Saturday, May 25, 2013
Buildings still in tatters, empty lots where homes once stood
The kick-off ceremonies may be taking place. But many are far from starting over at the Jersey Shore this Memorial Day weekend. As the Shore on Friday celebrated the rebirth of the Seaside Heights boardwalk following its destruction in Hurricane Sandy, the situation remained grim just minutes away on Ocean County's northern barrier island. In Mantoloking, the epicenter of a massive ocean breach during the Oct. 29, 2012 storm, homes remained off their foundations, awaiting the arrival of demolition crews. Oceanfront lots that once contained houses are empty, and the entire town remained exposed to Mother Nature with its duneline destroyed. In Brick Township, the charred remains of homes from the Camp Osborn neighborhood greeted motorists …
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Harry, Christie survey the damage and have some fun
JERSEY SHORE -- Britain's Prince Harry did what most people would do on a sunny, spring day in Seaside Heights—take in the ocean views, then play some boardwalk games. Harry came to Seaside Heights with Gov. Chris Christie Tuesday morning after the two toured destruction caused by Superstorm Sandy in Mantoloking. The pair drove south on Route 35 and entered the boardwalk at Grant Avenue where crowds of people were waiting for their arrival. "Prince Harry, we love you," shouted one small girl who was holding a welcome sign. Standing next to her was an Elvis Presley impersonator, hoping to attract some attention of his own from the prince. Harry and Christie were greeted by local officials, who escorted the pair out to Casino Pier, the site …
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Security will be tight, however, report says
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
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Tuesday, May 7
Britain's Prince Harry will visit Mantoloking and Seaside Heights during a May 14 visit to New Jersey to survey damage from Superstorm Sandy, a report from The Associated Press said Monday. Mantoloking Mayor George Nebel said Gov. Christie will accompany the prince on a brief walk down Barnegat Lane – which runs along Barnegat Bay – and then head to Seaside Heights, according to the report. Security will be tight and local residents will most likely not be able to see the prince, the news organization reported. Christie's office told Patch Monday that the details of the prince's visit were being handled by the British consulate in New York City. Patch contacted and left a message with the consulate's press office on the matter. Christie, …
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Intact home has been in the bay since Superstorm Sandy struck
The Mantoloking house that was swept, intact, into Barnegat Bay and has since been wedged against an island will be gone by Friday afternoon, demolition experts said Thursday. A crew from CrowderGulf, the contractor hired by the state Department of Environmental Protection to clear waterway debris from northern Barnegat Bay, began work to remove the two-story house Thursday. State and local officials held a ceremony to mark the occasion. The home, sitting in the water about 200 feet from the edge of the bay, is one of eight nearly intact homes that Sandy pushed into the water statewide. Two other virtually intact Mantoloking homes were swept into Barnegat Bay, while one home in Monmouth County's Union Beach was pushed into Raritan Bay. …
Monday, April 22, 2013
Traffic lights no longer blinking on bulk of barrier island
It's one of those unique "Shore local" problems: when the traffic lights stop blinking each spring, one has to remember to come to a full and complete stop - and most importantly, wait for the light to turn green again. In a small sign of normalcy following Route 35's reopening after surrounding neighborhoods were hard hit by Superstorm Sandy at the end of October, traffic signals are no longer blinking amber and red. Last week, the lights in Brick, Toms River and Lavallette were all changed back over to their solid red-or-green modes. Since then, speed limits have risen in each of those towns from 25 m.p.h. – a limit imposed following Sandy – back to 45 m.p.h. in the southbound lanes and a mix of speeds between 30 and 45 m.p.h. in the …
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Parking passes will switch back to hang tags; Beach III hopefully open by June
Brick officials are sticking to a plan where Ocean Beach I will be the first of the township's public beaches to reopen following Superstorm Sandy. Business Administrator Scott Pezarras said this week that ultimately, the beach reopening decision will fall under the purview of Police Chief Nils R. Bergquist, as the beach closure is part of the overall state of emergency that remains in effect for the township's barrier island section. The same state of emergency order contains the language that continues to impose a reduced speed limit and nighttime curfew in that section of town. The current goal for reopening Beach I is May 1, however the date is not set in stone, said Pezarras. The remaining beaches, including Beach III - the township's…
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Officials: Army Corps project could take a year to get off the ground
Spending between $150,000 and $200,000 to shore up the township's ocean dunes "every time it rains" cannot go on forever, officials said Tuesday. But an Army Corps of Engineers beach replenishment project that has been characterized as a permanent fix for the threat of ocean breaches in Brick's barrier island section appears in flux, as a deadline to receive easements awaits. "We're getting word from the Army Corps of Engineers that it's a year out, maybe longer, before they even come in to Bricktown," said Business Administration Scott Pezarras. And that timeline, of course, is assuming all of the township's oceanfront property owners sign easements allowing the dune work to continue. One thing is for sure, however: the current temporary …
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
FEMA video focuses on how one home survived while neighbors did not
Ed Wright's home, now, is one of few standing. But prior to Hurricane Sandy, it was one of the few standing on pilings on his street in Mantoloking. So many others were at ground level, and a recent FEMA video implies it was the foresight to raise the home years ago that helped Wright's home see less damage from Hurricane Sandy. In a dramatically damaged area of Mantoloking, FEMA found one homeowner's house had survived, and produced a video about Wright's plans years ago to raise his house, and how it impacted the home during Hurricane Sandy. FEMA's video, titled "Elevation Helps a Home Survive Hurricane Sandy," features interviews with Wright and pictures before and after the storm.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Council to consider repair measure this week
The Brick Township council will consider two measures at its meeting Tuesday to help get the township's beaches back in shape for summer. The council will vote on two resolutions which will seek bids for repairs to Brick Beach 1, the northernmost of the township's three public ocean beaches. Bids will be sought for a boardwalk and shower platform reconstruction at Beach 1, and a second resolution will authorize the township to solicit bids for parking lot improvements at the beach. The council must approve both measures before bids are formally sought. Mayor Stephen C. Acropolis has said the township will likely open Beach 1 before the other two beaches. The Beach 3 parking lot is still in poor shape following Superstorm Sandy, and the …
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
DEP Commissioner: sand could be piped over Route 35 to oceanfront
The ongoing process of removing debris from the floor of Barnegat Bay will eventually evolve to the next step in the overall cleanup effort: removing sand that got pushed into the waterway. That phase of the project should begin in the next four to eight weeks, said New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Robert Martin during a conference call with a number of reporters Tuesday. "While we do the debris removal, we are already putting plans in place and getting permitting with the Army Corps of Engineers to do the dredging activity," said Martin. "I'm hoping within the next month or two we can start doing that dredging as well." The bay is steadily being cleared of large pieces of debris left over from Superstorm …
TR Voice of Reason
1:29 am on Saturday, May 25, 2013
I know that Councilman Sevastakis was definitely not on that bus through Ortley, but he and his family still being displaced like many others due to FEMA's new regulations is certainly no comedy Mark. more ›