BELMAR — A month after superstorm Sandythumped the boardwalk here, Mayor Matthew Dohertycame out with a popular fundraising campaign to re-build it.

It was called Buy-A-Board, and according to a bor-ough-advertised flier, residents and visitors could“bring back Belmar’s boardwalk by funding actualboards on your favorite block of beach.”

Donations flew in from as far away as California andSweden, as well as from local residents. Individual do-nors gave as much as $5,000 to become a “Big Kahuna”— the name associated with a top donation — all the waydown to $25 for a “Beach Bum” donation.

More than $720,000 was raised. However, a year af-ter the boardwalk was completed, the money still hasnot been spent.

“I thought it was a great idea,” said Patricia Winn, 71,of Belmar. “I gave donations as a Christmas gift to a rel-ative and to a friend. They were so excited that theywere part of getting the boards back.”

$720GAmount raised in donations ranging from $25 to $5,000

in the borough’s Buy-a-Board fundraising campaign for

boardwalk repair.

$10.2MAmount Belmar’s Adminis-trator Colleen Connolly says it cost to repair the board-walk. 90% of the costs will be reimbursed by FEMA.

$7MThe proposed cost to replace

the pavilions at Fifth and 10th avenues.

Some donors object

to Buy-A-Board dollars

being used for pavilions

BOARDWALK FUND

A SHELL GAME?

Top: Beachgoers walk along Belmar’sboardwalk, rebuilt after superstorm Sandy.Above: Signs along the boardwalk citedonations to the borough’s Buy-A-Boardcampaign. Some of that money may beshifted to build new pavilions along theboardwalk. DOUG HOOD/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

By Dan Radel @DanielRadelAPP

“If I wanted to buy a board for the pavilion, I would have done

so.”

PATRICIA WINN, Belmar resident who made Buy-A-Board donations and objects to using the money for pavilions

PAVILIONS: YES OR NO?What: Referendum on Belmar pavilions When: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 19Where: Borough hall, 601 Main St.

See BOARD, Page A6

Asbury Park Press :: Monmouth Edition APP.COM $1.00

THURSDAY 07.24.14

VOLUME 135

NUMBER 176

SINCE 1879

ADVICE D7

CLASSIFIED E1

COMICS D5

LOCAL A3

MOVIES D4

OBITUARIES A14

OPINION A17

SPORTS C1

WEATHER C10

YOUR MONEY A10

CDC ANTHRAX LAB CHIEF RESIGNS PAGE 1B

BUSINESS

WHAT’S GOING THERE?The Cove at Howell, affordable condominiums for

residents ages 55 and above, soon will occupy

seven acres next to the Equestra community on

Route 33 in Howell. Page A10

It started as a pitch to tout the revamping of AsburyPark that featured a symbol of summer fun.

But the 22 surfboards that oceanfront developer iStar Residential placed in sections marked for rede-velopment earlier this month have angered some mem-bers of the surfing community.

“The surfboard is the sacred tool of surfers that al-lows us to enjoy the waves,” said Joe Woerner, coordi-nator of the Save the North End Beach campaign forSurfrider Foundation’s Jersey Shore Chapter. “Andthey have taken it and planted it in the ground to repre-sent private development and corporate gain. It’s an ab-solute slap in the face to the surfing community.”

But there’s one place that particulary irritated surf-ers and city open-space advocates.

Woerner and others have seized on the surfboardmarketing pitch to protest the development of anoceanfront parcel in the north end of the city. Planshave been approved for 15 luxury townhouses in thesection known as Bradley Cove.

The vacant parcel sits at Ocean Avenue and DealLake Drive just east of the Asbury Towers senior build-ing. The area has beach dunes, an adjacent parking lotand frequented by beachgoers, anglers and surfers.

Developer iStar says it is open to discussion aboutpreserving the space. Woerner says those protestingthe planned development want to discuss it separately

Surfers hope

market pitch

wipes outProtest use of ‘sacred’ boards

for beachfront development

By Ken Serrano @KenSerranoAPP

See SURFERS, Page A8

Going in front of news cameras in Denver, Gov.Chris Christie said he wasn’t “kind of” pooh-poohingColorado’s marijuana laws in a radio interview earlierthis year — that was exactly what he was doing.

Christie, who is considered a likely GOP presidentialcandidate in 2016, made headlines in April when hecalled into question Colorado’s quality of life on a NewJersey radio station.

“Go to Colorado and see if you want to live there,”Christie said in the April broadcast. “See if you want tolive in a major city in Colorado, where there are headshops popping up on every corner, and people flyinginto your airport just to get high. To me, it’s not the qual-ity of life we want to have here in the state of New Jer-sey.”

Speaking to the Denver media at Sam’s No. 3 Diner,Christie said he meant exactly what he said and thatreasonable minds can disagree.

Here’s an exchange between Christie and KUSA-TVpolitical reporter Brandon Rittiman:

Rittiman: “It wasn’t that long ago you made head-

See CHRISTIE, Page A5

Christie, in Colorado,doubles down onlegal pot commentsBy Brandon Rittiman Gannett

SHORE UPGRADELuxury car brands cater

to larger class of clientele

Luxury Living, D1

BEACHWOOD WOMAN WINS $20.1M JACKPOTPlans to split winnings among her 20 family members. Today, A3