By Liz Sheehan
MONMOUTH BEACH – A meeting on the draft Floodplain Management Plan for the borough held Tuesday night at the town’s Cultural Center drew residents who wanted to learn more about it.
Once the plan is adopted by the borough and accepted by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), borough homeowners will be eligible for substantially lower flood insurance rates.
The proposed plan, drawn up by a 21-member committee of residents and borough officials, is not final and can be changed with another meeting by the committee, Borough Attorney Dennis O’Connor said.
Christine L. Bell, a planner with T&M Associates, gave a slide presentation outlining the plan, which divided the actions to be taken by the town into three categories: high, medium and low. She gave the timeline and funding source of each action.
Bell said the borough’s Planning Board would approve the plan, which would be adopted by the Borough Commissioners in October. There will be an annual evaluation of the plan, and what actions have been taken and the goals listed in it can be changed, she said.
Betsy Kaeli of River Avenue, asked if it was necessary to create or implement the actions in the plan to receive approval for it from NFIP.
“You don’t get points for stating, you get points for doing,” Bell said.
Among the high priority actions listed in the plan were raise, repair and expand the existing seawall in the borough. Mayor Sue Howard said the bids for that project were out now. The work will be funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the state.
Other high priority actions include preparing a debris management plan to designate where debris from storm cleanups will be stored, elevating the generator at the municipal building, scanning all borough documents and storing them securely and electronically, increasing “the flood resiliency of critical facilities within the Borough by elevating” them, creating a tree saving ordinance, and conducting a lot coverage study and impervious coverage analysis.
Scott Sergeant, a resident and committee member, said that it was not too late to submit comments about the plan and for it to change. He said a lot of questions had been raised in the committee about the amount of impervious surfaces permitted in lots. Sergeant said that the last time the regulations for the amount of impervious surfaces had been changed in the borough was in 2005.
MONMOUTH BEACH – A meeting on the draft Floodplain Management Plan for the borough held Tuesday night at the town’s Cultural Center drew residents who wanted to learn more about it.
Once the plan is adopted by the borough and accepted by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), borough homeowners will be eligible for substantially lower flood insurance rates.
The proposed plan, drawn up by a 21-member committee of residents and borough officials, is not final and can be changed with another meeting by the committee, Borough Attorney Dennis O’Connor said.
Christine L. Bell, a planner with T&M Associates, gave a slide presentation outlining the plan, which divided the actions to be taken by the town into three categories: high, medium and low. She gave the timeline and funding source of each action.
Bell said the borough’s Planning Board would approve the plan, which would be adopted by the Borough Commissioners in October. There will be an annual evaluation of the plan, and what actions have been taken and the goals listed in it can be changed, she said.
Betsy Kaeli of River Avenue, asked if it was necessary to create or implement the actions in the plan to receive approval for it from NFIP.
“You don’t get points for stating, you get points for doing,” Bell said.
Among the high priority actions listed in the plan were raise, repair and expand the existing seawall in the borough. Mayor Sue Howard said the bids for that project were out now. The work will be funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the state.
Other high priority actions include preparing a debris management plan to designate where debris from storm cleanups will be stored, elevating the generator at the municipal building, scanning all borough documents and storing them securely and electronically, increasing “the flood resiliency of critical facilities within the Borough by elevating” them, creating a tree saving ordinance, and conducting a lot coverage study and impervious coverage analysis.
Scott Sergeant, a resident and committee member, said that it was not too late to submit comments about the plan and for it to change. He said a lot of questions had been raised in the committee about the amount of impervious surfaces permitted in lots. Sergeant said that the last time the regulations for the amount of impervious surfaces had been changed in the borough was in 2005.
“The world has changed as a result of Sandy,” he said. “We need to get a faster timeline on updating the standards. Time is of the essence. A lot can happen in a year.”
The date given on the plan to complete a lot coverage study and impervious coverage analysis is September 2017.
The amount of lot coverage, including a home and impervious surfaces on a site determines how much water is absorbed in the ground and how much is runoff onto neighboring properties or streets.
Howard said that the allowance for lot coverage, including building and impervious surface, was substantially lowered to 40 percent in 2005 by the town and met with much opposition. She said the time was needed for the project because “we need to do it right.”
Michael Short, River Avenue, said that “it appears to me that every new house is being built on a hill,” and that is pushing water into the streets and neighboring properties.
O’Connor said there was a real push to reduce property damages and it resulted in a “pull and tug.”
Part of the study under the plan would be to bring balance into the situation, he said.
Valerie Brett, Seaview Ave., asked about the Tree-Save Ordinance, which was passed this month, and listed as a high priority.
O’Connor said it was patterned after the tree ordinance in Rumson, and aims to save larger specimen trees as well as balance the interests of owners and the town.
He said that there would be regulations concerning removing and replacing specimen trees on the properties and no clear cutting permitted, except within 15 feet of the dwelling.
The report can be accessed at the borough website MonmouthBeach.org under Flood Information.
Comments on the plan can be sent to the planner at cbell@tandmassociates.com.
The date given on the plan to complete a lot coverage study and impervious coverage analysis is September 2017.
The amount of lot coverage, including a home and impervious surfaces on a site determines how much water is absorbed in the ground and how much is runoff onto neighboring properties or streets.
Howard said that the allowance for lot coverage, including building and impervious surface, was substantially lowered to 40 percent in 2005 by the town and met with much opposition. She said the time was needed for the project because “we need to do it right.”
Michael Short, River Avenue, said that “it appears to me that every new house is being built on a hill,” and that is pushing water into the streets and neighboring properties.
O’Connor said there was a real push to reduce property damages and it resulted in a “pull and tug.”
Part of the study under the plan would be to bring balance into the situation, he said.
Valerie Brett, Seaview Ave., asked about the Tree-Save Ordinance, which was passed this month, and listed as a high priority.
O’Connor said it was patterned after the tree ordinance in Rumson, and aims to save larger specimen trees as well as balance the interests of owners and the town.
He said that there would be regulations concerning removing and replacing specimen trees on the properties and no clear cutting permitted, except within 15 feet of the dwelling.
The report can be accessed at the borough website MonmouthBeach.org under Flood Information.
Comments on the plan can be sent to the planner at cbell@tandmassociates.com.
