Monday, May 20, 2013
The buyouts in areas like Sea Bright, prone to flooding, expected to start soon, though participation remains voluntary.
Buyouts of properties in flood prone areas are expected to begin within a matter of weeks, beginning in Middlesex County and working south into the summer months, as residents and their respective town officials make the difficult decision to abandon entire neighborhoods for good. Though buyout specifics have been limited, Bob Martin, commissioner of New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection, said between eight and 10 towns along the coast have inquired about participating in the State’s Blue Acres program, which purchases severe repetitive-loss homes in flood areas and converts the land into open space. Martin said he wanted to be cautious about naming the municipalities that have inquired about the property buyouts as many have…
Friday, May 17, 2013
What's going on in Rumson, Fair Haven and the surrounding area
Starting with Friday ... It's not Rumson or Fair Haven, but it's close enough in miles and community camaraderie to kick off the weekend tonight. • First, don't forget that Sea Bright Fire Rescue is hosting its annual carnival, which opened Thursday night and will run through Sunday in the old Peninsula House parking lot on Ocean Avenue. This is a special year for the fire company in light of the devastation Hurricane Sandy wrought on the borough. Get out and get a taste of Sea Bright and its volunteers with some food, rides and more. "COME OUT & SUPPORT THE SEA BRIGHT FIRE RESCUE!!!" it says on the company's Facebook page. See you there. And, tonight, next door in Red Bank ... • First, Boondocks, the Hurricane Sandy-battered al fresco …
With people moving back home, residences on the rise
In one of the only oceanfront towns on the Jersey where most residents live year-round, Hurricane Sandy displaced most of them, leaving homes deemed unihabitable. Now, more than six months later and the summer season fast approaching, Sea Bright is on the rise in more ways than one. Not only are things getting spiffed up around town, and more and more businesses are opening, but residents are trickling back into their homes. But, things are not the same. After many homes were lifted and spun off their foundations, some have been knocked down, some are being rehabbed and yet others are being elevated. To take a ride through is to see homes in peaks and valleys. Yet, there are still those who can't afford the new insurance rates and/or the …
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Students will volunteer their time to clean up area
Shore Regional High School's latest community service project will be to help get Sea Bright spiffed up for Memorial Day weekend. "Shore Regional has reached out to the town administration and worked out a plan of volunteer action," Shore Regional public relations staff member Joe DeLeonardo. "We will be sending volunteers from the senior class, faculty and staff on Monday, May 20 to Sea Bright for a full day of volunteer service." DeLeonardo said the volunteer work was initiated by Shore Regional students. Sea Bright is one of the school's four sending districts, along with West Long Branch, Oceanport and Monmouth Beach. "The educational value derived from this Senior Class community service will be to foster collaborative relationships…
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Measure would have delayed hikes for five more years
An amendment aimed at halting federal flood insurance rate hikes for five years has been blocked in the U.S. Senate. The amendment, introduced by Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) was blocked from coming to a vote Tuesday by Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA). Amendments in the U.S. Senate require what is known as "unanimous consent" before a vote can take place, meaning a single member can block a vote from occurring. Toomey told the New Orleans Times-Picayune Tuesday that he objected to changing reforms put in place last year because he supports the move to "diminish the subsidization that occurs now where homeowners in low-risk areas are made to subsidize in high-risk areas." Landrieu, the newspaper reported, said she will likely reintroduce the amendment …
Saturday, May 11, 2013
News highlights for the week from Monmouth and Ocean counties
Wall — The former assistant superintendent of Wall Township Schools was indicted Monday morning on charges she failed to immediately report a possible sexual assault of a 4-year-old special needs student by a teacher and then lied to police and tried to cover up her inaction, according to the indictment. Read more on Wall Patch A father and daughter team pleaded guilty today to a 2010 murder, while the matriarch copped to her role in trying to set up a hit on the victim’s mother. Thomas Dorsett, 66, and Kathleen Dorsett, 38, of Ocean Township, appeared before Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Anthony J. Mellaci, Jr. on Thursday and pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in connection with the beating death of Stephen Moore, of …
Friday, May 10, 2013
The mountain of sand in the Sea Bright Public Beach parking lot is pretty much gone
They called it Mount Sandy. It was a poignant remnant of Hurricane Sandy's devastating effect on the slip of a shore town nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and the Shrewsbury River — Sea Bright. When Sandy hit the just more than a mile stretch of peninsula and the two bodies of water met, what was the beach ended up in road. Since then, workers piled it in the public beach parking lot, leaving its mammoth mounds as a surreal reminder of just how much was lost and gathered back together again. People roamed on top of Mount Sandy to get a glimpse of the then hidden-from-view ocean on the other side, giving its surreal size perspective to onlookers. They looked like ants on an ant hill in a desolate Sahara of sorts. More than six months …
Friday, April 26, 2013
A Rutgers-Eagleton poll asked residents various questions about the state's recovery since the storm.
Life in New Jersey has yet to return to normal following Hurricane Sandy, and many residents believe recovery is a process that will take years, according to results from a new Rutgers-Eagleton poll. The Rutgers-Eagleton poll conducted earlier this month gauged public reaction to the ongoing rebuilding and recovery effort as well as issues like coastal protection and government spending. According to poll results, 74 percent of respondents said the state is not back to normal following Sandy against 21 percent who said that it is. The remaining 5 percent reported that they were unsure. The percentage of residents who doubt the state's quick recovery fluctuates based on several factors, including location and if they were personally …
Monday, April 22, 2013
Mountains of sand piled from Hurricane Sandy starting to level out
When Hurricane Sandy first hit Sea Bright's shores, the peninsula borough was blanketed with sand. The beach was on the street. After some shuffling around of sand and piling into the municipal and Sea Bright Public Beach parking lot, what is now referred to as Mount Sandy appeared. Giant mounds of sand have since been piled along the horizon. People have been climbing them, heading over the other side to the beach — what's left of it. Now, though, if you take a trek toward the Sea Bright's beaches, you'll see "No Trespassing" signs, most areas are cordoned off and the mountains of sand are getting lower. That's because, "the boro was given permission by the (NJ) DEP (Deparment of Environmental Protection) to screen the sand and put it …
Thursday, April 18, 2013
The New Jersey governor held a table discussion with area business owners about the prospects of the upcoming summer season.
Gov. Chris Christie isn't just confident that the Jersey Shore is ready to welcome back visitors to its beaches and businesses, he's sure of it. At McLoone's Pier House in Long Branch Thursday afternoon, Christie held a roundtable discussion with several area business owners to listen to their concerns and expectations for the summer, and to ask them to let him know what the state can do to facilitate the coast's continued recovery following Hurricane Sandy. Despite some lingering issues, the message was largely uniform. "The good news I heard from them is that they're open for business." The goal now, Christie said, is to spread that message, to let the shore's visitors know that their favorite summer destination is ready to welcome them…
Floodgate
2:20 pm on Wednesday, May 15, 2013
No one in rumson has flood insurance? more ›