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Community Corner

Manasquan Officially Re-opens

The ceremony, which was held under the newly rebuilt gazebo along the Manasquan Inlet, gave community leaders a chance to reflect on how far the town of Manasquan has come since Hurricane Sandy hit its shores back in late October

From eager beachgoers to diehard surfers, many of Manasquan's residences had already reclaimed and begun utilizing their beaches before the town officially opened them at Thursday's ribbon cutting ceremony.

The ceremony, which was held under the newly rebuilt gazebo along the Manasquan Inlet, gave community leaders a chance to reflect on how far the town of Manasquan has come since Hurricane Sandy hit its shores back in late October.

“Between the beach committee, the Mayor and Council, and the patience of our citizens, we were able to do the job 100 percent. We are completely done, we are completely open...and it is amazing that in seven months we were able to do all of this,” Mayor George Dempsey said at the ceremony of Manasquan's progress after Hurricane Sandy.

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Mayor Dempsey was accompanied by, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, state Sen. Robert Singer, and Assemblyman Dave Rible as well as the council members of Manasquan.

Both Guadagno and assemblyman Rible had nothing but praise for the town of Manasquan during the ceremony, particularly for Dempsey.

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Rible spoke of Dempsey's confidence in the people of Manasquan and the town's ability to revive itself as they were walking through the debris just one day after the storm.

Before presenting Dempsey with a joint Senate and Assembly resolution from both himself and Singer commemorating the boardwalk reopening, Rible told Dempsey his leadership on the local level “came second to none.”

Guadagno added, “The real hero here today is the mayor of Manasquan.”

The lietenant governor acknowledged the difficulties of being the mayor of a small town after a natural disaster such as Hurricane Sandy and commended Dempsey for his perseverance and dedication to the town of Manasquan.

“You were here fighting for the people of the town of Manasquan and the results we clearly see here today," Guadagno said.

She reminded the people of Manasquan that even know things my have changed structurally, the memories built upon the beaches of Manasquan as well as the beaches themselves will remain the same.

“The one thing Sandy could never do is wash away our memories,” she said.

The lieutenant governor also called attention to  the importance of getting people back to the shore. 

She stressed that getting the word out that the Jersey Shore is open for business is key since that is where New Jersey claims $40 billion worth of travel and tourism revenue each year.

Manasquan residents who attended Thursdays ceremony such as Heidi Witenberg and Sue Loveland are also excited to have their beaches back and hope that people come support the town and local businesses this summer.

“I think we will have a great summer,” said Witenberg.

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