Sam of OG Surf and Skate on Main Avenue where the toy shop used to live (next door to Cheese on Main) Paul Goldfinger photo @Blogfinger. May 23, 2015. Click to enlarge.
Photo and text by Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger
Samantha (“Sam”) Scordato is the 25 year old proprietor of the OG Surf and Skate, a specialty store that sells surf boards, skate boards, accessories and life style clothing (bathing suits, shirts and what to wear when boarding.) When she told me that she carries wax and leashes, I looked again to see if I had stumbled on a sex shop. But no such luck.
The business used to be located beneath the Majestic Hotel. Some of you may recall that shop. Currently they are in the strip mall outside the gates of the Grove, but only until that lease is up. But Sam will be the only employee at the Main Avenue OG store, and they are now open—daily 9:30-7.
Sam carries beginners (“starters”) equipment for both sports as well as more advanced gear. She says that she prefers to deal with “small brands” instead of major suppliers because she, herself is a small business.
The S and S shop (to be distinguished from S and M shop which will open on Main next year) will be open year round. Sam says that winter is a prime time of year for ocean surfers.
Today Sam and her parents are busy organizing the shop, so you can stop by and say hello. She is an effervescent young lady, less than five feet vertically, but with an extra large personality. Her shirt says “Brooklyn South Homicide Squad” so evidently she knows somebody who knows somebody.
Ocean Grove United has kindly supplied Blogfinger with highlights from the Community Leaders Meeting presented by the OGCMA:
1. North End Boardwalk – The boardwalk will be widened to 30 feet and will be composed primarily of Trex. FEMA will pay for 90% of the cost to replace the original width of boardwalk and CMA will pay the additional amount for the expansion. DEP approval is still required because the project will require pushing back the dunes. Every effort is being made to complete the project by the summer.
2. Saturday night concert schedule – Bookings have been made with the Beach Boys, Kenny Rogers, Garrison Keilor, Paul Anka, a Four Seasons tribute band, and the Lovin’ Spoonful and the Rascals.
3. Great Auditorium roof – It has proven difficult to find suitable materials. The Revere company is making a comparable material and hopefully will be in production by the end of March.
4. Ocean Grove Hardware groundwater remediation – The tanks for old gas pumps on the site of the Ocean Grove Hardware store were removed in the 1990’s. The groundwater has been checked, but some work remains to sink temporary wells on the site. This project will be completed in a year or two.
On November 12, we posted an item regarding testing to be done by the DEP on Main Avenue by the toy store. We had no details at that point, however, today we heard from J.P. Gradone, the COO/Executive Director of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association. His comments are below, and we thank him for helping us get the story straight.
“Let me update you and give some clarification as to the matter of the fuel tank remediation at the hardware store. As you may be aware, over 20 years ago several fuel tanks were removed from an area in front of the hardware store. At that time, some soil contamination was detected and a remediation plan initiated by our Environmental Consultant.
“The additional temporary monitoring wells that will be installed on Monday, will be the next step in our process towards the closing of this case. Oversight of this project is being done by our Environmental Consultant who specializes in groundwater/soil remediation, and works in cooperation with the NJDEP. Although this is a long and expensive process, the Camp Meeting is committed to bringing this to a successful end.“
Today, the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association received word from Congressman Chris Smith’s office that the CMA has been awarded a $2,377,329.00 grant by FEMA toward the reconstruction of our boardwalk. It appears that these funds are primarily for the Phase 1 project involving the Middle Beach which stretches from the beach office by Embury, north to the Boardwalk Pavilion.
Officials of the CMA will meet with FEMA next week to discuss the exact parameters of this grant.
Dale Whilden, President of the CMA, said tonight that this announcement represents Congressional approval of the funding and that it is one of a number of final steps that have to be taken in this process.
Dr. Whilden said, in a statement tonight, that “we are grateful for the ongoing assistance and advocacy of Congressman Chris Smith, Governor Chris Christie, Mark Ferzan (Exec. Director of the Governor’s Office of Recovery and Rebuilding,) Ocean Grove’s state legislators State Sen. Jennifer Beck, Assemblywomen Caroline Casagrande and Mary Pat Angelini, Neptune Township Committeepersons specifically Mayors Randy Bishop and Eric Houghtaling, as well as Neptune Township official Mike Bascom, Rich Cuttrell and Vito Gadaleta.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: Thank you to CMA President Dale Whilden for allowing Blogfinger to post this happy announcement ahead of other media. Rep. Chris Smith is obviously helping us to achieve our reconstruction goals here in Ocean Grove, but maybe he can find an opportunity to come to the Grove, visit the construction site, and meet some of our citizens.
The same for the Governor who has yet to go down to the ocean and see our construction site. He will probably be in town for the Law Enforcement Memorial on May 20. Perhaps he will take the time to walk down to the beachfront in view of all the visits he has made to nearby beach towns which were hit by Sandy, as we were. —-PG
#11 Ocean Pathway summer 2013. Compared to 2011 photos below, flower boxes and fretwork have been added. Amira photo. Click left to enlarge.
May 7, 2014. Ocean Grove, New Jersey.
A Blogfinger exclusive.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger
Gail Shaffer, President, Historical Society of Ocean Grove, received a letter today advising her of the award for #11 Ocean Pathway. Gail had nominated the 1875 Victorian for the award and she was thrilled with the news—you could hear it in her excitement as she told Blogfinger of this very special commendation.
The official letter from the Monmouth County Historical Commission is dated May 5, 2014 and is signed by John Fabiano, Executive Director. In the letter, Mr. Fabiano referred to the house as a “careful restoration”
The award will be presented to the owners, Amira Yunis and Dudley Hancox along with their designer Jay Cortese at the next Commission meeting on June 2nd. Fabiano also said, “How fortunate we are in Monmouth County to have such a wonderful example of a 19th century planned urban community in Ocean Grove. Your creative efforts to authentically resort your Victorian there while abiding by modern building standards and historic preservation design guidelines is commended. ”
In October 2011, Blogfinger reported on this restoration which had received a Beersheba Award at that time. Below is our article including a slide show.
By Eileen and Paul Goldfinger (Oct, 2011 post)
When Amira Yunis and Dudley Hancox of New York City thought about a second home near the beach, their first reaction was “The Hamptons.” They had envisioned one of those beachy-weather-beaten cottages found at the Long Island shore, but then they visited a friend in Asbury Park who showed them 11 Ocean Pathway, a 5-bedroom house from 1871 with lots of potential. Even though, according to Amira, it looked “dark and dreary” and had many layers of wall paper and fabric on the walls, it also had numerous historic features including original windows. And, of course, there was the ocean and the peaceful low-stress atmosphere in the Grove. Amira and Dudley “fell in love” with the house. They purchased it three years ago.
They then embarked on a historically authentic restoration of the outside. After some initial contractor problems, they got together with Ocean Grove Victorian home design consultant Jay Cortese, and together, after an arduous three years, the finished product is spectacular.
Jay is a designer who is obsessive about historic accuracy. His goal was to take the house back from 1931, when it had been “colonialized,” to 1875 which was the date of a photograph that would be the gold standard for the project. He searched near and far for elements, both old and new, such as chamfered columns, pent roofs for the porches — with hand cut cedar shakes, bronze window screens and special rafter tails. He found “clues” under the 1930’s porch that enabled him to reproduce decorative cutouts with diamond “piercings.” A big element involved changing the location of the front door from the side to the center. Jay designed the new double front doors and replaced the old entrance with a window to match the original windows on the first floor.
Jay says that the secret to success in a situation like this is to find superior craftsmen. He singles out the master carpenter Carlos Correia, who Jay says is “one of the rare few blessed with the creative abilities necessary to work on old buildings.”
Amira loved the color purple, while Jay preferred shades of green, so those colors were chosen. She is from Minnesota, while Dudley is from England. They come down every summer weekend with their four children.
Much of their time is spent on the new porch. The couple say that they feel very much at home in Ocean Grove. They are taking advantage of the “Asbury Connection” and they have made new “wonderful” friends in the Grove.
SLIDE SHOW from 2011: 11 OCEAN PATHWAY (click at the bottom to reveal a control where you can stop the photos for a closer look)
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SOUNDTRACK: To restore an old house in Ocean Grove has meaning which transcends just making a home look good. It is a reaching back in time to try to imagine what it was like nearly 140 years ago. It is a form of time travel to revisit a special place. And so it has something in common with any effort to bring history back to life.
That’s what Bruce Springsteen did when he recorded this song in his album “We Shall Overcome—-the Seeger Sessions.” His musicians used authentic period instruments. Shenandoah was first published in 1876 as part of a collection of Sailors’ Songs. —-PG
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: To bring up the music player, click on comments below. Then use the back arrow to get back here.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger Monday, April 28, 2014. In an extraordinary act of reverse diplomacy, Pres. Anne Horan of the OG Home Owners Association, went to the microphone at the Neptune Township Committee meeting for her 5 minutes of fame, only to insult the Committee by saying that they are not doing enough for the derelict housing problem in the Grove. She said that she was “stunned” that the Committee would suggest that residents participate in the process of finding solutions and that the Committee had failed to deal effectively with wrecks like 80 Main Ave.
Horan was reacting to an earlier suggestion from the dais that neighbors should write letters of complaint to owners of derelict houses. Committeeman Eric Houghtaling was uncharacteristically angry as he protested her assertions, and Committeewoman Mary Beth Jahn practically jumped out of her seat as she raised her voice to say that the Committee had accomplished more in the last eight years than in the twenty prior to that when it comes to the problem of derelict houses. She said that they have been working tirelessly to solve this issue including using demolition by neglect, court cases, and over $100,000 to “chase those owners.” “There’s a process that must be followed,” she said, “but that process takes a long time.” Jahn accused the HOA of attacking the Committee. “We’re not dong enough?” she asked. “This is the wrong tack for the HOA to use against us.”
The Committeewoman complained that the OG Home Owners Association had treated members of the Committee (Bishop and Houghtaling) disrespectfully when they appeared last Saturday at the HOA meeting, and that she was angry about that. She said that the process is more difficult because the owners don’t want to do the needed work on their properties and that they would prefer to have their buildings demolished. She admitted that the process hasn’t worked, and she thought that the Camp Meeting might be helpful in participating in the effort to save the historic buildings. Mayor Brantley said, “We are frustrated and we will keep trying to do something.”
Horan was not the only speaker to question the progress being made at town hall. HOA Trustees Ken Buckley and Joan Venezia also had some criticisms of their own to make at the microphone. Venezia wanted the Committee to move faster in implementing a process called “certified local government,” and Buckley waved a copy of a legal paper from Rutgers, suggesting that the Committee do more homework. Kathy Arlt, of Ocean Grove, was upset that 80 Main Ave. continues to fall apart while nothing is done. She also mentioned violations at 103 Franklin Ave while complaining that the Township has done practically nothing in using liens to deal with the problem. She claimed that the Township had done more in this regard out in Neptune proper.
Sometimes the best is left for the end—-this was a three hour public meeting with a fair share of fireworks. An angry citizen came to the microphone and said, “You are buying in my name and sticking me with the interest.”
Michael Bascom, the Township’s Chief Financial Officer, replied to her by giving a brilliant, off-the-cuff summary of how government works to avoid overspending and over borrowing. She walked out before he finished, but his statement should be printed and made public . If they send it to me, I will post it on Blogfinger.
Friday, March 7, 2014: We learned this news today from J.P. Gradone, COO of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association
“Yesterday, Neptune Township awarded the contract for the middle boardwalk to Epic Management, Inc. in the amount of $1,135,570. The contract must be approved by the Township Committee on Monday night. Upon approval of the Township Committee, the contractor will begin preparation for mobilization, which includes any required bonding, material procurement, and pre-construction meetings. No official start date has been announced, but the boardwalk should be completed sometime this summer.”
Epic Manaagement is based in Piscataway and has been in business since 1971.
