Jason Tramm, Director of Music Ministries for the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association. 2014. By Paul Goldfinger . Blogfinger.net.
Being a conductor, Maestro Tramm often has his back to the audience so here he is in a rare frontal view. This image was obtained at the September 1, 2014 annual Camp Meeting Association Labor Day public summary* of the season’s successes.
Jason Tramm is a young man who is considered a rising star in the music world. In Ocean Grove he manages an ambitious program of choral, orchestral and oratorial works. He believes that adding music to inspirational words creates a powerful combination, so he plans even more great choral works in the Great Auditorium next season.
But Maestro Tramm, like all great musicians, appreciates music that crosses over the genre divides.
To hear Itzhak Perlman play klezmer or Dick Hyman crossing over from classical to jazz, or, as in this case, the great late operatic soprano Eileen Farrell performing pop music shows how that works.
And so it is with Jason Tramm who brings us all sorts of music in the Grove. Hopefully he will be able to cross those divides regularly in the Great Auditorium so that a variety of audiences can enjoy his versatility.
EILEEN FARRELL: What music can we post to go with Jason’s photo? Putting up an opera aria is too easy.
Here is Eileen Farrell with “The More I See You” by Harry Warren and Mack Gordon.
* 2022: Note that the CMA did not have their public meeting this past Labor Day. We can speculate on that change, but not now.
And we noted above that Jason Tramm is a strong believer in enhancing words with music. We feel the same way on Blogfinger, so most of our posts are coupled with music, just as music always enhances movies.
In our case, the pairing of music with still photography, poetry and even opinion pieces is still an original idea of ours, and we will continue.
At one point in Blogfinger history, one of our editors complained that we were posting too much music, but I believe that music is something that we humans naturally appreciate, somewhere in our brains, so we will keep it up, and many of you have told us that you love the music.
This photograph in front of the Tabernacle represents the secular side of Ocean Grove. Paul Goldfinger photo. 8/30/2019. Blogfinger.net
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor Blogfinger.net. August 30, 2019.
Over the years I attended many of the annual Labor Day meetings sponsored by the OGCMA. They usually consisted of reports by each of the departments involved with CMA functions. Usually the reports were enthusiastic and optimistic, and for those involved with the CMA mission, it was a satisfying event, lasting about 90 minutes.
What was unique was the idea that this was a meeting for the public to attend if it so chose. I usually took notes and posted the news for Blogfinger, and I would get to speak to some of the participants. People from the community came out of interest or curiosity, but sometimes they came because they had an “axe to grind.”
At the end of the meeting there was an open mike, and anyone could go to the mike with a question for the CMA President. Sometimes the question would be critical of CMA policies or would try to clarify some point of interest that was causing friction. For some, the open mike was the best part of the Labor Day meeting because it was dramatic, interesting and sometimes startling. Usually the CMA President was quite deft at deflecting criticisms.
Well, it seems that the CMA has decided to abandon that tradition. This year there will be an event held on Sunday 5 pm in the Auditorium Pavilion. The public is not invited since the announcement says “for friends of the organization.”
I didn’t get an invitation nor would I want to go, but someone sent their copy to me (below).
There will be a picnic in the Pavilion followed by a hymn sing in the Tabernacle followed by a “praise report meeting that celebrates the blessings we have experienced this season.”
And there will be no open mike (ie no surprises) during the part where questions are usually asked of the CMA. Instead, those who received the email invitation can send in their questions in advance.
So it appears that the CMA is in no mood to be surprised by an open mike, and for those who submit questions, there is no promise that their questions would be answered. In fact, it is unclear if the questioner can be present for the answer or if the questioner can ask his approved question or respond to the answer.
If any of you want to react to this change, feel free to comment below.
I always thought that it was generous of the CMA to let us all (those interested) hear such transparent information. And I thought that those asking embarrassing questions were out of line. I never asked a question.
Most OG citizens won’t care about this change, and those fair minded individuals who hear this news will understand that the CMA is in the midst of redefining itself, and that it is not our business to expect everything from this private organization to be transparent.
On the other hand, surely the CMA understands that some of what they do will generate skepticism because they are in the public arena and what they do may impact all of us who live in the Grove.
On Blogfinger, the religious beliefs of the CMA are not our concern. But their public policies will continue to be discussed here and we do offer an open mic for those who have something wise, tolerant, fair, and useful to say about our friends at the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association.
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN “Jacob’s Ladder.”
We are climbing Jacob’s ladder Yeah, we are climbing Jacob’s ladder We are climbing Jacob’s ladder We are brothers, and sisters, all
From the album We Shall Overcome–the Seeger Sessions.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger. Be sure to read the comments below from 2015. Others can be added now (2022)
Ocean Grove United foolishly bowed out of the ceremonies in Auditorium Square Park today. The event was to thank everyone who participated in the Together Campaign. The word Together in the title was chosen for a reason—–all components of the Ocean Grove community joined together to work towards a complete Sandy recovery, and that included the OGU membership and leadership.
Now, because one man said certain things in a religious service seven days ago, this group was willing to cast aside a relationship that has been three years in the making. Why is that a good idea? Do you OGU members really want to divorce yourselves from your town over this? Do you really believe that Ocean Grove is a place that is anti-gay? Is that your message to a town that has embraced the gay community?
I know more gay people in this town than I ever knew in my entire life. I have learned so much about that community and I am happy to be in a place that is exemplary in its tolerance.
OGU members: How about finding a different way to deal with the current situation, one that will continue to bring everyone together and to focus on what’s right and good in this very special town.
CHRIS MARTIN (Coldplay) “Us Against the World.”
“The tightrope that I’m walking just sways and ties
The devil as he’s talking with those angel’s eyes
And I just want to be there when the lightning strikes
And the saints go marching in..”
Youth Temple: Community joins together to raise money after Sandy. c. 2014 Paul Goldfinger photo
By Paul Goldfinger, MD, Editor @Blogfinger (April, 2015 ). Update in 2020 and repost in 2021.
On January 13, 2013, about 300,000 marchers converged on Paris to oppose the idea of legalizing gay marriage in France.
Earlier that week, the Episcopal Diocese of the Washington, D.C. area announced that gay marriage ceremonies will be held in the National Cathedral, the 6th largest in the world. In 2013, the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of gay marriage in two cases, the first such cases since they last looked at it 10 years before.
So far, 37 states and the District of Columbia allow gays and lesbians to marry including New Jersey which joined the group on October 21, 2013.
The issue has been contentious in those states where, so far, gay marriage has not been legalized, although there are civil union laws in some states. Now, about 75% of the population lives in places where gay marriage is legal.
Gay marriage also is a cause for debate by many religions in the US and around the world. The Episcopal church has had a wrenching controversy about gay marriage, and their ruling, which allows such ceremonies in states where it is legal, has caused members and parishes to leave the church.
The United Methodist Church has been discussing changing its policies. Many Fortune 500 corporations have given support to the gay marriage movement. Public opinion has been changing rapidly in that direction as well, and President Obama has reversed himself on the subject. Now over 50% of citizens polled across the country support gay marriage.
Currently the Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments regarding whether same sex marriage is a a right under the 14th amendment regarding equal protection under the laws. That ruling will be issued in June.*
Ocean Grove received state-wide and national attention over the 2007 Pavilion controversy. The Camp Meeting Association had refused to allow a lesbian couple have a civil union ceremony in the Boardwalk Pavilion, and later the State of New Jersey ruled the CMA guilty of discrimination. It resulted in the formation of a gay rights organization in the Grove (Ocean Grove United.)
But the brouhaha in the Grove was not about civil unions per se, nor did it have anything to do with gay marriage. It wasn’t even about the tenets of the Methodist Church to ban gay unions and marriages in their churches. Instead it was about discrimination in that one building.
The Boardwalk Pavilion was judged to be a public place, so turning the gay couple away on religious grounds was ruled discriminatory by the State. And this event in Ocean Grove became part of the fabric of the gay rights movement in New Jersey.
Some wondered whether the Grove would get a reputation as being an anti-gay town and if our town would become a lightening rod for gay issues which might erupt with any local provocation such as the 2013 refusal of the Asbury Park Council to support the OG FEMA appeal. That refusal was based on the views of some Asbury councilmen who connected the Pavilion matter to their decision to support The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association or not with the FEMA appeal, and they chose not. (Subsequently they wisely changed their minds.)
In 2012, when Kirk Cameron came to speak about marriage in the Great Auditorium, there was a demonstration involving perhaps 200 people who protested his appearance because of anti-gay rhetoric which supposedly had expressed elsewhere. The event resulted in a great deal of publicity, even though no actual anti-gay rhetoric on his part occurred then in the Grove.
In July 2013, when Mike Huckabee came to preside at Sunday services in the Great Auditorium, a meeting was held to discuss free speech in the Grove. In attendance were officials of the Camp Meeting and of Ocean Grove United. Just the fact of such a meeting points up how sensitive these issues can be in this town.
Ocean Grove is a unique village, not only because of the significant presence of a religious-based group that follows the tenets of the Methodist Church, but also because of a relatively large gay community living here.
It is fundamentally a tolerant town, but because of past experiences as outlined above, we need to keep our eyes on LGBTQ issues and try to prevent any more brush fires from igniting the whole forest.
The recent initiative of working together for the good of the town sprang from a natural disaster—Superstorm Sandy (2012.) It created a model for everyone in the Grove to continue this neighborly attitude where everyone works for the common good.
And besides, any issue which is important to a significant number of Grovers should attract the attention of the rest of us.
2020 Update:
On June 26, 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled, in a 5-4 decision, that same sex marriage be legalized in all states.*
The United Methodist Church has 13 million members worldwide. They have been struggling for over 50 years with concerns surrounding the issues of marriage equality and gay clergy.
Now, the Church is on the threshold of dividing into two branches over these controversies by forming a splinter group—a “traditionalist” Methodist denomination.
Evidently, the stage is set for the two-Church solution to become policy at a meeting in May to be attended by Church officials from all over the world including about 30% from Africa. About 55% are American.
We haven’t heard of any official notice from the OGCMA regarding which group it will associate with, but our sources tell us that the CMA will retain its past “traditional” approach in these matters.
The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association is not a church, but it has formed an affiliated Ocean Grove Church which will be meeting at St. Paul’s in the off-season and at the beach in season. We understand that the new church will have a “brick and mortar” location on Embury Avenue, but no details have been announced.
We all remember the controversies which surfaced in 2007. Those wounds could be easily reopened without vigilance in the Grove.
So this topic regarding the split is of interest to many of us who live here and those from out of town who also care. After Sandy, Blogfinger received 25,000 visits in one day from all over the world, so we do know that there are many who care about Ocean Grove.
Here is a link to a very good update on this topic. It seems to be a fair presentation by VOX an on-line news site, although VOX is generally a left leaning source.
As usual, comments are welcome here on Blogfinger.
2021 update: The UMC has decided to delay a split in their church until 2022. Meanwhile a conservative. “traditionalist” group called “The Global Methodist Church” will leave the UMC regardless of the eventual decision of the General Conference.
Other churches will also not wait. Many of those are “Progressive.”
The main issues have to due with ordination and marriage of LGBTQ people.
The OGCMA , a remarkable and unique organization, is in the awkward position of being irreversibly woven into the fabric of Ocean Grove, NJ—the Town.
The CMA is a private entity, and as such, it rarely offers much information publicly regarding its attitudes and plans, especially as it pertains to the town.
But as much as it wants to be private, it is often part of the conversation about parking, zoning, crowding, tourism, historic preservation, commercialism, etc. And sometimes it does go public, as when its spokesman threatened to sue the town if they so much as discussed permit parking.
As another example, it dropped out of its official role as Co-redeveloper of the North End Redevelopment Plan where it is the land owner. But it still is in the middle of that controversial situation, raising questions as to how much it cares about the town of OG and the life styles of its largely secular residents—- the largest faction in town.
A former CMA President told me during an interview some years ago that “the CMA cares little about the town’s problems—it is all about its religious mission.” And, of course, that is understandable, but they cannot avoid some public concerns, and they do recognize that. They are also residents and building owners and tax payers.
Which brings us to parking. We know the CMA cares about parking, because they worry where all their religious tourists will park, and their growing programming will bring thousands more to town in 2020 as they strive towards a year round presence.
But now, they evidently see red lights flashing with the arrival of the BPA. At the Committee meeting on Dec. 9 they sent President Badger who announced that the CMA will “fund and conduct its own parking survey in the near future.” They have already selected a company to perform a “parking assessment.”
But despite the optimistic spin of the BPA, Badger told the Coaster reporter that the CMA is opposed to the BPA plan because “it would fundamentally change the town.” He also is quoted as saying, “There are many aspects to the parking problem in OG since it is not only a bedroom community, but also one with an active beachfront, a business district and events scheduled.”
Yes, but other shore communities with the same descriptors don’t have the large CMA presence which Badger doesn’t mention in his “aspects” description above. This is not a typical shore town because of the CMA. So let’s define the problem accurately.
And now the Mayor has asked that all proposals be “examined by a joint task force of the OGCMA, the BPA, and the Chamber of Commercials.”
How about the Groaners? Evidently the Mayor thinks that they have nothing to add despite their efforts in the past on parking.
She said, “There is no perfect solution that will make everybody happy.”
That is true, but the CMA’s track record tells us that they won’t be happy unless a plan provides them with all the parking that they need.
* All quotes are from the December 12 edition of the Coaster.
On August 18, we posted excerpts of the OGCMA statement to the Township regarding parking permits. As you recall, the COO threated a law suit over this matter. After that (see above) we questioned the meaning of some of the language found in that statement.
Since then, there has been a brisk debate here about this subject, so it seemed only fair now to post the entire OGCMA statement.
To maintain context, you can go to that August 18 post (link below) and click on ” comments” to find the entire speech. In it are some questionable facts, but you can judge for yourself. Here is the link:
This announcement was received today by Blogfinger. It was addressed to “all concerned” No other information is available. If any of our readers have opinions or facts about this matter, please comment below:
From Dale Whilden, President of the CMA:
“This is to inform you of a recent change in the staffing of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association. Mr. JP Gradone has recently resigned as the COO/Executive Director of the Camp Meeting Association. Should you have questions that would normally have been addressed by Mr. Gradone, please contact Sharyn at the Camp Meeting office who will direct your call to the appropriate person.”
Here is a link to our coverage of Gradone’s arrival in OG:
Steve Valk’s letter to the editor speaks about the idea of Ocean Grove as a community of multiple vertically integrated parts which he has analyzed for us in prior interviews. (Steve Valk on the OG community. LINK: BF conversation with social scientist Steve Valk)
He and I both agree that our town is unique and needs to be appreciated for its fascinating components, one of which is the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association (OGCMA).
The role of the OGCMA in this community is basically a positive influence, despite what some cynics say. We had a fire last week, and the welcome mat was immediately rolled out at the Youth Temple as well as providing other services such as fund raising for the Fire Relief fund. The CMA has a track record of emergency relief and charitable efforts. They reached out to the various town civic groups in a big way after Sandy, and that effort has been remarkable and has benefitted us all.
But, from a wider perspective, what do they view as their place in the overall community of Ocean Grove? What about now, with the North End Redevelopment looming in the future? We have heard little from them on this subject.
What does the CMA think about the effects their North End project will have on everyone who calls Ocean Grove home? The CMA did create the town in 1869, so do they really want the North End to become Asbury Park South? The indications suggest that they do, because they have stuck to their plan which was originated in 2008 and unchanged since then.
Sure, there is the history of the old North End amusement/hotel/recreation area, and that “old fashioned” North End may be a precedent, but is it historic? If history is their argument, then maybe they should look at the earliest park-like setting over there which contained tents and trees for perhaps 30 or 40 years after the founding.
The old North End Hotel was torn down in 1978, and this “area in need of redevelopment” has been essentially unchanged since then. The CMA had to turn over control of the North End Development to Neptune Township, but as land owner and co-developer, it certainly has influence over what happens in the future.
Some citizens believe that the CMA should worry about the effects that the 2008 North End design will have on Ocean Grove’s appearance, safety, parking, lifestyle, etc. Because the CMA tends not to go public with such concerns, we don’t know how they feel about it, and the final plans are incomplete. If there are Grovers who believe that the CMA should change its mind about the project, then they should write to them or meet with them.
Sometime, commenters on Blogfinger want the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association to get involved with more general issues in town such as historic preservation and derelict housing. The basis for that belief seems to mostly stem from the land ownership issue and historic relationships.
But the CMA is a private organization that already does a great deal for the town. Isn’t it unfair to expect more from them?
August 27, 2013. Ocean Grove, N.J. By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger
Ralph delCampo had just retired from his job as a pharmaceutical industry executive early in 2012. He was going to embark on a sabbatical to figure out what he would do next, but after only two months of that, he agreed to replace Scott Hoffman and become the interim Chief Operating Officer of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association. He had been on the Board for a few years, and it seemed that running the CMA programs would be right up his alley. After all, in his career, he was in charge of large operations including supervising corporate programs in multiple countries at the same time.
But when Sandy hit in October, 2012, he found himself faced with a huge challenge. He has remained at his post longer than he ever expected and he has had to learn how to deal with large government agencies, especially FEMA. But he has been quite comfortable in supervising the CMA response to the Sandy devastation including working with consultants, planning construction projects, coming up with technological solutions to structural challenges, dealing with elected officials and starting a fund raising campaign. He and his colleagues have faced many challenges including planning for a future where another large storm will not destroy our homes and facilities.
His official departure date is November 6, 2013, but Ralph lives full time in the Grove, and he will continue to be on the Board of the CMA and on the Executive Committee. He said, “I’ll stay involved.”
The search for the new COO continues, but the field has been narrowed, and a replacement may be announced soon.
Everybody around here calls him Ralph, and his good humor and people skills have certainly come in handy as he pursues financing and reconstruction at the beachfront while supervising the vast programming activities of the CMA.
He also will be one of the individuals who will run the annual Labor Day CMA Public Meeting which will be held in the Youth Temple on Monday, September 2, 2013 at 9:00 am. The agenda for that meeting is complicated, but Ralph is determined to move things along so that everyone can get to their holiday activities. There will be the usual opportunity for Q and A at the end.
Camp Meeting Director of Operations Bill Bailey shows photos of storm damage. Ralph delCampo (left) and Dale Whilden look on. Photos by Mary Walton (Left click to see the photos enlarged)
By Charles Layton
A new spirit of good will and cooperation blossomed on Tuesday night, when leaders of the Camp Meeting Association and all of Ocean Grove’s major civic groups met to discuss storm recovery.
It falls to the Camp Meeting, as owner of the beach, to raise money and plan and execute the work of repairing the boardwalk and beach facilities.
However, others have a major stake, and up to now some of them had felt isolated, uninformed and frustrated. Merchants had complained because neighboring towns seemed to be moving ahead with rebuilding plans much faster than Ocean Grove. Other local groups said they wanted to help raise money for the beach and boardwalk, but their members hesitated for fear that donations for storm relief would be commingled with the Camp Meeting’s other funds and activities.
Camp Meeting officials organized Tuesday night’s meeting with those concerns fully in mind. “We’re all in the boat together and we all need to row in the same direction,” said Ralph delCampo, the Camp Meeting’s interim administrator. He and Camp Meeting president Dale Whilden pledged to keep everyone fully informed going forward. They also asked for everyone’s input, including their criticisms. But no criticisms were voiced on Tuesday night.
Those present included leaders of the Home Owners Association, the Historical Society, Ocean Grove United, the Fishing Club, the Chamber of Commerce and the Ocean Grove Beautification Project.
In laying out their plans for this year’s fund-raising campaign, DelCampo and other Camp Meeting officials stressed again and again that funds for the boardwalk and beachfront will be “totally separated” from all other funds. (Contributors can write “Boardwalk & Beach Front” in the memo field of their checks to have the donations routed to that separate account.)
The Camp Meeting officials said the entire beach will be open by Memorial Day and that most of the boardwalk will be operational, as will the beach office, bathrooms and changing rooms. And they discussed engineering issues in considerable detail. Bill Bailey, the Camp Meeting’s director of operations, used aerial photos of the beachfront to explain how different types of dune structures, bulkheads and barriers had functioned during Hurricane Sandy, and which of those might best prevent damage in future storms.
At the end of the meeting, Rich Lepore of the Chamber of Commerce expressed optimism about the summer season. “We’re going to do everything we possibly can do to drive home the fact that Ocean Grove is open,” he said.
Gail Shaffer of the Historical Society suggested that all of the organizations present should state on their websites that the OG beach will be open this summer. Others talked about plans to help with fund raising. Connie Ogden of OG Beautification said “We intend to go full blast” in providing decorative plantings along the boardwalk and elsewhere. Luisa Paster of Ocean Grove United suggested sending news releases to The Coaster on a regular basis.
Camp Meeting development officer Karen Adams began the meeting with an explanation of this year’s fund-raising campaign. She said the Camp Meeting normally needs to raise about $1 million, but this year the need is much greater. The cost of fixing the boardwalk and beachfront is estimated at $3 million, she said. Assuming that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides 75 percent of that amount, the Camp Meeting would need to raise another $750,000. Thornley Chapel is also in need of $500,000 worth of renovation (not related to the hurricane), and $100,000 must be raised for repairs to the storm-damaged auditorium roof. Insurance will cover the rest of the auditorium costs.
Karen Adams (center) describes the fund-raising campaign. Listening are Carol Woidt (left) of OG Beautification and Mary Ellen Tellefsen of the Chamber of Commerce.
Ordinarily, the Camp Meeting would simply put donations for all those projects into a single fund. However, Whilden said, “We fully realize that probably the majority of the community is primarily interested in the boardwalk,” and therefore “there will be no commingling of funds. They’re completely different funds.”
Whilden said the Camp Meeting has already raised $190,000.
Bailey led a technical discussion of beach barriers and dunes. He said the Camp Meeting believes the reason the portion of the boardwalk from the pavilion to Seaview Avenue held up so well was because the dunes along that stretch of beach were constructed on top of a rubble wall buried beneath the sand. This rubble wall had been installed following a 1953 nor’easter. It has performed so well that the Camp Meeting would like to use that same type of structure along the entire length of the beach. However, “ultimately, it’s going to be all about the money,” Bailey said, “and those rubble walls are expensive.”
The Camp Meeting also discovered that a sheet steel bulkhead in front of the boardwalk at the south end had provided good protection there. Engineers have been helping the Camp Meeting study these and other options for rebuilding.
Bailey said the reason Ocean Grove did not announce its rebuilding plans as quickly as other towns was that the Camp Meeting wanted to first determine which structures will best prevent damage in future storms. “We’ve got to get this right,” he said. “We’re investing a lot of money. We’ve got to study it.”
DelCampo said Ocean Grove needs to avoid what happened in Spring Lake, where the boardwalk was damaged by Hurricane Irene in 2011, the town rebuilt it immediately, and then it was destroyed again just one year later by Hurricane Sandy.
According to Bailey, here is what visitors to Ocean Grove can expect by Memorial Day:
The beach will be open in its entirety.
The south end boardwalk – from the beach office to Bradley Beach — will be restored.
From just north of the beach office to just north of McClintock Street the boardwalk will not be in place, but beach access points will be provided.
From the pavilion to the north end the boardwalk will be in place.
Still unanswered is the question of access to Asbury Park. As a temporary fix. there may just be an asphalt pathway.
Also, before summer, the Camp Meeting will send volunteer rescue divers out to retrieve submerged offshore debris.
The Camp Meeting officials said they still had no word as to whether FEMA will agree to provide any funds for restoring the boardwalk. Neither do they know when FEMA might announce that decision. For background on that, see this previous story.
Bailey points to an aerial photo showing how the beachfront looked before the storm
Two and a half months after Hurricane Sandy, the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association still hasn’t been told whether it is eligible to apply for FEMA funds for its boardwalk.
Until FEMA answers that basic question, the Camp Meeting cannot even submit an application for such funding.
And because time is of the essence, Camp Meeting administrator Ralph delCampo said Wednesday that the association will need to take out a loan for the repairs it must make in time for the summer beach season. If FEMA money does eventually come through, it could be used to repay that loan.
“As an organization we’re stretched financially,” he said in an interview.
In 2011, after Hurricane Irene damaged Ocean Grove’s fishing pier, FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) ruled that the Camp Meeting, which owns both the pier and the boardwalk, was ineligible to apply for storm damage reimbursement.
Neptune Township CFO Michael Bascom, who has worked closely with the Camp Meeting on storm relief issues, said this week that he thinks FEMA will probably reverse its 2011 ruling. (Unlike the damage from Sandy, the 2011 damage was to an area of the pier not open to the general public.)
But even if FEMA does declare the Camp Meeting an eligible applicant now, the association will still face tougher-than-usual obstacles to having its application for funding approved. That’s because the rules are different for private, non-profit organizations than they are for municipalities. Ocean Grove is unique in having its boardwalk and beach owned by a private entity.
DelCampo said that the Camp Meeting’s plans to restore a large portion of the beach and boardwalk in time for Memorial Day could cost in the neighborhood of $1 million. That is in addition to other expenses, including a $100,000 insurance deductible the Camp Meeting must lay out for repairs to the damaged roof of the Great Auditorium. A temporary roof was quickly laid in place immediately after the storm, but now a permanent one of specially fabricated stainless steel is required. The Camp Meeting’s total damage costs – including work on the boardwalk, pier, beach and dunes – will come to between $3 million and $4 million, delCampo said. “That’s a very preliminary number.” The Camp Meeting’s entire annual budget is normally around $5 million.
DelCampo said the Camp Meeting is launching a fund-raising drive. He also said that the Camp Meeting will apply not only to FEMA but “to other agencies, any other governmental agencies.”
Bascom suggested in a separate interview that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development may have funding available for Sandy-related repairs. DelCampo said the Camp Meeting intends to apply to HUD. The association is working with a professional in the field of grant applications to federal agencies.
Bascom said the Camp Meeting should have an easier time qualifying for FEMA funding for the sand dunes than for the boardwalk. That’s because the sand dunes can be seen as a form of “hazard mitigation” – i.e., the dunes protect beachfront properties from storm surges.
The legal problem with funding for Ocean Grove’s boardwalk is that FEMA classifies the boardwalk as a recreational facility. And while, under FEMA’s rules, local governments can be reimbursed for damage to recreational facilities, private non-profits such as the Camp Meeting usually cannot.
Bascom, Township Business Administrator Vito Gadaleta and Camp Meeting representatives Bill Bailey and Jack Green met in Trenton last week with a representative of the governor’s office to discuss, among other things, this very obstacle, which other New Jersey beach towns do not face.
Camp Meeting and Township officials both argue that the Ocean Grove boardwalk serves much more than simply a recreational purpose. DelCampo said on Wednesday that the boardwalk acts as an economic engine for the entire town and provides interconnectivity between Ocean Grove and adjacent towns. It is unfair, he and others say, for FEMA to treat Ocean Grove’s boardwalk differently when it is functionally just the same as all the other ones.
DelCampo and Camp Meeting Director of Operations Bill Bailey, whom Blogfinger also interviewed on Wednesday, both expressed disappointment that some Ocean Grovers have criticized the Camp Meeting for being slow to act following the storm.
Bailey said Camp Meeting officials have worked diligently with technical consultants, engineers and other professionals to analyze the problems caused by the storm and to design solutions that would minimize damage from future storms.
“We took the storm more seriously than most towns,” delCampo said, noting that the Camp Meeting built temporary dunes along the beach in the days and hours before the storm hit. “We were the most proactive of all the towns on the North Jersey shore.
“We’re committed to do everything we can,” he said, “but we have limitations.”
NOTE: For an account of the beachfront repairs the Camp Meeting has committed to make by Memorial Day, see our previous story here.
Ocean Grove, NJ. Dec. 9, 2012. Paul Goldfinger photo. Left click to enlarge
EDITOR’S NOTE: Our December 23rd story on whether the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will reimburse Ocean Grove for repairs to our storm-damaged boardwalk raised as many questions as it answered.
Many Grovers are wondering why disaster relief for our boardwalk is in doubt while relief for damaged boardwalks in neighboring towns is not. The answer is that our boardwalk is owned not by a local government but by the Camp Meeting Association, a private, non-profit organization.
A FEMA official assigned to Monmouth County hurricane relief has been following our discussion of this issue. Today, she weighs in with an explanation of some of the main considerations on which FEMA’s decision will rest. Although she makes no prediction as to which way that decision will go, she frames the issue in some detail. We present her analysis here.
-0-
By Robin E. Smith, FEMA Media Relations
Public Assistance grants from FEMA may be given to state, local and tribal governments, as well as to certain qualifying private non-profit organizations, to cover 75 percent of the cost of disaster repairs.
The criteria for approving the grants, set by the Stafford Act, differ for governmental entities and private non-profits.
State, tribe or local governments may apply for disaster-related damages to public facilities they own that provide flood control, navigation, irrigation, reclamation, public power, sewage treatment and collection, water supply and distribution, watershed development, or an airport facility. They may also apply for disaster-related damages to non-federally funded streets, roads or highways, and any other public building, structure, park or system, including those used for educational, recreational, or cultural purposes, that is owned by a state, tribe or local government.
In general, a private non-profit facility may qualify for FEMA Public Assistance grants if it provides educational, utility, irrigation, emergency, medical, rehabilitational, or custodial care resources to the community.
In certain cases, private non-profit organizations that provide essential, non-recreational services of a governmental nature to the general public may also be eligible. Examples include some museums, zoos, performing arts facilities, libraries, homeless shelters, senior citizen centers, and similarly purposed facilities.
As planks are removed from the damaged boardwalk, they are being saved and evaluated for possible reuse. Photo by Mary Walton
By Mary Walton
The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association estimates that it will cost roughly $3 million to restore the boardwalk and pier damaged by Hurricane Sandy, interim administrator Ralph delCampo said Tuesday.
The cost for the pier alone is estimated at $500,000 to $750,000. In addition, the insurance policy which covers the damaged roof of the Great Auditorium, now under repair, has a $100,000 deductible.
DelCampo emphasized that the estimates are preliminary, given many questions about how to proceed. “We want to enhance the kind of construction,” he said. “We do not simply want to replace the boardwalk. What did we learn from other towns?”
One thing they learned is not to follow the example of Spring Lake, he said. After last year’s Hurricane Irene demolished the boardwalk there, the town rebuilt it in nearly identical fashion, only to lose it to Sandy.
In fact, planks in the heavily damaged section of the Ocean Grove boardwalk between the south side of the pavilion and the beach office were recently replaced at a cost approaching $300,000. “All of that money just went to the ocean,” delCampo said. That section, known as the Middle Beach, now must be completely rebuilt.
In probing why the pavilion itself and the boardwalk north of Seaview Avenue survived almost intact, initial credit went to the dunes. No one is discounting their importance, but, in addition, the Camp Meeting discovered that a hidden bulwark of massive boulders and rubble lies beneath them. “We believe that’s what saved the boardwalk and dunes,” delCampo said.
Dale Whilden, president of the board of trustees, who joined delCampo in a conference call with Blogfinger, said the boulder wall was built in 1953 following a major storm. Post Sandy, he discovered drawings and documentation in his files. “I had forgotten,” he said. “A couple of trustees remembered it vaguely.”
Under discussion now is extending that bulwark south in tandem with new dunes. DelCampo said the Camp Meeting is working with consulting engineer Peter Avakian and with local contractors in designing a plan. At present, the Middle Beach boardwalk is being systematically dismantled and inspected for structural integrity, a process that will take about three months. “We will remove joists and planks and even some of the pilings and save them to be reused,” delCampo said.
At the same time, he said. the Camp Meeting has hired a consultant “to help us work through applications.” Topping the list of potential funders is the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA will pay 75 percent of the cost of approved projects and up to 100 percent under certain circumstances. Gov. Christie has asked for the higher amount.
The Camp Meeting is also seeking private contributions from people in the community. delCampo said he was intrigued by Belmar’s “Buy a Board” campaign, which allows contributors to pay from $25 to $5,000 for individual planks, with their name and board level displayed at beach entrances.
The topic of private donations came up at meetings the Camp Meeting held last week with representatives of the Ocean Grove Home Owners Association and with Ocean Grove United. Both groups praised the meetings as positive but expressed reservations about a glossy fund-raising flyer titled “Let’s Rebuild” mailed to Ocean Grovers in late November. It stipulated that checks should be made payable to OGCMA “with ‘Now & Forever’ in the memo line.”
Home Owners president Ann Horan said her understanding is that the Camp Meeting’s “Now & Forever” fund is money that “they could take and use it for whatever they want. We think they should make it more specific.”
OGU raised a similer objection. The organization has a history of friction with the Camp Meeting, most recently over the speaking engagement of actor Kirk Cameron last summer for a Sunday worship service after Cameron had made anti-gay remarks in a television interview. Last week’s meeting between OGU and the Camp Meeting fulfilled a Camp Meeting pledge to improve communication between the two groups.
The flyer was a major topic at the meeting. “People are not comfortable giving to a general fund,” said OGU co-chair Harriet Bernstein. “They would certainly be willing to give to an earmarked fund with some accountability.” She and co-chair Luisa Paster told the Camp Meeting officials, “Everyone wants to help, but they want it dedicated to the replenishment of the beach and the boardwalk.”
Bernstein and Paster suggested that the Camp Meeting consider holding a fundraiser and also forming a coalition of community organizations to drum up financial support for rebuilding.
The Camp Meeting also met with board members of the Ocean Grove Chamber of Commerce, but the “Now & Forever” issue did not come up at that meeting, said Chamber president Rich Lepore, owner of Smuggler’s Cove on Main Avenue. “I’ve heard it more from customers,” he said. “They want to give but they don’t quite know how.”
Whilden explained that the press of time was why people were asked to donate to a general fund rather than one earmarked for rebuilding. At the time the fund-raising flyer was sent out, he said, “We were planning an immediate response. We didn’t have a strong idea of where the money ought to go. We wanted flexibility to put donated funds where they needed to be.” He said that if donors specify a preference in the “For” line of their checks, such as “boardwalk” or “pier,” or specify the intended use in a letter, the Camp Meeting is legally obligated to use the money for that purpose.
Meanwhile, delCampo said, the Camp Meeting development committee is meeting Thursday and will be coming up with an alternative “for those who don’t want to give more broadly.” In addition to donations for beachfront damage, he added a plea for funds to help pay for the auditorium repair. “We cannot forget the auditorium. It is a central focus of the community as well,” he said.
