President’s Blvd Plea and Update

Hello Fellow HCTA members –

It is not only the temperature that is heating up lately; activity regarding the Boulevard is heating up as well – and again I am asking for your help.

It was with great irony that I read in the attached Asbury Park Press article that Mayor Mancini of Long Beach Township is considering closing Ocean Boulevard because it is becoming unsafe. The article opens with “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.”

I would say that is the exact same argument we are making, yet Mancini won’t allow us to make our roads safe. I guess he feels the owners, renters and day-trippers to his town are more worthy of safety than those in Harvey Cedars. If you find Mancini’s position as ironic (and selfish) as I do, please let him know and write a letter to the Asbury Park Press and the Beach Haven Times. Linda Reddington is responsible for both publications and her email address is yourviews@app.com

We have started a “3inHC” campaign and have secured funds from the town to assist us with some of the cost associated for these educational initiatives.

The first was an open letter (attached) to Mancini and Larson asking for an open dialog. Even though we have been spurned every time we have tried to open a dialog, we thought we would give it one more try. No word from either mayor yet.

We registered the domain name www.3inHC.com, which we will be referencing in a series of educational “infomercials” that we will run each week in the SandPaper.  We are also creating flyers with the pertinent facts of the study, how the data was collected, how it does not impede emergency vehicles or evacuations, etc. We hope to get these flyers at the checkout counter of island businesses. We believe that when people see the facts, and not the hype, they will understand the expert’s proposal makes perfect sense.

So, now for the plea for help. You may have seen the SandPaper letter-to-the-editor in which a writer suggests we don’t care anymore and have gone away. I know that is not the case, so please, let’s continue to be heard. Write to the papers. (for the SandPaper: letters@thesandpaper.net ) Call Jack Kelly. Call the mayors and ask why they won’t have a real discussion. Mancini thinks this is a dead issue. We do not. If you’ve helped us previously by writing a letter, please do it again. If you haven’t, please throw a quick letter together and be heard. Boulevard safety is far from dead.

On a lighter note, please mark your calendars – our Annual HCTA meeting will be held on Saturday, August 27 at the firehouse. Doors open at 9:20 am and the meeting starts at 10:00 am. Email ‘tickets’ will be sent to those members who have already “re-upped” their membership for the 2011-2012 year. All others are asked to bring a check(made out to HCTA)  for $25 so we can speed you through the line. If you want to avoid the renewal line, you can now join the HCTA thru Paypal. Visit our website at www.harveycedarstax.org and click on the “membership/donations” tab.  Then click ‘join us’ on the drop down menu and the rest is explained on the site.

Thanks for stepping up to assist us in making the Boulevard safer for all.

Regards,

Bryan Lewis, President

Harvey Cedars Needs You NOW

HCTA member:

Harvey Cedars needs you. At every HCTA Annual Meeting I have been a board member of (and that is every one since the re-formation of the Association) Boulevard safety was the number one issue brought up from the floor. Almost 74 % of the residents responding to the survey wanted a change to the Boulevard. Clearly we all know it is a safety issue.

I am going to be blunt. We need you to step up. Complaining at the Annual Meeting won’t help. Politics are in play and we are being out-played.

Our Commissioners have written a letter to the editor of the SandPaper, which is attached. Please read it. They eloquently state the reasons for the change. They have also sent a resolution to the Ocean County Freeholders stating their displeasure with the refusal to make the change – a change endorsed by the Freeholders own engineers and hired consultants. Why the refusal? Because Mayors Mancini and Larson don’t want it.

If this change to make our town safer is to happen, we need your help. We need you to write, write, write – and send it to everyone on the attached list. This is a political old-boy network making decisions that will get someone in Harvey Cedars seriously hurt. Every professional, whether it is the police or engineers, has said the road diet – that Mayor Mancini put into his own town – makes absolute sense for ours. Why should Freeholder Kelly allow Mancini and Larson to allow our town to remain unsafe?

So please write. Pertinent facts are:

-       Less than 30 seconds increase in transit time through town

-       It is stated in the report that it increases safety for walkers and bikers AND turning cars

-       Police professionals disagree with the “emergency response can’t get through” argument

-       Evacuation is a red herring – the road is just as wide. The bridge is and always will be the issue

-       The vast majority of those against – including Freeholder Gerry Little – never saw the computer simulation

To get in this week’s SandPaper we need you to email a letter tomorrow (4/11 by 4pm). Sorry for the late notice, but even if it is a short letter in support, we will take it. I also ask that you send it to each of the people/newspapers in the attached list. Even if you can’t make tomorrow, still do it. This is not going to happen without YOU.

Thanks for your support – Bryan Lewis, President, HCTA

Newsletter sent by HCTA

Newsletter from our President

Hello Fellow Harvey Cedars Taxpayers Association Members –

I hope everyone is faring well through the multiple snowstorms. Happily,  Spring begins 56 days from today and only 127 days till Memorial Day. Close enough that it keeps my mind off of the foot of snow still in my yard.

Several updates for you:

Home Security

Unfortunately earlier this winter several homes in Loveladies and one bayfront home in Harvey Cedars were burglarized.  The HC Police Department routinely conducts random house checks (they once called me to let me know my basement was unlocked but nothing looked amiss) and patrols all streets in town. For added protection, the Police Department offers a FREE program whereby Officers will make  checks of your house and notify you if they find open doors, water leaks or any suspicious activity. The program is active between October 15th and May 30^th. To download a registration form visit our website at HarveyCedarstax.org. You can click on the HCPD link and find the form under ‘programs’. It is important to note that this registration must be updated every season.

New Building Ordinance

A new Building Ordinance was passed that changes the value of what is used to determine substantial improvement or substantial damage.  Previously it had been the assessed value, but now it will be the replacement value. This ordinance was patterned after a similar one passed in Beach Haven. Certain FEMA rules could be very punitive to homeowners in the event of damage. The change in the ordinance allows for compliance with FEMA regulations without some of the very expensive and punitive unintended consequences of the regulation. If you wish to read the new ordinance, please visit our website.

Beach Replenishment /Court Cases

Not much to report on the litigation as the cases work their way through court. The Flumenbaum case has been settled, and at this point it appears the other cases are postponed. As we get information, we will post it on the HCTA website.

The 83rd St Ramp has been straightened out and complies with the settlement with the Flaumenbaum’s.  The Army Corp will return to finish up the work, make it drivable for vehicles and add dune grass, etc. The Borough has also cut out some of the “mass” at Mercer St. ramp and is looking at some possible renovations on the 80th St. ramp. The Borough has worked to show the residents of those streets the plans and is trying to accommodate their ideas/wishes as best they can.

The dune grass planting has yet to be finished, the Borough has not forgotten about it and expects it to be finished in the spring.

Boulevard Safety

I wish there were more to report on this very important issue. The surrounding towns still appear to be very against the project. Without the support of Mayor Mancini, this will prove a difficult battle. The Borough and the HCTA are still working to meet with Mayor Mancini and the other Taxpayers Associations to come to agreement. Since it is a county road, the county listens to the surrounding towns as much as us. It is unfortunate that some people think that a maximum increase in transit time of 28 seconds at peak hours is more important than the safety of our residents.

The other options proposed by County Freeholder Jack Kelly are more traffic lights. The average traffic light along the Boulevard is 35 seconds.  What people seem to forget is that the traffic lights are always there. Peak traffic isn’t. The additional traffic lights in Harvey Cedars will almost assure them of a longer transit through town, while doing little to help people trying t cross the Boulevard.  Overwhelmingly, the taxpayers are in support of this project. Please help us and contact Freeholder Kelly and express YOUR support. You can find Jack Kelly’s contact information on our website as well.

School Consolidation

The draft Study of School Consolidation has been completed and reviewed by the Long Beach Island Board of Education as well as the five Mayors who have accepted the report (including Mayor Oldham). The results of the Feasibility Study will be presented to the public on Tuesday, January 25th at 7pm in the Ethel Jacobsen School.  The study should be published in the Beach Haven Times the same day.

It is proposed to create one school building for pre-k through sixth grade on the site of the Ethel Jacobsen School properties.  This will require a large addition and renovations to the existing building. It is anticipated that this can be funded by the sale of the Long Beach Island Grade School property and bus garage and a New Jersey Department of Education facilities construction grant.

HCTA Trustee Barbara Lehman has agreed to chair the Joint Council of Taxpayers Associations committee to review the feasibility study.  AS we learn more, we will post updates to our website.

Donations

The HCTA has made a donation to the Harvey Cedars Beach Patrol to help with the cost of new umbrellas for the lifeguards. You may not be aware of it, but we have the second largest beach patrol in the state, while at the same time one of the lowest budgets – safety and savings.

Looking for a way to show your support for the HCTA or your love of Harvey Cedars? Check out our catalog at http://www.zazzle.com/harveycedars where you can find HCTA and Harvey Cedars T-shirts, mugs, beach bags, coffee mugs, etc. A portion of each sale goes to the HCTA to help us fund the organization and projects in town.

As always, thank you for your membership, continued support and comments. Keep the comments coming – we are your voice, so hearing from you is important. Please help us expand our membership – there is power in numbers. If your neighbors don’t belong, ask them to join. You will be helping them AND yourself.

Thanks,

Bryan