Fall/Winter Update from President Phil Kunz
Harvey Cedars Taxpayers Association
Fall/Winter Update
Dear Fellow HCTA Members,
I hope everybody had a wonderful Thanksgiving and took the opportunity to enjoy the incredible weather we had over the holiday weekend. I want to take a moment and let you know what is going on with the HCTA and Harvey Cedars in general. If you were not able to attend the annual meeting in August, the minutes are posted on the HCTA website http://www.harveycedarstax.org under the “Recent Posts” heading. The meeting minutes cover what was presented and discussed at the annual meeting as well as follow up information.
One topic that has been discussed year after year is the less than safe conditions along Long Beach Boulevard through Harvey Cedars. Providing a safer boulevard remains an ongoing battle with Ocean County. Please visit http://www.harveycedarstax.org to show your support for a safer boulevard by signing the online petition. Select the 3 in HC/Boulevard heading and scroll down towards the bottom of the page and select “Signing Our Petition”. At the time of this letter we have only 27 signees and 7 of those are HCTA board members. Please ask your friends and neighbors to sign the petition as well. Whether they live in Harvey Cedars or elsewhere, we need more people to speak up and sign up if we want a safer boulevard in Harvey Cedars. Please remember that our police department would like reports of any incident involving pedestrians and vehicles along the boulevard. A record of problems and occurrences may help in our effort to have the County provide a safer boulevard.
A related point of discussion from the Q & A portion of our annual meeting was the need for pedestrians to follow the rules of the road. The emphasis of this topic was the importance of pedestrians traveling in the proper direction relative to vehicular traffic and obeying traffic signals and signs. The HCTA will investigate how we might help the Borough with reinforcing pedestrian road safety.
Also from the meeting Q & A session was the request for the HCTA to address changing Harvey Cedars current “no dogs on the beach” ordinance. The outcome of a show of hands indicated an equal number fore and against a change. At this time without a majority in favor, the HCTA is not challenging the Borough’s existing ordinance. This topic lead into a lengthy discussion about owners not curbing their pets and not properly disposing of their waste. In short the outcome seemed to be for all to respect the private property of others and not use somebody else’s yard or trash cans as a toilet for pets. Since we are discussing animals, I would like to note that with the recent donation of four live animal traps the HCTA is assisting the Borough in the effort to control and manage the ongoing problem of feral cats. Arrangements for use of the traps can be made through the HCPD. Please make sure you receive an informational sheet when you borrow a trap.
Other than some beach erosion at both ends of town, trash and recycling containers needing to be returned to their proper places, and debris clean up, our replenished beaches survived Hurricane Irene. In an event like a hurricane, communication between the Borough and the community is very important. If you have not signed up for the free Nixle Community Information Service I would encourage you to do so by going to http://www.nixle.com . The system will provide you with the latest emergency information affecting your community. This along with the reverse 911 system the Borough utilizes will provide you useful information and instruction.
The Borough has received some reimbursement from the County for work Harvey Cedars performed related to the beach replenishment project. The Borough has also received from the State significant reimbursement for legal fees and settlement cost related to beach front easements needed for the replenishment project. This is money that had adversely affected the Borough’s budget and it nice to see it coming back especially as we are approaching that time of year when next year’s budget has to be addressed. This year as in years past, the Mayor and Commissioners have asked the HCTA to participate in the budget process. The HCTA and the Borough will take advantage of those same meetings to plan what the next steps might be in the quest for the Boulevard reconfiguration.
Borough Hall will soon be getting a new roof and some needed repair to the clock tower. Additionally, if you have been in Harvey Cedars lately you have no doubt seen the new, taller, and imposing utility poles being installed along the Boulevard. The electric company told the Mayor the taller poles are required due to the increased electrical power they will be supplying.
With winter approaching you may want to take advantage of a free house check program provided by our own Harvey Cedars Police Department. Visit http://www.hcpolice.moonfruit.com to learn more and sign up for this valuable service. The program is active between October 15th and May 30th. During this time officers are randomly checking unoccupied residences. The HCPD encourages all residents that are away during the winter months to register. Please note that home owners need to sign up each fall to be included in the program.
The HCTA board continues to meet throughout the year working to make Harvey Cedars a better place for all. We appreciate your support. On behalf of the HCTA I hope that everybody enjoys a safe and pleasant holiday season.
Phil Kunz - President
Don’t Forget To Vote on November 8th!
Tuesday, November 8th is election day! If you are registered to vote in Ocean County but don’t live here full time, please come to Harvey Cedars and exercise your important RIGHT to vote! Poling places are open from 6am to 8pm.
Members of the State Legislature are up for re-election as well as County Freeholder positions. For more information on times, locations, candidates, etc. please go to the Ocean County Elections website at : http://www.oceancountyclerk.com/election/default.htm.
If you are not registered to vote in Harvey Cedars, but are a resident of New Jersey, please consider switching the voter registration of one or more members of your household to Harvey Cedars. The school budget will be up for vote in the spring. There is not much the HCTA or the Boro can do to help keep our school taxes down if we don’t have registered voters who VOTE in Harvey Cedars. Did you know that Harvey Cedars residents pay over $320,000.00 per Harvey Cedars pupil that attends Southern Regional High School? Let’s have a say in this- register to vote!
Hurricane/Annual Meeting Update
Good morning HCTA members,
As Hurricane Irene approaches NJ, in anticipation of the HCTA Annual Meeting, we are watching the storm track and are in communication with the Borough/County. We expect that Harvey Cedars will experience extremely high winds on Sunday, possibly starting Saturday night – all dependant on the storm path. Currently, Irene is expected to pass 100 miles offshore of Harvey Cedars during the day on Sunday.
What can you do?
Make sure that anything you have outside your house is secure. Bring inside or tie down your outdoor furniture. Anything that could fly around in high winds is a hazard to people and property. Please secure yard ornaments, shower house supplies, bikes, garbage cans, potted plants, etc. If your neighbors are away, please check outside their home as you would your own.
If you are out today, consider picking up extra water and staples. Be sure you have a working flashlight.
If you go to the beach-check the color of the guard stand flag. Red means danger- NO swimming.
For up to date information:
TV: The Weather Channel- 39, LBI Public TV-22
Radio: 1650 am or 92.7 fm
Online: www.hcpolice.org.
At this point we plan to still hold our Annual Member Meeting on Saturday morning. However we will continue to evaluate the situation and will follow the lead of the Borough officials in making our decision whether to hold the meeting. If the decision is made to cancel the meeting, we will email you of the cancellation and the rain-date.
The HCTA Trustees
Open Letter to Mayors Mancini(LBT) and Larson(BL)
AN OPEN LETTER TO MAYORS MANCINI AND LARSON
Mayor Mancini of Long Beach Township and Mayor Larson of Barnegat Lightwe are publishing this letter in an attempt to establish a dialogue with each of you with regards to the safety of Long Beach Boulevard. As our previous attempts in private calls and letters have not resulted in such a dialogue, we thought it most effective to publicly ask you to be open to a conversation about the changes in the traffic lanes in Harvey Cedars. As you are aware, the current lane configuration in our town does not offer road shoulders that meet safety standards, as the shoulders are far too narrow for safe recreational activity. Someone will eventually be seriously injured or killed by a car driving through Harvey Cedars, perhaps driven by one of your townspeople. The sheer tragedy of such an event would make victims of everyone involved: whomever is struck by a car; the unfortunate driver; and those who could have prevented the tragedy but chose not to.
The necessity to widen the shoulders of the boulevard, for the safety of everyone who walks, jogs, drives, bikes, pushes a baby carriage or in any way uses Long Beach Boulevard is not a matter of opinion. As you know, the Stantec engineering study has shown that the safest configuration would be to have one lane in each direction with a center lane for turns. This would allow the shoulders to at least be the minimum recommended width. So, a study was performed, the results announced, and the best possible solution established. The only thing holding up implementing the safest road configuration is your blessing. The Freeholders, as you know, have said that they will not institute the change for Harvey Cedars unless each of you agrees to it.
There is no sense debating the fairness of other towns dictating what happens to Harvey Cedars. We recognize the current reality: the boulevard will not be made safer unless you agree. This may not always be true, but apparently it is for now. We have heard the arguments against the changes: It could, at times, take 23 to 30 seconds longer to get through Harvey Cedars; it may slow emergency vehicles; it might impact island evacuation. Frankly, these “arguments” are not sound, especially when measured against the constant unsafe conditions that now exist. The one argument perhaps worthy of pause – the slowing emergency vehicles – is especially misleading. Emergency vehicles move past traffic as fast as possible regardless of lane configuration, and as we all know, the proposed configuration works effectively in many areas of New Jersey and across the country.
Again, we stress – the Stantec experts’ study recommends these changes. We are just citizens who are concerned with the safety of not only our residents and the visitors to our town, but also for the safety of everyone who lives, works, or vacations in any of the towns on our beautiful island.
So, what to do next? Letting the matter drop is not on option for us. We are open to discussing with you ways to alleviate your concerns and the concerns of your constituents. We are especially interested in finding ways to educate the public about the study that was performed. We believe that when people actually see the study results, the computer simulation, and the professional recommendations, they would agree with the experts: changing the lane configuration in Harvey Cedars would create a safer roadway for all. So, please, we ask that you reach out to us, directly or through our Mayor, and let us work together before it is too late.
Too often we have heard public officials say, after a tragedy “Let us make whatever changes we have to so that this never happens again.” We are asking you to have the courage now, before someone is killed, to say “Let us make whatever changes we have to so that this never happens.”
Respectfully,
Bryan Lewis, President
The Harvey Cedars Taxpayers Association
Mancini wants Ocean Blvd in LBT closed to traffic- yet holds up HC Blvd safety plan!
From LB Township: It’s a scene that repeats itself every day in the township.
Joggers and bikers run and ride along Ocean Boulevard for their early morning workouts, while traffic flies by, motoring to the destination, creating a dangerous mix, township officials said.
Zach Kerzner, a local business owner who uses Ocean Boulevard to work out, said issues with Ocean Boulevard are nothing new.
“I have been complaining about this for the last five years,’’ Kerzner said. “I brought this to the attention of the prior administration and they did nothing. Now people are starting to take it seriously.”
Over the course of the last couple of years, the oceanside street parallel to Long Beach Boulevard, Long Beach Island’s main artery, has become so congested that officials are considering a change to traffic patterns in order to make it safer, said Mayor James Mancini.
“We are going to take a hard look at the idea of restricted traffic on the road from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.,” he said. “Right now, the cars have to stop at every block, so why not just shut the street down during that time.”
The congestion on the road is now an issue for drivers and pedestrians, the mayor said.
“It’s going to get to the point that you cannot drive on that road during those hours for safety reasons,” Mancini said. “If you go down there on some days there are a 1,000 people on the street at one time.”
Police Chief Michael Bradley said the road has been an issue for a while. But Bradley could not provide statistics to make his point about safety concerns on the road.
“The problems continue with Ocean Boulevard,” Bradley said. “It’s all about the volume on the street and that includes cars, pedestrians and bikers.’’
In the past, the department has used grant money from the state to educate people on how to use the street safely, but that has not worked as well as the department had hoped, Bradley said, adding there have been minor incidents on the street over the last couple of years.
“At this point typical education is not working to satisfactory standards,’’ Bradley said. “We are going to have to start to use enforcement for those who are not following traffic rules and that does not mean just cars, it means bikers and pedestrians.’’
The major issue with the road is the lack of space for the high volume of bikes, runners and walkers, Kerzner said.
“There is a three-foot area in each direction that people are fighting for,” he said. “If there are a bunch of people in that area, someone is going to get hurt. Then in some spots you have less space because the homeowners have allowed their landscaping to over run the area.”
On any summer morning, between 7:30 and 10 a.m., the road is backed up with people and cars.
“It’s insanity,’’ Kerzner said. “There are people all over the place. Then you have contractors using the road to get to work quicker and that adds to the danger.’’
He said he would like to see some type of restriction put on traffic on the road.
“I’m not a law expert, but maybe you can make it no traffic during the busiest part of the day,’’ Kerzner said. “At this point, any changes would be better then the current situation.’’
Nicholas Huba: 732-557-5617; nhuba@njpressmedia.com;www.twitter.com/nicholashuba
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