Next IN PERSON Meeting will be Held on Saturday, August 20th. 9:30am

Written by Paul Jeffrey on . Posted in News, Upcoming Events

We will hold our next IN PERSON OBVTA meeting on Saturday, August 20th at 9:30am. Coffee and pastries at 9:00am.

We will also provide a Zoom link prior to the meeting.

Membership status will be checked at the door and you are encouraged to bring your 2022/2023 dues of $30 if you have not already paid.

Please note the meeting location:

The Moose Lodge on Bay Blvd

1801 Bay Blvd.

Ortley Beach, NJ

This is your opportunity to voice your concerns to Toms River. Your chance to directly ask your representatives questions.

Surf Club Purchase Complete: Property will Become Public Beach

Written by Paul Jeffrey on . Posted in News

OBVTA Celebrates Closing of Surf Club Purchase

The signing of sale papers today marked the end of years of lobbying, prodding and facilitation by the Ortley Beach Voters & Taxpayers Association (OBVTA).

The purchase means more public beach, an expanded boardwalk, additional beach parking and most importantly the protection of our NJ shoreline and overall environment. After years of efforts to encourage and facilitate the protection and preservation of one of the few significant stretches of beachfront property available along the Jersey Shore, members of the Ortley Beach Voters & Taxpayers Association were present today as Toms River officials signed the documents to purchase the Surf Club properties. The signing marked the end of a multi-year campaign by the OBVTA to see three oceanside properties between 5th and 8th Avenues adopted for public use. The acquired land had been Joey Harrison’s Surf Club, a popular shore destination that was irreparably damaged nine years ago in Superstorm Sandy. The purchase was made possible with substantial financial support in the form of New Jersey state Blue Acres and Green Acres funds; the cooperation of the Ocean County Board of Commissioners to help Toms River raise its portion of the purchase price; and the efforts of the Toms River Town Council and the Town Administration.

But it was the persistence of the OBVTA that first put the Surf Club property on the public radar, and the support of its now nearly 700 paid memberships that kept it there through years of delays, negotiations, setbacks, bureaucratic foot dragging and heated politicking.

“From the start, this was an effort to improve the quality of life for all lovers of the Jersey Shore,” said Anthony Colucci, president of the Ortley Beach Voters & Taxpayers Association. “As we’ve said repeatedly, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to protect and preserve a substantial portion of the oceanfront, and the OBVTA was determined to see it happen.”

READ THE FULL PRESS RELEASE:

OBVTA Surf Club Closing Press Release 12-30-2021

Read Shorebeat News Article HERE

and Asbury Park Press article HERE