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