Six Residents Have Moved Back to Mantoloking
20 more have filled out paperwork requesting to return home
Since Mantoloking residents were allowed to repopulate Feb. 22, just six have returned to their homes, officials said.
"That's a big deal to me, because that's six more people with lights on, six more people to look after us, and six more people eating dinner in their own kitchens and sleeping in their own beds," said Chris Nelson, the borough's special counsel for storm recovery.
About 20 additional residents have submitted paperwork requesting they be approved to live in their homes, a required step the borough put in place under its repopulation plan.
Several hundred residents live year-round in the small town.
"We've come a long way in the last four months," since Superstorm Sandy cut a 20-foot deep inlet through the heart of the borough, at Herbert Street, said Nelson.
Since Route 35 reopened in January, the borough has had a heavy police presence, though the number of New Jersey state troopers present at a given time has been reduced to four from nine.
The teams of four will remain in Mantoloking "long term," said Nelson.
"The deterrence factor is absolutely enormous, and we need them there," he said.
The borough is now estimating that a program managed under FEMA to demolish approximately 200 storm-damaged homes will begin mid-to-late April, and a bid package will be prepared for the March 9 council meeting.
The demolition project will be competitively bid, Mayor George Nebel said.
Glenn Anderson
6:53 am on Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Welcome Home!
ray dietrich
7:17 am on Wednesday, February 27, 2013
The article doesnt let you know there harrassing contractors and slowing the process of recovery. Altough they say tyhey opened rte. 35 there stopping all contractors demanding you to register. Of coarse that takes a lot of time. The money is great other places with out the hassel. So why bother going on to Mantoloking. Good luck with that recovery. Makes no sense.
ray dietrich
7:56 am on Wednesday, February 27, 2013
excuse the typo's . Its just frustarating to have your hourly employees sut around to 10am when they open for registration. Most contractors know whos legit they should hand out flyers with phone numbers to call if they spot someone or something unusual. Thats a lot of eye's around town. Let us get in there and help.
ap45
7:38 am on Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Unfortunately I think there are a lot of unscrupulous people disguised as contractors. The police prescence is a deterrent especially for people that may have warrants out for their arrests.
A Resident
9:00 am on Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Mantoloking would have been opened and repopulated much sooner without having the all-knowing expert in charge.
ray dietrich
2:36 pm on Wednesday, February 27, 2013
I have to add something to my above post. The police are harassing the contractors. My employee received a ticket for parking the wrong way on a one way street. The problem is the street signs are swept away. Unless you are familiar with that paticular street how do you know. He was also super nasty and confrontational. Another one of my trucks was pulled over for driving too slow to find an address which is a nightmare with the conditions there. My feelings are they are trying to generate much needed cash flow so they are targeting the contractors. With this said I will finish this job and not take any estimates in this town. Good luck with the recovering its going to be a slow miserable road thanks to the officials there.
SAM
4:40 pm on Wednesday, February 27, 2013
YOU THINK THIS IS BAD WAIT TILL SUMMER IT WILL BE A NIGHT MARE
boromom
5:14 pm on Wednesday, February 27, 2013
You are the people who hire the shady contractors...Make sure they have a NJ contracting licenses. It is the law...instead of hiring just anyone who is willing to do it for the cheapest price...You get what you pay for.