Monday, January 28, 2013

SIA Newsletter 1 28 2013 - Please Apply for FEMA Grant Money; 1903 House Demolished; Please Continue To Donate to SURF!

To All Strathmere and Whale Beach Homeowners and Visitors,

Below is information that resident Lynn Fayter suggested be sent to all Strathmere & Whale Beach homeowners:

She writes,
I attended a FEMA meeting in Ocean City (Saturday) and learned a vital piece of information.
We have a deadline of February 8th to have our names included in Upper's request for grant money to help with elevating our homes.
As far as I know Paul Dietrich only has eight names on the list. Every homeowner in Strathmere and Whale Beach should be on this list.
This grant money is separate from the ICC (increased cost of compliance) benefit included in flood insurance.


The process:
Local communities must send a "letter of intent" to their county, the county then applies to the state, the state applies for the grant.
FEMA allocates the money to the state and the state decides who gets the money for projects.
Upper is applying for this grant, one of the projects included in Upper's "letter of intent" is to help with the cost of elevating homes in flood zones.
The deadline for submission of "letters of intent" is February 8, 2013.
Here's the important part:
All homes are eligible - including second homes. But, you MUST be included in Upper's "letter of intent." If you aren't included and money becomes available you will not be entitled to it. The grant would pay 75% of the cost of elevating a house.
It is important to call, email, or send a letter (we're sending ours certified mail - overnight) to Paul Dietrich immediately. I do not know when he will send the letter of intent to the county so it's advisable to send your letter now!
New flood zones and elevation heights will go into effect within 1-2 years. You might be in compliance now but not with the new elevation heights.
Have your name included on the "letter of intent" just in case you need to raise your home later. You can always decline the grant money if you so chose.
Lynn


We asked Paul Dietrich to comment on this, and he responded:
I have to have the information earlier than February 8 because I have to submit it to the county & then it is forwarded to FEMA. Any interested property owners should email me asap stating they are interested in raising their home in conjunction with the township's application for hazard mitigation grant. Homeowners should realize that part of this grant is a 25% match from the homeowner; ICC money received may be used as the match as well as engineering & surveying costs. Additionally, work cannot begin on construction until we receive the grant.
If property owners could also send me copies of their elevation certificate, that would help.
I will apply for more than I have letters for so that if people come forward later during the summer as they see what their new insurance premiums will be I will have the allotment ready. But the ones I have letters for will be first to get the grant dollars if they limit our grant award.

Thanks
Paul

Note that the e-mail address for Paul Dietrich is:
engineer@uppertownship.com


and the mailing address is:
Township of Upper, PO Box 205, Tuckahoe, NJ 08250


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This week, two houses built in 1903 and 1910 were demolished. It was definitely time.
The older one, an up-and-down duplex next to the playground, suffered extensive damage in the Veteran's Day storm of 2009, and even more from Sandy.
The three units will be replaced by two units in a side-by-side duplex.


Here the furniture is emptied to prepare for demolition,
 

 
 
and here the asbestos has been removed from the original buildings...


 
 
Then, they both come down in one day!







 
That all happened in one day last Monday, January 21. Clean-up took two days and completed Wednesday...



 
 
 
Some fun!


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We definitely still have Strathmere folks in need, so the Strathmere United Relief Fund would very much appreciate your (additional) donations.

Please make checks payable to Strathmere United Methodist Church, Box 49, Strathmere, 08248. Write SURF in the memo line. Thanks for caring!

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Remember to follow and "like" the SIA (click the "Thumbs Up" box ) on Facebook:
 
You'll get an early look at lots of things going on in Strathmere (we've had pictures of ice in the Inlet and snow on the beach this week)...
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Upcoming Events - mark your calendars:

Fire Commission Elections Saturday, February 16, 2:00 pm to 9:00 pm
SFEC Winter Social at the Deauville Inn, Saturday, February 23, 6:00 pm
 

Let us know of additions or corrections!
 
And once again, check out Carol Baker's wonderful Strathmere History website at http://www.strathmere.net/

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 The Strathmere Improvement Association includes all owners in Strathmere and Whale Beach and many visitors. It was founded over 60 years ago as a community organization with the simple objective of making Strathmere a better place. We are proud of the organization's many accomplishments over the years.

Please let us know if you have comments or suggestions for the newsletter or for SIA in general, or if you'd like us to change your e-mail address in our records.

You can contact us by responding to this e-mail at sia6@comcast.net
or by mailing SIA at PO Box 57
 
 
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Thanks very much for your continuing support of the Strathmere Improvement Association!
Linda Bateman   
Elaine Holsomback      
Donna Diefenderfer       
Rosemarie Whelan                
Ken Weaver
 
 
 

 
 

Friday, January 11, 2013

Schiavo Library: January 2013 Newsletter


Schiavo Library: January 2013 Newsletter     

Sandy Relief:
Thank you for your wonderful response! We had a large box, overflowing with hats, gloves and scarves, to donate to the OCNJ Care project. Also, thank you for your generous donations to the SURF Fund. Hopefully, every house in Strathmere will be restored this winter.

Food Bank Collection:
During January and February the library will be a collection point for donations for our area food banks. If you have any non-perishables that you would like to donate, please stop in. 

Knitting Club:         
We’re starting small with a few beginners. We’re going to try to teach ourselves, but we’d love company or help.  I liked the suggestion about donating our knitted items to a worthy cause. If we can produce anything useable, we’ll do that.                                                             

New Titles:
These bestsellers have just arrived at the library:
 


*The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling                                                                                 
*Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures by Emma Straub                                        
*Winter of the World by Ken Follett
*Dodger by Terry Pratchett
*The Last Man by Vince Flynn
*The Technologists by Matthew Pearl
*Joseph Anton: A Memoir by Salman Rushdie

If you have a new favorite, let us know.  We’ll put it on our wish list.

A Note from the Director:
I’ll be on vacation for the month of February this year. The library will be open normal winter hours : Tuesday through Saturday 10-4pm (Tuesday and Thursday hours may vary slightly: 9-3pm).

                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
Christine Rohrman, Library Director
www.strathmerelibrary.org

 

   

 

 

 
 
 

SIA Newsletter 1 10 2013 - Program Sat. at OC Library; Dunes Building; Well Drilling; No Word from USPS; SURF

To All Strathmere and Whale Beach Homeowners and Visitors,

Happy 2013 , Everyone!

 
We'd like to welcome Rosemarie Whelan as our new Recording Secretary, and thank Dorothy "Diddy" Addario for her hard work and many contributions these past two years.

Thanks Diddy!


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Are you sad, angry or frustrated (or all three) regarding the difficulties in getting help from Insurance or FEMA officials regarding damages from SuperStorm Sandy?

Project "New Jersey Hope and Healing" is about managing the emotional consequences of storms and flooding; understanding the impact and exploring strategies for coping with weather emergencies' stressful aftermath.

This Saturday morning, at 11:00 am in the Room N 110 Lecture Hall of the Ocean City Public Library Building, 1735 Simpson Avenue, there will be an interactive presentation of Coping & Recovery - Hope & Support regarding the aftermath of Sandy. You may find it very helpful.

Also, some flyers from this State of New Jersey sponsored project have been placed in the Post Office.

 
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We've been surprised to see that "meadowgrass" has washed around from the bay after recent high tides and built up on our beaches and caused small dunes to form.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Hopefully these "natural" dunes will continue to build...

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For those few of us in town at this time of year, you've probably seen (or heard) the activity around the water tower. A contractor for the New Jersey American Water Company, Unitech Well Drilling, is drilling a new well down to the "Atlantic City 800-foot" sand aquifer to replace the current well. This phase of the project involves drilling, testing and development for a new well, and is expected to complete in late February or early March. After successful completion of Phase One, Phase Two will involve connecting the new well to the distribution (pipeline) system. The new well should be in service by May, 2014. No disruption in water service is anticipated.
 
 
 
 
 
 
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You may recall that on October 24 the US Postal Service held a meeting to discuss the future of mail service in Strathmere, specifically to reduce the window times to four hours daily. Some 23 folks from Strathmere attended, and after discussion most people preferred to have their mail available in the morning, with a consensus requesting window hours of 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. The office would close at 1:00 pm, but we asked that a "time lock" on the outer door provide access to the boxes until 6:00 pm.

We have sent several e-mail messages to the USPS representatives regarding the status of these changes, but to date they have not provided any information.

 
 
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We still have Strathmere folks in need, so the Strathmere United Relief Fund would very much appreciate your (additional) donations.

Please make checks payable to Strathmere United Methodist Church, Box 49, Strathmere, 08248. Write SURF in the memo line. Thanks for caring!


 
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Remember to follow and "like" the SIA (click the "Thumbs Up" box ) on Facebook:
 
You'll get an early look at lots of things going on in Strathmere (the well drilling was pictured there a month ago)...
******************************************

Upcoming Events - mark your calendars:
SFEC Meeting Saturday, January 12, 4:00 pm
Fire Commission Elections Saturday, February 16, 2:00 pm to 9:00 pm
SFEC Winter Social at the Deauville Inn, Saturday, February 23, 6:00 pm
 
Let us know of additions or corrections!
 
And once again, check out Carol Baker's wonderful Strathmere History website at http://www.strathmere.net/
 
 
*******************************************************************
 
The Strathmere Improvement Association includes all owners in Strathmere and Whale Beach and many visitors. It was founded over 60 years ago as a community organization with the simple objective of making Strathmere a better place. We are proud of the organization's many accomplishments over the years.
 
Please let us know if you have comments or suggestions for the newsletter or for SIA in general, or if you'd like us to change your e-mail address in our records.

You can contact us by responding to this e-mail at sia6@comcast.net or by mailing SIA at PO Box 57.
 
**************************************

Thanks very much for your continuing support of the Strathmere Improvement Association!
 
Linda Bateman   
Elaine Holsomback      
Donna Diefenderfer       
Rosemarie Whelan                
Ken Weaver