Seaside Park Councilwoman: 'We Lost Some Treasures Up There'

Written by Colleen Platt

Seaside Park Councilwoman Gail Coleman sat in the Seaside Park luncheonette, 3C's, that has been in her family for decades.
Despite being up almost all night serving food to the firefighters working at the Seaside Park blaze, she still had a smile on her face for her customers.

Except when she talked about Biscayne Candy. Then, she couldn't hold back the tears.

"We used to stop there on the way back home, and I got to pick once piece of candy, whatever I wanted,"  Coleman said. "I always picked the chocolate pops that they poured into the molds."

"I remember walking into that store earlier this summer and saying [after Sandy] 'I am so glad that I could come in and get this again." 

That's when her voice cracked. Biscayne - family owned and operated since 1964 - was one of more than 30 businesses destroyed by the fire at Funtown. 

Gov. Chris Christie said in a press conference this morning that he was mobilizing state agencies to assist disaster-weary business owners rebuild for the second time in a year, and Coleman said she is hoping that he will get the resources needed as soon as possible.

Christie said officials from a number of state agencies, including the Department of Banking and Insurance, Department of Environmental Protection and the state's Economic Development Authority would be on the ground in the area over the weekend.

There were no numbers provided as to what the economic toll is estimated to be.

The rebuilding plan will call for an expedited demolition of the dangerous remains of the boardwalk area, followed by a quick rebuilding, Christie said.

Several locals in the luncheonette said they can only hope that they can get back on track, as they did last year after Sandy.

"We lost some treasures up there," Coleman said. "The carousel (at the arcade), and generations of family recipes (at Biscayne), so much."