Decried as an eyesore, Hurricane Sandy monument is huge, heavy, and illegal. What does Borough of Highlands do now? Watch video
BOROUGH OF HIGHLANDS -- When contractors began building a monument to Hurricane Sandy survivors on a beach in this storm-ravaged town last September, Joan Ostermiller, whose house sits across the street, was just the type of person they were trying to honor.
She and her husband lost everything in the storm. And it took five months of heartache and hard work by the couple and their seven adult children to restore some sense of normalcy to their lives.
But when Ostermiller, 80, saw the monument for the first time, she recalls having one thought: "What the hell are those a-holes doing?"
"I absolutely hate it," she added.
The monument, a massive 200-ton, 15-foot tall pavilion made of 2-foot thick concrete slabs, has sparked a controversy that has residents irate, the state declaring the structure illegal and town officials demanding the contractors who built it take it down.
Mockingly dubbed "Shorehenge" for its resemblance to England's Stonehenge, the pavilion was designed by Tod Williams-Billie Tsien Architects, a Manhattan firm that has designed museums and other buildings. It replaced a simple metal gazebo that had been on the beach.
It was erected for free in October by The Tilt-Up Concrete Association of Mount Vernon, Ia., a nonprofit trade group that promotes a method of on-site concrete casting. A local contractor, Alston Construction of Edison, donated the labor.
Builders thought they had all the approvals they needed. The Borough Council had passed a resolution accepting the offer of a free pavilion from Tilt-Up nine months earlier, with borough building officials later issuing permits.
But the massive size and appearance of the monument seem to have caught residents -- and even borough officials -- by surprise.
Knock on doors along Snug Harbor Avenue, where residents look out at the structure from their porches, and you find that Ostermiller is not alone in her derision.
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Residents decry it as badly out of place on a beach. Others are angry it blocks their views of Sandy Hook Bay and the New York City skyline, including the views from the adjacent Robert D. Wilson Community Center.
"It looks like someone had a construction project going, ran out of money and left,'' says one neighbor.
"It's just unfathomable,'' says another.
It's also, the state now says, illegal.
On Dec. 4, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection found the pavilion had been built without permits required under the Coastal Area Facilities Review Act (CAFRA).
Borough Administrator Tim Hill said the contractors believed no CAFRA permit was needed for the pavillion because it was replacing an existing structure. "I'm not going to point a finger and say who missed it,'' Hill said.
Nonetheless, two weeks ago, borough attorneys sent Tilt Up a letter ordering the group to take it down. Tilt-Up has not responded, according to Hill.
A person answering the phone at Tilt Up said only managing director Mitch Bloomquist was authorized to comment on the matter, but that he was on vacation. A message left on his voice mail was not returned.
The town is now weighing two unpopular options: applying for a CAFRA permit to keep it up, or figuring out how to get rid of it.
The town has issued a request for quotes asking for contractors to submit estimates for the cost of removal. No one has responded so far.
In the meantime, borough administrator Hill seems to be quietly hoping folks might warm up to it.
"There are a lot of qualities to it that are positive."
Brian Donohue may be reached at bdonohue@njadvancemedia.com Follow him on Twitter @briandonohue. Find NJ.com on Facebook.