oh excuse me...
Judge Alexander Lehrer
As for my campaign for State Senate, it's going to be even better
when you all read about how Sean Kean broke the law today.
Officials' tour of Long Branch beach club called illegal
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 04/25/07
BY CAROL GORGA WILLIAMS
COASTAL MONMOUTH BUREAU
LONG BRANCH Community leaders, a historian, politicians and
Monmouth County officials who
focus on property acquisition, came to the Takanassee Beach Club
today to spread the word about the need to preserve the historically
relevant site.
But, as it turns out, neither the officials nor the media, had any
right to be on the Ocean Avenue property which is the focus of a
family dispute.
Harry V. Osborne II, a lawyer who represents Ginger Peters, a one-
third owner of the property, and Jerold L. Zaro, who represents the
contract-purchaser, Takanassee Developers LLC, said the developer has
a lease for the property and only he can give permission to enter the
site.
"It is very disturbing and disturbing to hear of this tour,
especially by two lawmakers,'' said Zaro. "...They are law makers,''
he said of Kean and Unger. "They shouldn't be law breakers.''
The beach club has been owned by the Peters family for generations.
Sister Ginger Peters and her brother Christopher wanted to sell the
valuable oceanfront land, while brother J. Scott Peters did not,
although he ultimately signed the sale contract, saying he felt
forced to by Superior Court Judge Alexander D. Lehrer.
Since news of the pending sale was disclosed and Takanassee
Developers, whose principal is Isaac Chera, revealed plans to build
21 homes there, Kean and Unger have been championing plans to
preserve the 4.9-acre site which contains three buildings that were
once used by the U.S. Lifesaving Service, a precursor to the U.S
Coast Guard.
It is one of the few remaining sites in the country with this
heritage said New Jersey
Historian Frank Esposito, who attended the tour.
Kean initially said he would introduce legislation to fund the $14
million purchase,
although the legislator said today he did not feel it necessary to go
through with the legislation, given the fact that administrators of
the state's Coastal Area Facility Review Act are taking a dim view of
Chera's proposal.
Unger said he believes the city could operate the club as a municipal
beach club, as such operations are conducted in nearby
municipalities. He said a formal study has not been made.
"Some things in a society are more important than economics,'' Unger
said. "Sometimes we put economic considerations first and we act as
if they trump all other considerations'' If that were the
case, "there would be no Central Park, there would be no Island Beach
State Park...Takanassee trumps all economic considerations.''
Both Unger and Kean believe that if Chera fails to get his CAFRA
permit, he could walk away from the land, and the state, in
partnership with the county and the municipality, could pick up the
oceanfront parcel for between five and $10 million. The state Green
Acres fund would provide 75 percent of that.
But Zaro said that is not realistic. (Osborne said the $14 million
price being bandied about is incorrect. Chera is offering the Peters
$16 million for the property.)
"I think these two gentlemen are latecomers to the situation,'' said
Osborne, of Unger, who was elected to City Council in November, and
Kean, who is seeking election to the state Senate. "...I just don't
know where they are going to come up with the money. As far as I
know, the mayor has no intention to condemn the property or put
anything up in order for the city to pay for it.''
Osborne said Chera's surrender of the land is "pure wishful
thinking'' on the part of
Unger and Kean.
"It certainly sounds nice for the politicians to say "we'll buy it'
or "we'll get funding
for it.' That's just not realistic,'' said Zaro, citing the state's
ongoing budget crisis. "I
don't think buying a beach club for $16 million is going to rank up
there with all the other needs we have. The city could condemn it
under eminent domain (but) I can't imagine the citizens of Long
Branch, who have just seen their tax assessments triple, would be in
any kind of a mood to raise taxes again to buy a beach club.''
Leila Poch, president of the Elberon Voters and Property Owners
Association was present for the tour. She said citizens support the
preservation.
"We have the chance to put the stop sign up,'' she said of razing
historic properties in the city.
"This is the Peters' property,'' countered Mayor Adam Schneider. "It
is their life
savings. It is a very valuable property. If you put pressure on CAFRA
to devalue it so someone can acquire it more cheaply, I won't do it.''
Schneider added that he would love to see the property preserved but
the cost is a sticking point.
"At some point, there has got to be an open public discussion about
whether that is the best possible use for that type of project,''
Schneider said. "I don't know that it is.''
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