Ocean Grove, New Jersey. April 20, 2015. By Paul Goldfinger. 2022. Blogfinger.net. Click to enlarge.
By Paul Goldfinger, MD, Editor @Blogfinger
“I hereby acknowledge the good hand of God in leading me from the beginning until now.” With these words, written in 1897, Elwood H. Stokes began his autobiography called “Footprints in My Own Life” published in 1898 in Asbury Park by the Press of M., W. & C. Pennypacker.
A note on page 8 gives a clue as to why he was inspired to write this book. The frontispiece says “Upon these sea-bleached sands I wrote my name, but one swell of the rising waters wiped it out forever; so will the fast flowing billows of time soon erase my name from the records of earth, and the world will pass on as though a generation of us had never existed.”
Stokes (1815-1897) was born into a poor family of Quakers. He had an uncle named Job. When he was 16 years old he wanted to join the other boys in sinful activities. He said, “I tried to plunge into sin, but an invisible power held me back.” He married Hannah Neff when he was 23. They had one child–Mary.
After becoming a preacher in the Methodist Episcopal Church he traveled the circuit and later was given assignments in New Brunswick, Trenton, Newark and Morristown among a number of such New Jersey towns.
At the age of 29, in Long Branch, NJ, Stokes saw the ocean for the first time, and he was powerfully impressed. He said,”I looked! I was astounded! I had seen lofty mountains and noble rivers; I had seen the beautiful valley, the sloping hill, the winding rivulet; I had seen nature and art combined, forming the most romantic landscapes;—-but never, never had I seen a sight so majestic as the mighty ocean.”
He rose in the ranks and was present on July 31, 1869 when Ocean Grove was founded by a group of Methodist preachers. In 1870 he was named President of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association and he kept that position until he died. He was a much beloved religious leader who led the development of Ocean Grove to the point where huge crowds would come in the summers. Thanks to him, Ocean Grove today is the longest active Camp Meeting in the United States.
In his latter years, the religious leaders in the Grove became concerned about increased secularism. Stokes noted that with the increased prosperity of the Camp Meeting attendees, more and more activities were focused on pleasure rather than religion. But Stokes continued his hard work in promoting the Camp Meeting religious life including services on the beach attended by thousands and sacred music in the Tabernacle.
He never finished his autobiography, so the last chapter was written by his friend and colleague Rev. Dr. Ballard who concluded by saying, “Whatever may come in the future–however much the forms and customs may change as they have already changed—the names of Ellwood H. Stokes and Ocean Grove will stand together while time has a history or eternity a record.*”
MOLLY O’DAY
2021; “Changes in the Grove? We’re always traveling that highway home.”—PG
One issue that was raised on July 27 was: “Why was Committeeman Michael Brantley inspecting the North End property on July 27, 2016, at 11 am? He wasn’t going swimming. He was dressed in a business suit and was with two other ‘suits.’ Shouldn’t he explain himself since the North End Redevelopment Plan (NERP) is a public project? Doesn’t this look peculiar?”
At the August 22, 2016 Neptune Township Committee meeting, Brantley volunteered that he indeed wasn’t swimming when he visited the North End on July 27 wearing business attire. He explained that he was there showing the re-development property to a developer who evidently was not WAVE, the developer who has been sitting on this project for 8 years.
This information tells us that the Township is tired of waiting for that derelict property to be turned into something functional, historical and beautiful. We know that despite the long engagement, the Township is not married to WAVE, because those parties never signed a redevelopers agreement.
Some of us hoped that if the WAVE plan fell through, that the Township and the CMA, especially with new Committeemen on board, would do the right thing and revert to original zoning for 25 single family homes. But evidently that is not in the cards since Brantley, the Committeeman who made the motion to adopt the NERP in 2008, is still looking for a big commercial project, and why not, since it means more money for the Township, the developers, the CMA and perhaps others who are in play to get rich on such a plan. The heck with the Master Plan and the wishes of most citizens in the Grove. Check the Blogfinger poll below from January, 2016. Click on “view results:”
Also, in our July 27 piece: The Township Attorney Gene Anthony said that he had nothing to report publicly at the Committee meeting about the North End negotiations because he hadn’t heard from WAVE or their attorney.
Well, it seems that the Township has been taken for a ride by WAVE because at the August 22 Committee meeting, the Township attorney once again reported that WAVE (represented by William Gannon III) failed to contact him with certain financial information.
The entire process continues to be cloaked in secrecy—it’s a fog that doesn’t lift, but since it is a public project, transparency should be required. But not in Neptune Township where they ignore NJ RSIS laws, where they hold secret, behind-closed-doors meetings regarding the North End, where they don’t reveal the identities of those who would develop the North End—ie WAVE, and where they don’t represent the views of those who elected them .
And, Committeeman Brantley, who was the developer that you were showing around? Why have you failed to reveal publicly that you are conducting such a search, and are all the Neptune Township Committee members aware of your efforts? And has the Committee formally put out a required public request for developers to look at the project? And, Dr. Brantley, which other developers are you speaking or negotiating with? And, finally, Dr. Brantley, how about explaining to the public why you believe the NERP to be the best course of action for the people of Ocean Grove?
Back in 2007, WAVE was handed the redevelopers mantle without such a public search process. We know that some developers did look at the project, but WAVE was predestined to be the crown prince no matter what. Consider this email to Blogfinger from a developer who tried to be hired for the job:
The Neptune Township Committee is behind the NERP (North End Redevelopment Plan). In 2007 they provided legal cover for the CMA/WAVE planners to get the zoning that would be essential to substitute 160 condos for the 25 Victorian single family homes that was the original zoning.
Our new Committeemen (2016) have now inherited the zoning charade and all that goes with it including the secrecy and the questionable motives of all concerned including the OGCMA. If the NERP gets into legal trouble, the entire Committee will be exposed including you freshmen. Is this what you entered public office to do?
We ask that the Neptune Committee give up on WAVE and cancel the phony re-development zoning, returning the Grove to single family housing at the North End.
Editor’s Note: If you enter “North End Redevelopment” into our search box at the top of this homepage, on the right, you can catch up on our many articles about this subject.
Jason Tramm, Director of Music Ministries for the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association. 2014. By Paul Goldfinger . Blogfinger.net.
Being a conductor, Maestro Tramm often has his back to the audience so here he is in a rare frontal view. This image was obtained at the September 1, 2014 annual Camp Meeting Association Labor Day public summary* of the season’s successes.
Jason Tramm is a young man who is considered a rising star in the music world. In Ocean Grove he manages an ambitious program of choral, orchestral and oratorial works. He believes that adding music to inspirational words creates a powerful combination, so he plans even more great choral works in the Great Auditorium next season.
But Maestro Tramm, like all great musicians, appreciates music that crosses over the genre divides.
To hear Itzhak Perlman play klezmer or Dick Hyman crossing over from classical to jazz, or, as in this case, the great late operatic soprano Eileen Farrell performing pop music shows how that works.
And so it is with Jason Tramm who brings us all sorts of music in the Grove. Hopefully he will be able to cross those divides regularly in the Great Auditorium so that a variety of audiences can enjoy his versatility.
EILEEN FARRELL: What music can we post to go with Jason’s photo? Putting up an opera aria is too easy.
Here is Eileen Farrell with “The More I See You” by Harry Warren and Mack Gordon.
* 2022: Note that the CMA did not have their public meeting this past Labor Day. We can speculate on that change, but not now.
And we noted above that Jason Tramm is a strong believer in enhancing words with music. We feel the same way on Blogfinger, so most of our posts are coupled with music, just as music always enhances movies.
In our case, the pairing of music with still photography, poetry and even opinion pieces is still an original idea of ours, and we will continue.
At one point in Blogfinger history, one of our editors complained that we were posting too much music, but I believe that music is something that we humans naturally appreciate, somewhere in our brains, so we will keep it up, and many of you have told us that you love the music.
Deisel (L) and Chico, OG friends, frolic at the Asbury Park after-hours north end dog beach. June, 2015, Michael Goldfinger photos.
Once again summer has hit the beautiful beach town of Ocean Grove, and once again, the town provides no recreational area for residents and their furry companions. Ocean Grove is generally considered to be “dog friendly.” Many Grovers have canine members of their families. There is a sizable dog population in town.
In early May of 2014, I and several other Ocean Grove residents provided a very detailed plan for the formation of an OG K-9 club that would virtually cost the town zero dollars. We provided various locations which would have little impact on residents in the area. We had volunteers who were prepared to maintain the location and enforce park rules. The Neptune Township Committee thought the park was a brilliant idea. A Blogfinger poll of OG residents found that 52% of residents polled wanted a park. All the Dog Park Planning Committee needed was approval from the OG Camp Meeting Association.
The idea and plans were soon presented to the CMA. We left the meeting feeling extremely upbeat, thinking we had presented a very good case for why a dog park would benefit the residents of Ocean Grove.
Who wouldn’t want a location where the people of this small beach front community could gather every day of the year, engage in small talk, and make new friends? Turns out the OGCMA didn’t. We were told that the park didn’t meet the “mission of the Association.”
Asbury Park off-hours north beach for dogs. Owners are very careful to police the area. June, 2015. MG photos.
Soon after, we again approached the OGCMA with an alternate idea. Let’s pull a page from Asbury Park. They allow dogs to play on their most northern beach during the hours that the beach is closed. Dog owners there are extremely respectful and aware that they share this beach with swimmers. The beach is almost always kept clean from dog waste, and there haven’t been any incidents resulting in complaints.
So we suggested that dogs be allowed on the most northern beach in Ocean Grove, after beach hours. This would be the location behind the white building that borders Asbury Park. Even during beach hours, this small stretch of beach is hardly utilized by swimmers. So how could that be a bad idea? Well, once again the CMA turned us down.
We hoped that they would listen to us, since we all are Ocean Grovers. We understand that the foundation of this town is built around CMA beliefs, but, times are changing, and residents deserve to be heard and met half way. The blanket statement, “it doesn’t meet our mission,” is extremely vague and an easy out.
So once again, we raise the question regarding a location where dogs can safely play in Ocean Grove:
Previously we suggested the open grassy area on the south side of town near the intersection of Pennsylvania and Inskip Avenues. Next we proposed the North Beach, which would require nothing but responsible dog owners.
Now here is yet another location (shown in photograph)—-The corner of Broadway and Fletcher Lake (Central) Avenue.
Chico checks out the suggested location by Fletcher Lake at Broadway. MG photo.
That corner already has a fenced in playground, tennis court and shuffle board area. Behind all those locations lays a big grassy strip, perfect for a dog run. One side is already fenced in and the other side is water. The only thing needed is fencing on the north and south side. The tennis court and playground would provide a buffer, and residents who didn’t want a park wouldn’t see it back there
If anyone has any suggestions on how we can move this concept forward, please comment or contact me directly. I am still committed to this project and believe that a dog park would only add to the pleasures of living in this town.
Thank you,
Michael Goldfinger for the proposed OG K-9 Club
Contact Michael Goldfinger via Blogfinger@verizon.net
Ocean Grove, NJ, June 9, 2015
PATTI SMITH with VINCE GIORDANO AND THE NIGHTHAWKS (From Boardwalk Empire)
Viewing the big picture, it is clear that there is no certain set of rules that encompasses how all things work in this town. There are many holes in the fabric that keeps the town functioning, and those holes, as in “nature abhors a vacuum,” are where the most interesting aspects can be found.
Consider a current headline which we have been covering: “South End flooding persists intermittently despite completion of a two year water drainage remediation project by Neptune Township.”
At first it wasn’t clear if the Township was willing to do anything more, except for Band-Aids such as clearing the storm drains during a heavy rain. But a group of neighbors led by Connie Ogden complained to the Township Committee (over 25 people went to the microphone) resulting in the Township’s plan to so some further research into the matter, consult with their engineers, and then come up with an analysis and solutions, which we will hear about at a meeting on Dec. 1, 7:00 pm, at Thornley Chapel.
After the neighborhood group blew some whistles, the Home Owners Association decided to jump into the act, so they produced a questionnaire (requested by the Township) to survey about 35 South End neighbors regarding such things as sump pumps in their basements. The results of that survey have not been made public.
Now, Vito Gadaleta, Township Administrator, has called for that promised meeting to be held in the promised land of Ocean Grove. He was seeking a small venue because he was expecting a small crowd of South End citizens. The HOA sent out an announcement of the meeting which said that Gadaleta “will meet with residents of Broadway” regarding flood issues.
The Thornley Chapel was selected because the Community Room was busy. It holds about 70 people. Gadaleta was unwilling to call this a “public meeting,” but he didn’t think that any citizen who wanted to attend would be told to leave. He did say that no one would be permitted to bring up any subjects other than the flood issues. He also said that the press was welcome.
So, what is this meeting? It’s not private, but it’s not exactly public. If he’s presiding, would he really refuse to answer an unrelated question from the audience?
And what is the role of the Home Owners Association here? This is a Neptune Township meeting being arranged and presented by the Township Administrator. Perhaps a Neptune Committee person or two will show up. (Really, doubtful , or fuhgetaboutit? Let’s do a poll.)
In addition, why wasn’t a larger venue chosen? Why make the assumption that only South End residents care about this flooding problem? J.P. Gradone, COO of the OGCMA said that if a larger crowd were to show up, the meeting could be segued into the Thornley Annex or even the Youth Temple.
As far as the Thornley Chapel is concerned, it seems that a public meeting can be held in that church, giving it the feel of rural town hall meetings which are often held in churches—- something very American. Is this a precedent setting event at the Thornley Chapel, or have there been such meetings before? Gradone said that other secular meetings might be held there in the future, but only if the content of such events pass muster.
I’m sure that some of you, including my wife, who reached this sentence are wondering, “What’s the big deal?” Well, it’s not a big deal——small town news is often just small town talk. I find it interesting.
And finally, Vito Gadaleta of Neptune Township, the OGCMA, the HOA and the citizen activists of the South End all should be congratulated for finding ways to solve one of Ocean Grove’s problems together and to close some openings in that fabric.
To use an expression which I find both annoying and helpful, “Just saying….”
Link to the last Blogfinger article about the flooding problem (September, 2014): flood link BF
By Paul Goldfinger, MD, Editor, Blogfinger.net Re-post on Easter Sunday, April 17, 2022.
If you have never witnessed an Ocean Grove choir festival, it is an experience. I attended last night, but it was not a first for me. A large crowd was there to hear the huge massed choir of about 1000 voices from 125 different churches, professional soloists, the Hope-Jones organ aired out from top to bottom, a number of skilled conductors, a brass ensemble, and a varied program consisting of Christian music. The only composer I recognized was Franz Josef Haydn who wrote the opening anthem, “The Heavens are Telling.”
But even if you don’t know this music and even if you are not Christian, this musical event is astonishing to see.
The Choir Festival is not a typical concert, because, as a number of speakers explained, this program is about prayer through music. As it says in Psalm 95:1 “Oh come, let us sing to the Lord.” The program, in fact, stresses the words rather than the music. On the cover it says, “Wonderful Words of Life.”
Among the words offered last night was a prayer by the Camp Meeting Association COO JP Gradone who reminded us that living in the northeast was a challenge for those who promote religious principles to guide our lives. He hoped that our country could reconnect with the “values of America’s founders.”
But you can, as I did, attend to enjoy a marvelous musical event, while appreciating its religious significance. I like to sit way in the back, where the moms with infants locate along with others who enjoy the broad expanse of the unique sound and visuals.
The soloists, with their trained voices, project out and can be clearly heard all the way in the back. They included Ronald Naldi, Monica Zigler, Martha Bartz, and Justin Beck. Plus, of course, there are the Director of Music Dr. Jason C Tramm and our own Dr. Gordon Turk presiding over those 11,000 pipes.
Below is a sample of what the Choir Festival sounds like. It is from “How Shall a King Come?” conducted by Dr. Cindy Bell and with soloists Monica Ziglar and Ronald Naldi.
Here is a re-post of part I of our research about the Embury Arms Condominiums posted in September of 2015. Time to re-read it now in 2020. The dots between it and the current North End Plan can be connected.
Recently a reader wondered about the Embury Arms condominiums. Her concern came about in the midst of our real-time discussions of the North End Project and Mary’s Place zoning. She asked how that large condo project came about and whether there were issues then similar to the ones that we have been considering recently.
Embury Arms condominiums on Whitefield Avenue consist of 112 units. It was built in the 1980’s. Old OG newspaper reports say that the CMA approved the project in 1978, and then the ground breaking ceremony was held in 1980. Those news reports never mention approvals by Neptune Twp. nor do they mention any concerns about historic preservation. They do talk about energy conservation measures that won awards for the developer.
These condos are 1 and 2 bedroom apartments within four large 3 story buildings. The complex sits in the middle of the Grove, surrounded by Benson, Delaware, Heck and Abbott Avenues. Embury and Webb Avenues stop short as they go west to Delaware Avenue, right at the border of the Embury Arms condos, and Whitefield Avenue goes straight through the middle, with private parking spaces on the perimeter of a public street.
Ocean Grove Times, August 25, 1978.
An ad in a 1982 local newspaper describes “authentic Victorian designs.” The apartments were starting at $49,900.00.
The official 2015 CMA summer guidebook map shows Webb and Embury going straight through to Lawrence Avenue, but they do not and they never did because west of Delaware, where Embury Arms now sits, there were stables, used mostly for storage by the Camp Meeting Association. Apparently some of the buildings were rented out for parking, but it was not an area for public parking.
It is not our intention to review the detailed history of this condo project, but anyone walking by has to wonder how the heck the developer got permission to do this distinctly un-Grovian style condominium complex. It not only is contrary to the Master Plan as we know it, but it takes up space that could have been filled with single family Victorian style homes in order to match the appearance of the rest of the Grove.
Embury Arms provides PRIVATE parking by allowing head-on placement of vehicles on Whitefield Avenue that is partly on private property (using the theoretical front yards of those lots) but it also allows the cars to stick out over where the public sidewalks should be. In other words, that parking lot violates the public pedestrian right of way.
Normally the right of way along a public street is 40 feet wide, consisting of the road (auto right of way) and the sidewalks (pedestrian right of way) measured together.
Yes they put some recessed sidewalks there, but that is private property, and public access could theoretically be shut down at any time. The Whitefield Ave. auto right of way is intact for cars driving through, but is not inviting for autos to drive through, and warning signs threaten anyone who would dare park there.
In addition, the project deprived Ocean Grove of many potential public parking spaces if private homes had been built on streets. Instead, all those curb cuts created a giant parking lot. Where else in town is a public street (in this case Whitefield Avenue) used for private parking?
The property was originally used for stables, so no private homes were demolished to make room. Undoubtedly the CMA, the Township, and the developer were in collusion to create this massive mistake, but the history of the time* indicates that OG was not as proactive in historic preservation then. It was a time when governance here was in a state of flux**, and the public did not protest much. There was a suit that delayed completion, but eventually the Embury Arms condominiums were finished. At least the condo developer of Embury Arms provided parking, even though the law was stretched to make that happen.
We have no information as to how the zoning was finessed to allow this, nor do we know what the Planning Board had to say. At any rate, it is a done deal, and nothing can be done about it at this point.
It is interesting that there is an earlier precedent. In 1964, across from Days, a large hotel burned down, and in its place rose the Arlington Court Co-op. consisting of one bedroom apartments for which no mortgages were allowed. This was a new idea for the Grove, and evidently no one cared that single family Victorian homes were not built. The CMA was in charge then and they must have supported the idea. (? sound familiar)
However, now we are in a position to do something about the largest condominium development in the history of Ocean Grove—the North End Redevelopment Project. But there is concern that public apathy will once again allow a wrong-headed condo project to go ahead. We have seen this illegal process before. If no one takes legal action when work begins or sooner, then, as with other projects in town, nothing can be done after the fact.
The CMA and the Township are counting on public inaction. Will we let them do it again?
CREDITS:
Ted Bell*, Ocean Grove historian
Jack Bredin, Blogfinger researcher
Tom Constantino, Blogfinger researcher
** In 1980, governance of Ocean Grove was turned over to Neptune Township by the NJ Supreme Court. That transition must have taken years to work out, but the Embury Arms project took hold during that delicate time.
Here is a link to Part II of this Embury Arms historical review.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger Re-post from 2017.
Cindy Stiles, the proprietor of Pet Boutique* on Main Avenue in OG, has collected 1,000 signatures on petitions and she has gone before the Camp Meeting Association at least twice to ask them to permit a “private” dog park facility on their land near the tennis courts, but each time she has been turned down.
Ocean Grove could be called “Dog Town” because it’s loaded with dogs—residents and visitors. But evidently there aren’t too many dog lovers on the CMA Board.
Today, at the Annual CMA Labor Day Report, Cindy went to the microphone to try again. And try she did: Cindy even told them that “God spelled backwards is dog.” She seemed a bit desperate when she said that “some dog owners would like to pray with their pets in a dog park.” Her main argument was that many visitors to town are dismayed when they learn that there are no dog runs for their pets.
However, regardless of how many persuasive arguments Cindy could muster, Dale Whilden, CMA President, could not be moved saying that the Board had a variety of reasons for rejecting the idea including concerns about animal “spats”, diseases, poop, security issues and more.
But the idea was checkmated when Dr. Whilden disclosed that the CMA had its eyes on that property for a possible parking lot or a place to store off-season life-guard chairs and/or more beach lockers.
And the final coup de grace was when he said that the CMA needed to focus its attention on its “vision and mission”and that they had a “long list” of new ideas to get to, and a dog park was not on that list. Priorities trump pets. He did mention that the OG beach was open for dogs during the off-season, and many Grovers with dogs take advantage of that courtesy.
But Cindy was still not backing down, until someone shouted, “Let’s move on,” followed by a smattering of applause.
So Cindy had to step away—-clearly she was barking up the wrong tree.
* Cindy lost her business in the Grove due to unaffordable rent increases by her Main Avenue landlord.
By Jack Bredin, reporter/researcher at Blogfinger.net and Paul Goldfinger, Editor
This is the second of our three-part post about the Mayor’s Negotiating Team which currently has been in secret sessions with the Camp Meeting Association’s “developer” which, according to Michael Badger, President of the CMA, is the “Ocean Grove North End Development LLC (OGNED)”
We don’t know where WAVE went.
In this three-part series of posts, Blogfinger is reviewing how the process has evolved, so now we present a time-line to document what has happened over the last 10 years, beginning in 2008, with approval by resolution of the North End Redevelopment Plan (NERP) by the Neptune Township Committee.
2011: In June of 2011, three years after the 2008 NERP (“public plan”) was adopted, WAVE and the OGCMA prepare a “private” general development plan to replace the original NERP.
This private plan is submitted to the Township. It is titled “North End–a Destination Resort,” and it is not a redevelopment plan.
The Neptune Township Committee fails to share this proposal with the public. They also do not reveal the fact that getting involved with this “private” plan would require pulling the plug on the entire 2008 NERP and then starting over. The Township makes no changes to the NERP.
2012: The OGCMA announces that they are ready to break ground at the North End in early 2013, but for what plan? And they have no permits–particularly from the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Then comes Sandy on October 29, of 2012.
2013: The OGCMA announces after Sandy that “the developers are going back to the drawing board.” What they fail to announce is that new elevations would be required.
2015: The public becomes aware of a “new private plan” when Committeeman Randy Bishop abruptly pops up at a Committee meeting and reports, “After exhausting negotiations, where everyone involved had to give something up, we have agreed to a new plan for the North End.”
But this is nonsense. He is referring basically to the private plan that was prepared four years earlier (see 2011 above,) and the Township Committee already knew all about it.
And, by the way, what are the new elevations? No detailed specifications are made available. And no changes can be made to the original 2008 NERP without going back to square one.
The Ocean Grove Home Owners Association takes credit for negotiating the new private plan with the OGCMA, and maybe they did; the Township Comedy certainly did not. The only comment from the baffled Neptune Township Committee about the Bishop plan is, “This is a mistake.”
Actually, the plan is not the mistake—making it public is.
The new plan is not approved by the Township. It just floats out of the meeting room and fizzles up into the atmosphere.
2018. As we reported in Part I, the CMA sends out a press release in April 2018 (link below) claiming another new plan and announcing a new “developer” called OGNED. See our initial comments about that at the link (OGNED) below and then look at Part I where we also linked to it:
In Part III, the last part of this series about the Mayor’s Negotiating Team, we will bring you up to date on this subject.
NOTE: According to the Township Clerk, “The Redevelopment Committee” consists of Dr. Michael Brantley, Mayor Nicholas Williams, Land Use Administrator, Township Engineer, Business Administrator, Chief Financial Officer, Township Planner and Redevelopment Attorney.
He also informed us that “the Redevelopment Attorney is Maraziti Falcon, LLP at 150 John F. Kennedy Blvd., Short Hills, NJ.”
KEVIN SPACEY “That Old Black Magic.” From the movie: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Re: Dispute regarding ground rents for condo owners. The item below this sentence appeared recently in the Wassup? section of Blogfinger.net:
Condominium associations lose their suit regarding ground rents. The two condo units are on Ocean Pathway. The ruling allows the Camp Meeting to change ground rent charges according to the sale price of the unit.
Here are links to two of our three Blogfinger February, 2017 posts about this subject. This court ruling can have major implications regarding the condo market in OG. The lawyer for the condo owners has recommended an appeal.
I am Gorton Wood and I live at 40 Ocean Pathway; I am one of the litigants in the ground rent lawsuit.
In 2007 when I purchased my 1,090 square foot condo (two bedrooms and one bath,) I was given a ground rent spreadsheet schedule by OGCMA. It was titled “New Condo/Townhouse Ground Rent.” It covered a period of 12 years. The first three years I paid 1% of the sale price of my condo or $475.00 per year. The second three years it went to 1.5% of my sales price or $712.50 per year. The third three years it went to 2% of my sales price or $950.00 per year. The final three years it grew to 2.5% of my sales price or 1,187.50 per year. Then beginning year 13 and going on forever [hold your hat], it was going to be tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) which could be 3%, 4%, 5% annually, who knows. I could end up having to pay an annual ground rent of $3,000 or more annually.
On two occasions I went to the OGCMA and demanded to have someone explain who cooked this up (Jack Green—I learned from another source) and when did they cook this up? No one would speak to me. Then in 2014 I wrote out my ground rent check and sent a message to the OGCMA saying that when they gave me a meeting I would bring my check. They never responded. In 2015 I did they same thing and again they refused to grant me a meeting. Then I received a letter from their law firm in Freehold saying if I did not pay immediately, they would prosecute me.
I am willing to go to any length, even alone, to have this situation corrected. I don’t believe any of the owners, myself included, expect to not pay ground rent, but for God’s sake make it fair. I actually wrote the OGCMA and their law firm a letter saying I was confident I could get every owner at 40 Ocean Pathway and 30 Ocean Pathway to agree to $200.00 a year. They wrote back basically telling me to take a hike.
GORTON WOOD
Ocean Grove, NJ, April 10, 2017
The writer is a resident of a condominium at #40 Ocean Pathway.
The Ross Bathing Houses, 1878. North End, Ocean Grove Beach. From the Atlas of the Jersey Coast. Previously posted on Blogfinger.
To the Editor:
I was reading your post and thought I would give you a little history on the original use of ground rent. On a map of either 1871 or early 1872, it stated that the plan of leasing, instead of selling the lots, had been adopted to prevent any person from using his lot for purposes that would be an annoyance to other lot holders.
As far as the use of ground rent in the early days of Ocean Grove, during the Stokes era and beyond, the use of ground rent was for public services for the lot holders. In a book published in 1919, entitled “The Story of Ocean Grove 1869-1919” written by Morris S. Daniels… it states:
“If it is conceded, for the sake of argument, that the ground rental corresponds to a tax, it may also be said that it is expended by the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association for the benefit of the leaseholders.
It is doubtful “if in all the land there is another place where the people receive so much attention at so little cost.” The Ocean Grove Association “lights the public streets and avenues the year round;” it polices the grounds, summer and winter; removes the garbage from the doors of the producers. It takes sanitary supervision of the entire place. It keeps the the streets in order, maintains the board walk and many of the sidewalks. It provides public pavilions and seats for the free use and accommodation of the masses. It sprinkles many of the streets during the dry and dusty days of summer. It provides parks, fountains, lakes, and flowers, and does a thousand other nameless things for which the leaseholders have contracted to pay a small ground rental, which thus far has never exceeded $10.50 per lot, which is the maximum ground rental which can be charged under the leases already made. The ground rentals amount to about $18,000; but much more than this sum is required for the purposes mentioned and is made up by the Association.”
Here are a few other interesting facts concerning ground rent beginnings. In the first 4 years of Ocean Grove’s existence the OGCMA didn’t require any ground rent from their lease holders. After this period they only required $2.50 from their lot holders. In 1880, they upped the ground rent to $5.00. In 1883, owing to the expense incurred in erecting a fire house on Olin Street, the ground rental was increased to $7.50. It was thought that the lot holders should share in the expense, since it was to their benefit.
In the early OGCMA annual reports the Camp Meeting Association was much more transparent and open about their ground rent and its uses. They would give an accounting of what they received and gave exact breakdowns of what it was used for. They were also more reluctant to raise it, even though for years the funds received through ground rents were insufficient to cover the expenses of the public services. They seemed to have more of a conscience about the burden that was placed upon the lot holder.
I have a great appreciation for the CMA and enjoy participating in their many programs. I also have a concern for their future and that more will be stripped away from them in coming years if they continue on the path they have been following… for “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, Than to divide the spoil with the proud.” Proverbs 16:18-19
Justin Truth is a blogger who writes about Ocean Grove history. His blog has a few entries and they are quite interesting, especially the one about President Grant visiting the town and also a piece from an Irish publication in 1874 about a “Sunday at an American Camp Meeting.”
Blogfinger would like to thank Justin Truth for sharing his information with our readers. We asked him for some information about himself. After all, he showed some courage and answered our call for information sharing in Ocean Grove. This is his response:
“Thank you, Paul, for taking notice and interest in my recent comment concerning the ground rent issue. I choose not to reveal my identity at this time, as to avoid being caught up into a fire storm of controversy. I am a lifelong resident of Ocean Grove, having been involved in all of the OGCMA programs growing up, as well as in the present time. I have roots which go very deep in Ocean Grove, as well as in the surrounding area.
I’m just an ordinary guy, who is interested in Ocean Grove history and began researching for accurate information. It is my desire for others to become more interested in our history and this is why I began my blog.
It is my hope for people to begin to research themselves, considering all the information we have at our fingertips today. I would rather give people the tools they need to find the actual historic records, than to have them look to me as the authority on the subject. I like for the historic records to speak for themselves. I have included a link to the map I referenced in my comment.”
Regarding the second sentence in Justin’s letter to the editor, the link below is for the 1870 map that he sent which proves that lots were leased from the very beginning and were not sold. You can enlarge the map and read the relevant section on the left side.
As for the fact that the citizens of OG early on were enjoying nearly-free services from the Camp Meeting Association, the CMA preferred to offer certain services such as police and the local court. The CMA wanted total control in the Grove including their wish to establish and enforce blue laws. Their motive was to perpetuate their “Christian sea-side community”
During those years, the citizens paid taxes to Neptune Township, and those taxes probably would have provided for those services had the CMA not insisted on doing it themselves.
However, the CMA did offer many nearly-free services enjoyed by Grovers which are listed in the Justin Truth letter, and many continue to this date. And Neptune likely offered services such as schools, utilities, sewage, and water during the years when the CMA ran the town but was part of Neptune Township. So the taxes did pay for Neptune services.
There were some protests and suits in the past over these Neptune tax issues, but the CMA always prevailed—until the NJ Supreme Court ruling in 1979.
Here is an item from the Blogfinger OG History Timeline. “1898: Ocean Grove’s “lessees,” who pay property taxes to Neptune Township, want the CMA to pay the taxes to Neptune. A suit is brought by the homeowners, but in 1900 the NJ Supreme Court sides with the CMA.”——PG
On October 4, 2016, we posted a letter from “Pastor John” DiGiamberardino, COO of the OGCMA. In it he reassured “friends and neighbors” that there would be no increase in residential ground rents. Below is the link to that Blogfinger post.
But the Pastor’s letter was not considered clear enough, so the OGHOA decided that they needed “clarification” regarding the CMA’s policies, so they sent an email querying the Pastor further about the ground rent intent.
“Pastor John” responded to them and said, “In short, nothing is going to change” with respect to lease fees.
“Addressing the question of ‘terms and conditions’ of a ground lease,” Pastor John stated that “this primarily relates to non-payment of ground rent”.
In an email today from the OGHOA “Board of Directors” (aka Board of Trustees; aka Board of Dubious Intentions) to the membership, the Directors said that they would “take the OGCMA at its word” regarding the ground rent issue. A little condescending perhaps?
Some residents remain distrustful of the CMA and they are encouraging everyone to pay their land rents on time each year.
In 2007, during the Pavilion controversy, there was concern in town that Ocean Grove would be seen as an intolerant community. This concern stemmed largely from media coverage which would often confuse the town of Ocean Grove with the Camp Meeting Association. The inaccurate reporting just made a bad situation worse.
In recent years, the question of discrimination has occasionally arisen, usually brought up by individuals who focus their attention on the CMA. The town of Ocean Grove has not been targeted in that way.
However, in today’s Coaster, two Ocean Grove citizens sent a Letter to the Editor which you can read below. What do you, our readers, think of that letter?
Letter to the Coaster. October 6, 2016:
As concerned residents of Ocean Grove we attended the QSpot town hall meeting pertaining to their possible eviction at the Jersey Shore Arts Center. For the last 20 years we have watched the town grow into a diverse community. We now have many full and part time homeowners of different religious, ethnic and social backgrounds, and financial status. So many new residents have brought us into the twenty-first century.
We also have a large LGBT community who have contributed immensely to the growth of this town. They have been discriminated against from the streets to the pulpit, and yet they still contribute in a positive manner.
Hopefully the prejudice of 2006 and 2007 does not rear its ugly head again. It is essential QSpot’s lease be renewed for Ocean Grove to progress as a diverse community.
