Bayshore Sandy Survivor News: Abandoned Homes Suffocating Union Beach, Post-Sandy Stress in Kids, $7.3M Food Bank Grant, Did the SBA Lie?

Abandoned homes suffocating Union Beach | Wenson Maier already had a list of 50 homes that Union Beach plans to ask the state to demolish with federal grant money, and phone calls after that message brought that number up to 60. http://www.app.com/story/news/local/monmouth-county-bayshore/2014/07/01/sandy-abandoned-homes-union-beach/11931817/

Shore to get most state-paid Sandy home demolitions
Nineteen towns in Monmouth and Ocean counties have been accepted into a state program to demolish unwanted, unsightly and unsafe housing, according to the state Department of Community Affairs. http://www.app.com/story/news/local/ocean-county/sandy-recovery/2014/07/03/sandy-demolitions-jersey-shore/12195601/?sf28127174=1

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND!!!
Hope you can come see "Fireworks by the Bay" in Union Beach tonight (Sat.)

Know the signs of post-Sandy stress in children | Countless children suffered loss and stress in the aftermath of superstorm Sandy, but they react to the trauma of the disaster differently than adults. http://www.app.com/story/life/wellness/2014/06/17/superstorm-sandy-children-mental-health/10542189/

Christie Administration Simplifies Contractor Selection Process for Sandy-Impacted Homeowners | For RREM Grant Awards Signed Beginning July 1, 2014, All Homeowners Will Select Their Own Contractor to Rebuild Their Sandy-Damaged Home. http://www.state.nj.us/dca/news/news/2014/approved/20140701.html

Thank you Jersey Shore Gives Back
1) "The Homeowners Guide to Sandy Homeowners Contracting" by Community Health Law Project | The purpose of this guide is to help homeowners avoid common repair and construction problems including finding and selecting a contractor, negotiating a contract, paying wisely, preventing and resolving disputes and more! http://hub.mcltrg.org/repair-guide/
2) Community Health Law Project Announces Panel Presentation for Monmouth County Residents | Agenda includes presentations by Community Health Law Project and Volunteer Lawyers For Justice with Q&A session to follow on Wednesday, July 9th in Union Beach from 6:30 to 8 PM at Borough Hall. For more info: http://hub.mcltrg.org/legalpanel/

Restoring Credit After Sandy - Free Seminar July 15 | The Affordable Housing Alliance will present a program to help individuals impacted by Hurricane Sandy at its new Housing Recovery Resource Center located at 171 1st Avenue in Atlantic Highlands on Tuesday, July 15, from 6:30 to 8:00 PM. http://rumson.patch.com/groups/opinion/p/restoring-credit-after-sandy--free-seminar-july-15

SOME SUGGESTED READING FOR THE BRASS AT THE BAYHORE REGIONAL SEWERAGE AUTHORITY
We wouldn't want the rebuilding of Union Beach to be damaged by the BRSA's plans to build a 38-story noisy industrial wind turbine with blades each the size of a cell tower in our fair town, now would we?
1) Michigan Capitol News: Court Backs Finding Of Wind Turbine Noise Problem | Michigan's 51st Circuit Court has ruled that Mason County was justified in determining that wind turbines at the Lake Winds Industrial Wind Plant near Ludington are too noisy. http://www.michigancapitolconfidential.com/20229
2) New Turbine Study Points to Infrasound | A recent report from the United Kingdom is shedding new light on low frequency sound dispersion and the overall impact on nearby residents and the environment. http://www.98thebeach.ca/news_item.php?NewsID=67200i

Madison 'Bowling for Union Beach' raises $12,000
More than 200 bowlers convened on June 30 at Plaza Lanes in Madison in a benefit to help send children from Union Beach, a Monmouth County community still reeling from 2012’s Super Storm Sandy, to two weeks of summer camp. http://newjerseyhills.com/madison_eagle/news/madison-bowling-for-union-beach-raises/article_2f76e18c-030d-11e4-88e6-001a4bcf887a.html

Are you still feeling Sandy's impact? We want to hear from you!
http://tinyurl.com/la2tc9v

NJ Relief Announces Grant for The Food Bank of Monmouth & Ocean Counties | The Fund announced $774,000 in awards earlier in the grant cycle in support of three organizations; The Affordable Housing Alliance's Housing Resource Recovery Center, UCEDC's First Impressions Program and the Princeton Area Community Foundation for Rebuilding Union Beach. http://tinyurl.com/m32t7or

September 11th Week of Service and Remembrance Seeks Volunteers | As a leader in the national movement to preserve September 11th as a day of service and remembrance, Jersey Cares will engage 500 volunteers to improve their communities and state between September 7th and 13th, 2014. http://www.jerseycares.org/JC_Nine_Eleven

New Jersey Boardwalks Finally Reopen, Nearly Two Years After Sandy | Towns Along Shore Are Boasting About Their Rebuilt Beachside Walkways. http://online.wsj.com/articles/new-jersey-boardwalks-finally-reopen-nearly-two-years-after-sandy-1404521541

Watchdog: SBA masking true speed of disaster response
The U.S. Small Business Administration is obscuring the true speed at which it turns disaster loan requests into approved money by including quickly denied applications, according to a new audit. http://www.app.com/story/news/local/ocean-county/sandy-recovery/2014/07/01/sandy-small-business-administration-jersey-shore/11935277/?sf28028849=1

Changes to Federal Beach Grant Will Drive Up County Costs
The EPA guidance issued in 2012 – the first comprehensive change since 1986 - came without any commitment for additional funding. http://middletown-nj.patch.com/groups/bill-simmonss-blog/p/changes-to-the-federal-beach-grant-will-drive-up-county-costs

Upcoming Events At The Bayshore Resource Center in Highlands | Located at the Bahrs real estate building, 426 Route 36 at Linden Avenue, Highlands NJ. The telephone number is 732-893-7301 or they can be reached by email at bayshoreresourcecenter@gmail.com. Information is also available on their Facebook page under Bayshore Resource Center or Twitter #shoresource. http://hub.mcltrg.org/bayshore-events/

Volunteer photographers needed for Union Beach portrait project | Be part of a town creating new beginnings. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1hFYp8AaQ5NHvfVqMZ_435BEfe_IjoUht_BT_W9zlSbM/viewform

New Jersey Department of Community Affairs Superstorm Sandy CDBG-DR Dashboard | This website includes only programs funded with HUD CDBG-DR funds and provides a breakdown of the funding available, awarded and disbursed. https://www.newjerseyrebuild.org/

In NJ's back bay communities, flooding concerns continue after Sandy | Dunes and sea walls can protect the 127-mile oceanfront coast, but holding back floodwaters in the back bay communities presents a more complex challenge, experts say. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2014/06/buffering_njs_back_bay_communities_presents_from_future_flooding_after_sandy_presents_complex_challe.html

Green watchdogs slam toxic waste site luxury mall plan for Sayerville | A deal to build condos and retail on the National Lead site in Sayreville is being called 'pay to pave.' http://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/local/middlesex-county/2014/06/27/pay-pave-national-lead-site-developer-pledges-m-parkway-improvement/11552969/

Union Beach/Brook Avenue Foster Children Receive Playhouse and Rebuilt Home | Anna and Charlie Yurgelonis and their family have settled into a rebuilt home in Hazlet after Sandy destroyed their Brook Avenue home 20 months ago in Union Beach. http://www.ahherald.com/newsbrief/monmouth-news/17818-union-beach-brook-avenue-foster-children-receive-playhouse-and-rebuilt-home

New Jersey may be first state to ban smoking on beaches, in parks | The legislation would completely prohibit smoking inside all state, county and municipal parks. Public beaches would also be smoke-free, though local officials can opt to save 15 percent of beach land as a designated smoking section. http://news.yahoo.com/jersey-may-first-state-ban-smoking-beaches-parks-193437552.html

Northeast, NJ, have seen significant reductions in air pollution since 2005, NASA says | NASA released a series of images Thursday showing that air pollution across the northeastern United States has been reduced significantly over the last decade, including in New Jersey. http://www.nj.com/weather-guy/index.ssf/2014/06/northeast_nj_have_seen_significant_reductions_in_air_pollution_since_2005_nasa_says.html

Science explains changes in water temperature from beach to beach | Have you ever wondered why the water at one beach feels significantly colder than the water at another beach just down the road? http://tinyurl.com/q6ve64r