In the Garden, a floral and plant studio founded by former Highlands Councilwoman Nancy Burton in 2005, took on five feet of water during the Superstorm Sandy surge. Burton and her new partners, Jenna Morris and Eileen Ricco are re-opening their restored shop at 69 Waterwitch Ave, Highlands today for the Valentine’s Day rush.
Don’t forget your sweetheart today and don’t buy him or her a stuffed animal. Call Nancy, Jenna and Eileen at 732-291-0311 or visit their website to have your gift delivered or ready for pick up.
They deliver from Highlands south as far as Asbury Park and west as far as Colts Neck.
Set your DVR’s for 5pm ABC Eyewitness news. In The Garden is being featured in a segment!
Kranky Cycles, a small bicyle shop in Highlands, opened in the Summer of 2011. The store surived Irene and its first year while becoming an important part of the Highlands community and the significant cycling community in the area.
In Sandy, they lost the contents of the store…tools, parts, equipment and bikes. Unfortunately, being such a young business, they do not qualify for FEMA or SBA funding.
Their goal is to raise $15,000 to reopen the store. As of this writing they’ve raised $5,091. Please help them as much as you can.
In an interview with NJ.com Sea Bright Mayor Dina Long expressed her frustration with a lack of specifics in Governor Christie’s State of the State Address, even though she said she is meeting with state officials and FEMA today.
“We’re glad we’re on the governor’s radar, but the story of the owner of Sea Bright Pizza, Cono Trezza, is emblematic of my entire community,” Long said, citing one of many Sea Bright establishments yet to be back in business. “We want to do the right thing in terms of rebuilding by doing it smarter and by mitigating flood risk. Unfortunately, because of a lack of specificity coming from the state of New Jersey, and a lack of support and money from Washington, D.C., people who want to do the right thing are in limbo. I’m glad that we’re Jersey strong, because we’re going to have to be strong enough to pull ourselves out of this. We’re a 1,500-person town with a $5 million budget that needs help, and we’re not getting help.”
“I would not respond well to somebody who criticized this Republican governor, because [Christie] has been a determined, inspirational leader,” Long said. “But in order for us to rebuild smart from Sandy, we need more than just moral support. We need to know whether or not we’re going to get financial assistance or not. And if the answer is not, that’s fine – we’ll figure it out ourselves.”
Long’s frustration is understandable. Frustration among municipal officials and residents alike is likely to rise in the coming weeks and months as the difficult realities of rebuiding are confronted. Yet, for a mayor to expect the Governor to recite what specific actions will be taken in any given town during a State of the State Address is unrealistic, especially when that Governor highlighted your town during the address and you’ve got a meeting to handle specifics scheduled for the next day.
However, Long’s next line is alarming and should have been the lead to the story:
“Every day that goes by, the resolve of our business owners goes away,” Long added. “I’ve got people sleeping in cars – I could care less about the boardwalk.” (emphasis added)
Why are people sleeping in cars?
A friend of mine whose home in Highlands was flooded by Sandy has been staying with friends, at no cost to the taxpayers, for the last two months during her home clean up and rebuilding. That arrangement stopped working last weekend. My friend visited the FEMA office in Leonardo and was put up in a hotel in a matter of hours. That residents of Sea Bright are sleeping in cars doesn’t make sense. Maybe they are choosing to sleep in their cars. Maybe someone is dropping the ball. Maybe there is red tape. Red tape and dropping the ball is unacceptable.
My friend says that FEMA temporary housing is expiring on the 12th. That could lead to a lot more people sleeping in cars. That’s not acceptable either.
Where is all the money that was raised by concerts being spent? How is the millions that Christie raised privately being spent? Evidently its not being spent on people in Sea Bright and elsewhere who have been displaced and are sleeping in cars.
We can’t have people who are displaced by a natural disaster sleeping in cars because of red tape. Not in Monmouth County. Not in New Jersey. Not in the United States of America.
We’re better than that.
UPDATE: Displaced residents are sleeping in cars because they are being evicted from their hotels on weekends to accommodate wedding guests. Read about it here.
Good coffee, good food, reasonable prices and a clean comfortable friendly environment with free spontaneous comedic bantering returns to the Bayshore tomorrow when the Sand Witch Shop reopens in Highlands.
Skip and Donna Ross were wacked by Sandy. Their home and business were both underwater during the storm. They’ve been fighting back since. Tomorrow their busniness on the corner of Waterwitch Ave and Shore Drive in Highlands will reopen to feed breakfast and lunch to residents, contractors and ferry commuters.
Coffee is free to eat in diners. Delivery is free, south to Rumson, Sea Bright and Monmouth Beach and west as far as Belford. The menu is updated daily.
The Sand Witch Shop is open from 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Satuday and from 8 a.m. till 3 p.m. on Sunday.
The State Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee toured the damaged areas of Union Beach and Highlands today before convening their scheduled hearing at the Henry Hudson Regional High School in Highlands.
State Senator Joe Kyrillos, who represents the Bayshore in Trenton, issued the following statement following the hearing:
Touring the damage today in Union Beach and Highlands gave my colleagues in the Senate a good visual of the destruction this storm wrought on our district and Monmouth County as a whole. However, the testimony from members of the community who are putting their lives back together best illustrated the anguish and exhaustion our friends and neighbors are going through. I thank members of the Committee for coming out to the Bayshore today.
They also got to see the best New Jerseyans have to offer: neighbors helping neighbors, residents rebuilding with dedication and courage, and the generosity of charities such as the Robin Hood Foundation that announced today their contribution of hundreds of thousands of dollars to relief efforts in Sea Bright, Highlands, Keansburg, and Union Beach.
As FEMA continues to assess the damage and make plans to compensate victims and help them rebuild, I encourage them to remember words of the residents who came to Highlands to testify. The perception that the New Jersey shoreline is only for wealthy vacationers who live elsewhere is a false one. This area is full of hard-working, middle class families whose homes have been in their families for generations and will have a difficult time rebuilding what they’ve lost even with flood insurance. It is incumbent upon us to work together and ensure they are able to rebuild their homes to the condition in which they existed prior to the storm, or help them find a new home elsewhere if rebuilding in certain areas is too dangerous. Only then will their lives truly be made whole after this unique event.
Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon said that the tour and the hearing dispelled any notion that some legislators have heard from their consitituients that FEMA and the State are bailing out exclusively well to do and second home owners on the shore who should have known better than the build near the water.
“This one was different,” said O’Scanlon, “properties were never touched by previous major storms and hurricanes were destroyed this time. Hard working familes whose homes have been passed down four generations lost everything. Every town is different and it is appropriate that the Committee came and meet the people of the Bayshore.”
Highlands Mayor Frank L. Nolan gave FEMA a “D” when asked to grade the federal agency by Senator Jeff Van Drew. “Do you say B?” ask Van Drew. “D, as in not good,” responded Nolan.
Nolan gave the FEMA personnel on the ground an A+, saying his issues are with the agency’s bueracracy and red tape.
Nolan also announced that the Rainbow Foundation has pledged $200,ooo for Highlands recovery.
Councilwoman-elect Tara Ryan asked the committee to keep up the pressure on the National Park Service to open Sandy Hook by this summer, citing the park’s importance to the Northern Monmouth economy.
Hearing will be soley to hear from members of the public
The Senate Budget and Appropriations has heard from local officials, first responders and representatives of utilities companies in the last two weeks. This week they want to hear from members of the public who were impacted by Hurricane Sandy. The committee will convene in Highlands on Tuesday, December 11, 3PM at Henry Hudson Regional High School. The hearing is scheduled to go until 7PM.
“The first two hearings have provided us with a tremendous amount of feedback and ideas from those who were on the ground during the storm,” said Senator Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen, Passaic), chairman of the Committee. “What we really need now though is to hear directly from those affected by the storm. We can’t move forward in this process with direct input from the public. While I know it may be difficult given individual circumstances, we wanted to present an opportunity for people to come and share their experiences, so that we can learn from them.”
“We are further driven to immediately help our state recover as we connect with our small business owners, first responders and residents fighting to overcome devastation from Sandy,” added ranking committee member Senator Tony Bucco, (R-Morris). “An integral step toward revitalizing New Jersey is fully grasping the struggles and needs of those in Highlands and surrounding areas.”
Those wishing to speak at the hearing must register in advance via email [email protected]; fax , 609-943-5995 or by calling the committee staff at 609-847-3835.
Anyone providing written testimony is asked to provide 20 copies on the day of the hearing.
As estimated 3,000 people braved the cold and traveled by land and sea Sunday afternoon to to raise hope and money for the sea side community of Highlands, NJ, much of which was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy, at the Hope For Highlands Concert. The concert was held at the Seastreak Ferry parking lot. Seastreak provided ferry service from Atlantic Highlands and New York City to the event.
13 year old Max Kyrillos kicked off the concert with a Hendrix style rendition of The Star Spangled Banner.
Big Joe Henry, Southside Johnny and Pat Guadagno joined the previously announced talent of the Asbury Jukes, Glenn Alexander, Tony Seguso, Tony Tino, Bob Bandiera, Bob Burger, Lisa Bouchelle, Lisa Lowell, Layonne Holmes, and Tommy LaBella in raising the spirits of the tight knit community and the thousands came out to support their recovery.
Brian Spagnolo and Kari Belusko of Highlands were engaged to be married during the concert.
Over $35,000 has been raised so far. Click here for more information on how to donate to the Hope for Highlands Fund.
A growing group of Jersey Shore musicians lead by producer Rick Korn and musical director Michael Mancini are raising money and the spirits of Jersey Shore residents with a concert to support the Rebuild The Jersey Shore efforts on Sunday November 25 in Highlands at the Seastreak Ferry terminal, 325 Shore Drive, at 2 p.m.
The Rebuild The Jersey Shore Band And Friends includes members of the Asbury Jukes, Glenn Alexander, Tony Seguso and bass player Tony Tino. The expanding list of artists scheduled to perform in the Hope for Highlands Concert includes Bob Bandiera, Bob Burger, Lisa Bouchelle, Lisa Lowell, Layonne Holmes, and saxophone legend Tommy LaBella.
Admission to the concert is free. Food and beer will be sold by local restaurants and merchants at the “Taste of Highlands” food court, with profits going to Highlands survivors. There is a $10 parking fee at the Seastreak parking lots in Highlands and Atlantic Highlands, which will also go to those impacted by Sandy. Seastreak will provide free ferry service to the concert from Atantic Highlands. There will also be ferry service from New York leaving from E 34th and Pier 11. A $65 fee will include the round trip boat ride, food and the concert. Excess proceeds will go to support Highlands’ Sandy survivors.
The money raised through the concert will be administered by “Hope for Highlands”, a fund set up through the non-profit Highlands Business Partnership under the direction of Mayor Frank Nolan and Councilwoman Rebecca Kane. The Hope for Highlands Fund is designed to go directly to the people and businesses in Highlands that need it most.
“Highlands, like so many devastated small towns up and down the Jersey Shore, was hit extremely hard by Hurricane Sandy”, said Nolan,” This half square mile middle class fishing village, has been devastated with severe damage to over 1200 of its 1500 downtown homes and almost all of its businesses.”
Highlands, the first stop on the Jersey Shore, is known for its spectacular restaurants, Sandy Hook, Historic Twin Lights and its fishing and clamming industry.
“The loss of these homes and businesses has had a ripple effect on the community beyond the norm because many of the residents worked and lived in the town”, said Borough Administrator Tim Hill, “An economically challenged town before the storm, this community is now faced with not only the loss of their homes but many have also lost their jobs.”
In the Garden, a floral and plant studio founded by former Highlands Councilwoman Nancy Burton in 2005, took on five feet of water during the Superstorm Sandy surge. Burton and her new partners, Jenna Morris and Eileen Ricco are re-opening their restored shop at 69 Waterwitch Ave, Highlands today for the Valentine’s Day rush.
Good coffee, good food, reasonable prices and a clean comfortable friendly environment with free spontaneous comedic bantering returns to the Bayshore tomorrow when the Sand Witch Shop reopens in Highlands.
