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Archive for the ‘Ocean Grove news’ Category

Blogfinger goes to Trenton to visit the New Jersey Site Improvement Advisory Board (SIAB)

Posted in Blogfinger Presents, Ocean Grove environmental concerns, Ocean Grove news, Ocean Grove RSIS issues, tagged , on October 18, 2018| 1 Comment »

Jack Bredin (L), Kevin Chambers (R) and Paul Goldfinger (photographer) represented Ocean Grove at the SIAB in December 2015.

 

By Paul Goldfinger, Editor and Jack Bredin, reporter/researcher for Blogfinger.net  (Ocean Grove, NJ)

The Site Improvement Advisory Board (SIAB)  is a regulatory board, part of the N.J. Department of Community Affairs.  The 12 appointed members meet quarterly to implement their task of regulating residential development in New Jersey.  They concern themselves with matters such as streets/parking, storm-water management, water supply, and sanitary sewers.  It provides engineering standards to ensure public health and safety.

Exceptions can be made to these standards   (“A municipality or a developer may individually or jointly request a waiver from a provision of the RSIS from the Site Improvement Advisory Board by showing that adherence to a particular provision presents a danger to public health and safety.“)*

The 12 members are all professionals representing various groups including planners, engineers, Builders Association, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Div. of Codes and Standards, and others.  This group is clearly devoted to protecting the citizens of New Jersey.

Remember when Neptune wanted to get an exception to the RSIS  (Residential Site Improvement Standards) regarding parking in Ocean Grove which would allow the floodgates to open for condoization all over town, gridlock, and a worsening parking situation?  So, when Blogfinger and some other Ocean Grove citizens showed up at that 12/15 meeting, the Neptuners took a look around and asked for their request to be cancelled.  It has not re-appeared on the agenda since then.

But we expect that exceptions will be requested again by Neptune with respect to the North End Redevelopment Plan.

So today, October  18, 2018, Jack and I went to a meeting of the SIAB in Trenton.  We were treated cordially by the Chairman Joseph  Doyle,Jr and by John Lago, administrator.  We were attracted to this meeting because of agenda items:  committee reports on storm-water and streets/parking, parking decks and large surface lots. And we were pleased to see that the Board  recognized us and were interested in why we were there.

We listened carefully to their discussions which were quite technical and not specifically about us, but it was important that the SIAB knows that Ocean Grove citizens have issues.

During the public portion, Jack stood up and read a statement which he wrote about Wesley Lake pollution and about the name change of that body of water. Jack reported that Neptune  had instituted an “illegal” name change on the tax map. He asked for “guidance” from the board about this matter.  We did not raise parking issues this time.

Chairman Doyle said the Wesley Lake matter was ” a very complicated issue,” but that his board could not “address it.”   He and other board members did however respond to Jack’s statement that the name change violated the requirements of the DEP’s Green Acre program of which Wesley Lake is part.

Mr. Doyle recommended that the matter be taken up with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection  (DEP) because this may be a violation of State and Federal laws.  At a personal level, the Chairman said that he has a home in Bradley Beach and was familiar with Ocean Grove and its lakes.

It is our belief that our ongoing relationship with the SIAB will help us monitor the efforts of Neptune Township to bypass regulations in Ocean Grove which also include zoning and land use improprieties. It will help to remind the SIAB that we are still around and active.

Note:  If you Google the SIAB, the last Blogfinger post on this subject comes up high on the list.  Also, a search of the BF search box on top will reveal some other posts about SIAB.

Blogfinger goes to Trenton in 2015

 

Wells, Jaworski and Liebman  law firm*

 

BOB DYLAN:

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OGHOA all over the map on parking. Rewriting history=fake news. Now they want to take credit for permit parking.

Posted in Blogfinger Presents, Ocean Grove news, Ocean GRove parking issues, Ocean Grove parking problems, tagged on August 13, 2017| 1 Comment »

 

 

Blogfinger supports resident permit parking, but it has to be done right. © BF flier. July 2017.

By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger.net

February 2017 HOA minutes:   “Parking Committee:   Joyce reported that at the regular meeting of  the Neptune Township Committee scheduled for Monday, February 27,  a resolution to adopt the Township  Committee’s  parking recommendations would be proposed. The recommendations include:  1. Angle parking on one side of Main Street and one side of Central Avenue and 2. Enforcement of the existing commercial parking regulations.”

No mention of permit parking.

April HOA minutes: “Parking report:  Joyce Klein reported that the Neptune Council will have a second  and final reading of the ordinance allowing for the potential addition of about 18 angle parking spots.”

No mention of permit parking.

May HOA minutes:    “Parking:    Richard Williams reported that the striping on Central Avenue is being done; striping at the west end of Main Avenue is yet to be done.”

No mention of permit parking

June HOA minutes : “Joyce Klein provided  an update on parking.  Angle parking has been put in place on Central and Main Avenues, resulting in a net gain of 18 parking spots.  The OGHOA parking committee will resume its efforts to bring about substantive changes to improve the parking situation in Ocean Grove.”

No mention of permit parking

July: no minutes  See link below.

July 8. Blogfinger poll asked if Grovers would support permit parking. 330 votes were cast.    58% said yes, but we suspected that the no votes were inflated.  And it’s hard to vote when the plan details have not been revealed by the Home Groaners. So some skeptics voted no, but if a good plan were conceived, we believe that they will vote “yes.”

July 11: Blogfinger article:   permit parking post by BF 7/11

July 21:  Blogfinger post on this subject:    BF July article about parking fake news

August 12, 2017        Email from Joyce Klein of the HOA:      “I know many have been attending the Township Committee meetings to speak out about the need for permit parking.  We have been effective in keeping the topic front and center and I am hopeful that we will see some action* on parking in the near future.”

(Editor’s note:  “some action* on parking.”  Talk about evasive use of language and fake news. The lack of transparency is evident. The Groaners need to be replaced!)

The HOA brought up the subject of permit parking last  year  (2016),  but when the Committee ignored them, they folded like a cheap camera and jumped on board for the 18 diagonal parking space solution.  There was no further mention of permit parking until recently when they say that they have been “keeping the topic front and center.” More fake news.

At the last Committee meeting the OG Home Groaners Ass. persuaded some Grovers to speak out during the public session, but the HGA never explained to the public what their permit parking plan will be.  Now again, they want the public to make noise at the Committee meeting coming up tomorrow, July 14.

But why should anyone be enthused about the Groaners’ current efforts when they have never made public their secret plan for permit parking?   We know it exists, because we saw it, and the reason they don’t reveal it is because they don’t want any push-back from the citizens.  The OG Home Groaners are like a secret society with its own agendas and they will even try to change history and spread fake news as  you can see above.

Meanwhile, Blogfinger posted 10 articles in the last two months, mostly to push for permit parking.  Just type in “permit parking” in the search block above.   2 of them are linked above.

Here’s an idea:  A Grover told me about the resident permit parking plan in Hoboken which works:

Most streets in Hoboken are designated on one side (the north or west side) as “Resident Permit Parking Only” with a green sign/white letters, and the other side (south or east side) as “Permit Parking Only” with a white sign and green letters. The remaining streets are typically in commercial areas and designated as metered (time limit) parking.

Hows that for looking after number one?

THE BAND PERRY:  “You Lie”

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First reading of changes to the HPC Guidelines. This will occur at the Township Committee Meeting on Monday, December 12, 7:00 pm. Objections being voiced.

Posted in Blogfinger Presents, Ocean Grove historical preservation, Ocean Grove news, Ocean Grove opinions, tagged on December 11, 2016|

 

This is why Grovers need to pay attention to HPC issues. Blogfinger file photo. ©

This is why Grovers need to pay attention to HPC issues. Blogfinger file photo. ©

The  Township Committee is having a first reading of the new HPC guidelines this Monday at 7:00.  The Historical Society sent out an unsigned email stating,
“These new guidelines are very damaging to the historic district and threaten our historic designation. I’m hoping to get a good showing at the meeting to voice our concern.
The draft can be found on the township web site under committee agenda for Dec. 12. Scroll all the way to the bottom .
Thanks for any help you can offer.”

Below is the official announcement by Neptune Township regarding the HPC guidelines ordinance:

ORDINANCE NO. 16-45

AN ORDINANCE AMENDING AND SUPPLEMENTING THE LAND DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCE OF THE TOWNSHIP OF NEPTUNE BY AMENDING SECTION 508, ENTITLED, “HISTORIC PRESERVATION DESIGN GUIDELINES”

WHEREAS, the Historic Preservation Design Guidelines have needed amendment from time to time based on changed circumstances,

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by the Township Committee of the Township of Neptune in the County of Monmouth in the State of New Jersey that the Land Development Ordinance, Volume II Section 508, entitled, “Historic Preservation Design Guidelines” is hereby amended as follows:

§508 – Historic Preservation Design Guidelines.

c. The Design Criteria in Guidelines: The aforesaid Guidelines, also known as the “Ocean Grove Historic District Architectural Design Guidelines for Residential Structures” are hereby adopted as an integral part of this Ordinance and incorporated in the Ordinance by reference to the Guidelines available as part of this Ordinance for review in the Clerk’s Office of Neptune Township. Future amendments to the Guidelines, where minor in nature; that is, not amending the entire Guideline document, may be amended by Resolution with all dates of amendments noted in the Guideline document.

All Ordinances or parts of Ordinances that are inconsistent herewith are repealed, but only to the extent of such inconsistency.

The amended Ordinance shall become effective immediately upon its passage and the publication as required by law.

APPROVED ON FIRST READING: APPROVED, PASSED, AND ADOPTED:

___________________________ Richard J. Cuttrell,
Municipal Clerk

___________________________ Kevin B. McMillan,
Mayor

 

Editor’s Note:    

Here is a link to read the guidelines:

www.neptunetownship.org/agendas-minutes/township-committee

Click on Dec 12 in the agenda column and then scroll down to Ordinance 16-45 and then keep scrolling down and you will find the Guidelines dated October, 2016.

But where are the latest changes?  Is there an official document that enumerates the changes?   And who wrote these Guideline changes and why?

Someone sent us a notice from the OGHOA which said, “A key change will limit application of the design guidelines to the street-facing facade only of a building. The result of this change alone is not difficult to imagine. The sides and backs of homes could be faced with different materials, and historically appropriate materials would no longer be a requirement on non-street-facing facades.”  

—Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger

 

ETTA JAMES

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Homeowners Association gets it wrong again: There is no new North End Plan, and Jack Bredin challenges the OGHOA at their last public meeting.

Posted in Blogfinger Presents, Ocean Grove news, Ocean Grove North End Redevelopment Plan, tagged on November 30, 2016| 5 Comments »

This photo of the North End is from our Oc tobver 30, 2016 post which said, "Nofrth End Plan celebrates its ninth anniversary of...broken promises. Blogfinger photo ©

This photo of the North End is from our October 30, 2016 post titled, “North End Plan celebrates its ninth anniversary of…broken promises.”   Blogfinger photo ©

By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger

In the October 30, 2016  BF article we said,  “Isn’t it time to bring in a new North End plan? This one is a losing proposition and should be replaced by something that will improve the town, not the developers and politicians. Where are the Home Groaners??”

We have made it crystal clear in multiple past articles that the only official North End Redevelopment Plan was passed by the Township Committee in 2008, and since then no changes have been made. Only the Township Committee can make changes and if they wanted to do so they would have to start the whole process over again including public hearings, redeveloper bidding, etc.  And note that the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association is still part of the plan as the land owner. WAVE is still  the redeveloper, and the identities of the people involved in WAVE have yet to be made public.

And finally no Redevelopers Agreement has been signed between WAVE and the Neptune Township Committee.

Regarding the so-called “New NERP,” below is a link to our last post regarding this subject.  It shows a concept drawing illustrating a sharp reduction in residential units.   Nothing has changed since this April 28, 2015 Blogfinger article.

Neptune Township Announces a New North End Plan

On November 26, 2016, at the latest OG Homeowners Assoc. meeting, one of the topics discussed was the North End redevelopment. Since the President was not present, the meeting was presided over by Vice President Richard Williams.

According to our reporter, Williams stated that he hoped the North End would “rise up and be re-developed.” Williams asserted that there was “a new plan which would cut the density in half.”

But he seriously misinformed the membership in a very public way.  He evidently didn’t know that  the “new plan”  lies dead and dormant  and thus is totally useless.

Certainly the Township Attorney, Gene Anthony, has never agreed that such a new plan has ever been legally approved, even though ex-Committeeman Randy Bishop spoke publicly about it in 2015,  as did HOA officials who have bragged in the past that they made the new plan happen.

At last Saturday’s meeting, during the public comment portion, Grover Jack Bredin brought out the truth that “the new plan was never approved by the Township.” He also reminded the HOA that the NERP is a public project, so there is no rationale for the HOA to make their case to the Camp Meeting Association.

He also responded to complaints by members at the meeting   that if they were worried about trash, weeds, sloppy fencing, or any other messes at the North End, that would be the Township’s job to correct, not the CMA.

It really would be a wonderful service if the Home Groaners actually told the truth to the public.  The HOA trustees should slow down, go out for coffee, and get their facts straight.

DAVID LOUD  and the cast of 70, Girls, 70.

 

 

 

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Jersey Shore Arts Center will not renew the lease of a gay organization. The press offers a muddled report regarding Ocean Grove.

Posted in Ocean Grove news, tagged on September 19, 2016| 6 Comments »

Jersey Shore Arts Center on Main Avenue in Ocean Grove, New Jersey. Internet photo.

Jersey Shore Arts Center on Main Street  in Ocean Grove, New Jersey. Internet photo.  (For those of you smartiepants who think we made an error in this address, this side of the building is on Main Street;  the other side is on Main Avenue.)

images

images-3

Ocean Grove.  September  16, 2016.

By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger.

About three years ago, a group called QSpot moved into the Jersey Shore Arts Center in Ocean Grove, NJ.  They put up a billboard in November, 2013,  on Main Street  to proudly announce their arrival.

This is what we said in Blogfinger about the photo below:

“We saw this banner today opposite the UPS store in the strip mall. I asked a gay friend about it, but she never heard of it. Consulting Google, I learned that this is a social group, founded in Asbury Park in December 2012. It will now be meeting in the lower level of the Jersey Shore Arts Center and its first open house was held last Sunday. It has about 100 members.

“If any of the members of this new Ocean Grove organization want to tell us about the Project, please contact Blogfinger.”

We never heard back from any of that group regarding what Q Spot was about.

Now we have received information that QSpot is an organization  which provides “services” to the LGBT community in this area.   The group thought it would have a long lease with the JSAC, but they were recently informed that the lease would  not be renewed.

Main Street sign announcing the arrival of QSpot in Ocean Grove. Blogfinger photo Nov. 2013. © Click to read the sign.

Main Street, Ocean Grove,  sign announcing the arrival of QSpot in Ocean Grove. Blogfinger photo Nov. 2013. © Click to read the sign.

The reason given by the landlord is that QSpot does not offer arts and education programs. That is the bottom line for those who get to rent space there.  John Mikytuck, the executive director of QSpot, disagrees regarding its programming.  He says that QSpot, founded in 2005, does offer such programs.

In an article by MaryAnn Spoto of NJ.com, she discusses the situation, but, as usual with the press, she fails to get the facts straight when speaking about Ocean Grove:

She said, “A community center providing services for gays and lesbians says it’s abruptly being thrown out of its office space in a Shore town that touts Christian beliefs but has had past struggles with gay couples.”

She also quoted Mikytuck as suggesting that the timing of the eviction notice indicates an anti-gay bias which he links to the Orlando shooting at a gay club.  This assertion is wildly out of order, and the reporter should have probed a bit before printing it.

After that she pursued the anti-gay, anti-Ocean Grove theory by saying, “Ocean Grove , a section of Neptune Township, has had past struggles with the gay community.”

She also mentioned the Camp Meeting Association as being guilty of bias regarding the Pavilion matter in 2007.  What in the world does the CMA have to do with this lease renewal situation, and certainly a good reporter would have determined the difference between the CMA and the town of Ocean Grove.

We will definitely  hear more about this situation, but hopefully, as they cover this story,  the press will do something about their muddled journalism.

MANDY HARVEY:

 

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Where have all the flowers gone?

Posted in Around the Grove with Jean Bredin, Ocean Grove downtown Main Avenue, Ocean Grove news, tagged on March 31, 2016| 2 Comments »

Ocean Grove Flower Shop on Main Avenue will not be in bloom this spring, Jean Bredin photo, Blogfinger staff. March 30, 2016. ©

Ocean Grove Flower Shop on Main Avenue will not be in bloom this spring, Jean Bredin photo, Blogfinger staff. March 30, 2016. ©

By Jean Bredin  (Around the Grove with Jean)

A favorite Rite of Passage in Ocean Grove has always been the profusion of colorful plants lined up welcoming Spring. You would forget about the cold, the snow, the grayness, the bleakness. The corner resembled the Paris flower markets. It was a destination. A place where you could be inspired.

Sadly, we will just have to imagine what it once was, and wonder if we will ever see it again.

JOAN BAEZ

 

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Kevin Chambers Comments About Parking in the Grove (2011 post on Blogfinger)

Posted in Ocean Grove news, tagged , , , , on November 21, 2015| 32 Comments »

Editor’s Note  (2015) : Kevin Chambers is a long time Ocean Grover who has brought suit against Neptune Township regarding  condominium projects  in town.

Kevin has never, in the past, commented on Blogfinger, but he decided to join the discussion in 2011.

–This article was originally posted on BF in January 2011, but it is as relevant now as it was then.   I think this 2011 post pretty much explains Kevin’s views in 2015, but perhaps we  will  hear from Kevin again now if he wants to bring us up to date with his views on zoning and parking in Ocean Grove.

—Note the interesting comments section from 2011 which can be added to now.

———Paul  Goldfinger . Editor  @Blogfinger

August 2012. Kevin Chambers, and OG histsorian, testifies at the HPC demolition hearing re: Whitfield Hotel on Surf Avenue. Paul Goldfinger photo ©

August 2013. Kevin Chambers, an OG historian, testifies at the HPC demolition hearing re: Whitfield Hotel on Surf Avenue. Paul Goldfinger photo ©

From Kevin Chambers of Ocean Grove:

The following is to address RSIS and parking in Ocean Grove:

In 1997 the State of New Jersey created the New Jersey Site Improvement Advisory Board that established “Residential Site Improvement Standards” (RSIS). RSIS is a part of the Municipal Land Use Law (MLUL) that governs all zoning in the state of New Jersey. Every town in the state, including Neptune, was mandated to amend its zoning to conform to RSIS.

Neptune, when amending its Land Development Ordinance in 2000, violated the MLUL and RSIS when it created the Historic District Oceanfront (HD-0) zone.
The Historic District of Ocean Grove, a section of Neptune, is the only development in the entire state, in which the township that governs it refuses to enforce RSIS.

The state wrote three letters informing Neptune that it is required by law to enforce RSIS. Neptune, seeking a way to circumvent the law, created an ordinance that prohibits driveways and curb cuts for Ocean Grove. Believing that the new ordinance gave Neptune the right to ignore RSIS, the Township continued permitting the conversion of unauthorized nonconforming apartments and hotels into condominiums without providing parking.
The Township, still in violation of RSIS, was then forced into seeking a waiver known as the “Special Area Standard” designation from the State. Neptune believed that the designation would permit the Board of Adjustment to continue its abuse of granting improper high density development within Ocean Grove, which in turn has lead to more car congestion on the streets.
The RSIS Board explained to Neptune’s representatives, that if Neptune enforced RSIS within Ocean Grove that it would prohibit improper high density uses that would in turn lessen the density of cars on the streets.

If Neptune acted responsibly and brought its zoning for Ocean Grove into conformity with the MLUL it then wouldn’t need to seek the designation from the state. The enforcement of RSIS would break the vicious cycle of permitting greater density in Ocean Grove at the expense and the detriment to Ocean Grove residents.
Even though all the committee members of the RSIS Board were well aware of Ocean Grove’s problems having visited Ocean Grove, the RSIS Board was forced to deny Neptune the “Special Area Standard” designation since Neptune’s zoning for Ocean Grove was and is in violation of the MLUL.

Even more troubling, Neptune was in violation of the “Open Public Meeting Act” when it sought the designation. Neptune is now required to hold open public meetings in which to provide a legitimate parking study in order to establish a need to seek a waiver from the state. Neptune must also bring Ocean Grove’s zoning into compliance with the MLUL before reappearing before the RSIS Board.

Solving Ocean Grove’s high density and over crowding of the streets doesn’t take “brainpower or innovation;”   it only takes following the law, the very law that every Committee member in the state is sworn to uphold.

To this very day, the Township continues to be in violation of the MLUL and continues to refuse to enforce RSIS. Both were created and designed for the protection of every resident of the state, including the residents of Ocean Grove. Every resident of Ocean Grove should be leery of any township committee person who hinders or who refuses to demand their enforcement.

Kevin Chambers

Editor’s credit:  Top photo was taken at the Historical Society of Ocean Grove Museum.   Blogfinger photo

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Blogfinger Breaking News : Law suit filed over new Main Avenue building.

Posted in Blogfinger Presents, Ocean Grove news, tagged on October 22, 2015| 35 Comments »

Fire destroys building at #50 Main Avenue in Ocean Grove. Stores and apartments are lost. CBC New photo

February fire destroys building at #50 Main Avenue in Ocean Grove. Stores and apartments are lost. CBC New photo

Fire damage. Rubble filled #50-54. #48 (L), site of Barbaric Bean is being renovated. Blogfinger photo. Prosper Bellizia. Ω©

Fire damage before cleanup. Rubble filled #50-54. #48 (L), site of Barbaric Bean is being renovated. Blogfinger photo. Prosper Bellizia. Ω©

Proposed new building at 50-54 Main Avenue

Proposed new building at 50-54 Main Avenue

By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger

We have just reported on a possible class action suit against Neptune Township regarding RISS parking standards. But now we bring another story to your attention.  The parameters for the planned new construction at the site of a  building destroyed by fire last February on Main Avenue is being challenged in court. It is planned that the new structure will contain stores, a restaurant and apartments.

Kevin Chambers, an Ocean Grove citizen, has filed a suit with the  New Jersey Superior Court in Freehold against Neptune Township  (Board of Adjustment) and  the owner of the building–Kurt Cavano.

Although we have not yet seen the paperwork, we are told by the plaintiff that the suit is about the zoning for this building which allegedly was changed to illegally increase density.  It has been re-zoned to a high density usage, and that is only allowed when there are hardship reasons.

In addition, the complaint alleges that the Township has approved this project without following RISS parking laws or offering disabled access as required by the ADA (Americans with Disability Act.)

This suit may delay the start of construction.  Among the businesses which are supposed to come back to this location is Yvonne’s Restaurant.

The attorney involved is not the same as the one who is planning to bring a class action suit against the Township over RISS standards.

The docket # (pubic record) is MON-L-3663-15.

Mr. Chambers also has advised us that he has other issues as well which he plans to address publicly with the Township.  We will continue reporting on this important story of a courageous  Ocean Grove citizen who is insisting on his rights as a homeowner in this town.

AMY WINEHOUSE   “Someone to Watch Over Me.”

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Citizen group forming to sue Neptune Township over RISS regulations.

Posted in Blogfinger Presents, Ocean Grove news, tagged on October 19, 2015| 8 Comments »

Will condos without parking arise at the Park View Inn location after it is demolished? Blogfinger file photo. ©

Will condos without parking arise at the Sea View Avenue Park View Inn location after it is demolished?  Probably not since the owner has promised the neighbors that single family homes will be built.   Ocean Grove, NJ. Blogfinger file photo. ©

Fun and games on Ocean Pathway. Look beyond the kids and see one of those big box condos without parking in the background. That is the heritage of Neptune Township.

Fun and games on Ocean Pathway 2014. Look beyond the kids and see one of those big- box condos without parking in the background. That is emblematic of how Neptune Township feels about the most historic street in town. Do you think it blends with the rest of the architecture nearby?  Paul Goldfinger photo ©

By Paul Goldfinger, Editor at Blogfinger.net

Monday, October 19, 2015.  Ocean Grove, NJ.

As we have reported, Neptune Township ordinances forbid off-street parking in Ocean Grove, thus violating State of New Jersey RISS  (Residential Site Improvement Standards) rules.  The Township has ignored those State standards even though the State  requires that local ordinances conform to State law. Ignoring the RISS rules allows developers to construct  multi-unit buildings without providing the mandatory parking off-street.

Today we have received the following news from Kevin Chambers, an Ocean Grove citizen, who has waged a one-man battle in recent years to force Neptune to conform to State RISS law:

“I have spoken with an attorney in Princeton about suing the township over RSIS. He said that If residents were willing to form a non-profit group he would sue the township for us. If anyone would be willing to join me in forming a non-profit group to sue the township, then please leave your name with Blogfinger.”

We will provide more information as it rolls in, but Blogfinger will serve as the home base for this citizen group to communicate and form a non-profit organization who’s goal is to force the Township to write the RISS rules into the Neptune Township zoning laws (ordinances.)  In addition it is anticipated that the class action suit will request money from the Township in order to sue the Township over and over as needed to block condominiums and other projects from being built without offering parking.

Those who volunteer to lend their names to this suit will not have to spend any of their own money. They may be asked to attend a meeting at some point.

I will not post your names on BF, and your names will not appear on the suit.  If you want to be considered as part of the group, please contact me at Blogfinger@verizon.net.  No action will be taken until we have stepped up and offered a group to the lawyer mentioned above.  We already have the first name on the list:  Kevin Chambers—-Ocean Grove hero.  We will find out how many names will be needed, but now’s your chance to step up to the plate.

Paul Goldfinger, Editor @ Blogfinger.net.

TALLY:  We have six if we count a couple as one.  The rules will be spelled out later, so please sign up if you are interested,  Right now, the more the merrier, and even if we don’t use everyone, this tally will show the level of interest, because it takes some passion and even courage to offer one’s name, and we want to show the passion.—-Paul

Here’s Blossom Dearie with a song dedicated to  Kevin Chambers:

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Who is Tony Campolo and will he fill more seats in the Great Auditorium than the Beach Boys?

Posted in Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association Activity, Ocean Grove controversies, Ocean Grove events, Ocean Grove issues, Ocean Grove news, Ocean Grove opinions, tagged , on August 14, 2015| 3 Comments »

Inside the Great Auditorium, June, 2007. This image appears in Bell, Bell and Dufresne's definitive history of the GA. By Paul Goldfinger © Blogfinger.net

Inside the Great Auditorium, June, 2007. This image appears in Bell, Bell and Dufresne’s definitive history of the GA. By Paul Goldfinger © Blogfinger.net

By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger:

It turns out that Tony Campolo is a well known Baptist Evangelical preacher.   He has been to the GA many times in the past and has a reputation for being a very entertaining speaker.

In recent times, he has caused some controversy because of his opinions about gays and about gay marriage. According to OGU, he is an “activist” who has “publicly expressed his support for the inclusion of same-sex couples in the church. ”

According to OGU, he has said, “I am finally ready to call for the full acceptance of Christian gay couples into the church.”

Rev. Tony Campolo. Internet photo.

Rev. Tony Campolo. Internet photo.

Ordinarily Blogfinger would take no interest in the GA Sunday sermons, except this time a local organization, Ocean Grove United, has called for its members and friends to “welcome” Rev. Dr. Tony Campolo when he comes here Sunday to be the guest speaker.

Is this the first time that an organization other than the CMA has formally planned to “welcome” a speaker at the Sunday sermons?

But what interests us the most at Blogfinger is that OGU, in a follow-up email, has not only repeated its notice to supporters to “make every effort to attend” on Sunday, but now they say that Rev. Campolo “has received a great deal of flack for supporting the lgbt community, and those who disagree with him will not turn out for his program. It is extremely important for the CMA to see that Ministers who preach love will pack the house. Please tell friends and neighbors as well.”

Is that true that only Campolo’s supporters plan to show up?

In addition OGU asks its supporters to “gather outside the auditorium at 9:30” The service begins at 10:30 am.

So, without making any judgments, I have to say that this sounds like a political demonstration/message and thus meets our criteria as news. Even if a group gathers one hour before the event, and even if there are no signs or chants, their very presence will carry a powerful message as described above,

This is not the first time that a situation like this has occurred in the Grove, and this conflict will affect the entire town in one way or another. No matter how Sunday morning unfolds, Blogfinger will report on it.  Those of you who attend can email us with your views or you can comment under this post.

 

THE MORMON TABERNACLE CHOIR WITH THE PHILADELPHIA BRASS ENSEMBLE:   “Abide With Me; ‘Tis Eventide.”

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Here’s the new shovel-your-walk ordinance. Whereas, thereof, and ordained…

Posted in Ocean Grove news, tagged on July 16, 2015| 10 Comments »

Kristen's Alley. Ocean Grove. Undated. By Paul Goldfinger © Blogfinger.net

KrisAnna’s Alley. Ocean Grove. Undated. By Paul Goldfinger © Blogfinger.net

Ordinance no 15-27

An ordinance to amend volume 1, chapter XIII of the code of the Township of Neptune by Amending section 13-2 entitled “Removal of Snow and Ice”

Whereas, the Township Committee of Neptune believes that there is a need to modify the ordinance with regard to the removal of snow and ice from sidewalks in the township of Neptune.

Now therefore be it ordained by the Township[ Committee of the Township of Neptune, County of Monmouth and State of New Jersey, that the Township Committee hereby amend section 13-2 entitled, “Removal of Snow and Ice” as follows:

13-2 Removal of snow and ice

13-2.1 Responsibility for removal; time.

The owners and tenants of lands abutting or bordering upon the sidewalks of the public streets and highways in the township shall remove, or cause to be removed, from sidewalks in front of or bordering on their lands, all snow and ice within 12 hours of daylight after the same shall be formed or fallen thereon.

Any person violating this ordinance outside a school zone shall be fined $50.00 per day for each and every day the violation exists, for the first occurrence;  $100.00 for each and every day the violation exists for a second  occurrence; and $150.00 per day for each and every day the violation exists for a third occurrence;  and $500.00 per day for each and every day the violation exists for all subsequent violations.  The Court can also impose a period of community service not to exceed 90 days or any combination thereof.

Ain’t cha glad we have this?   DAVID JOHANSEN  from The Aviator

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Annual Independence Day Parade 2015: Ocean Grove, New Jersey.

Posted in Ocean Grove Gallery, Ocean Grove July 4, Ocean Grove lifestyle, Ocean Grove Musical Event, Ocean Grove news, Photo news from Ocean Grove, Photograph by Paul Goldfinger, Photographic Gallery: New Jersey, Photographic Gallery: Ocean Grove, tagged , , on July 4, 2015|

Slide show can be viewed by clicking on any image and then following the arrows.

UNITED STATES MARINE BAND with John Phillip Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever”—America’s March by an act of Congress. Turn on music before viewing photos:

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Two new restaurants to come to Main Avenue. No one will go hungry in the Grove.

Posted in Ocean Grove news, Photography: Jersey Shore Gallery, Photography: Ocean Grove Gallery, tagged on May 6, 2015| 4 Comments »

Nagle's counter. Paul Goldfinger photo.©

Nagle’s counter. Paul Goldfinger photo.©

Coffee at the bakery on Main Avenue in Ocean Grove. 2013 © Paul Goldfinger photo

Coffee at the bakery on Main Avenue in Ocean Grove. 2013 © Paul Goldfinger photo

By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger

This news is unofficial, but a well placed source has told us that the Pizza Shoppe has been sold and will be replaced by a pizza place that will also serve other sorts of items on the menu such as sandwiches.  In addition they will have a “coffee bar” and will continue their outside seating. This may turn out to be the closest thing for now to a “real coffee shop” in town. (such as the America’s Cup or the Barbaric Bean.)  Coffee shops have become a sort of cultural go-to place across this country, and that is why most happening downtowns have such shops.

The source pointed out that you can already buy coffee at the OG Bakery, Nagle’s, and the Daily Bread, and that is true, but it’s not quite the same.

The other location of interest, i.e. the site of the former Barbaric Bean, will become a Cuban restaurant.  That seems odd because there already are two:  one on  the boardwalk in Asbury Park.  (Cubacan);  and the other is the Cuban Café at Memorial and 3rd  Ave. in Asbury Park

As far as the totally burned out property at 50 Main, currently an empty lot, there is no sign of construction, but Yvonne’s, we are told, is coming back and will even have a second floor.

Our source tells us that there is a “real need” for more eateries in town, because when the town is hopping, such as on a summer Saturday night, people are walking around with their tongues hanging out, looking for a casual bite.

Tea time at Nagle's. Paul Goldfinger photo ©

Tea time at Nagle’s. Paul Goldfinger photo ©

 

ASTRUD GILBERTO   “Summer Samba”

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