about 25 yards away, coming in my direction along the path to the bridge. I couldn’t see any details, but they walked with the style of young men, and each one was wearing a hooded sweatshirt pulled up over his head. One hoodie was white while the other two were dark. I thought, “This could go badly, and it’s three against one!” I silently berated myself for being there, but it’s Ocean Grove, not the south Bronx. “This is ridiculous,” I thought.

Just then a car pulled into a space across the way. I thought, “Oh good—a witness.” But the driver got out, did not even look up, he just walked briskly up onto his porch and into the house.

I then felt fear; they were coming closer. I turned towards my car, which was around the corner, and I walked quickly to the edge of the park. The three guys walked past without a glance in my direction. I took a few frames of them as they entered the bridge. Then I got into the car and went safely home.

Look carefully to see the 3 guys walking harmlessly onto the bridge. Note the unlit bridge light.

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NEW FEATURE: “The Blogfinger Grammarian”

Posted in Blogfinger Grammarian, Charles Layton, Feature article, tagged on September 27, 2011|

By Charles Layton

QUESTION: In a recent story about a photo exhibit, Blogfinger wrote: “Here is a photograph of Geanna’s.” Isn’t this use of an apostrophe S incorrect in combination with the word “of”?

ANSWER: In olden days, when grammar and punctuation rules flowed down from Mt. Olympus to school teachers and thence to the rest of us, this usage was condemned for being superfluous. The possessive in English could be formed in one of two ways, by using “of” — as in “the voice of reason” or “the snows of Kilimanjaro” — or by using an apostrophe S. Using both was like using a double negative (“I don’t have no shoes”). Although the meaning was perfectly clear, putting it that way made one sound like Li’l Abner. (Note to younger readers: Li’l Abner was a character in a newspaper comic strip. A newspaper was … oh, forget it.)

As the gods of Olympus lost their grip, people more and more ignored this injunction against the double possessive. Now, if you still care about the issue or if you fear the frowns and sneers of persnickety nitpickers like The Blogfinger Grammarian, just say “Geanna’s photo” and you’re home free.

In informal situations, of course, you can usually get away with “the photo of Geanna’s.” Such small transgressions aren’t nearly as bad as parking inside the yellow-lined rectangles on Mt. Hermon Way. Just don’t try slipping such expressions into a legal brief, a scholarly article or a proposed amendment to the New Jersey Constitution.

I would argue that traditional “correctness” is usually to be preferred, though, whatever the context. It costs nothing and has no down side. And even though Zeus is dead, preserving small linguistic distinctions still has value, because losing them can make the language less precise. I have read that the Latin tongue became less precise in just such ways when the Roman civilization moved from its classical into its decadent phase. You know what followed that.

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Ed. note: If you have a question for “The Blogfinger Grammarian” you may submit it via pg1425@verizon.net. We won’t answer every one, but we will choose those that seem of the greatest general interest — or maybe just those that happen to ring our bell.

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A New Generation Learns the Age-Old Art of Fishing

Posted in Feature article, Ocean Grove news, tagged on July 5, 2011| 2 Comments »

Matt Gonzales of the OG Fishing Club gives advice to Nicole Falcone, 11.

Story and photos by Mary Walton

James Leather measured the fish. Al Dawson weighed them. And Jane Killilea photographed them for posterity. Other volunteers from the Ocean Grove Fishing Club handed out fishing rods, helped attach bait, untangled the lines and gave pointers.

Scott’s Bait & Tackle in Bradley Beach donated the bait (squid).  Nagle’s supplied the ice cream that Bob Killilea handed out to the kids at the end.

Oh, yes, the kids. Their job was to catch the fish. Filled with hope, 40 or so youngsters cast their lines in the ocean Tuesday morning.  Four lucky ones reeled in flailing flounders.

That’s how it went on opening day of the Fishing Club’s Youth Program.  From now until the end of August, on Tuesdays from 7:30 a.m to 10 a.m., the Fishing Club will open the doors of its headquarters at the end of the Ocean Grove pier to any child between the ages of 8 and 14. Each child who catches a fish receives a certificate (suitable for framing), a photograph and a one-dollar bill.  At the end of the season, the kids who landed the three largest fish receive additional prizes. Last year the prize for the top winner was a fishing rod.

Zac Keating with his fish

“It’s really neat to see the kids the first time they catch a fish,” said Jane Killilea, a member of the fishing club for eight years.  “They are so excited.” Because of a back injury she is unable to fish. “But at least I can take a picture of the kids. When I was a kid growing up in the Bronx there were all kinds of things for the kids to do.  But you don’t see that much anymore that’s for free.”  She noted that any child is welcome, not just ones from Ocean Grove.

A two-time winner, Adam Ruggiero, 13, has graduated to the role of helper. He couldn’t remember when he first came, but his grandfather, George Macher, could. “It was five years ago. I know because I brought him,” said Macher, a longtime club member. Said Adam, “I like coming with my grandpa and fishing.” His most memorable catch was an extraordinary creature called a stargazer. It was fat, venomous and had top-mounted eyes, hence its name.

Because Tuesday was opening day, the fisherkids left with a bonus gift: bright blue tee shirts with a picture of with the pier stenciled on the back and the program’s logo (two fish) on the front.

Even the fish were happy on this opening day. Because none was large enough to keep—they have to be over 18 inches long–all were tagged and sent back to the watery depths to swim another day.

Jack Belmas (right) and his friend Spencer Heuges model their Fishing Club tee-shirts, as Jack displays the fancy certificate he received for catching a fish.

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Born to Rock and Roll: Two Grovers Tell It Like It Was

Posted in Feature article, Jersey shore, tagged , on June 10, 2011|

Jean and Stan, with Springsteen memorabilia. Photo by Mary Walton

By Kat Cavano and Mary Walton

Stan Goldstein’s fate was sealed with nine words. “The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle.”  It was Bruce Springsteen’s second big album. And for Goldstein, 51, hearing it marked the beginning of a lifelong passion. A Neptune native, 51-year-old Goldstein has attended over 300 Springsteen concerts.  He has seen his idol in Paris, London and Barcelona, and has spent so much money on Springsteen that in his words, “I could’ve bought a house.”

He did buy a condo, however. Today he lives in the Embury Arms on Lawrence Avenue. His coffee table is stacked high with CDs and every inch of wall space is covered with memorabilia. There are testaments to the Beatles and his favorite sports teams. But Springsteen dominates. Why? you might ask. His answer seems as relevant today as it did four decades ago. “It was the coolest thing to hear a guy singing about Madam Marie. He was our local hero and we liked the music.”

Meanwhile, a young girl in Cherry Hill was similarly blinded by the light. Jean Mikle’s first Springsteen concert was in early 1978.  She was overcome by “the passion, the commitment. When you’re younger and you get struck by music, it feels like a life-changing experience.” Not long afterward her mother died.  In August of that year she had tickets to a second concert. Still in mourning, she hesitated, but decided to go. Listening to Springsteen gave her faith in the future. “I felt like I was going to be okay.”

Mikle and Goldstein discovered their mutual passion while both worked at the Asbury Park Press.  Mikle, 50, is now a member of the Press’s investigative team and Goldstein is a copyeditor at the Newark Star-Ledger.  Mikle also lives in Ocean Grove, on Cookman Avenue.

In 1999, on a whim, the pair advertised a free Rock & Roll Shore Tour on an online Springsteen fan site.  They had no idea if anyone would turn up.  To their surprise, about 60 people met them at The Stone Pony for a tour that wound around Asbury Park, to E Street in Belmar and to Springsteen’s childhood home, Freehold. Goldstein and Mikle now give about 12 to 15 tours a year, often to groups of Europeans who, according to Goldstein, are just “thrilled to be seeing this stuff.” The tour specializes in hidden landmarks like the Upstage Club, a psychedelic late night spot on Cookman Avenue where no liquor but plenty of music was served up.

Goldstein and Mikle are also the authors of Rock & Roll Tour of the Jersey Shore. Now in its third edition, the book allows readers to take an armchair tour of sites in Asbury Park, Long Branch, Red Bank, Freehold, and Belmar where Bruce Springsteen, Southside Johnny Lyon and Jon Bon Jovi have left their mark. Featuring never-before-seen photos from private collections, and personal anecdotes and stories, the book brings to life a time in history that many people may not have realized was happening right in their own backyard.

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Music by Bruce:

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This Could Be a Strong Summer for Ocean Grove Hotels — “Pretty productive so far” one innkeeper says

Posted in Feature article, tagged on June 5, 2011|

Ken Weinstein, tourist from Philly. Photo by Paul Goldfinger

By Yvette Blackman

Even with gasoline nearing $4 a gallon and unemployment still high, some indicators suggest that vacationers are finding Ocean Grove to be the perfect summer getaway.

“Every year we’ve been fortunate enough to do more than the year prior,” said Jim Angelotti, co-owner of Bath Avenue Guest House, which has operated in the Grove for 13 seasons. Its rooms range from $75 to $165 a night, including a full breakfast.

Angelotti hasn’t raised his rates since 2009 — a strategy that seems to work. He had all 19 of his rooms booked over the Memorial Day weekend. “We had our best year ever last year, and this year — although right now it’s trending a little lighter — the bookings for later in the season are far ahead of what they were last year,” he said.

“The Jersey Shore holds a strong emotional pull for generations of visitors,” Israel Posner of the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey wrote in a 2011 tourism report. “Despite record high gas prices and continued uncertainty about the general state of the economy, we are seeing signs the Jersey Shore is going to have some major bounce this spring and summer.”

Tourism remains New Jersey’s third-largest industry, earning $35.5 billion in 2010. Lodging, including seasonal rental homes, accounted for $11.6 billion of that figure, according to Vantage Strategy, a Maryland-based consulting firm. Vantage Strategy counted nearly 68 million visitors to the Garden State last year. It forecasts 72 million this year.

Twenty hotels, inns and bed-and-breakfasts call Ocean Grove home. And several factors could contribute to a strong tourist season for those proprietors. People with good jobs are likely to spend money on vacation, but the high price of gas is likely to keep many of them close to home.

Weather is another factor — and an unpredictable one. But if the weather is as good as it was for the past week, hotels in this seaside community could have a slam-dunk season.

During the busy Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of the summer season, many owners and managers said they saw little change in the number of bookings compared to last year.

Some proprietors are doing everything they can to attract business. Bill Reilly, owner of the Albatross Hotel, said he has increased the number of special discount offers, and he’s already seeing twice as many bookings this year as at the same time last year.

“They’re staying one weekend, because any longer than that it would be more feasible to have a kitchen,” Reilly said.

The Carriage House, a small bed-and-breakfast just south of Main Avenue, is a mature business that has benefited from being moderately priced. Its eight rooms range from $125 to $190 a night, and the inn was just about fully booked for Memorial Day weekend.

“We had our best season last year, probably because of the [good] weather,” said co-owner Phil Franco. He said the personal touch and an intimate atmosphere are popular with his guests. “We serve a full gourmet breakfast. We’re very intimate and we only have eight rooms so we cater to our guests,” he said.

Ocean Vista Hotel, a 21-room establishment that looks out on the ocean, started the Memorial Day weekend slowly, then quickly did a 180-degree turn, thanks to walk-ins.

“It’s been pretty productive so far, and we’ve only been open a week or two,” said assistant manager Kory McKeown.

McKeown offers her guests a little something extra. “We offer them the chance to come back — after they’ve gone to the beach and checked out,” she said, “to take a shower and use the bathroom, because who wants to go home with sand in their pants.”

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MUSIC from Diana Ross:


					
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One Year Later: Rebuilding on Ocean Pathway

					

					Posted in Feature article, Ocean Grove news, tagged ,  on March 13, 2011|
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Photo by Ed Wyzykowski


What’s pictured above is not what happened in Ocean Grove on Friday. It’s what happened exactly one year ago — March 13, 2010 — on Bath Avenue and Ocean Pathway. Today, at the site of that earlier but equally devastating fire, new houses are rising. The following story describes what is there already and what is soon to come.


By Mary Walton and Charles Layton 


One year after a pre-dawn fire on Ocean Pathway destroyed the Manchester Inn and five homes, and severely damaged two others, the future of the site is taking shape. Three new homes are already rising from the ashes and plans for a fourth await approval by the Zoning Board of Adjustment. The fate of the fifth home remains uncertain. One of the two damaged homes has been restored and work on the other is almost complete. In addition, three single family homes are slated to replace the Manchester.


This picture, taken early this month, shows (at right) the Rasmussen home on Bath Avenue all framed out. Behind it, the new Derrico home is nearly done. The Tugentman home is on the left. The hole in the ground is where a leaking oil tank was removed. Photo by Mary Walton


The first family to move back was Marc and Deb Marini and their three children, who lived at 23 Ocean Pathway. On the morning of the fire, Marc Marini was awakened by a noise. When Deb got up to check on the kids, she smelled smoke. By then the flames from the Manchester were lighting up the sky outside their window.  It was 5:01 a.m. The couple roused the children and three house guests, and Deb called 911.  Theirs was the first house to catch fire, at 5:13. At 5:20 it was gone.


“We were the only family to lose two houses,” Deb Marini said in an interview. They also owned the severely damaged house at 24 Bath, directly behind their Ocean Pathway home.  In less than four months, they renovated it and moved in, then began making plans to rebuild on the Pathway.


As with a death, Deb said, her recovery moved through stages.  “At first you’re in a euphoric stage because everybody made it out.” Then came anger as the magnitude of the loss sank in.  The Marinis had just finished a renovation of their Pathway home in time for the Christmas 2009 house tour.  “We had literally hung the last curtain,” said Deb. Now everything was gone. When her son Nicholas, 11, started fifth grade in September, he was asked to bring in a baby photo. “We didn’t have it.” Moreover, in 2007 they had gone through another devastating fire when the fireplace in their previous home in West Windsor malfunctioned. Said Deb, “You think, ‘Why me?  Lord, what are you trying to tell me?’ ” After four or five months, she said, you accept reality and move on.


Their temporary home at 24 Bath has just three bedrooms. That meant that their older daughter Sarah, 17, a senior in high school, would occupy a room with Rachel, 16. But Rachel and Nicholas were upset that their older sister would not have her own room for her final year before going off to college. The pair took a vote. They agreed to share a room.


The morning after the fire Sarah was scheduled to take the SATs. It would be, she thought, the most important day to date in her academic life. She ended up writing a moving essay as part of her college application, about how the day turned out to be important for a different reason.


The Marinis have yet to break ground on Ocean Pathway. Their house, like all the others, will be narrower than before because a new regulation requires more space between structures. To compensate for lost footage, Deb said, they are seeking a zoning variance to top their home with a full third story rather than the two-and-a-half stories permitted by law. The application is scheduled for a hearing March 16.


THE MANCHESTER SITE




Prior to the fire, Hans Kretschman, owner of the Laingdon Hotel, had concluded an agreement to purchase the Manchester Inn from owners Clark and Margaret Cate and was seeking a controversial variance to build 14 condos. The assessed value of the property before the fire was $1,213,000. Last September Kretschman bought the property for $484,749, according to county records. He has since filed papers with Neptune Township subdividing the property into three lots. Kretschman did not respond to phone messages but a family member at the Laingdon Hotel confirmed that he no longer intends to try to build condos there, only three single family homes.


Kretschman’s company, PH Distinctive Properties, is leaving its footprint on Ocean Grove. According to county records, he purchased the Laingdon at 8 Ocean Avenue in 2001 for $985,000 and subsequently converted it to a luxury hotel. In 2008 he paid $695,000 for 4 Atlantic Avenue, gutted and renovated it, and sold it last year for $1,135,250. In 2003, according to records, he purchased the Silver Sands Hotel at 6 Ocean for $1,050,000 and made it his private residence. He had also recently bought the old hotel at 27 Surf Avenue from Heinz Weck and was converting it to nine condos when it burned on Friday along with seven adjacent homes.


As for Clark and Margaret Cate, they are no longer in the hotel business. Clark started work in November as marketing director of the Jersey Shore Convention and Visitors Bureau, promoting Monmouth and Ocean counties. “Even though I don’t have a business here,” Clark says, “I want people to come and enjoy the area.”


OTHER PROPERTIES


A question mark hangs over 29 Ocean Pathway, which is marked by a huge hole where an oil tank was found to be leaking last May and had to be removed. The owner, Regina Stewart, who lives in Manhattan and owns an art gallery there, did not respond to telephone messages asking about her plans.


Among the three properties under construction, the 30 Bath Avenue home belonging to long-time Grovers Martha and Joseph Derrico, who are wintering in Florida, is farthest along.  Martha said they hope to move in by May. At 12 feet in width, the new house is a foot narrower than the already skinny Derrico home that perished. That house was white. The new one will be green with burgundy trim. “Something a little different,” Martha said.


Houses belonging to Scott and Laura Rasmussen at 28 Bath and to Steven and Madeline Tugentman at 31 Ocean Pathway are also under construction. The Tugentmans, who live in Maplewood, fell in love with Ocean Grove several years ago when they won a weekend at a bed and breakfast in town. They bought their two-story home in 2009 and spent a summer there before the fire struck.  “My heart was broken,” Madeline said. “It was such a sweet little house.  It was like a piece of history was lost.” Their new house will have an additional half story to compensate for lost space. After the fire, the area “looked like a war zone,” Madeline said.  “We wanted to rebuild as soon as possible.”


Jan and Bill Knight, who own the Sandpiper Guest House at 19 Ocean Pathway, are optimistically taking reservations for July 4 and afterward. The inn, which is also their residence, was completely gutted owing to smoke and water damage after firemen punched a hole through the roof and soaked the structure to prevent the fire from spreading eastward.  Last week Jan was in town from her winter home in Florida, choosing paint colors. While it’s good to have new plumbing and wiring in the wake of the fire, she said, “I don’t recommend it as a way to get a new house.”

					
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Ordinance #07-46. “Demolition by Neglect.” After All the Talk, Was It Ever Implemented?

					

					Posted in Feature article, Ocean Grove history, tagged  on January 23, 2011|
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Photo Gallery: Two Derelict Houses


Editor’s Note:  Last Thursday, January 20, we went to Municipal Court to check on the 91 Cookman Avenue situation. Charles Layton, our usual decrepit housing reporter, is off in India.  He told me that the action against 91 Cookman Avenue was based upon the HPC complaint of last summer.  (see his July 14, 2010 posting below).   In speaking to Mr  Robert Day, the Code Enforcement Supervisor,  I learned, to my surprise, that his summons to the owner of 91 Cookman had nothing to do with the “Demolition By Neglect” ordinance.


This appears to be something more than just a technicality, since invoking that ordinance (#07-46) was supposed to be a new tool in the fight against neglected historic houses in the Grove.  Such ordinances have been used to save historic buildings in California, Connecticut, Detroit, Louisiana and elsewhere.


I asked Mr. Day about this discrepancy, but he said that  we should  talk to Mr.William Doolittle  (Construction Official).  We will speak to Mr Doolittle.   As for the HPC, the chairwoman of the HPC  told me that she would investigate the matter further.


This topic is important for the future of Ocean Grove, so you might want to re-read Charles’ post below. We will try to find out what happened.


Paul Goldfinger


AN OBSCURE TOWNSHIP LAW GROWS SOME TEETH – The HPC Moves Against Three OG Buildings 


By Charles Layton   July 14, 2010 in Blogfinger


WEDNESDAY 7/14/10– – In a precedent-setting action, the Historic Preservation Commission will ask Neptune Township to inspect three buildings in Ocean Grove that it thinks are in urgent need of repairs. (see photo gallery below)


Under township ordinance No. 07-46, property owners in Ocean Grove’s historic district are required to preserve their properties from defects and decay. If an owner fails to do so, the HPC may request an investigation by the township.


This legal tool appears not to have been used in this way in the past. The HPC decided to use it now because of heightened concern about deteriorating historic structures in The Grove, and because of the township’s failure, in some cases, to deal with that deterioration. Last year, a beloved historic building – the Sampler Inn – had to be demolished because the owners allowed it to fall into disrepair. Last Friday, neighbors at the North End filed a petition with the township demanding action against the owners of the Park View Inn, which has been in a serious state of disrepair for years. (See our article of July 12, “Neighbors Petition Township About The Park View Inn.”)


Park View Inn article in Blogfinger July 12, 2010


At its Tuesday night meeting, the HPC voted to move against the following three Ocean Grove properties: the house at 80 Main Avenue, the house at 91 Cookman Avenue and the above-mentioned Park View Inn at 23 Seaview Avenue.


The HPC instructed its attorney, Wesley Kane, to present its request to the township’s Code Enforcement Department. “This is the first time I have seen this done,” HPC member Kennedy Buckley told me. He and another member, Jenny Shaffer, said that ordinance No. 07-46 allows any citizen to report to the HPC any structure in Ocean Grove thought to be in a substandard condition. If the HPC agrees, it may then request a township investigation, as was done with the three properties last night.


The applicable section of the ordinance is called the “Demolition by Neglect” section. It requires all Ocean Grove owners to maintain their properties against the following defects:


(1) Deteriorated or inadequate foundations;


(2) Defective or deteriorated flooring or floor supports of insufficient size to carry imposed loads with safety;


(3) Members of walls or other vertical supports that split, lean, list, tilt or buckle due to defective material, workmanship or deterioration;


(4) Members of walls or other vertical supports that are insufficient to carry imposed loads with safety;


(5) Members of ceilings, roofs and their support system, or other horizontal members which sag, split or buckle due to defective material, workmanship or deterioration;


(6) Members of ceiling and roof supports or other horizontal members that are insufficient to carry imposed loads with safety;


(7) Fireplaces or chimneys which list, tilt, bulge or settle due to defective materials, workmanship or deterioration;


(8) Deterioration or defects in paints, coating systems, sheathing or flashing resulting in destructive moisture or water penetration or rot;


(9) Any fault, defect or condition in the structure which renders the same structurally unsafe or not properly watertight.


The ordinance states that the HPC may notify the township of any structure it deems to be suffering from demolition by neglect. Furthermore, any citizen may notify the HPC of such conditions; the HPC, if it agrees with the complaint, may then ask the township to inspect.


If an inspector finds deficiencies, the township then notifies the owner, and if the owner fails to make repairs the township may issue a court summons and impose fines. The township may also undertake repairs itself and place a lien against the property to cover all costs associated with the repairs.


The HPC seems of a mind to encourage citizens to take advantage of the Demolition by Neglect law. Buckley suggests emailing information about deteriorating buildings to: rhavey@neptunetownship.org.


Often, in Ocean Grove, people have watched helplessly as a neighboring house falls into disrepair. And often, they have been uncertain what to do.


The house at 91 Cookman is a good example. Marybeth Robb, who lives a block from the Cookman house, says the place “has been completely neglected. It has been abandoned.” She says in the seven years she has lived nearby she has never seen anyone enter the house. “It is unconscionable,” she says, that someone would leave a house in that condition. She considers it a potential danger to her two small children and to other children in the neighborhood.


The most obvious problems with this house, viewed from the outside, are a deteriorating roofline, rusted out metal railings, overgrown vegetation and a second-floor porch that is falling apart, with rotting posts and rotting floor boards that have collapsed onto the first floor. It appears that the entire front end of the house could be in danger of collapse.


This house and the other two buildings cited on Tuesday night may serve as test cases for the Demolition by Neglect law. If this law works in these cases, people like Marybeth Robb may finally have a way to force the township to take corrective action against negligent owners.

					
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FIRE RAVAGES THE MANCHESTER AND ADJACENT HOUSES.

					

					Posted in Feature article, Ocean Grove events on March 13, 2010|
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Four trees mark the spot where the Manchester stood. Houses on either side perished. Photos by Mary Walton


MASSIVE FIRE DESTROYS MANCHESTER INN


By Charles Layton and Mary Walton


SATURDAY, March 13 — The Manchester Inn, one of Ocean Grove’s most beloved old hotels, burned to the ground early this morning, taking perhaps a half dozen nearby buildings with it.


There were no immediate reports of injuries.


Neighbors were awakened shortly before 5 a.m. by police sirens. From their bedroom windows, through a drizzling pre-dawn rain, they saw smoke pouring from the Manchester. The block was evacuated at approximately 5 a.m. Orange flames could soon be seen licking from roofs of buildings, and the gray smoke grew so thick that almost nothing was visible along much of Ocean Pathway.


Dozens of fire and emergency units responded — from Asbury Park, Allenhurst, Avon, Shark River Hills, Wanamassa, Spring Lake, Bradley Beach and elsewhere. Their hoses were coiled and strung everywhere, like big gray boa constrictors, and lights from emergency vehicles flashed an eerie red in the gloom of the early morning mist and smoke.


Charles Baker, a veteran of the Bradley Beach Fire Department, who grew up in Ocean Grove, said today’s fire reminded him of the storied 1976 fire that destroyed several large hotels on Ocean Pathway. He said the conditions were similar — a cold winter day with powerful winds that caused the fire to spread.


Connie Ogden, who observed the fire from Ocean Pathway, said: “The Manchester is basically gone. The house next to it, to the east on Ocean Pathway, is gone. There was a lot of debris and cinders and wood being blown all the way to Central Avenue.” She said it appeared that the Sandpiper Guest House, at 19 Ocean Pathway, was damaged. Houses on either side of the Manchester were entirely destroyed.


On Bath Avenue, the street running parallel to Ocean Pathway to the north, several homes were either destroyed or badly damaged. The home of Camp Meeting Association president Scott Rasmussen, at 28 Bath, was completely gutted. The home at 30 Bath also caught fire.


Stoll August, who lives across the street on Bath, said: “At 4:45 we heard the police up and down the street. We saw the glow on the other side.”


Baker, the veteran fire fighter, said he thought it was lucky the fire did not spread farther than it did, considering that the wind was so high, gusting to nearly 40 miles per hour at times. “It was a pretty good stop,” he said of the fire departments’ work. Firemen were pouring water on buildings as far away as the Youth Temple, because of the flying cinders all along Ocean Pathway.


Baker said the fire’s cause would not be known until the fire marshall can investigate.


The Manchester Inn was built in the 1870s and had 35 uniquely decorated rooms. It occupied a central place in Ocean Grove’s history and culture. Located one block from the boardwalk and half a block from the Great Auditorium, it was known for its Victorian charm and as a favored location for dinners, wedding receptions and other social functions. As recently as this past Thursday night, the Manchester had hosted the Ocean Grove Beautification Project’s annual dinner. That was the last of many good times that have been enjoyed in this beloved old inn.


The owners, Clark and Margaret Cate, had made arrangements last year to sell the property, but that deal fell through. More recently, they had applied to the township for permission to convert it to condominiums. They said the Manchester was no longer economically viable as an inn and that it needed extensive renovations.




As dawn broke, firemen worked to save houses on Bath Avenue


Bath Avenue house owned by Camp Meeting president Scott Rasmussen is now a shell


Ocean Grove's Eagle crew trains hoses on Sandpiper Guest House (19 Bath Avenue)


Tiny flames lick at the remains of the house east of the Manchester

					
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