By STACIE FANELLI

Sixty years old, the Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge over the Shrewsbury River is rapidly corroding, inadequate for today’s traffic loads and behind the times on accident safety. Its electrical system is the same one installed in 1952. It’s not up to snuff in terms of earthquake resistance, either.

In a word, Monmouth County engineering officials say, the bridge’s condition is “serious.”

Whether to spend an estimated $10 million to rehabilitate the bridge or some $50 million to replace it was the core question at a pair of public hearings held Monday in Sea Bright and Rumson. More than a dozen county officials and consultants were present at each to kick off a series of discussions aimed, they said, at “building consensus” on a solution.

But some residents of the two towns voiced skepticism that their concerns – which include the impacts of a new span on property values on the Rumson side and on the business district in Sea Bright – would be given much weight in the process.

“They seem to have it in mind to build a new bridge, and I just don’t want it destroying the neighborhood in the process,” said Tom Calvanico, who lives near the Rumson anchorage.

The bridge, designated S-32, was the focus of an open-house style meeting in Rumson Monday night, as well as at a separate meeting in Sea Bright earlier in the day. Thirteen members of the project team were on hand to answer questions about traffic, design, engineering and the environmental impact of several courses of action.

On the table are replacing the low drawbridge or building a high fixed bridge, which would mean road realignment and a possible loss of private property, officials acknowledged.

“Doing nothing is not an option. At some point, something has to be done,” Martine Culbertson, a community involvement facilitator hired by the county, told the Rumson audience.

But as in Sea Bright earlier, the Rumson Q&A session elicited concern over whether the community’s voices would actually matter in the final decision of the preferred alternative that will be presented to the federal government.

“This just reminds me of Sandy Hook,” said Rumson resident Phil Wagner, referring to the replacement of the Route 36 Highlands Bridge with the new Joe Azzolina Bridge. “Everybody was listened to and all of a sudden, hocus pocus, a decision was made.”

Jon Moren, the county’s principal engineer for bridges, repeatedly assured the audiences that no decision has been made regarding any aspect of the bridge’s construction, including whether construction will ever occur. And team members stressed that in order for the project to qualify for federal funding, Uncle Sam requires them to weigh all options. He encouraged residents to comment in writing with their objections to a fixed bridge.

While a drawbridge would allow for the structure to stay where it is, an issue of funding concerned the crowd. Glen Schetelich, project manager from the engineering firm Hardesty and Hanover, refuted the rumor that the federal government is not interested in funding movable bridges because of maintenance.

“It’s project by project,” he said. “I’ve worked on drawbridges that were replaced with drawbridges.”

The estimate is $10 million to repair only what has been damaged up until now. That does not include preventative construction or replacement, which could come with a budget of over $50 million, said Moren, who added that the county typically spends only $10 million per year on bridges altogether.

All funding is expected to come from the federal government, through the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, but only if the project team follows the procedures outlined by the National Environmental Policy Administration (NEPA), which include holding Monday’s public informational meetings.

The meeting “is one of the early litmus tests the Federal Highway Administration will take a look at,” Culbertson told the Rumson crowd.

A traffic survey will be conducted during the summer, the peak of bridge use, to address concerns about congestion.

Moren, who is also the project manager of the Oceanic Bridge project, said construction would not happen on both bridges at once. He confirmed that the current closure of the Oceanic is on schedule to end before next Memorial Day, which is when only the first phase of the Rumson-Sea Bright bridge would be completed.

If Rumson, Sea Bright and the county cannot reach a consensus, though, the team will have to go off course from the schedule put in place by NEPA and will lose its federal funding. The first phase of planning, “local concept development” is 18 months long and should end by April 2013. If everyone agrees on the type of bridge to build and how to do it, they will then go into the engineering, design and construction phases.

Members of the team could not comment on how long construction might last or when it would begin because no one has agreed that it will be built yet. But there seemed to be a consensus opposition to a completely new span.

“That bridge would have to be so huge that it would have to start at Holy Cross and end in the ocean. You would have to build a monstrosity,” said Rumson resident Ingeborg Perndorfer.

“Stakeholders,” which the officials said includes fire and police departments from both municipalities, Holy Cross School, the two hospitals, marinas, bordering towns and local business owners, already met with the project team earlier this month to discuss their apprehension. The most notable bullet was keeping the bridge open during construction.

The bridge is a vital part of the evacuation on Route 520, but community members cited the last time it underwent repairs as a main concern. It was the early 90s and the bridge was shut down entirely for about three months.

“Business in Sea Bright practically died,” said Rumson resident Jude Skowron.

The next public information meeting will be held in October, when the data collection is finished and the preferred alternative for the bridge will be presented, officials said.

Stacie Fanelli, a sophomore at Syracuse University, is a reporting and photography intern at redbankgreen

By DUSTIN RACIOPPI

A combination of alcohol and speed led to the death of a 50-year-old Keansburg man in a late-night boating accident on the Navesink River Saturday, authorities said Monday.

George Harrington, 39, of Atlantic Highlands, was “operating at a fairly high rate of speed” at about 11:30 p.m. Saturday when his 20-foot Boston Whaler, carrying five passengers, hit a Stingray operated by Christopher Plante in the area of Buoy 20 in the Middletown section of the river, State Police Sergeant Stephen Jones tells redbankgreen.

Harrington’s boat “rode over the stern of Plante’s vessel,” Jones said.

Plante was ejected from the boat, spurring a wide water and air search involving helicopters, boats and divers into the early hours Sunday. A command center was set up on the dock of a new mansion built by Richard Stavola on the Middletown side of the river to run the search.

Plante’s body was found by a paddleboarder around 8:30 a.m. Sunday, according to various accounts.

At the time of the collision, Plante was with an unidentified passenger who was not injured or ejected from the Stingray, Jones said.

It isn’t clear yet whether Plante’s boat was moving or anchored at the time of the accident, and police did not have available the direction Harrington’s boat was traveling when the two collided, Jones said.

But a person present at the command center tells redbankgreen that the Stingray’s passenger told police that Plante had stopped to look at the Stavola house when the Whaler slammed into their boat.

The five passengers in Harrington’s boat were flung into the water, but were able to re-board the boat, Jones said. They are identified as: Rebecca LaRosa (no age or residency information available); Kimberly Spreen, 46, of Middletown; Jennifer Levine, 47, of Little Silver; Paul Michalowski, 40, of Newtown, Pennsylvania; and Deborah Rich, 39, of Keansburg.

Neither boat sank, and the victims were brought ashore to Stavola’s dock by emergency responders.

Harrington was arrested for drunken driving after being given a sobriety test on Stavola’s dock, the witness said.

It is not clear whether Harrington will face additional charges stemming from the crash.

“That would be inappropriate for us to conjecture what that would be,” Jones said. “It’s going to be a long time before the investigation is done.”

State Police and its major crimes unit continue to investigate the accident, and are working with the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s office, he said.

An autopsy performed at Centra State Healthcare System in Freehold determined that Plante died of multiple blunt force trauma and drowning, Jones said.

Initial reports confused the number of passengers and the vessels they were in. Police, who have given Plante’s spelling without an ‘e’ at the end, gave his address as Orchard Street in Keansburg. Property records show the home listed to Christopher Plante — with an ‘e.’

The command center in front of the mansion at 36 Northover Place in Middletown, where the victims of the boating accident came ashore, as seen at about 5 a.m. Sunday. (Click to enlarge)

An Atlantic Highlands man was charged with drunk driving in the Navesink River accident that killed the lone passenger of the boat he was operating and sent all five occupants of a second boat into the water Saturday night, State Police said Sunday morning.

The body of the victim, which had been missing after the 11:30 p.m. crash, was recovered from the river almost nine hours later, after being spotted by a State Police helicopter between Middletown and Fair Haven, said Sergeant Brian Polite.

An eyewitness gave redbankgreen a different account of the body’s recovery.

The name of the victim has not been released pending notification of next of kin, he said. [Update, 2:50 p.m.: NJ.com reports the victim was Christopher Plant, 50, from Keansburg.]

Placed under arrest was George Harrington, 39, who was at the wheel of a Stingray that struck a  Boston Whaler with five on board, Polite said. [An earlier version of this article misidentified which boat Harrington and the dead man were aboard.]

All seven occupants of the two vessels were ejected into the water by the impact, and all but the dead man managed to climb back aboard one or both vessels.

One occupant of the Stingray suffered a minor shoulder injury that did not require a hospital visit, Polite said.

Polite said fuller details about the crash were being withheld pending completion of an investigation. Information about Harrington’s custody status wasn’t immediately available, he said.

The accident prompted an emergency response not seen on the river since Fair Haven’s then-fire chief jumped into the river following an alcohol-related accident in Rumson in November, 2009.

As was the case then, small battalion of emergency vessels from towns along the river and elsewhere probed the darkness with spotlights, while two helicopters sought signs of the missing man well into pre-dawn hours. Divers working in teams of two took turns searching underwater.

Amanda Lynn of Fair Haven, who witnessed the accident, also witnessed the discovery of the body, from the same vantage point, at the north end of Grange Avenue, she told redbankgreen. She said a paddleboarder traveling the river between 8 and 8:30 a.m. came up the victim in the middle of the river a short distance west of the area where much of the overnight search activity occurred.

She said the paddleboarder began frantically waving his arms, and she called 911.

“It took a while for them to get out there,” she said of the State Police Marine unit. While the paddler waited, he was joined by several kayakers, she said.

Drugs and alcohol dominate the Middletown police blotter this week, which includes at least two drunken driving arrests in which the drivers are alleged to have had open bottles of liquor in their cars and several arrests for possession of illegal meds and marijuana.

The reports from Middletown Detective Sergeant Steve Dollinger appear unedited below.

• On May 31, 2011 at approximately 12:00 pm Patrolman Keith Hirschbein responded to the area of the Henry Hudson Trail in reference to a report of two unconscious subjects lying across the bike trail. Upon arrival Officer Hirschbein located both subjects and observed a Marijuana pipe sticking out of the pants pocket of one of them. The officer was able to wake both subjects.

Patrolman Hirschbein conducted an investigation which resulted in a 17 year old juvenile being arrested for Possession of drug paraphernalia and Obstructing a public passage. He was transported to police headquarters where he was processed and released to his mother pending a court date.

• On May 31, 2011 at approximately 10:20 pm Patrolman James Beirne and Patrolman Raymond Sofield responded to a residence on Point O Woods Road in reference to an unresponsive subject in a vehicle. Upon arrival the officers located the subject, identified as David Walsh, age 24, from Marvin Road in Middletown.

The officers conducted an investigation and located Heroin and drug paraphernalia inside the vehicle. Walsh and a passenger, identified as Angelica Dudzinski, age 20, from Swartzel Drive in Middletown, were placed under arrest.

Both subjects were transported to police headquarters. Walsh was charged with Possession of Heroin and Possession of drug paraphernalia. He was held on $10,000.00 bail with no 10% option set by Judge Richard Thompson. Dudzinski was charged with Possession of Heroin and was released pending a court date.

• On June 2, 2011 at approximately 12:45 pm the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics Task Force Bayshore Unit executed a search warrant at a residence on Prospect Avenue in the Navesink section of Middletown.

The warrant resulted in the recovery of over one pound of Marijuana, $3,900 in US currency, a small Marijuana growing operation and the seizure of the suspect’s truck. Police also arrested Robert Edmonston, age 18, from Prospect Avenue in Atlantic Highlands. He was charged with Distribution of less than one ounce of Marijuana, Possession of under 50 grams of Marijuana, Possession of drug paraphernalia, and Possession of over 50 grams of Marijuana. Detective Daniel Sullivan of the Middletown Police Department assisted in the investigation.

Edmonston was processed and released pending a court date.

• On June 3, 2011 at approximately 2:05 am Patrolman David Crenshaw and Patrolman Donald Coates responded to the area of Red Hill Road in reference to a subject in a car slumped over the steering wheel.

Upon arrival the officer located the subject, Daniel Coppola, age 41, from Hopkins Terrace in Hazlet, NJ. The officers detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his breath. The
officers conducted an investigation which resulted in Coppola being arrested for Driving While Intoxicated.

He was transported to police headquarters where was charged with the additional offenses of Refusal to submit to breath tests, Reckless driving and Driving while suspended. He was processed and released pending a court date.

• On June 3, 2011 at approximately 10:45 am Lieutenant John Maguire responded to Middletown High School South in reference to a disorderly student. Upon arrival Lieutenant Maguire was advised by school officials that the 16 year old female student was refusing to report to the office.

Lieutenant Maguire approached the student at which point she began to yell and scream and disrupt the school. Lieutenant Maguire then attempted to place her under arrest at which point she began to fight and refused to be handcuffed.

Lieutenant Maguire was able to take the student into custody at which point she was transported to police headquarters where she was charged with Disorderly conduct and Resisting arrest.
She was processed and released pending a court date.

• On June 3, 2011 at approximately 1:40 pm Patrolman John Mele responded to Ricc’is Trailer Center located on Highway 36 in Middletown in reference to a report of a suspicious person inside the store. Upon arrival Officer Mele was advised by store employees that the subject, identified as Marc Melendez, age 29, from Thousand Oaks Drive in the Atlantic Highlands section of Middletown, entered the store after seeing a police officer who was on a motor vehicle stop in front of the store and began acting strangely.

Patrolman Mele approached the subject and conducted an investigation which resulted in Melendez being arrested for Possession of a controlled dangerous substance (Xanax). He was transported to police headquarters where he was processed and released pending a court date.

• On June 3, 2011 at approximately 8:15 pm Patrolman Frank Mazza was conducting a foot patrol in the area of Ideal Beach when he observed a 17 year old female juvenile sitting on a blanket holding a bottle of Vodka. Officer Mazza arrested the juvenile and transported her to police headquarters where she was charged with Possession of alcohol underage. She was processed and released pending a court date.

• On June 3, 2011 at approximately 11:30 pm Sergeant William Colangelo and Patrolman Richard Fulham were assigned to a “Cops in Shops” detail at The Junction Bar and Liquor store in Belford when they observed a young looking male enter the store and then exit carrying a package of Yuengling Beer. The male subject then entered a vehicle which was occupied by another young looking male.

The officers approached the vehicle and conducted an investigation which resulted in Matthew Short, age 21, from Pond Street in Orono, Minnesota, being arrested for Providing alcohol to an underage person and Matthew Dacey, age 20, from Jay Drive in Middletown being arrested for Possession of alcohol under the legal age. Both subjects were transported to police headquarters where they were released pending a court date.

• On June 4, 2011 at approximately 12:40 am Patrolman Frank Mazza was on patrol in the area of Highway 35 and Cooper Road when he observed a vehicle being driven with a view obstruction in the window. Officer Mazza stopped the vehicle and approached the driver, identified as Scott Jagarnauth, age 19, from Swimming River Road in Lincroft. While speaking with Jagarnauth, Officer Mazza observed a bottle of Jack Daniels Whiskey on the backseat.

Officer Mazza conducted an investigation which resulted in Jagarnauth being arrested for Possession of alcohol underage. He was transported to police headquarters where he was processed and released pending a court date.

• On June 4, 2011 at approximately 10:27 pm Patrolman Nicholas Fenezia was on patrol in the area of Fairview Fields when he observed a group of approximately 15 people begin running when they saw his police vehicle. Officer Fenezia was able to locate two subjects and provided a description of another subject to patrol officers in the area.

Patrolman Michael Pintilie was able to locate the subject on a nearby street. The officers conducted an investigation which resulted in the arrests of three subjects. Jared Johnson, age 19, from North 147 Avenue in Surprise, Arizona, was charged with Underage possession of alcohol and Obstructing the administration of law. Samuel Mader, age 19, from Conover Lane in Red Bank, NJ, was charged with Possession of alcohol underage, Possession of under 50 grams of Marijuana and Obstructing the administration of law. Timothy Dugan, age 19, from McCutcheon Court in Middletown, was charged with Possession of alcohol underage and Obstructing the administration of law.

All three subjects were transported to police headquarters where they were processed and released pending a court date.

• On June 5, 2011 at approximately 6:15 am Patrolman Albert Scott and Sgt. Fred Deickmann responded to the area of Richard Terrace and Stephenville Road in reference to a motor vehicle accident. Upon arrival the officers located, Brian Robison, age 44, from Walnut Avenue in Red Bank, NJ, standing outside his vehicle covered in blood. The officers also located a bottle of Sambvca inside the vehicle.

The officers conducted an investigation which resulted in Robison being arrested for Driving While Intoxicated, Open alcohol in a motor vehicle and Reckless driving. He was processed and released pending a court date.

• On June 5, 2011 at approximately 3:25 am Patrolman Raymond Sofield responded to the area of Oakland Avenue in reference to an unresponsive male subject inside a vehicle. Upon arrival Officer Sofield approached the subject, identified as Nigel Combs, age 22, from Oakland Avenue and detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his breath.

Patrolman Sofield conducted an investigation which resulted in Combs being arrested for Driving While Intoxicated and Reckless Driving. He was transported to police headquarters where he was processed and released pending a court date.

• On June 5, 2011 at approximately 12:05 am Patrolman Raymond Sofield responded to the Quick check store on Cherry Tree Farm Road in reference to a report of a shoplifting. Upon arrival the officer spoke with a store employee who reported that a subject entered the store and stole a lighter display. The employee was able to provide a plate number of the suspect’s vehicle.

Officer Sofield conducted an investigation which resulted in the arrest of Kiernan Kelly, age 22, from Sandpring Drive in Eatontown, NJ, being arrested for Shoplifting and the recovery of the stolen lighters. Kelly was transported to police headquarters where he was processed and released pending a court date.

• On June 6, 2011 at approximately 12:30 am Patrolman Raymond Sofield responded to a residence on Brainard Avenue in Port Monmouth in reference to a report of an argument between two people. Upon arrival the officer conducted an investigation and determined that one of the involved subjects, identified as David Kelly, age 33, from Brainard Avenue in Port Monmouth had given him a false name. The second subject also gave false information to the officer in reference to Kelly’s true identity.

Officer Sofield located a Contempt of Court warrant issued by the Tinton Falls Municipal Court for Kelly’s arrest. Kelly was taken into custody and was transported to police headquarters where he charged with the additional offenses of Hindering apprehension and Obstructing the administration of law. Patrolman Sofield also arrested Angel Valone, age 33, from Brainard Avenue who was charged with Hindering Kelly’s apprehension and Obstructing the administration of law. Both subjects were processed and released pending a court date.

• The Middletown Police arrested the following subjects on warrants:

Kevin Pettigrew, age 36, from Main Street in Belford, arrested on May 31, 2011 by Patrolman Raymond Sofield on a Non-Support warrant issued by the Monmouth County Superior Court. He was held on bail.

Austin Norris, age 24, from Pineview Avenue in Keansburg, NJ, arrested on June 1, 2011 by Patrolman Jason Caruso on a Contempt of Court warrant issued by the Middletown Municipal Court. He was held on $1,000.00 bail.

Kaled Refaat, age 22, from West 37th Street in Bayonne, NJ, arrested on June 1, 2011 by Patrolman Keith Hirschbein on a Contempt of Court warrant issued by the Jersey City Municipal Court. He was released after posting $200.00 bail.

Heather Cassaro, age 31, from Morningside Place in Port Monmouth, NJ, arrested on June 2, 2011 by Patrolman Brady Carr on a Contempt of Court warrant issued by the Middletown Municipal court. She was released after posting $500.00 bail.

Juan Vega, age 30, from Jacques Street in Perth Amboy, NJ, arrested on June 3, 2011 by Patrolman Ian May on a Contempt of Court warrant issued by the Middletown Municipal Court. He was released on bail.

Glenn Zeek, age 44, from Hance Avenue in Tinton Falls, NJ, arrested on June 5, 2011 by Patrolman Michael Reuter on two Contempt of Court warrants issued by the Eatontown Municipal Court and a Contempt of Court warrant issued by the Middletown Municipal Court. He was released after posting $2,841.00 bail.

Christopher Gill, age 19, from Seabreeze Avenue in Middletown arrested on June 5, 2011 by Patrolman Frank Mazza on a Contempt of Court warrant issued by the Keansburg Municipal Court. He was held on $500.00 bail.

By DUSTIN RACIOPPI

Sergeant Allan Morris, a 25-year veteran of the Shrewsbury Police Department who was transitioning into retirement, passed away suddenly Friday.

The cause is suspected to be of natural conditions, Council President and Police Commissioner Thomas Menapace said. Morris, a sergeant in the department, was 58.

His passing comes as a shock to local leaders, not only because he was so young, but he was also known to stay in shape, especially by playing hockey.

“He was the epitome of health and physical fitness,” Police Chief John Wilson said. “That’s why it’s such a shock.”

Morris was born and raised in Englewood, and became a resident of West Keansburg around the time he joined the Shrewsbury force, an obituary in the Asbury Park Press said.

Menapace knew Morris about 25 years, and said he was one of the most knowledgeable and helpful officers he’d ever met.

“He was just a real professional guy — a consummate professional, the kind of cop that towns want to have,” Menapace said. “He did his job, knew his job. He was a very smart guy, and there wasn’t much the police field, if anything, that Al didn’t know about.”

The Press obit says Morris contributed to various charities, and was a member of the Parrot Heads in Paradise humanitarian group. A release from the borough said the Special Olympics was among the charities Morris volunteered his time to.

Morris is survived by his wife, Penny, and daughter, Gabriela.

Morris was among three retiring officers from the 16-member department, Menapace said. He left the department at the end of March, and was using up unused leave time until he officially retired on June 30.

His retirement in itself was a huge loss to the borough, Menapace said. Besides being a top-notch cop, who Wilson said had unyielding attention to detail, Morris served as a mentor to the younger and incoming officers of the department, who often peppered him with questions.

“If he didn’t know the answer off the top of his head, he’d get back to you,” Menapace said. “He was just a really good guy.”

Service arrangements are as follows:

Viewing from 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday at Atlantic Highlands Methodist Church with a funeral to follow at 10:30 a.m. the next day. Morris will be buried at Bayview Cemetery in Leonardo.

One man was arrested for waving a gun and threatening to use it, another was arrested for stealing from a food store and two were cuffed after a fight on Middletown Avenue.

They’re all part of this week’s crime roundup provided by Middletown police.

Last Friday, at about 8:10p, a brief hunt ended in the arrest of a Maryland man who police say threatened another man with a gun. The suspect, Gary Love, allegedly came to the area to argue with the victim, pulled a handgun from his waistband and started waving it around, Detective Lieutenant Steve Dollinger said. Love, 23, was not at the scene when police showed up.

Love, from the Aberdeen Proving Ground military base in Aberdeen, Maryland, fled the area of the argument, on Kimberly Court, for Naval Weapons Station Earle in Colts Neck, Dollinger said. There, he was detained by base police until Middletown officers could arrive. He was found to have a handgun in his car and was charged with possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose, making terroristic threats and unlawful possession of a handgun. He was held on $25,000 bail with no 10-percent option.

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Last Tuesday, police responded to a report of a fight at a Middletown Avenue home and arrested two men who gave fake names and birth dates, Dollinger said.

One man, who was spotted walking away from the area, was identified as Jason Melton, 33, of Camden. Melton, who gave police a fake name and birthday, also had two warrants for his arrest out of Camden and Haddon, plus a parole violation warrant, Dollinger said.

Melton was charged with hindering apprehension and obstructing the administration of law. He was held on $19,414 bail.

Another man who was caught running away from the scene was Robert Jeffcoat, of Middletown Avenue in Atlantic Highlands. The 29-year-old was charged with hindering apprehension, processed and released on a summons pending a court date.

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At about 7p Sunday, police arrested a 30-year-old township man for allegedly stealing from the ShopRite on Route 35.

Police arrested Brian Bowers at his Port Monmouth home after employees of the food store gave police Bowers’s license plate number. Bowers is accused of stealing food from the store, all of which was recovered by police.

************

Two others were arrested for shoplifting that same day.

After fleeing the Kohl’s department store on Route 35, the suspects were stopped by police on the highway, where they were arrested for stealing items from that store and others, police said.

Kim Martisch, 49, and Vincent Mielnicki, 31, both of Ash Drive in the Union Beach section of town, were charged with shoplifting, conspiracy to commit shoplifting and receiving stolen goods. Police said the two had also stolen items from Toys R Us and K-Mart.

************

A truck in the woods near a gas station that appeared to be involved in an accident yielded an arrest of a 29-year-old man found to be in possession of drugs, police said.

After responding to the Fuel One gas station on Route 36, police found an abandoned truck in the woods near the road. Officers were able to locate the owner of the truck, Harold Johnson, of Hudson Avenue, who was in possession of marijuana and Xanax, police said.

He was charged with the crimes, processed and released on a summons pending a court date.

************

Three others were arrested on warrants:

Brittany Carr, 20, of Brainard Avenue in Port Monmouth, was arrested on a $215 contempt of court warrant issued by Keansburg Municipal Court. She was turned over to Keansburg police.

John Kilian, 33, of Matawan, was arrested on a contempt of court warrant issued by Middletown. He was released after posting $150 bail.

Paul Albrizio, 59, of Holmdel, was arrested on a non-support warrant, processed and released.

By DUSTIN RACIOPPI

Middletown police made five arrests over the weekend, with incidents including two failed burglary attempts and somebody allegedly trying to lift candy, socks and lawn care products from a food store.

Two others were picked up on active arrest warrants, police said.

On Sunday, at about 12:44a, police arrested a 22-year-old Belford man for disorderly conduct.

The man, Michael Miller, of 9th Street, was one of two people found fleeing a Thompson Avenue home where a possible burglary in progress was reported. Detective Lieutenant Steve Dollinger said no burglary was committed.

Miller, who along with another suspect was spotted leaving the residence, was found in a nearby yard after a brief chase by police, Dollinger said. Miller was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. He was processed and released on a summons pending a court appearance.

Just 10 minutes later, police received another burglary report, this time on Burlington Avenue.

Patrolman Greg Buhowski, while checking the area, found three juveniles walking on a nearby street. He stopped the group, and after an investigation arrested a 16-year-old for possession of less than 50 grams of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. The teen was processed and released to his father pending a court appearance.

On Sunday night, a report of shoplifting resulted in the arrest of a 35-year-old woman at the Foodtown supermarket on Route 36.

Store security said they observed Heather Lenhart, of 7th Street, placing cough syrup, chocolate bars, socks, juice and Miracle Gro in her purse. She attempted to leave the store, but she was detained by store security, Dollinger said. Police took her into custody and charged her with shoplifting.

Two people were also arrested over the weekend for arrest warrants. The details:

James Oliver, 31, of Cedar Avenue, was arrested Friday on contempt of court warrants issued by Holmdel and Keansburg municipal courts. He was released after posting $456 bail.

William Garby, 24, of Brotherton Avenue, was arrested on contempt of court warrants issued by Atlantic Highlands and Tinton Falls municipal courts. He was released after posting $581 bail.

By DUSTIN RACIOPPI

Red Bank Mayor Pasquale Menna says all too often people hear that residents that are fleeing New Jersey for cheaper places to live. He doesn’t necessarily buy it, and suggests those reports be taken with a grain of salt.

At the same time, though, he said he understands the state needs to move on a different, more sustainable course, particularly in the housing market, which has been shaky at best the last few years.

“Municipalities need to change. Red Bank needs to change,” Menna said.

Part of that change began Friday, he said, when the borough became the fifth municipality in Monmouth County, and the 34th in the state, to join a statewide program to help make employees residents of the towns they work in.

Called Live Where You Work, the program offers first-time home buyers a chance at getting a low-interest, fixed-rate mortgage loan to live in Red Bank, plus the opportunity to get down payment and closing costs covered by the state Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency.

Getting on board with the program puts Red Bank in the right direction to retain and draw in the younger generation of homeowners, a large target of the initiative, said Tony Marchetta, the agency’s executive director.

“We have to get our cities back to places where young people not only want to play in, but work in,” he said. “They bring a vitality to the community.”

Councilwoman Kathy Horgan cited a recent news story saying that median New Jersey incomes fell by 2.3 percent in the last year, and with the housing market the way it is, this program is a good jump-start to stimulate Red Bank’s local economy.

“Live Where You Work is really in the forefront of changing all that,” she said. “Challenging times demand creative solutions, and Live Where You Work is a creative solution.”

Middletown is next in line to participate in the program, and Atlantic Highlands is close to getting on board, Marchetta said.

With the astronomical phenomenon known as the autumn equinox occurring at 11:09p EDT tonight, fall begins, displacing the summer of 2010 into the archives of history.

Around the Green, this summer was a hot one, with a couple of power outages and a short-lived water emergency. But it was a fun one, too, say local residents and visitors who were asked by redbankgreen: How was your summer, and do you have a favorite memory? See what they had to say below. “It was long. My favorite memory is traveling with no cash and making music with Crusty Fungus, my band.” — Billy Deyback, 20

“I had fun playing softball.” — Meadow Maguire, 8

“My summer was life-changing, and I believe I found my truest self. My favorite memory is taking a spontaneous trip to Woodstock, New York, and meeting a girl I truly love.” — Esteban Von Strubenburg, of Middletown

“I’d say my summer was good but it went by the quickest it’s ever gone by. My favorite memory was our vacation in Long Beach Island. That was fun.” — Alicia Zink, of Atlantic Highlands

“My favorite part of the summer was seeing Avenged Sevenfold live at PNC.”  — Andrew Kelly, 17

“My Summer was warm and muggy just like the rest of the area, and lots of lovely days at the beach in Belmar.” — Anne Wilkins, of Wall

“It was real good. The best part was Warped Tour, seeing a lot of good bands.”  — Tim Soden, of Little Silver

“It was pretty good. Seeing my friend throw up is my best memory.” — Kevin Rogers, of Red Bank

“Our summer was very hot, and my favorite memory of it would be going to Cape May.” — Greta Buerkle, of Weehawken.

The straightaways and sidestreets of the greater Green have been thinned — just barely — of peak-season traffic. The late summer sun starts inching for the door before the check arrives, just a little earlier each day.

For hundreds of year-round residents and frequent flyers, however, this little corner of eastern Monmouth County is just coming into its own in the weeks past Labor Day — and one guy’s “good sleeping weather” is another’s prime pedal time.

This Sunday brings the first in a trio of high profile fundraising events powered purely by gears and chains and the people who make them work. A sequel to 2009′s inaugural competition, the second annual Tour de Fair Haven Bicycle Racing Event traces a circuit through a “welcoming and cheering” crowd. Like the two local biking tours that follow on September 25 and 26, it’s a recently minted tradition that’s fast becoming a season-extending attraction — with each turn of the wheel bringing in bucks for worthy causes.

A scene from 2009′s Tour de Fair Haven. (Photo by Pim Van Hemmen)

Tour de Fair Haven Bicycle Racing Event. According to event director and cycling aficionado Michel Berger, 2009′s first-ever Tour de Fair Haven (we have it on good authority that the name is French for “Tour of Fair Haven”) was “a tremendous success” that hit the ground running, or riding — drawing some 500 serious cyclists to the “small and quaint town” on the Navesink, a number that included nearly a dozen current or former national champions.

For the 2010 sequel that commences at 7a outside the firehouse on River Road, Berger (of the borough-based co-sponsor ForeFront) and company have assembled a mix of national (Coca-Cola), regional (Shop-Rite) and local (Undici Restaurant) sponsorships that’s allowed the organizers of this United States Cycling Federation-sanctioned event to offer more than five times the amount of prize money than in 2009.

“We’re now becoming one of the major race events in New Jersey, just behind the prestigious Tour of Somerville, the oldest bicycle race in the USA,” Berger writes in an email. “We’re expecting to attract, as a result, some of the best professionals, and some of the best national, regional, and local amateurs.”

Reflecting the increased level of interest, the event team has added two more races to the mix — a “Cat 5″ tour for beginners and a women’s race. All competitive events start at the firehouse, making multiple laps (ranging from about 10 to nearly 40 miles) on an approximately 3-mile circuit along River and Ridge Roads in Fair Haven and Rumson (one local racer/blogger’s account of last year’s race can be found right here). The seven competitive categories are followed by a series of kids’ events. All competitors, sponsors, volunteers and visitors will receive a bag of goodies, including the official Tour t-shirt and coupons from local businesses. As with last year’s Tour, all proceeds go to benefit the Red Bank-based Joan Dancy & PALS Foundation for ALS patients in our community; the entire event is dedicated to the memory of competitive cyclist Kerrie Anne Guibord, who passed away from ALS in 2009.

“I wanted to do this for the kids, for the PALS people, and for the sport of bike racing in Fair Haven,” says Berger when reached at his office on River Road — adding that “I’ll be doing the race myself,” although at press time he was unable to confirm the participation of another prior pedaler, Fair Haven’s own bike-friendly Mayor Mike Halfacre. For full details and registration info, take it right here.

The pace is more training-wheels leisurely, but the drive to raise needed funds is every bit as serious at the annual Bike for the Basie event, going on out at Sandy Hook next Saturday, September 25. (Count Basie Foundation)

Second annual Bike for the Basie Event. It’s not a race per se — more like a wonderful opportunity for cyclists of all ages and experience levels to find their own pace and explore some of the area’s most extraordinary scenery and history. Still, when the Count Basie Theatre Foundation‘s 2010 Bike for the Basie event previews with a Kick Off Party on the evening of Friday, September 24 (this year at the Southwest-style favorite Copper Canyon in Atlantic Highlands), it’ll maintain a mission to raise serious funds for a very much living bit of history — the ongoing restoration efforts at the landmark Monmouth Street theatre.

The 7:00p Canyon Kick-Off will offer light appetizers and drinks, with pre-registered entrants given the opportunity to pick up their official goodie bag, as well as enter to win “a cool beach cruiser and helmet.” Call the restaurant at (732)291-8444 to reserve for this event.

The action picks up the following morning out at the north-end Fort Hancock area of Sandy Hook, with registration and a complimentary breakfast for participants beginning at 7:00a, and biking events commencing at 9:00a. Options include a 15-mile “Tour de Hook” that runs from the north to the south-end park entrance, as well as a 5-to-7 mile “Easy Rider” course exploring the amazing gun-battery installations that speak of the old Fort’s past as a crucial component of national defense during the Second World War. A “Kiddie Course” welcomes tricyclists, training wheelers and their families to a short tour that includes a water stop at the nearby History House.

Also included in the registration fee ($100 families, $50 adults, $25 kids 12 ad under) are a commemorative t-shirt, picnic lunch, and goodie bag — as well as other on-site extras like an 8:15a yoga session with Dan Abbott; chair massages from 9:30a, and a flat-changing clinic featuring Cliff from Bike Haven. Register online for the event right here.

With routes passing through Rumson, Middletown and Fair Haven, the 2010 Twin Lights Tour on September 26 takes in some of the greater Red Bank Green’s most scenic sites. (Photo by Amy Bolger/Bike New York)

Twin Lights Bike Ride. Back for its ninth annual edition, the yearly endurance rally that came together in the wake of 9/11 racks up some formidable mileage through some of the more scenic panoramas of Monmouth County — beginning and ending in sight of the historic hilltop beacons that once upon a time offered a clear-day view of the Twin Towers.

A co-presentation of Bike New York and The Highlands Business Partnership, the event on the morning of Sunday, September 26 offers four distinct routes (30, 50, 75 and 100 miles), post-ride seafood for sale plus live music, free t-shirts for entrants, maintenance seminars, rest areas and “full SAG support.” Along the way there’ll be scenery that ranges from the work-in-progress Highlands Bridge and Middletown’s Many Mind Creek, to the panoramic vistas of the Oceanic Bridge and the stately homes of Rumson and Fair Haven, to the horsey-set scapes of Colts Neck and even the Turkey Swamp Wildlife Area.

A portion of the proceeds benefit The Wellness Community, the Eatontown-based cancer support nonprofit. Veteran pedalers and aspiring Armstrongs can register at 7:00a in Huddy Park, Bay and Waterwitch Avenues in downtown Highlands, and complete details on registration, route options and more can be found right here.