1913
Editorial by Paul Goldfinger
Whatever you might think about Kevin Chamber’s quixotic quest, he has gotten involved in issues that impact Ocean Grove’s future as a unique and wonderful historic town. Who else has taken an activist roll in these matters? There are some, but they are too few, and that needs to change . There are forces in town that threaten a very delicate balance here. Without more interest by the public, those forces will irreversibly change Ocean Grove in ways that we might not like.
Was Kevin wrong in pointing to large condo projects around town where no provisions were made for parking? Who was watching when those condos were approved? What has happened to our Demolition by Neglect ordinance? Do we have a good program to protect our historic houses? Who was watching when the Italianate Temple was built and who was watching when valuable parking spaces were lost to an ill conceived streetscape plan? Who is worrying about retaining our status on the historic register? And who will monitor the huge project planned at the north end and the fate of the Manchester Inn site?
Ocean Grove is a beacon for the survival of historic small towns throughout America. Such places are disappearing. Ocean Grovers have to realize that only citizen activism will keep the Grove as we want it. For the most part, the organizations in town have failed to get involved.
In particular, the Homeowners Association, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Historical Society need to form activist committees to monitor and gain expertise regarding all these issues and more. (Note: the OGHOA and the Historical Society did pass resolutions in 2010 regarding the north end development.)
Apathy is endemic in our society. Most of the time only a few care to be involved. But Ocean Grove is special. This is not about zoning in suburbia. Once you lose your history, you cannot get it back, nor can you get back the value of your home. If enough of you participate, you won’t have to spend a lot of time.
Finally, Blogfinger is the place to focus all the information , but we cannot do the research and the monitoring by ourselves. So please don’t send us assignments. Instead follow-up your ideas yourself and then send us your article or your information. You can stay anonymous. At least, stay involved in our on-line dialogues.