Thursday, May 9, 2013
Island Beach will not be included in Army Corps of Engineers' dune and beach replenishment program
South Seaside Park resident Donald Whiteman's family has lived on the barrier island section of Berkeley Township for seven decades. And they know a washout from a storm when they see one, going all the way back to the Hurricane of 1938, he has said at more than one Berkeley Township Council meeting. Whiteman again urged township officials at the May 5 meeting to pressure the state Department of Environmental Protection to include Island Beach in the Army Corps of Engineers dune and beach replenishment program. "Residents in South Seaside Park who stayed during the storm recognized there was more than one breach," he said. "Island Beach had about five washouts." Whiteman was one of those who rode out the storm. He noticed problems at the …
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Park now opened from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Island Beach State Park has returned to pre-Superstorm Sandy hours and more of the park has been opened to visitors, state Department of Environmental Protection Commission Bob Martin said. “We are keeping pace with the Christie Administration’s goal of having all of our state parks, including Island Beach State Park, fully operational for the peak summer season,” Martin said. “Having this popular destination getting closer to normal operations is emblematic of the state’s drive to have the Shore open for business this summer.’’ The park is now open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for all guests. Fishing access has also been extended to 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. The DEP recently awarded a $268,000 contract to a New Brunswick-based Tekton Development Corp…
Monday, April 29, 2013
Many storm victims have become Sandy zombies
They are easy to spot. They don't smile much. They look tired. They are tired. They are numb. They are the Sandy zombies. They are fried emotionally and physically from half a year of battling to go home, if they still have a home to go to. I am a Sandy zombie. Is it possible it's been half a year since that horrific day and night when Superstorm Sandy blasted the Jersey Shore and changed some lives forever? Six months since we left our Bayville home with three terrified cats and made our way to family in Toms River? Six months since we've been living in a basement? We knew Sandy was going to be bad, even when we evacuated at noon on Oct. 29. Trees were already toppling in Pine Beach, taking down power lines. But we didn't know then we …
Friday, April 26, 2013
Representatives from state and federal agencies will be on hand to answer storm-related questions
Berkeley and Lacey residents who need help dealing with Superstorm Sandy can get some answers today, when the state sets up a "mobile cabinet' at the Berkeley Township Recreation Center. The event will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the center at 630 Route 9 South in Bayville, said Sean Conner, a spokesman for Gov. Chris Christie's office. Representatives from state and federal agencies will be on hand,including the Governor’s Office of Constituent Relations, the Department of Banking and Insurance, Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Community Affairs, the Business Action Center, FEMA and the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP.) They will assist residents and discuss ongoing recovery and rebuilding efforts. Residents …
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Goal is to have entire park open for peak summer season, access to park is free until May, DEP commissioner says
More sections of Island Beach State Park are now open to the public, nearly half a year after Superstorm Sandy tore through the park's dunes and damaged facilities. Roughly five miles of beach access points - more than half of the nearly 10-mile park - are now open, state Department of Environmental Commissioner Bob Martin said. The park will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, for the first time since Oct. 29, the day Sandy roared into Ocean County. “Thanks to the hard work of park staff, partnerships, volunteers and contractors, we have seen considerable progress in the cleanup and restoration of Island Beach State Park,” Martin said in a statement Friday. “This is all part of the Christie Administration’s plan to have a strong summer…
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
The long slog to recovery is taking a toll
Show me the way to go home. Five months? Has it really been five months since the monster Superstorm Sandy roared into Ocean County and changed the landscape for all time? Has it really been five months since we fled our Bayville home and moved into my son and daughter-in-law's basement? I remember hoping in those first dark weeks that we might be back in time for Christmas. We are still out. It took awhile for reality to sink in. It took some time to realize that recovery, for many, won't happen quickly. And for some, it won't happen at all. I met a woman who lives on Cove Road West in Bayville at the township's informational session on home elevation recently. She moved into her house about 15 years ago and happily began making it a home…
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Verizon employees to help restore Boyd Elementary, which was damaged by Superstorm Sandy
More than 160 Verizon employees helping to restore Seaside Heights' elementary school, which was battered by Superstorm Sandy. Hugh J. Boyd Jr. Elementary School sustained flooding during the storm and the 230 students enrolled there have called Central Regional High School home since. Volunteers from Verizon will give their time Thursday to help repair the school during a program organized by Jersey Cares. "Hurricane Sandy affected everyone in New Jersey in some way, and this project gives our employees a great chance to contribute their time and talents to getting Hugh J. Boyd Jr. Elementary School back into shape," said Jayne Mayer, director of employee engagement at the Verizon Foundation, in a statement. The volunteers — newly-…
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Friends of Island Beach State Park's Osprey Cam is up and running
The waiting game is over. The osprey who make Island Beach State Park their home each spring and summer are returing to the park that was heavily damaged by Superstorm Sandy. Their return was a bright spot after a dismal winter and early spring marred by Superstorm Sandy The Friends of Island Beach paid $10,000 back in October 2011 for the solar-powered "Osprey Cam," which runs day and night. The camera and platform were battered by the massive storm and had to be repaired. The camera was reinstalled a few weeks ago and the wait began. This morning, one osprey was spotted on the nest near the park's Interpretive Center, several miles in from the entrance, according to the FOIB's facebook page. Berkeley Patch will continue to update the …
Monday, March 11, 2013
Jacobs becomes the only African-American head coach in the Shore Conference; will be paid a stipend of $6,800, superintendent says
Central Regional has a new head football coach for the Golden Eagles. Willie Jacobs, a 1990 Central graduate, replaces Vincent Casale, who held the position for five years while also serving as the district’s athletic director. Casale will remain as the school’s athletic director, Superintendent Triantafillos Parlapanides said. The 41-year old Jacobs is the only African-American head coach in the Shore Conference. He spent the last two seasons on Casale's staff as defensive coordinator, Parlapanides said. Before coming to Central, Jacobs worked at Long Branch High School under Head Coach Dan George. Jacobs was the defensive coordinator during Long Branch’s State Championship runs and also served as an assistant coach in Franklin …
Monday, February 4, 2013
Constant stress, confusion bring on relentless fatigue for many
"Oh, a storm is threatening My very life today If I don't get some shelter Oh yeah, I'm gonna fade away" - from "Gimme Shelter" by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards It's been over three months since Superstorm Sandy roared into the Jersey coastline, changing landscapes and lives forever. At first, some people were optimistic the mess could be turned around in a relatively short period of time. Now we know better. Now the sickening realization that things will never be the same has sunk in. Township Council President James J. Byrnes had it right when he said at a recent council meeting that storm fatigue had set in. I've got it and so do too many other people. I'm tired of acronyms like FEMA, ICC, ABFEs, SBA. I'm tired of all the things I've…
Joe
9:39 am on Saturday, May 11, 2013
Big mistake for the state to buy that property in the first place. Someone mades lots of money and the state wasted money on something they did not need. Makes ya wonder don't it? more ›