On April 22 I received the email set forth below from my District 12 state officials following their meeting with the general public on April 21 at Shore Regional High School. I can tell you that the great majority of Oceanport residents who were in attendance that night were not thrilled with Sen. Jennifer Beck, Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon and Sen. Joseph Kyrillos. Following is the thank you that they sent to me along with my response:
Dear Friend,
We would like to extend our thanks to you for joining us to discuss the details of the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Act, S-917, and its proposed amendments. As always, our door remains open to answer your questions and listen to your suggestions as we continue our work to advocate for all of the citizens whom we represent.
As was stated last night, in a situation like the one we are facing, when we are poised to lose 20,000 jobs and are confronting the task of converting over 1,100 acres of military property into beneficial uses for the entire area, it is impossible to please everyone. What this bill does, along with the necessary amendments presented last night, is strike a balance between local, county and state interests.
We have all worked long and hard to strike such a balance, working closely with all levels of government to achieve the bipartisan support of the mayors of all three host districts, and the unanimous bipartisan support of the governing bodies of Tinton Falls and Eatontown, as well as the County.
As this process moves forward, we will continue to reach out to keep you informed. If you have any additional questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact our offices at 732-933-1591 or 732-866-1695, or you can visit our website at District12.SenateNJ.com.
Jennifer A. Beck
Senator
R-12th District
Declan J. O’Scanlon Jr.
Assemblyman
R-12th District
Dear Sen. Beck and Assemblyman O’Scanlon:
Thank you for addressing the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Act (S-917) for the first time with members of the general public from the three host municipalities (Eatontown, Oceanport and Tinton Falls) on April 21. I trust that, as beneficial as this meeting was, you will be holding several more meetings with the citizens of the host municipalities as you continue to advocate for them. Inasmuch as your doors remain open to answer our questions and listen to our suggestions, I believe that future meetings on this topic will enhance your ability to advocate Oceanport’s positions on this rather complicated issue. The devastating loss of 20,000 jobs and the conversion of over 1,100 acres of military property into beneficial uses for the entire area is not something that can be properly understood and acted upon without a great deal of contemplation, study and analysis. Insofar as this property’s redevelopment will take place over the course of the next two or three decades, and inasmuch as this legislation was only introduced a little over two months ago, I am glad that you are keeping your door open to answer our questions and listen to our suggestions as you continue to craft this bill over the next few months or years. There is certainly no need to rush headlong into this legislation, and your willingness to keep your door open and listen to your constituents’ suggestions exemplifies your understanding that we are at just the beginning of the legislative process. Indeed, it was heartening to hear from the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Planning Authority’s (FERPA) executive director that the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) approval of the original fort redevelopment plan is not being held up because of our lack of an implementation authority. Many of us had been led to believe by you that HUD couldn’t approve our previously submitted plan until this legislation was passed and the implementation authority was established. Thank goodness we now all have clarification on this issue and that the exigent need for immediate passage of this bill is no longer a factor.
Rest assured that many people in Oceanport do not concur with your assertion that your bill, along with the necessary amendments presented the other night, strikes a balance between local, county and state interests. While the bill, along with the amendments, has certainly moved in that direction, many of us believe that a proper balance has not yet been achieved. We believe that the long and hard work necessary to craft properly balanced legislation has just begun insofar as, notwithstanding our mayor’s support for your bill, the Borough Council of Oceanport has unanimously and bipartisanly disapproved the legislation, and contrary to your assertion, the Monmouth County Freeholders have not passed a unanimous, bipartisan resolution in support of this legislation.
A great number of your Oceanport constituents are looking forward to being part of the process as the crafting of this very important legislation moves forward. Your commitment to reach out and keep us informed goes a long way toward ensuring a proper balancing of interests when the legislation is finally finished.
Jay Coffey
Oceanport