Questions and Answers Concerning the Dune Easement Issue

Questions and Answers Concerning the Dune Easement Issue

I would like to start this blog off by saying Stop FEMA Now is a worthwhile
cause. The organization is one of the best ways to fight for your homes.
Everyone who has been impacted by Sandy should become an active member. That being said, I would like to formally ask the Stop FEMA Now organization to also take on the Dune/Geo-Tube easement issue. The benefits of the Dune/Geo-Tube system will undo almost all of the hardships FEMA has or is trying to inflict
upon the Barrier Island and the surrounding communities. Make no mistake this
is a fight for the survival of the blue and white collar home ownership. We
need to use whatever tools we have available to us to dismantle the web of
harsh regulations FEMA has choked the home owner with. As you read through the blog you find that the Dune/Geo-Tube is the only way to undermine the reasons for FEMA's harsh regulations and high insurance premiums. The way to STOP the current FEMA rulings is to undo the FACTS they are BASED on. The Dune/Geo-tube project is the only way to change those facts.

The questions needed to be answered for the U. S. Army Corps. of Engineers
(USACE) Dune/Geo-Tube project are evolving as I write this. There are many
misconceptions about the project. People who do not have a firm grasp of the
facts are spreading false information. This false information is holding up
this much needed project, in some cases preventing the easements from being
signed, and holding back the much needed public support. Some of the
misinformation concerning the Dune/Geo-Tube project are:

Does the project have funding? -- The project does have full funding.
The Super Storm Sandy project passed in January contains $4 billion dollars for
replenishment projects like this one. The project would extend from Manasquan
to Barnegat. Plus, it will be funded and maintained for the next 50 years by
USACE.  In my eyes this is a win, win situation. 

When will the project start? -- The project is planned to start when the easements are signed and the work is anticipated to start as early as this summer. To answer those who say, (“The Dunes will take time to build, they have to gather equipment and costal dredges etc., etc.”). I answer them by saying if it is going to take so much time, then we better get started NOW or as soon as possible!

Is there a design plan in place and what are the conditions of the easements? -- The project has been around since 2007 trying to get private
beach/associations easements. There is a separate easement for the
Dune/Geo-Tube construction and maintenance. The conditions of the easements
are; No Boardwalks or concession stands can be built on private or beach association property. Home rules and regulations will still apply. The easements will only allow public access to beaches. Those entry points, I believe, are at certain public entry points or where points already exist. There will be no access
across or through private property. Associations do not have to share their
fees with the Townships. Beach badges are only good at the beach issued.

How big is the dune project? -- The dune would be 25ft in height, have
a 75ft wide berm and 176 acres of dune grass. The project would also include a
Geo-Tube system.

What is a Geo-Tube? -- A Geo-Tube is gravel and sand wrapped in an ultra-strong ego textile fabric, forming a tube which is then placed under the proposed dunes. The purpose of which is to channel and control the oceans waters. This added feature will control future ocean breaches. An example of this would be controlling the breaches that occur in Mantoloking by the bridge during costal storms.

What is holding up the start of the dune/ Geo-Tube? -- There are around
79 known beach front property owners that I like to call the "THE-HOLDOUTS", plus a few more of the "THE-HOLDOUTS" along the shore, holding up the start of the dune/ Geo-Tube project. In fact, truth be told, they have stalled the project since 2007! It is a fact that if this system was in place the damage from Sandy would have been less severe. Just look at the areas along the shore that had a somewhat proper dune system and compare the damage. Plus the addition of the Geo-Tube will greatly add to the protection during future storms.

Will the dune/Geo-Tube project lower insurance rates? -- The
dune/Geo-Tube project is expected to lower flood insurance premiums. Some
sources say that insurance rates, in some cases, may be lower than pre-Sandy
rates. The reason for the lower rates is the added protection that the
dune/Geo-Tube system can provide.

How will the dune/ Geo-Tube project affect the FEMA flood map? -- The
Dune/Geo-Tube will directly affect the FEMA flood maps by lowering the flood
elevations and changing V zones to A zones or V zones back to A zones. If your
house is in a V zone or your flood zone has been changed from A to V you can
see how the Dune project can affect you in a positive way. In some extreme
cases the dunes may help you keep your home. So yes, the dune/Geo-Tube will
have a beneficial effect on the cost of rebuilding. This positive affect could/would
mean the possibility of lower height elevations, block foundations instead of
pilings and some houses will not have to be raised at all.

Who will benefit from the dune/ Geo-Tube project? -- Everyone who lives
from Manasquan to Barnegat (Island Beach) and the mainland along the bay will
benefit from the Dune/Geo-Tube project. The proposed project will have only a
positive effect. Home owners and businesses will be able to rebuild in a
sensible affordable manner. The dune/Geo-Tube will also provide protection from
future costal storms. Lower flood insurance rates will make it affordable for
blue and white collar middle class families to keep their homes.

Is there a date set for the signing of the easements? -- The many
Townships have set April 1st as the date for the dune easements to be signed.
The Geo-Tube requires a separate signed easement that must be signed by April
12th. If the easements are not signed, Gov. Christy is expected to take
whatever action is needed. Some officials have asked for Eminent Domain
proceedings to force the issue. May 1st is the date that the USACE must submit
their work plan to Congress. This issue is so important to all of us that we
have to let Gov. Christy know that if he wants our vote in November he must do
whatever it takes to build the Dune/Geo-Tube project. I beg you to call and to
keep calling the Governor’s Office. It is time we all let our voices be heard.

I hope the answers to these few questions dispel some of the falsehoods that
have stopped the Dune/Geo-Tube project from moving forward. The project has
been held up since 2007. FEMA's representatives have stated if the
Dune/Geo-Tube system was in place when Sandy hit, the damage to our shore would not have been as devastating as it was. The fact that we all could have saved ourselves the full misery that Sandy left us in is now a wakeup call. The fact that we didn’t do anything since 2007 is making me crazy. It should make you crazy too. We all let a bunch of self-indulgent, self- absorbed, selfish, beach
front property owners wreck our homes and in some cases endanger our lives. For what, so they can have privacy, an isolated view of the ocean, the sick
pleasure of having something someone else doesn't have? I have no clue as to
what is keeping these ("HOLD-OUTS") beach front property owners from
signing the easements. Signing the easements will benefit their neighbors,
themselves and the people from Manasquan to Barnegat and the surrounding
communities. I personally feel it is criminal for them not to sign the
easements. I don't mean criminal in the legal sense (or maybe it should be
criminal in the legal sense). I feel not signing the easements is criminal in a
social sense. The crime they are committing is failing in their obligation of
fellowship to the community.

The time has come for "THE-HOLDOUTS" to sign on the dotted line and
do a public service for everyone who lives from Manasquan to Barnegat. I feel
and I believe that the conditions of the easements are fair and should be
signed (hopefully you feel the same). The Dune project is a positive benefit
and cannot be held up by the petty selfish concerns of a few property owners.
There are two ways you can help. If you are not yet involved get involved in Stop
FEMA Now and demand that the Dune/Geo-Tube project be a major part of the
movement. The other way to help is to call the Governor’s office and tell the
Governor he has to get this project started and finished ASAP. We have been
waiting since 2007 and the time for waiting is over. Call the Governor’s office
today, tomorrow and every day thereafter, and tell him if he wants your vote in
November then get, "THE-HOLDOUTS" out of the way and get the Dunes
built now, no more delays, no more feeble excuses.

Thank you for taking the time out your day to read my blog and remember the
only one who can save your home is you, so join Stop FEMA Now and call the
Governor.

Thanks again, TomsBoy