BERKELEY – It’s not unusual for elected officials to praise their own first responders. It’s a little different for elected officials to come from another town to thank your first responders.
But that is what happened when Ocean Gate’s Mayor Robert Curtin and Council President James McGrath visited a recent Berkeley Township Council meeting to thank the Bayville Volunteer Fire Company for their mutual aid.
Recently, they helped put out a fire at a home in Ocean Gate.
McGrath, a retired Jersey City firefighter, complimented “the professionalism you showed with your action.”
Curtin said, “This was a significant fire. It was not just smells and bells,” he said. “We’re a small town and we totally rely on you guys” for mutual aid.
Mutual aid is when a town has a deal worked out with a neighbor to help with important duties.
Mayor John Bacchione said that the Bayville Volunteer Fire Company has 60 members and a waiting list of people wanting to join, which shows just how well regarded they are.
Church Update
In related news, the Ocean Gate United Methodist Church has not yet reopened to services since the fire two years ago.
Lou Purcaro, a member of the Ocean Gate Historical Society, said that they need a new furnace. Other repairs have been completed, such as floorboards being replaced and a bathroom being redone.
When the work is complete, there will be a grand re-opening. “We hope to have services in there again,” he said.
As soon as the repairs are complete, Purcaro said that they will be seeking historical status on the church. If that happens, there are opportunities for grant funding to upgrade it. The Bayville Methodist Church will negotiate with the Breakout Ministries, a non-denominational group, to hold services there.
The fire broke out on July 14, 2022. No one was inside at the time. Some original floorboards had to be replaced. Last year, they celebrated the building’s 100th anniversary.
