The Brick Township Council got a little more than it bargained for when it moved the council meeting to the Normandy Beach Improvement Association.
Residents packed the community center and voiced concerns over flooding, services and a general sense of being overlooked by township officials, urging the council and business administrator Scott Pezarras to pay attention to their concerns.
"Why is it that you've not heard our voices?" asked Bart Convery, a year-round resident of 7th Avenue. Convery was one of several residents who spoke to the council regarding street flooding on the barrier island.
In Normandy Beach -- as in other areas of town -- there are streets that flood frequently, not so much due to rain but due to the bay's water level rising after a storm. In some cases the flooding leaves streets impassable.
Residents of the barrier island said they'd been complaining about the flooding for years and wanted to know if there would be a solution now.
One resident noted a group of people, including township administrative employees, had met about problem and had proposed a solution, which was put on hold the next day for a reason that was never explained, he said.
Council President John Ducey said he had just been alerted to the situation that day, but said he would ensure the entire council -- councilmen Bob Moore and Dan Toth were absent -- was brought up to speed on what was happening.
"We will address it and we will get back to you about it," Ducey said.
I agree, you buy a house on a peninsula and take your chances..
It's only going to get worse with the rising tides predicted over the decades to come. I'm sure the way the storm drains work is natural gravity into the bay... if the bay rises.. the storm drains back up... the only way to solve it is with pumpout stations... major expense. Didn't PPB install some sort of pumpout station where ocean ave and rte 35 meet???
Now why can my street not have a route 35 crosswalk?
By the way , where is my paycheck? County state and federal offices should be voluntary no - pay jobs .....how many would eagerly seek public office Then?
These people pay huge taxes. Maybe they should secede from Brick Twp, unite with the area parts of the Barrier Island and become their own Township and not pay any taxes to Brick. Oh yea that would mean bye - bye Brick Beaches I, II, II. Hello Barrier Island Beaches I, II, III. Residents would then have enough parking and their taxes would be for taking care of their problems. The two children could go to private schools and save many residents money.
Some already go to private or pay tuition to bayhead or ppb. A portion of Ortley beach (which is under Toms River)... suceeded to be a part of Lavallette. Quite frankly, everything north of seaside should be 1 town... Ortley, lavallette, toms river, brick... call it Lavallette. Mantoloking and Bayhead should merge as well. PPB should merge with PPboro. Its coming!!
What the ocean wants, the ocean takes.. and if it's the houses on the barrier island, there isn't going to be anything we can do about it!
etc, etc, etc.
Given by whom? Did you confirm the number with Brick Schools?
So? Should I expect the town to fix it? No - I put am putting a sump pump in. I knew where I bought. This is the price you pay for the luxury of being close to the water. Maybe too close!
Look - we need to find ways to make good money go further. Stop wasting resources. Pooling them IS THE WAY TO GO.
We've got to get cheap people. Fast! Only way to survive.
@Kal.....too bad!!