Congressman Frank Pallone is continuing his decades long opposition to the rehabilitation of Fort Hancock, the historic and formerly picturesque military base on Sandy Hook.
Pallone initially supported the National Park Service’s plan to rehabilitate the fort in in the mid-1990’s through a public-private partnership ala The Presidio in San Francisco California. He flipped his position and joined the now deceased Judith Stanley Coleman in organizing opposition to Rumson developer James Wassel’s 60 year lease and proposed $100 million investment to rehab Officer’s Row while maintaining the historic nature of structures in the late 90’s.
This week Pallone spoke against a new proposal to allow private residential development at Sandy Hook, according to a press release by his office.
MIDDLETOWN – “We’re a long way away from putting a shovel in the ground, but if we’re able to agree on a project plan that meets our needs, and is acceptable to all community stakeholders, it will be a huge step in the future of our program. We really can’t thank Ms. Burry and the Freeholders enough for recognizing our need for a gymnasium, and offering their support.”
That’s what Earl Moore, principal at MAST, the Marine Academy of Science and Technology at Fort Hancok said this week when he learned the Monmouth County Vocational Board of Education and the National Park Service signed a Memorandum of Intent, paving the way for conversion of Buildings 56 and 23 at Fort Hancock into a new facility.
The announcement, which was signed by all parties involved on Thursday, was made at the Fort Hancock 21st Century Advisory Committee meeting at Thompson Park Friday.
STATEN ISLAND– Firearms experts believe the weapons seen being handled near the Gateway National Recreation Area Friday are paintball guns, the Staten Island Advance reported. “The preliminary opinion of these experts was that the weapons in the pictures strongly resemble replicas of firearms used in ‘paintball’ games,” NYPD Deputy Commissioner John J. Miller said in a… Read the rest of this entry »
Brian Thompson of NBC News 4 NY is reporting via facebook that the roof of a historic structure in Fort Hancock, part of the Gateway National Recreational Area-Sandy Hook, has collapsed and the building may not be able to be saved.
Breaking: major roof collapse at historic Ft. Hancock/Sandy Hook barracks. Not clear if building can be saved
SANDY HOOK —Those who want to get a jump on buying their season parking passes for Sandy Hook can make their purchases beginning this weekend, park officials said. Parking permits will go on sale April 11 at the front entrance station, said Daphne Yun, a spokeswoman for the National Park Service. For now, they will only… Read the rest of this entry »
The oil slick in Sandy Hook Bay that was reported to be two miles long by 900 feet wide on Thursday afternoon was observed to be one mile long by 150 wide at 10AM this morning, according to Coast Guard Petty Officer Frank Iannazzo-Simmons during a phone interview with MMM.
Iannazzo-Simmons said a unified command consisting of personnel from the Coast Guard, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, NOAA and the National Park Service were still working to identify the both the source and product of the sheen. The color of the sheen changed from a rainbow to a “silverish” metallic color. Last evening it was reported that authorities believed the product to be diesel fuel. Today, they are taking samples to determine what it is.
20 feet of boom was installed at Horseshoe Cove yesterday as a precaution to protect the environmentally sensitive area. Today 70 feet of “hard boom” was installed to shore up the precautionary protection. Horseshoe Cove was deemed to be the only environmentally sensitive area that could be impacted by the sheen.
The sheen remains located at the northern end of Sandy Hook on the bay side.
“Raise your hand if this is your first time here,” Eddie Segall religiously started off his nightly sunset ceremonies at the Sea Gull’s Nest. “Now raise your hand if this is your last time here,” Segall barked as 10’s of customers raised their hands in laughter, just as they had the night or the week before. The joke never got old.
Photo by Paul Scharff
We’ve raised our hands, sung God Bless American along with a Kate Smith recording and watched the octogenarian Segall challenge much younger men to 50 push ups for the last time.
Sandy, and the federal bureaucracy, has claimed the iconic Monmouth County attraction that was a favorite of tourists and locals alike.
The Sea Gull’s Nest at Sandy Hook will not be reopening, according to a report on Highlandsblog. The blog quotes Daphne Yun, spokesperson for Gateway National Recreation Area, ” the lease for the popular Sea Gull’s Nest Restaurant has not been renewed. Sea Gull’s Nest will not be reopened.”
Concerned about the potential impact on the Bayshore region’s economy of a prolonged closure of the Sandy Hook Gateway National Recreation Area, Senator Joe Kyrillos (R- Monmouth) has introduced a resolution calling on the federal government to make reopening Sandy Hook a priority.
“Sandy Hook sustained enormous damage during Hurricane Sandy along with the homes and businesses of Bayshore residents,” Kyrillos said. “But there is more devastation in store if this economic engine for our region is not restored and reopened in time for the 2013 tourism season. The Sandy Hook Recreation Area is the source of millions of dollars of economic activity every year and an affordable summer getaway for tourists from near and far who will lose out on a treasured summer tradition if it is not reopened. We cannot afford to lose the economic activity generated by Sandy Hook as we seek to rebuild our shoreline.”
Sandy Hook Gateway National Recreation Area is federally owned property that is maintained and operated by the National Park Service.
