So FEMA Meeting tonight is BS – We’re back to raising the town again..

Really?? Really?? Is there something not right with the head of the “environmental committee” heading the “flood mitigation” steering committee??  Highlands officials propose raising entire town in $150 to $200M post-Sandy project.

Umm who is more of a moron Nolan or Steve S???  I’m thinking Steve..  “Your degree of disruption would depend on whether you’re in that swath or near it,” said Szulecki, who figures that some property owners may elect to rebuild once their sections are complete. “Some bungalows may not be worth lifting.”  As well “Under the plan, Highlands would be elevated not in one shot, but in 500-foot-wide slivers. Once all the structures in a section are elevated, workers would build a retaining wall at its edge and then fill it in, installing new utility connections along the way.”

Holy crap, these people have a say..


  1. So glad you sent this out as I was unable to make it tonight and really wanted to. In reading the article it seems like the Corp amongst others find it unrealistic so seems like just a pipe dream by two people who want to make a name for themselves. Mayor got to go as he is totally out of touch with his residents between 85% back and this nonsense. Did he not see survey says….WRONG ANSWER:) These people are just wack! I’m not a huge Bloomberg fan and I know Highlands no NYC but not a stupid man and we can maybe learn from their ideas from various scientist.


  2. 1. Who pays for you to relocate as they backfill your “sliver”?
    2. Who reimburses the businesses for lost income during the project?
    3. What happens to people that can’t raise their buildings? For example, how do you raise the coffee shop if it’s built on a concrete slab? There’s plenty of condos and apartments that can’t be lifted.

    Thank goodness we have until 2015 before the reports come out. Hopefully the mayor doesn’t do too much damage to our image until then. What home buyer or developer would come to this town under the threat of backfilling???


  3. The whole FEMA meeting just strikes me as the same old shit with a new label. Carla’s had how many years of leading the HBP to get economic development? NOTHING has happened except graft, corruption, and her pockets being lined with website money for a site that is complete crap.

    Perhaps having someone else lead this group might actually result in progress.

    And I wish they’d just STFU about this raising thing. It makes them (and us) look like fools.

    Here’s hoping that we’ll all actually be able to overrule the morons and get some actual change.


    • totally agree.
      The counterpoint would be to get a solid plan together that presents an alternative ‘approach’ (what about buyouts and natrual restoration of flood plains?), ASAP, before this particular train gets any closer to its wreck.


    • The timing of the article was a slap in the face of residents who in good faith went to last nights meeting with the expectation of helping putting the town back together.. It basically says “screw you Highlands, we don’t actually care about your opinions, we have our own agenda”


    • People already invested too much in fixing and lifting their homes unless buyouts take that into account everyone would be shortchanged. This needs to stop as how can anyone make an educated decision to elevate and protect their property with another hurricane season around the corner. To see mayor talk about being displaced and fixing his home is infuriating when his home is rotting on Waterwitch….such a windbag politician!


  4. Sometimes people can get fixed on a certain idea and it becomes hard to see other viewpoints. That can be a little scary- but since its unlikely it will ever be considered, the worst thing about it is that is diverts energy from more immediate and enviro friendly solutions.

    Hey…I’ve got a (slightly) better idea: move everything downtown onto a large platform, and hook it up to a bunch of giant balloons so that is floats above ‘flood level’.


  5. Here’s an outlandish conspiracy: Nolan doesn’t want to be mayor anymore but he can’t say that publicly or privately. Think about it: he’s pushing to redevelop Shadow Lawn with a high rise that NO ONE WANTS and he keeps pushing this back-filling that NO ONE WANTS. Even Carla thinks back-filling is not a viable option.

    It’s like he’s begging for us to vote for someone else.


  6. Here is something interesting I heard just today, that has some bearing on this subject.

    I went to see a doctor today, that i see on a regular basis. He practices in the area a few towns over and is very politically connected and hob knobs with those types.

    We of course got talking about the storm. He told me and this is a close paraphrase of what he said, that there is a “hidden agenda” regarding what Highlands(IE the government) is planning on doing with the town.

    He says he has heard, that unlike places like Union Beach where the idea is to get people back into their homes, that this is not the intention in Highlands. But rather, to make it as hard as possible for people to rebuild, put as many obstacles in their way, and do other things to make is financially unfeasable for them to rebuild.

    He stated that the “idea” is to make the downtown something like Pier Villiage in Long Branch.

    So, my question is, how is it that my doctor, who tends to be in the know about a lot of stuff has heard this? And based on what we have seen so far, this sounds feasable!!!

    To address many of the points here, consider this? What is the town decides to persue eminent domain on the entire downtown area? Now, some would say this couldnt happen as it would be abuse of that law(like we have seen in other towns and made big news) and that they couldnt do it.

    Well consider this. If the US Army Corps of engineers is planning, doing the project to lift the town, and spending the money to do it, is pretty much a “federal” project. Eminent domain is a law to provide for things that are in the public good or interest, projects like bridges, railroads, power plants, etc etc etc.

    What if that was the “plan”, the “hidden agenda” here is? To declare that backfilling the town is in the publics best interest, and to preserve the shoreline? This would obviously be a smoke screen to cover the real purpose which would be the forced redevelopment of the town.

    I could be way off base, but considering what we have seen and heard……………………


    • Ok, well if thats true, you remember the Mayor saying “these committees are *more* important than *any* election..” at the FEMA meeting?, – Guess what? That means the election to a) vote FOR a non-partisan and b) vote all these underhanded lying unscrupulous council persons out becomes VERY important, Because these committees are acting as a smoke screen to divert attention to their action plan to turn Highlands into a pier village type or whatever their plan is. In concert, being on the committees and being extremely vocal about ideas and not taking any bs becomes just as an important, because once we have them out we need to make our collective (as a town) plans actionable.


    • Duncan…I’m further behind because I’m just hearing this. However, I am not surprised. I read up on “transit villages” after the July Town Hall meeting. What I get out of it is that if we did a “transit village” it would look like Pier Village. Commercial/retail at ground level, residential above it, and parking behind it. All within a 1/2 mile from the ferry “terminal.”

      Carla keeps telling us that none of the development she’s pushing would use eminent domain. The mayor backs her up. But I don’t see how you could backfill an entire town without it.


    • “Transit village” is actually part of the state master plan and is kind of pro-developer- it allows increased densities, etc wherever ‘public transport hubs’ exists and- of course-provides tax breaksand grants, etc to those who would develop. As to the eminent domain- a taking for public purpose is always allowed, (such as dune creation) but the taking for redevelopment purposes, was soundly struck down in NJ after 2/3 of Pier Village was underway. so…Fair market purchases are the only way to remove anyone from their home (with pay, but forcibly), unless its to make a park, road, or other such public project. That idea about a Pier Village would not be so bad, assuming everyone who owned there, was bought out at a price that made them want to move…Honeysuckle Lodge/Johnny U’s area comes to mind, as does some of the area around the Paradise Park site….many vacant places, etc pockmarking those areas…


    • Or offer comparable property if we want to stay? Seems like if they go that route they are wasting the states money for RREM & resettlement grants along with insurance money. People rebuild and elevate just for them to move and developer to tear down to build a Pier Village. Waste of taxpayers money and might hurt New Jersey should they be in need of federal dollars again.


  7. One other point,

    The whole “process” and these committees are total jokes. The same old names, the same old people, with the same old agendas are on them. Is this a big shock? So, what will the conclusions of these committees be? Would it be a shock if they were self serving just like everything else has been so far? Cut me a break!


  8. Sorry Im not “up to speed”, but my point was that the “story” is being heard all over, and by people that dont live and are not associated with the town.


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