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Don’t Know Much About History? Ocean Grove’s Remarkable Story Timeline is About Much More Than Religion.

Posted in Blogfinger News, Ocean Grove history, Ocean Grove history by Blogfinger, tagged , , on April 11, 2022| 2 Comments »

This photograph is the first in Ted Bell's Images of America: Ocean Grove.

This photograph  (with permission)  is the first in Ted Bell’s ” Images of America: Ocean Grove.”  CLICK TO ENLARGE

 

BLOGFINGER RE-RUN FROM 2010.  It’s important that more people other than tourists learn OG history.  This timeline gives some perspective for new Grovers and others who ought to educate themselves to this sequence of events. Thus we periodically re-post this timeline.

By Paul Goldfinger, MD, Editor @Blogfinger.net.

 

Ocean Grove’s history is a fascinating saga about how a Methodist summer community founded in 1869 eventually evolved into a historic and diverse year-round tourist town while preserving its religious and architectural characteristics.

Sure it’s about the Camp Meeting Association (CMA), the Great Auditorium, the tents, and the famous religious figures who took center stage since the founding, but there is so much more to tell,  particularly about the town’s secular history including:  its governance; the multiple attempts to secede from Neptune;  the successful but temporary creation of  an independent secular Borough of Ocean Grove in 1920; opening of the gates in 1979; loss of governance by the CMA in 1980; the decline of the “blue laws”;  the extraordinary  successes of the Ocean Grove Homeowner’s Association as they transform OG from shabbiness to renaissance by the 1990’s; the remarkable demographic changes of the 1990’s including the growth of the gay community,  the amazing musical heritage, the fights over taxes, and there is so much more.

The Historical Society of Ocean Grove has offered wonderful exhibits about such topics as the women’s suffrage movement and the African-American “history trail” here, and we at Blogfinger  have run two pieces about John Phillip Sousa in Ocean Grove as well as the account of Paul Robeson’s 1925 concert in the Great Auditorium.

We plan to continue our series of articles on some of the less well known accounts in Ocean Grove’s history, especially focusing on secular events. We will begin the process of digging into Ocean Grove’s fascinating past with a time-line. It’s important for Grovers to know this history.  You may be surprised by some of the items below:

1869: Ocean Grove is founded by the Rev. William Osborne and his colleagues. They form the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association of the Methodist Episcopal Church (CMA) and begin purchasing land. The town is part of Ocean Township. The CMA’s goal is to provide and maintain a Christian seaside resort.

1870: The New Jersey Legislature grants a charter to CMA which allows them to govern in Ocean Grove. They can make ordinances, establish a police department and a court of law, and administer all infrastructure and services including schools, sanitation and library.

The town is designed “from scratch,” becoming one of the first planned communities in the US. The first lots are “sold” (i.e. leased) from the CMA which retains ownership of all the land. The first cottage is built in 1870.

1872:  Over 300 cottages have been built.

1875: Rev Adam Wallace founds the Ocean Grove Record, the town’s first newspaper. Rev. E. H. Stokes, the first CMA President says, regarding the gate closure on Sunday, that “there is no human probability that these rules will ever be revoked.” The first train from New York arrives in OG. People begin to stay year round.

1879:  The NJ Legislature creates Neptune Township by carving it out of Ocean Township and incorporates Ocean Grove’s boundaries as part of Neptune. Ocean Grove CMA and lot/home owners pay taxes to Neptune. Leaseholders (“lessees”) must continue to pay “ground rent” to the CMA.

The CMA refuses all services from Neptune and continues to function as the “governing authority,” maintaining rigid control in OG.   Physical isolation within its boundaries, “blue laws,” land ownership, and a homogeneous population of Methodists contribute to the sustained CMA rule.  Ocean Grove is, in practice, a theocracy. But that will become a problem for them over 100 years later.

1897: The first mention of tax discontentment appears as CMA President Bishop Fitzgerald speaks publicly about Neptune’s tax bill and says, “Of the discrimination against us in the matter of taxation does not as yet seem to admit of remedy.”

1898:  Ocean Grove’s “lessees,” who pay property  taxes to Neptune Township, want the CMA to pay the land taxes to Neptune. A suit is brought by the homeowners, but in 1900 the NJ Supreme Court sides with the CMA.

1912: Ocean Grove’s citizens want to participate in the town’s governance, so they elect a Board of Representative Lessees to join with the CMA in managing the town’s affairs.  There was unrest, with many citizens disliking this peculiar arrangement and wanting Ocean Grove to be a regular town with an elected secular government.

1915: the Ocean Grove Taxpayers and Protective League is formed.

1918: CMA has financial problems and asks Neptune to take over police, garbage and sanitation functions. Neptune refuses.

1920. The Lessee Board is dissolved, and the Civic Betterment League is formed. Its goal is the creation of an independent Ocean Grove Borough.  The CMA supports the idea, and the NJ Legislature passes an Ocean Grove Borough bill which creates an incorporated borough, apart from Neptune.  Governor Edwards signs it into law, a referendum in town receives wide support, and local elections are held.

The new Borough of Ocean Grove operates for one year, but they retain the CMA “blue laws”. Opponents in town want things the old way and they form the “Lessees Association” They sue in State Supreme Court.

1921: The NJ Court of Errors and Appeals finds the Borough bill to be unconstitutional, because the Borough has allowed religious ordinances to stand. The Borough bill might have been upheld if the “blue laws” were discarded, but the CMA and its supporters refuse. The Borough is dissolved, and governance goes back to Neptune and the CMA. This was not the first attempt to gain secular control of OG, but this one came the closest.

1923: A bill to make Ocean Grove a separate tax district with its own tax rates gets “lost in the legislature.”

1924:  A big battle ensues as Neptune tries to substantially increase the CMA’s taxes, including high taxes on the beach, Auditorium, streets, sewers, etc. CMA wins in 1925 at the NJ Tax Board, and most of their holdings are not taxed.

1925-1960:  The town is a popular summer resort and is known internationally.  Huge crowds visit along with US Presidents and many celebrities. As for the ongoing arguments in Ocean Grove, the historian Gibbon says, in 1939, “Many times residents and land lessees of the town have voiced their objection to the local rules, to the tax situation or to the form of government, especially from 1900-1925, and there have been many court fights.”

For the most part, things stay the same.

1960-1980: Ocean Grove declines, along with much of the Jersey shore. (See below)

1975:   A group of dedicated citizens led by Mr. Ted Bell and his colleagues obtain approval for OG’s designation as a State and National historic district. It is a complicated process.  Formation of Board of Architectural Review (BAR) happens in 1984.  (Later re-named the Historic Preservation Commission—HPC.)

1975:  A newspaper service sues over Sunday’s gate closures, which had been permitted by town ordinance.  The NJ Supreme Court strikes down the ordinance on grounds that it violates the first amendment to the Constitution (freedom of the press). The gates are opened for the news service only, but the CMA is allowed to continue its theocratic governance of Ocean Grove and the enforcement of other “blue laws”. Many people in Ocean Grove view the gates’ opening as an unhappy event.

1977:  A lawsuit stemming from a drunk-driving conviction challenges the authority of Ocean Grove’s municipal court. The NJ Supreme Court widens the scope of the case and decides in June, 1979 that CMA governance in Ocean Grove is in violation of the Constitutional separation of church and state. Appeals are filed. This marks the beginning of the end for CMA governance in OG.

1980: The US Supreme Court would not hear the appeal, so governance of OG is transferred from the CMA to Neptune Township. Neptune eventually eliminates most of the blue laws. Only the Sunday morning beach closure and the ban on alcohol sales remain.

1980’s:   By the 1980’s, the town is characterized by an overall “decrepitude,” including deterioration of buildings, declining tourism, crime, and a growing poor elderly population. (2)  Deinstitutionalized mental patients are housed in empty old hotels and rooming houses in Ocean Grove. The town becomes a “psychiatric ghetto” (NY Times, October 1988), and, by the 1980’s, 10% of the town’s population are mental cases who are not receiving appropriate services and are sometimes abused by landlords. The prognosis for Ocean Grove is dire.

During this period, the Ocean Grove Homeowner’s Association (OGHOA) develops as a political and activist force that successfully begins the process of converting the town from decay to renaissance. (2f)

1990’s:  OGHOA, led by Mr. Herb Herbst, Fran Paladino and others, fight for fair treatment in the allotment of the mentally ill around the state. The group’s political contacts and influence are considerable. The process is complex and difficult, but the numbers of “de-institutionalized” in OG drops considerably.

The group also saw to the closing of many substandard boarding and rooming houses. The HOA presents Neptune with a “master plan” to protect the historic nature of OG and to rezone for the promotion of single family houses. OGHOA promotes secular tourism while working with CMA to increase religious tourism.  New people come into town to buy homes and invest in businesses.

1995:

The historic Neptune High School is saved from becoming low income housing by a group of Ocean Grove homeowners led by Mr. Herb Herbst and with the assistance of State Senator Joseph Palaia and others. (3, 4)  The Jersey Shore Arts Center is owned and run today by a nonprofit tax exempt organization: The Ocean Grove Historic Preservation Society.

2000:  Secular goals achieved as of 2000: increased property values, increased upgrading of houses, improved relations with Neptune, improved downtown with quaint shops, art galleries, cafes, etc., reduced crime, increased tourism, reduced de-institutionalized patients, demographic changes (increased gays, empty nesters, retirees,  professionals, academics, young artists, and middle class families).

2005: House prices peak.

2007:  New topics emerge:  North End development, Ocean Pavilion dispute (gays vs. CMA), evolving demographics including more second home purchases, significant increases in property taxes, parking problems, Asbury Park development stalls, and home prices decline.

2009:  Ocean Grove blog is founded  (Blogfinger.net) by Paul Goldfinger, MD to help fill in the gap created when the OG newspaper closed. It offered a place to voice opinions about Ocean Grove’s many ongoing issues.

October 29, 2012.  super-storm Sandy hits the Jersey Shore and destroys the Ocean Grove beachfront, part of the Great Auditorium roof, and floods the south side of town.

 

2009-2022:  Blogfinger documents ongoing issues in town.  Use the search engine on top right.

 

SAM AND DAVE:

 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

1.  R. Gibbons, History of Ocean Grove: 1869-1939 (Ocean Grove Times, 1939)

2.  K. Schmelzkopf, Landscape, ideology, and religion: a geography of Ocean Grove, New Jersey, Journal of Historical Geography, 28, 4 (2002) 589-608

3. Kevin  Chambers, Herb Herbst, and Wayne T. Bell, personal communication,( 2008)

4. Archives, Asbury Park Press, (Feb 19, 1997.)

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Jack Bredin reviews the history of land use law in Ocean Grove

Posted in Ocean Grove history, Ocean Grove history by Blogfinger, tagged on December 2, 2020|

Ocean Grove was founded as a religious summer community. It was run by Methodist ministers, and Alfred Cookman was one of them. His story has been told on Blogfinger. Do a search.

 

Blogfinger posted a piece on May 5, 2019  (scroll up)  about the confusion in terminology for those who are unsure about the relationship of the Town of Ocean Grove to the Camp Meeting Association.  The unique story of the CMA in OG, with its history of running the town for over 100 years, making laws, and prevailing here in so many ways, up to the present, has to be unheard of across the country.  If anyone knows of some comparable place, please let us know.

That  post is called, “How to Refer to Our Town.”

If you look at the comments section of that article, you will see a statement by Grover 13 who thinks he/she knows the truth.  Jack Bredin was moved to try and explain the background of some of this, and his contribution below is very special–I’ve never seen anyone else take a shot at explaining that history.  .—–Paul Goldfinger,  Editor, Blogfinger.net

 

To Grover 13 from Jack Bredin, Researcher/reporter/historian  at Blogfinger.net:

“For over 100 years, from 1869-1980, the “Town” of Ocean Grove was first “illegally permitted” by Ocean Township in 1869 and then by Neptune Township from 1879-1980 to act as its own municipality. OG had their own police department, court, board of health, etc. The “Town” was operated pursuant to CMA rules and not State Law; and the OG residents could not vote for the OG “governing body” which was the CMA.  However, the OG residents did have the privilege to pay taxes to Neptune and vote for the Township Committee.

“And so the residents in fact had two (2) governing bodies, both acting outside State Law, but I don’t blame the CMA for doing what the Township permitted them to do. However, in 1980, the NJ Supreme Court said this all must stop.

“Ocean Grove was also founded by the CMA as a Camp Meeting Ground for people who belonged to the Methodist Church, but the CMA is not the Methodist Church in town; St. Paul’s is the Church.

“The CMA registered with the NJ Secretary of State as a corporation. When the Corporation “divided” the land into 2,000 parcels, one (1) share of voting stock should have been issued to each “Lot Owner.” As a result, OG residents could not vote for their OG municipal governing body or at a stock holders meeting.

“As NJ State Land Use Law, State Land Use Standards, and State Land Use Procedures evolved over the years throughout the State, land use law and procedures in OG remained unchanged, and they are now interpreted by the Neptune Township “Land Use Administrator” who has no authority to make any land use decisions.

“Is it any wonder why OG has so many land use problems?

“Paul Goldfinger is one of the few people in OG trying to make sense of it all, and Blogfinger is the only one reporting on it.”

 

BEATLES:   (Paul McCartney)

“The long and winding road
That leads to your door
Will never disappear
I’ve seen that road before
It always leads me here
Lead me to you door”

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Civil War soldier with an Ocean Grove connection

Posted in Blogfinger Presents, Ocean Grove history by Blogfinger, tagged , on October 28, 2020| 2 Comments »

Peter Tallman, Union Army soldier, 1861. Submitted by Peter Stunz of Ocean Grove.

We received this photograph from Peter Stunz of Ocean Grove.   His email offers this explanation:

Just a side note: This is my great grandfather Peter Tallman (I was named after him, my mother’s maiden name is Tallman). He was a volunteer with the 127th Volunteer Infantry.  He never saw a battlefield. He was severely injured when a tree limb fell on him while they were clearing a path somewhere unknown.

His past was one of many reasons that lead me to be a student of history.  I would also like to add as a side note that the Tallmans have been living in Ocean Grove (renting) since nearly the beginning and we have had our summer home here since 1955. We love reading your blog and have been loyal readers since Sandy.

Editor’s note:  Thanks to Peter for sharing.  I love to hear  anecdotes from those who have lived here and know the history of Ocean Grove.  Of course, OG was founded after the Civil War  (1861-1865.)  But, the Methodist antecedents that ultimately led to the founding of the Grove, had their origins much earlier.

There were many Civil War soldiers from New Jersey and New York, and Peter’s great grandfather was a member of a volunteer regiment that was mustered in 1862 in Staten Island for 3 years service  (until 1865).   It was, as he points out, the 127th Volunteer New York Infantry Regiment.

That outfit did see some action, but I was interested, from a medical point of view, to learn that they lost 130 men—35 killed and 94 dead of “disease.”  Conditions tended to be awful for soldiers on both sides, with malnutrition, poor water, bad hygiene and of course many communicable diseases before the age of antibiotics.  The most common medical procedure was amputation of legs—a horrible chapter in American medical history, but combat medicine/surgery is so much better now.  However, like all military preparations, we hope that the techniques will never be needed.

The photograph Peter sent is a daguerreotype, a process that was invented around 1840 by Louis Daguerre and used mostly for portraits.  It was an expensive and fragile method using silvered   (light sensitive) copper plates. These images are  very collectible these days, especially ones that are of Civil War soldiers.

Below is a link on BF that discusses photography during the Civil War  (the last part of a piece about a historic photograph from Ocean Grove):

Fred’s Last Summer

By Paul Goldfinger,  Editor @Blogfinger

JAQUELINE SCHWAB  “The Battle Cry of Freedom”  from Ken Burns documentary “The Civil War.”

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Embury Arms condominiums. How did that fiasco come about?

Posted in Blogfinger Presents, Embury Arms condominiums, North End Redevelopment, Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, Ocean Grove feature article, Ocean Grove history by Blogfinger, Ocean Grove North End Redevelopment Plan, Ocean GRove parking issues, tagged , on September 16, 2020| 14 Comments »

Whitefield Avenue runs down the middle of Embury Arms providing private parking spaces. Blogfinger photo. 9/22/15 © Whitefield Avenue runs down the middle of Embury Arms, oriented north and south,  providing private parking spaces. Blogfinger.net  photograph. 9/22/15 ©

 

By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger

 

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. 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.

These are the Embury Arms buildings as seen from the Delaware Avenue side. Blogfinger photo/ © These are the Embury Arms buildings as seen from the Delaware Avenue side. Blogfinger photo/ ©

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.

 

Note how Note how the sidewalk (pedestrian right of way) ends to allow parked cars to protrude into that right of way.  This is Whitefield Avenue taken by walking from Heck Avenue.  Blogfinger photo ©

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.

 

Embury Arms Part II. Blogfinger.net

 

NANCY WILSON  “Please do it again.”

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Don’t know much about history? Don’t know much geography? Here is a partial map of Monmouth County from 1873.

Posted in Blogfinger Presents, Ocean Grove history by Blogfinger, tagged on January 29, 2020|

This page is from the F.W. Beers Monmouth County Atlas of 1873. It shows portions of Ocean and Shrewsbury Townships. Presented by Paul Goldfinger @Blogfinger.

This page is from the F.W. Beers Monmouth County Atlas of 1873. It shows portions of Ocean and Shrewsbury Townships. Presented by Paul Goldfinger @Blogfinger.  Click to study this map.

 

 

By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger

 

When Ocean Grove was founded in 1869, there were very few towns nearby.  Among the towns that did exist were Long Branch, Shrewsbury,  and Farmingdale.    In 1869, no one lived in what became Asbury Park.  In 1871, Asbury Park was founded.  Shrewsbury Township was subdivided into Ocean Township and Wall Township. Ocean Grove was initially part of Ocean Township. In 1879, Neptune was carved out of Ocean Twp. and was incorporated by the State of NJ;  Ocean Grove was attached to Neptune.

Many places had different names then. For example Wesley Lake was Long Pond, while Fletcher Lake was Goose Pond.  The road that we now call Route 71, ie Main Street, stretched from Long Branch to Squan (now Manasquan) and was called “The Turnpike.”   Bradley Beach was called Ocean Pond, Avon-by-the-sea was still by the sea when it was called Key West, Belmar was Ocean Beach——but all those towns came after OG. Deal Lake was the Great Pond.

Ocean Grove consisted of dunes and trees extending from the Ocean to the Turnpike. The Camp Meeting Association team, led by Rev. Wm. Osborne, bought parcels of land from quite a few families, and it was a big job to stitch together and finance the purchase of  OG since many land owners lived elsewhere, even in other states.

Look at the map to see a large  dune, north to south, towards the southern part of town. Goose Pond  (Fletcher Lake) was partly filled in to make room for more housing.

The first permanent cottage in OG was built in 1870, and by the time this map was made, there were many tents and cottages around town.  *A large park-like area was called “Sea Drift Heights” and within it was “Gentlemen’s Walk.” It bordered Pilgrim Pathway and Main Avenue.  It was near the Tenting Grounds and Church Square.  Nearby was a “Ladies Walk.”  Another large park was near Broadway and was called “Central Park.”  Streets and houses ended at Delaware Avenue. West of there, near the Turnpike, was Evergreen Park which also bordered Wesley Lake.  Stables provided parking outside the western gates. An ice house was also over there.

*The earliest map of Ocean Grove, from 1871, can be found in Ted Bells’ book Images of America–Ocean Grove.  That map is titled Ocean Grove Camp Ground. Other old maps can be seen at the Historical Society of Ocean Grove on Pitman Avenue near Pilgrim Pathway.

 

HAVANA CARBO.  OG isn’t exactly Paris, but you can substitute the names in your head.  It’s a fine waltz.

 

 

Havana Carbo

Havana Carbo

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Sandy 5th anniversary exhibit opens in Freehold. Blogfinger photographs of Ocean Grove featured.

Posted in Blogfinger Presents, Ocean Grove history by Blogfinger, Ocean Grove lifestyles, Ocean Grove Sandy recovery, Ocean Grove storm gallery, tagged , , on November 4, 2017|

IMG_3314

Monmouth County Historical Association presents their Sandy exhibit. A lifeguard stand sits outside. Eileen Goldfinger photo for Blogfinger. ©

 

Photo from the “Tracking Sandy: Monmouth County Remembers exhibit.”

The photograph above is the Driftwood Cabana Club in Sea Bright, by Mike McLaughlin. ©

The public is invited to view this Sandy exhibit at the Monmouth County Historical Association at 70 Court Street in Freehold, NJ.  They are open from Tuesday through Saturday 10-4 until October, 2018. Parking is easy.

The exhibit is impressive, with slide shows, videos, oral history recordings, scientific explanations, and special displays.  About 15 Blogfinger images  by Paul Goldfinger were chosen largely because of our work in Ocean Grove.  Most were seen in a slide show organized by towns. Another feature used 6 of our photos of volunteers at the OG beachfront. (see below)

One of our images was used large,  (see below) depicting a Neptune Comitteeman, Randy Bishop, comforting a resident of Shark River who had to put out most of her  first floor furniture and belongings to the curb. The residents were upset in large part because scavengers were showing up to take some of their curbside belongings. We will show some of our Shark River images from November 1, 2012.

 

L1009972

This Blogfinger photograph was from  the exhibit:   Shark River. Committeeman Randy Bishop comforts a victim of the flooding. By Paul Goldfinger © Nov. 1, 2012.

 

big size

Exhibit features 6 color photos of OG volunteers by Paul Goldfinger © Blogfinger.net

From the exhibit:  Volunteers came from near and far. Nov. 3, 2012. Ocean Grove. By Paul Goldfinger  Blogfinger.net©  Click to enlarge.

CHRIS MARTIN  (Coldplay)  live from the 12-12-12 Concert for Sandy Relief—“Us Against the World”

 

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Just wondering about the OG fishing pier and club house.

Posted in Blogfinger Presents, Just wondering in Ocean Grove, Ocean Grove controversies, Ocean Grove fishing pier, Ocean Grove history by Blogfinger, tagged on May 25, 2017|

Ocean Grove fishing pier pre-Sandy. By Paul Goldfinger. Undated. Blogfinger.net©

 

Bob Bowné says, “Speaking of fishing piers… I have heard that OGCMA has been completely stonewalling the the OG fishing club pier and club house rebuild.

“Does anyone have any further info on this? What is the agenda here?”

 

Editor’s note:  When Bob says “Speaking of fishing piers…” he is referencing his photograph which appeared earlier this year.  Below is a link to that post:

Bob Bowné at Belmar pier

 

RICHARD KILEY  from the Man of La Mancha, the story of a pursuit of truth and beauty.

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Can the 1986 Ocean Grove victory over South End beachfront condominiums be duplicated in 2016 at the North End?

Posted in Blogfinger Presents, Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, Ocean Grove history by Blogfinger, tagged on June 5, 2016| 4 Comments »

 

Is this true? Think about it. Blogfinger photo 2014. ©

Ocean Grove, NJ.  Is this slogan true in OG?  Think about it. Blogfinger photo 2014. ©  Click to enlarge

By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger

The issue boils down to a more specific question:   Is the Ocean Grove of 2016 a community of like-minded groups and individuals that would work together to block condo and commercial development at the North End?

A Grover who lived here in 1986 tells us that the many voices who pushed back against the South End project contributed in a significant way to the failure of that plan.  But he doubts that we have similar conditions now.

 

Concept drawing 1986 of South End condo project, 7 stories.

Concept drawing 1986 of South End condo project, 7 stories.

THE SOUTH END IN 1986:

As you know from our prior pieces on this subject, in 1986 the Camp Meeting Association made a deal to sell their open beachfront property at the South End to a developer who would construct a 7 story, 53 unit condominium building at that location. The voices of those who had opinions about the issue were heard in the videos which we posted (see link.)

Ocean Grove rejects condominium: In 1986 where the citizens won a battle at the South End. Grovers must see this!

What is clear from the videos and some personal conversations, is that a groundswell of opposition was heard in 1986 which contributed to  the defeat of the project. and we are now left with the beautiful open natural area which can be seen today near Fletcher Lake and the beach.

We also know that the State was claiming riparian rights, and the developers were finding that to be a formidable roadblock, but listen (below)  to some of those Grovarian voices that were willing to speak up against the South End condominium Plan.      Then ask yourselves whether there is any comparable push back today, 2016, from Ocean Grovers who want to  block the North End Redevelopment Plan (NERP.)

We have  also included below some local 1986 voices that supported the project. They may have opposed the citizens, but at least they were willing to speak publicly. Today, the developers are anonymous and never say a word to the public:

1986 quotes:

———-CMA President Truitt admitted publicly that this South End plan was because the CMA needed money to pay for the beachfront expenses..  He said, “We are trying to merchandise the property.”  The CMA recruited the Schneider group to find a way to make money through development. Truitt said that “residents are concerned with preserving the historical beauty of the Grove which may be threatened by condominiums.”  But he liked the plan  design.

—–Ocean Grove Homeowners Association was represented by President Bill Benford. He said that the project is “totally unacceptable.” He voiced his concerns about density, bulkheads, storms, shadows and environmental issues. He said, “This structure is totally out of character for the rest of Ocean Grove.” Today the HOA stands in opposition to the citizens.

—–Norm Buchman, President of the OG Historical Society and a member of the CMA Board: “Many of our members object to this project. It’s too large..” He added, “I don’t like the project.”

 

—–Ocean Grovers come out in force.   On January 28, 1987, over 200 OG residents met with the Board of Adjustment regarding their opposition to the project expressing concerns about the height, fire safety, congestion, blocking views and breezes, flooding, parking,  foundation design and Victorian features. The next meeting was scheduled for February, but we don’t have those records.

—– A group of citizens got together and pooled funds to pay a lawyer who showed up and pushed back on behalf of the Grove.

—–Ed Handler, Grover worried that the plan “lacked the ambience of Victorianism.”

—–Business community. Owner of Nagle’s and resident, John Gross,  was totally opposed and said so publicly. He spoke about the loss of air, light and open space. He said that there would result “a loss of quality of life.”  Also said, “In the long run it would change the town and discourage visitors. OG would not be as attractive a community to live in.”

—–HPC  (BAR) turned down the preliminary design. Then, no final site plan was ever submitted.

—–DEP claimed a “State riparian interest” because tidal water was involved.  Fletcher Lake  (aka Goose Pond) had, at one time, opened to the sea.  The  lawyer (Schneider”)  said that this posed a major obstacle” and that he might have to sue the State.

—–An outside environmental group American Littoral Society fights/lobbies to protect shorelines. They were watching to see if the developers in OG were to get a NJ “coastal permit” for projects over 25 units. Their spokesman said, “Our reaction is very negative.”

—–Resident Kevin Chambers said that “the structure is out of place for the community.” He said that they would build “right on top of the dunes.”

—–Resident and historian Ted Bell: “OG is something very unique in the US (a planned community in  the 1870’s) and has changed little over last 100 years.”

—–Resident Jim Garley of Broadway said, “I’m against the CMA for recommending this building.”

—–Resident Victor Burke said “This will definitely change the quality of life. We will have excess housing density and utility overload (more police, trash, electric and water)

—–A Fire Department representative worried about a “disaster” in a building over 4 stories.

—–The Board of Adjustment preliminarily said that the design was “inappropriate to the style and scale of Ocean Grove.”

—–Vito Gadaleta, Neptune Zoning Official:  “Project violates zoning rules for historic and recreation zones—need multiple use variances.”

—–A developer from North Jersey’s Schneider Group admitted that Ocean Grove already has a “very serious problem with congestion” in the summer, but he denied that this project would make things worse.   Yet he was willing to speak publicly about the matter.   He also spoke about his “option agreement” to buy the land from the CMA. He admitted that he needs DEP and Zoning and Board approvals.

—– Architect for the project H. Robert Yaeger spoke out and defended the proposed sprawl along the South End Boardwalk, Fletcher Lake and Broadway.

In the end, the  South End project was never approved.

 

THE NORTH END IN 1986:

CMA President Truitt  also admitted in 1986  that they were planning a large building at the North End with over 200 units (4 times the size of the South End building). Some say that it was to be a nursing facility. He said that there would be a large increase in congestion.

It was never built for reasons which are unknown to us, but the CMA was willing even then to overload the North End,  and so what do you expect now from them?

So, in conclusion, the Ocean Grove of 2016 is nothing like the activist community which existed in 1986.

Too many citizens and organizations in the Grove in 2016 are apathetic as they pursue their own singular agendas, with little interest in the town’s history and future.

The future of this town is endangered, and it looks like we have no cohesive community to stand at the barricades. If the NERP is built, the Grove will become a much different place.  Do you want that?

IRIS DeMENT   “Our Town”

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Where are the activists in this town?

Posted in Blogfinger editorial, Ocean Grove controversies, Ocean Grove history by Blogfinger, tagged , on January 31, 2016| 5 Comments »

2012 Ocean Grove United marches in town for what they believe in. Blogfinger photo. 2012.

2012 Ocean Grove United marches in town for what they believe in. Blogfinger photo. 2012.  Click to enlarge.   ©

Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger

I have experienced apathy in our democracy before. It happened in 1999 when corporate raiders tried to close a fine community hospital. They had no interest in what was best for the community, and the politicians were on the side of whoever showed them the money.

We went to Trenton where we met a brick wall at the Department of Health. The Governor’s office turned its back.  We tried the NJ Medical Society, but they didn’t care.  About ten local mayors joined us, but they had no real  power.

But what hurt the most was the absence of community support by citizens who were too busy to get behind a hospital that delivered their kids and cared for their relatives and neighbors. In our democracy, the power ultimately resides with the people, but the people often don’t try to assert that power—they depend on elected officials, but they often fail the public.

We put together a community coalition, but only a small group actually turned out. We lost the  battle.

In Ocean Grove I am seeing the same sort of thing. Citizens are too busy to do something to save our town.  There are no leaders to carry banners, to demonstrate, to come to Committee and Board meetings, to pressure politicians.  There are no activists (with a couple of exceptions.)

Did any of you see the footage of activism in the Ukraine when people risked their lives because they wanted freedom?  That story is awe inspiring.

So is the story of the OGHOA from 25 years ago which showed courage and determination in the early 1990’s when they marshaled a variety of forces to turn the tide and bring the town back to recovery. Of course now is another story.

On Blogfinger we are trying to provide information and interpretation of what we see.  One person is actually putting his personal money on the line to challenge the Township.

But based on the history in this town of elected officials ignoring state laws, favoritism for insiders/developers, marginalizing the taxpayers of Ocean Grove, and community organizations  which are  failing to address issues that affect the town’s future as a historic place, the slipping and sliding will continue, and this town may be OK in the future, but it will lose its soul.

THE EURYTHMICS—  “I Saved the World Today.”

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Neptune Township to testify at State meeting in Trenton requesting a special standard to avoid State regulations about parking and streets in Ocean Grove.

Posted in Blogfinger Presents, Ocean Grove beachfront, Ocean Grove boardwalk, Ocean Grove feature article, Ocean Grove historical preservation, Ocean Grove history by Blogfinger, Ocean Grove Homeowners Association, Ocean Grove in the news, Ocean Grove North End Redevelopment Plan, tagged on December 12, 2015| 4 Comments »

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By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger

The New Jersey Site Improvement Advisory Board (SIAB) will meet briefly on Thursday, December 17, 2015 in Room 129 of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs.  The meeting will begin at 10:AM and should be over by 10:30 AM.  The agenda is attached.

Immediately following, the streets and parking committee will discuss the special area application for the Ocean Grove neighborhood in Neptune Township, Monmouth County.  This meeting should end by noon.  If more time is needed for testimony, the committee will meet at a later date.  Note that there will be an opportunity for public comments.

This is a chance for citizen activists to voice their concerns that an approval of the Neptune application might make it easier for condo conversions without parking to continue in Ocean Grove.

And,incidentally, Blogfinger will attend the meeting, and jack Bredin, our researcher will present a novel idea to the sub-committee.  Some of you should come just for the shear spectacle of it all. Maybe the Home Groaners will show up along with other do-nothing representatives of OG’s citizens including the Township Committee.

 

NEW JERSEY SITE IMPROVEMENT ADVISORY BOARD.  Streets and Parking Committee:

Meeting Agenda for Thursday, December 17, 2015

CALL TO ORDER

OPEN PUBLIC MEETINGS ACT

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

OLD BUSINESS

  1. Ocean Grove proposed standards to be discussed by streets & parking committee

NEW BUSINESS

BOARD MEMBERS COMMENTS

ADJOURN

LINKS:

BF link “secretive Neptune Twp”

BF link on special standard part 2

BF article Nov. 21, 2015

Take a look at the link below and pay attention to the permitted uses in the historic district, especially the ocean front area. This is what was submitted to the Federal Government  in the 1970’s  when permission was requested for the historic designation. What would they think now  if they saw the NERP plan and the condos in that area?

OG special area app appdx part B

Below is a portion of the above document (screen shot)  which describes how the North End was when Ocean Grove was first developed—-this is the true OG history which should be emulated with the same spirit, including nothing residential east of the boardwalk and nothing west either, although a hotel was later built over there to the west.

Screen Shot 2015-12-12 at 11.33.18 AM

 

Do you believe that “anything goes” when it comes to Ocean Grove zoning issues?    Well, most Grovers do not trust the Township to do what’s best for OG.  You might consider going to this meeting.

As Frank Sinatra once said, “Anything Goes.”

 

 

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2007: The Planning Board Passes a Resolution to allow an “area in need of redevelopment.” Why did they do that?

Posted in Ocean Grove history, Ocean Grove history by Blogfinger, Ocean Grove North End Redevelopment Plan, Opinion on Blogfinger, tagged , , , on April 20, 2015| 9 Comments »

Heading through the OG North End, near the Asbury line. Paul Goldfinger photo. ©

Wide open spaces.  Heading through the OG North End, near the Asbury line. June, 2014. Paul Goldfinger photo. ©

By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger

This is Part V of a series of articles about the North End Redevelopment Plan in Ocean Grove, New Jersey.

Since the OGCMA would have been able to develop the North End on its own, and since the North End was no blighted, crime-ridden, disease-laden, drug selling, rat-hole dilapidated slum in need of immediate rescue by government, why did the Neptune Township Planning Board fudge its way through the criteria in order to enable the North End to become a congested, money-making, commercial zone—-an “area in need of redevelopment,”—- which was not in the best interest of the people of Ocean Grove?

In the Resolution document they listed everything that was wrong over there that justified the creation of a redevelopment zone.   Those were code violations which were corrected as soon as the CMA was cautioned by Code Enforcement. Thus the result was no code violations and thus no valid reason to declare the North End property an “area in need of redevelopment.”  The CMA was perfectly able to work on that property itself.

To argue, as the Planning Board did, that there was some sort of emergency in 2007 is a joke. The North End in 2015 is no different than it was in 2007 except for some 2012 Sandy damage and a burned out storage shed from a few years ago.

Surely the Planning Board realized that the reasons they gave (including a few crummy abandoned unsafe buildings, a wreck of a swimming pool, over growth of vegetation, lack of utilization etc) were a joke and that the real purpose for the Township’s request was to achieve a dramatic change in zoning.

The Planning Board said that redevelopment at the North End was “necessary and overdue.” OK, why not tell that to the owners in 2007 and skip all the rest?  Is the project still “overdue” or is it not convenient now to say “overdue?”

Whether there were hidden financial motives, we cannot say, but for the Planning Board to conclude that the positives outweighed the negatives; that a hotel and condos would be better for the whole town than single family homes, is clearly, to any objective observer, a hoax.

On February 28, 2007, at a meeting of the Township of Neptune Planning Board, the Resolution 07-12 was presented, and a motion to approve was offered, and a vote was taken.

Resolution 07-12 is a “Resolution recommending that the Township Committee of the Township of Neptune designate certain properties as being in need of redevelopment (North End Ocean Grove.”)

That 22 page document mentions all the experts and citizens who spoke either for or against the plan, all the dotted i’s and crossed t’s, all the photos that showed how crummy conditions were at the North End, all the lawyers who weighed in, and the sworn witnesses which included Peter Avakian, the Township engineer.

The Resolution papers also mentioned that there were those who submitted written objections to the Resolution including former Mayor Joseph Krimko (now deceased,) Richard Seltzer, Esq., and Edward V. Kolling, PP, AICP (professional planner.)

The motion to approve the resolution was offered and then 5 Board members voted “Yes” including D. McCarthy, M. Hood, J. Shafto, W. Lapp and M. Golub. The Resolution needed 5 out of the 11 Board members for a legal vote.

No one voted “No” but there were six members of the Planning Board who were absent: R. Ambrosio, L. Berardi, A. Cardinale, W. Gizzi, J. Kortenhaus and I. Calderon. Why were so many board members absent for this vote? Can you guess?

If Dennis McCarthy, a Trustee of the OGHOA had voted “no” or even, along with the six others, had not shown up,  the Resolution would have gone down to defeat.

Finally, on page 19 of the Resolution, we have this quote:

“The Planning Board is of the unanimous belief that there is an immediate need for appropriate development in the subject North End/Ocean Grove (as referenced herein)— and that appropriate redevelopment is beneficial to the Township as a whole, and the residents of Ocean Grove.”

Editor’s Note:     Here is a quote from an October 2012 editorial by Blogfinger:   “We urge the people of Ocean Grove who care about preserving the charm, character and livability of this community to start paying attention to this process now…”

The Planning Board vote described above was borderline and was suspicious. Most members of the Board did not even vote. Eight years have gone by, and the current NERP should be trashed now, and the process, beginning with the Planning Board vote, should begin again—-this time with hundreds of Grovers attending the meeting.

Maybe this time we can get that “old black magic” working for the people of OG:

MICHELLE WILLIAMS.   From the movie My Week With Marilyn

Credit:  Mr. Jack Bredin of Ocean Grove for his invaluable research.

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