Neptune Apologizes For Letter
By ED SALVAS
 Coaster Photo: Ocean Grove residents were upset after they received a letter saying flowers and other plantings were prohibited in the grass strip in front of their homes. Neptune officials said they would review the ordinance before taking any action. |
More than 200 Ocean Grove residents packed the Camp Meeting Association’s Youth Temple Tuesday night to express their anger and fear that they could be fined, and possibly jailed, for planting flowers on the grass strip between the sidewalk and curb in front of their homes.
What brought them to the special meeting of the Ocean Grove Historic Preservation Commission was a letter sent to all homeowners in the Grove concerning the grass strips which contained the warning that they could be prosecuted, fined up to $1,200, and jailed for as long as 90 days if they were found in violation of Neptune Township Ordinance 508-C which states that only grass can be planted on the grass strip.
After listening for more than an hour to a dozen or so residents speak out angrily and emotionally about the letter, Neptune Mayor Randy Bishop, himself an Ocean Grove resident who also received the letter, stepped to the microphone and ended the meeting.
“You have been heard,” Bishop told the audience, and added that he was among the officials who had seen the letter before it was sent and admitted “it should have been test-marketed” before being sent out. In an effort to calm resident’s fears of prosecution, the mayor said the township “will not be issuing any violations until this has been resolved.”
He said the ordinance will be reviewed at the Township Council’s June workshop session, scheduled for Monday, June 9. Bishop said he and the Council will continue to welcome comments from residents about the ordinance prior to the June meeting and any resident who has had a problem with a violation should contact him personally.
Bishop’s comments were followed by Historic Preservation Commission Chairwoman Deborah Osepchuk who brought the meeting to a close by telling the audience “you have my heartfelt apology,” for the tone of the letter and the concern that it caused.
“I apologize for the arrogant tone of the letter,” she said “It should have been friendlier and should not have quoted potential violations.” Osepchuk said the letter was a collaborative effort and was written by individuals who were attempting to interpret guidelines that have been written and rewritten through the years.
Residents attending the meeting were allowed five minutes at the microphone to speak about the letter. James Hundley, who has an office on Pilgrim Pathway, was the first to speak and drew cheers when he asked, “Who appointed the HPC to enforce a Neptune Township ordinance?”
Joe Krimko of McClintock Ave. said the letter was written too strongly and should have been edited more carefully.
Mary Ann Hoynes of Abbott Avenue called the letter “condescending” and said she was being “lectured” by the commission and that she “felt threatened” by the letter.
The Ocean Grove Historic Preservation Commission has maintained that residents have been sidestepping the ordinance for years, adding fences, chains, grates, planters and even furniture to the grass strips between the sidewalk and curb and that anything but grass on the strip creates a potential safety hazard.
Osepchuk says the grass strip is a public right-of-way, not the private property of the homeowner.
Prior to the meeting as residents gathered outside the Youth Temple, Jenine D’Arey of Lake Ave. handed out postcards demanding that Neptune Township “Disempower the HPC.” Another two-page letter was being circulated, addressed to “The Town Officials Who Govern Ocean Grove” and states, “This town is God’s Square Mile, what the heck are you trying to do to us?” Coaster Photo |
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