Wednesday, April 3, 2013
JSWA Director Arlene Schmid said that the Jersey Shore Wedding Association wants to help local couples who have been affected by Sandy in any way they could.
Becky Grodzki and Matthew Budreck, both of Brick, had planned their June wedding at the waterfront Martell's Waters Edge venue, in Bayville. But when Sandy blew in, portions of the couple's venue were reduced to rubble, and they were told the venue probably wouldn't be ready in time for their wedding. As if that weren't enough, Grodzki was helping a neighbor remove possessions from his house after Sandy pushed about 4 feet of water into the home, when a diamond from her engagement ring fell out and was lost among the rubble. Then there was the $3,000 that Grodzki and Budreck were forced to spend from their wedding fund, to remove an oak tree in their back yard that Sandy had uprooted. In January, several vendors at the Jersey Shore Wedding…
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
The bayside community is still in flux following Hurricane Sandy as residents consider elevating, rebuilding, or leaving altogether.
In every house that neighbors his own is a decision yet to be made. John Defunia counts himself among the lucky ones. His Beach Haven West home was already elevated when Hurricane Sandy struck. The contents of his garage were lost and his dock was destroyed. Aside for damage caused to his sub-floor, Defunia's home made it through the storm largely unscathed. The same can't be said for his neighbors. Many of the properties throughout the bayside community are gutted, or left in disrepair following Sandy, the familiar red inspection sticker informing all that the building is unsafe. The people across the street, he's not sure what they're going to do. Most of the houses around here that weren't elevated will have to come down, he guesses. …
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Full-time residents say traffic, destroyed homes could pose a problem as spring approaches.
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
- Daniel Nee
-
Thursday, February 28
If not for the 45 degree temperature, it may as well have been a summer day on Route 35 in Brick. A constant stream of traffic clogged the state highway, and a miles-long line of cars backed up from the Mantoloking Bridge up and down the barrier island. Even on weekdays, residents say, the traffic is nonstop. But while Shore locals have tolerated the annual summer influx of traffic for as long as out-of-towners have flocked to the water, the lingering idea of "disaster tourism" in the wake of Superstorm Sandy has some residents concerned, especially as warmer weather approaches. There are concerns of looting or break-ins - with police officials in Stafford Township even going so far as to put out a press release about thefts in certain …
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Stafford Teachers And Residents Together moves from clean up to construction.
Mike Dunlea said when he first went to help Joe Mangino clear his property after Sandy neither imagined how their project would take on a life of its own and turn into Stafford Teachers And Residents Together or S.T.A.R.T. During a presentation at last Tuesday’s Stafford Township Council meeting, Dunlea said to date S.T.A.R.T.'s nearly 2,000 volunteers had logged more than 10,000 hours clearing 700 homes in Beach Haven West. Based on the average charges being quoted for clean ups after the storm, Dunlea estimates the group saved affected residents a total of $2.5M. Now that most of the clean ups are finished, S.T.A.R.T. is beginning to help people rebuild their homes, said Mangino. Several projects are already underway with more planned, …
Friday, January 18, 2013
Fire in unoccupied two-story home is now under investigation by the Ocean County Fire Marshall's Office.
The Stafford Township Volunteer Fire Company responded to a “fully engulfed” unoccupied structure fire in Beach Haven West on Friday evening. According to Fire Company Chief John “Jack” Johnson, they received a call at 4:46 p.m. reporting an explosion and fire at 20 David Dr. off of Mill Creek Road. Township firefighters with mutual assistance from the Barnegat Volunteer Fire Company fought the blaze from the ground and above using Stafford’s ladder truck. Firefighters were able to get on the roof of the structure and cut a hole in it to aid in extinguishing the flames. First Aid squad units from both townships were on the scene as well as Forked River Fire Department’s Firefighter Assist and Search Team (FAST). The FAST or Rapid …
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Panel of experts address issues such as compliance, mitigation, insurance, financing, resale and rebuilding after Sandy.
Recognizing that real estate professionals are “on the front lines” when it comes to answering questions about homes and businesses after Sandy, the Ocean County Board of Realtors convened an information session this week in Toms River. Tom Wissel, of the Ocean County Board, invited representatives from FEMA and the SBA (Small Business Administration), as well as a real estate attorney, insurance professional and mortgage banker, to attend the first of two planned “After Sandy” panels. “What I first learned, was a lesson on the Constitution because federal agencies need to be invited to sessions like this that deal with state and local issues," said Wissel. "They can not call for them on their own,” he added. In addition, federal agencies…
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Stafford's mayor thanked Alec Baldwin for a $250,000 donation to rebuild Beach Haven West Community Center at the last council meeting of 2012.
Mayor John Spodofora thanked actor Alec Baldwin for his recent $250,000 donation to help rebuild the Mill Creek Community Center at Thursday’s meeting. Baldwin’s philanthropic foundation, the AB Foundation, made the donation to rebuild the Stafford Township center earlier this month after learning about the situation through Governor Chris Christie's office. In an earlier reported statement, Baldwin said, “I realized these facilities that are hubs, that are centers of community activity like the Mill Creek Community Center, serve this incredible function.” Baldwin added that he wanted his donation to do something that might otherwise be overlooked. Spodofora said he is still communicating with Baldwin via email. “We are discussing him …
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Citing no time to review a water and sewer rate study, the Township Council kept focus on the recovery efforts and FEMA funding.
With an estimated 5000 homes damaged by Sandy, according to Mayor John Spodofora, Tuesday’s Township Council meeting was centered on providing residents information and bureaucratic relief. The council finalized a resolution to waive all permit and inspections fees for homes and businesses damaged by Sandy. In addition, an ordinance was introduced to also waive all redevelopment fees for any construction projects associated with the storm and any future affordable housing projects. Final approval is scheduled for the end of year meeting, scheduled for Dec. 27. Redevelopment fees are based on a percentage of the cost of a project and go to fund future affordable housing projects, according to Township Administrator James Moran. An ordinance…
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Nearly 50 volunteers came by bus from Ohio to aid in the recovery and deliver relief baskets.
Doris Camangian was still in tears when she pulled up to thank the volunteers from Operation OHIO that has just cleaned out and gutted her storm-ravaged Weaver Drive home in Beach Haven West. “I just had to come by and thank every one of them from the bottom of my heart,” said Camangian, who had driven down with her husband. She said she had no idea what the eldery couple would be able to do themselves once they got here. When she saw that her neighbor, Joanna Connley, who has been coordinating volunteer clean up efforts for the past month, had arranged for her house to be included, Camangian said she could not stop crying. Retired Navy Seal Frank Hoagland, who was coordinating and dispatching the Operation OHIO teams, said this reaction …
Friday, November 9, 2012
Is it too soon to laugh?
When I awoke Thursday morning to see a mountain of snow in my front yard, and no power once again in my house, I pulled out my phone, started snapping photos, and updated my Facebook status. I wrote this: "Dear God, We are very sorry about Snooki, JWow, and the Situation. You have made your point. Please stop now. Sincerely, the real Jersey Shore." Within an hour I had dozens of family and friends "liking" my status and commenting on it. Then the inevitable comment. "Oh man, too soon." Which left me thinking, is it too soon for the Jersey Shore to laugh at ourselves? I thought about that famous Saturday Night Live episode after 9/11, when Lorne Michaels asked Mayor Rudy Giuliani, “Can we be funny?," prompting Giuliani to respond, “Why …
kathy
2:45 pm on Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Kudos!!!! more ›