DCA Commissioner Sees Sea Bright Grant Money in Action

A product of the post traumatic stress Hurricane Sandy wrought on Sea Bright, people seem to be feeling more overwhelmed than ever, Mayor Dina Long said Thursday at the Clean Ocean Action rally against Liberty Natural Gas' proposed LNG port.

The rally was one of three events Long managed to squeeze in before a council meeting and after NJ Department of Community Affairs Commissioner (DCA) Richard E. Constable III paid a visit.

Constable toured Sea Bright to call attention to how disaster recovery assistance has been put into action. For instance, Sea Bright was one of several municipalities to recently receive a $1,075,000 Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Essential Services Grant to keep essential services running in an already Sandy-strained economy, according to a DCA release.

The grant replenishes money that was used for extra emergency services during Sandy and helps to keep those services thriving in the hard hit peninsula borough. For instance, the grant money goes toward: staving off police furloughs and layoffs in order to work within budgetary confines; hiring lifeguards and other public safety employees to protect the beaches; maintaining residential garbage pick-up; and continuing financial support of volunteer firefighters.

The Essential Services Grant money also helped the borough to meet its obligation to the Two Rivers Water Reclamation Authority for processing the sanitary sewer system and maintaining the pump stations that direct the flow to the processing plant, according to the release. 

“Superstorm Sandy had a devastating effect on homes, businesses and infrastructure in many communities in the state. It also impacted municipal budgets, making it difficult for communities to meet the demands and costs of providing important public services such as public safety, public works and education,” Constable said in a released statement. “This is why we are pleased to have provided Sea Bright with more than $1 million in essential funding as they continue the rebuilding process. If not for this award, services that people often take for granted likely would have been significantly cut back or eliminated entirely.”

Thanking the Christie administration for the grant, Mayor Long explained that the money was especially needed since insurance payments and FEMA assistance is "just not enough to cover our enormous needs. The financial and technical assistance we have received from the DCA has been crucial in the efforts to restore Sea Bright.”

Last month, more than $44.5 million in Essential Services Grants was awarded to 11 Sandy-impacted local governmental entities in New Jersey that lost significant revenue and are experiencing budget distress. Municipalities and boards of education (BOE) that got grants are: Asbury Park, Atlantic City, Brigantine BOE, Keansburg BOE, Lavallette BOE, Little Egg Harbor BOE, Ocean County, Pinelands Regional BOE, Sea Bright, Toms River, and Toms River BOE.

About the Essential Services Grants ...

The Essential Services Grants are funded through Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Disaster Recovery monies provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

These grants are one of the programs included in the New Jersey Disaster Recovery Action Plan, which was approved by HUD on April 29, 2013. The Action Plan details how the State will utilize $1,829,520,000 in CDBG Disaster Recovery funding to help individuals, businesses and communities impacted by Superstorm Sandy. The Essential Services Grant program will utilize $60 million of the allocation.

The grants are designed to fill the gap between local governments’ Sandy-generated revenue losses and available FEMA Community Disaster Loans.