NJ Office of Emergency Management responds to Beach Haven Council's request for prompt disbursal of disaster relief funds

Members from the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management’s financial department recently ventured to Beach Haven to chat with town officials about reimbursements for damages from Superstorm Sandy. The meeting was in response to a resolution the council sent out last month, which requested that the state fully staff the OEM to ensure that Federal Emergency Management Agency funds are promptly disbursed. The resolution also requested that FEMA not reallocate undisbursed funds elsewhere.

As a result of the damage caused by Sandy, Beach Haven borough has expended funds to repair damage to borough infrastructure and buildings and has submitted claims to FEMA in the amount of $5,461,356. The reimbursement process has been slow-moving so far.

Photo via Google
Beach Haven officials seek prompt reimbursement
for damages from Superstorm Sandy.

However, “it seems we’re starting to get things moving a little bit,” Borough Manager Richard Crane said at the public council meeting held Monday, June 9. “I say ‘a little bit’ because we are at least starting to see some progress in the first portion of what we submitted reimbursement for oh, so many months ago, which was for the debris removal.”

Altogether for the debris removal, the town has currently submitted reimbursement claims for $1.2 million but has so far received less than $400,000. Another $400,000 is expected to be received soon, Crane said.

“There’s a good deal of funds to get. It’s slow and tedious, but there’s a lot of money at stake, and as I’ve indicated before, we need to keep plugging away,” he explained.

Ironically, the council approved a bill during Monday’s meeting to pay the town’s 10 percent of the debris removal for the contract led by Ocean County, which comes to a little less than $300,000.

In other meeting news, an ordinance amending an ordinance to regulate the parking of construction vehicles and/or equipment in the borough prior to and after working hours was introduced and passed on the first reading. Unless the vehicle is parked adjacent to the registered owner’s property, the ordinance, if adopted, would prohibit construction vehicles with a gross vehicle weight in excess of 10,000 pounds, construction trailers (open or closed), or construction equipment from being parked on any public street within the town prior to 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m., as well as any time on Sunday. Fines would increase with subsequent violations.

A resolution was also passed to award a $50,414 contract to Shore Connection of West Creek to begin work on the Stormwater Replacement Project, which would start in the portion of Nelson and West avenues and Seventh Street, where some of the storm drains have collapsed. Although the town experienced drainage issues before Sandy, those issues are much greater since the storm, Crane explained.

During the meeting, the council also adopted an ordinance to remove exemptions for temporary demolition containers and homeowner trash and recycling containers from the requirement that such containers be covered at all times.

In response to a public concern about the noise from the proliferation of tent weddings in town during the summer season, Councilman James White advised residents to be more proactive with their complaints.

“If people are put out, and it’s bothering them to a great extent, it’s not a bad thing to call the police,” he said. “It’s something that we can stand on terra firma with when we’re making a decision or dealing with the people that we have to deal with.”

Although Mayor Robert Keeler said the weddings are great for local business, he agreed that quality of living is essential for the surrounding residents and that there “needs to be a balance.”

Also at the meeting, Crane assured residents that the town’s new beach patrol headquarters on the beachfront of Centre Street is “nearly complete.” This past weekend, the lifeguards began moving some of their belongings into the new building, he said.

“As nice as it looks from the outside, it’s even nicer from the inside. It’s a magnificent structure,” said Crane. “I think it’ll be something that the town can be proud of certainly for many years to come. It sets us apart from any other beachfront communities here on Long Beach Island. It’s a beautiful facility.”

The town is also gearing up for its annual bike auction for bicycles that were abandoned or picked up during the course of last year. The public event will be held at the Borough Emergency Operations Center on Pelham Avenue on July 10, at 11 a.m.

— Kelley Anne Essinger

This article was published in The SandPaper.