Skip to content

A town square for an unsquare town

redbankgreen

Standing for the vitality of Red Bank, its community, and the fun we have together.

CORZINE: FORT ‘EPICENTER’ OF GROWTH

Gov. Jon Corzine yesterday told a gathering a Brookdale Community College that he supported a plan to transform Fort Monmouth into a private-sector technology center after the military communications facility is shut down in 2011, the Asbury Park Press reports today.

“Fort Monmouth is going to be the epicenter of where we put our efforts to make sure we have sustainable growth,” Corzine told a crowd of 500, the Press reports.

From the story:

Corzine said he was “personally interested” in the Tech Preserve plan, which calls for creating a partnership among a private company or companies, the state and the Army. It aims to absorb at least some of the fort’s 5,000 civilian employees while the post’s mission is transferred to Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland by 2011.

Tech Preserve was developed by the Patriots Alliance — a group of defense contractors who also spearheaded the ultimately failed effort to keep Fort Monmouth off the 2005 closure lists during the most recent Base Realignment and Closure round.

Once the transition to Aberdeen is complete, the Tech Preserve plan would move the fort’s employees into other government contract work, still based in New Jersey.

The partnership, advocates have said, would assure an uninterrupted continuation of the fort’s mission during the transition to Aberdeen — a condition of Fort Monmouth’s closure imposed by the federal commission that ordered it shuttered.

“I’m not saying it’s a panacea, or a silver bullet,” Corzine said. “But it’s an idea that certainly should be looked at, and we will be working on it.”

From today’s Star-Ledger on the speech:

Corzine said the state will pay for one-third of a $100,000 study that would make the case to poten tial investors and convince the Army it could get the same technical expertise for a lower price.

“It’s a complicated idea,” Corzine said. “But we have the talent and their proven record of success. I’m not saying it’s a panacea or a silver bullet, but we want to pursue it.”

[Former Fort Monmouth research chief Robert] Giordano said in a later interview that he was heartened by the governor’s enthusiasm for the project.

“I think it’s essential to put this in place long before 2011, before the work force disappears,” Giordano said.

In addition to the seed money for Tech Preserve, the state also secured a $600,000 U.S. Labor Department grant to provide retraining for Fort Monmouth employees who want it.

Corzine said the state also has pledged $1 million to the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Planning Authority, a nine-member panel of elected officials and guber natorial appointees. The authority is responsible for overseeing efforts to replace jobs lost when Fort Monmouth closes and to redevelop its land.

Email this story

Remember: Nothing makes a Red Bank friend happier than to hear "I saw you on Red Bank Green!"
Partyline
RED TRUCKS AT RED ROCK
A small dishwasher fire at Red Rock Tap and Grill was put out quickly by firefighters overnight, causing minimal damage. Red Bank Fire Depar ...
CREATIVE COVER UP
The windows of Pearl Street Consignment on Monmouth Street were smashed when a driver crashed their car through them injuring an employee la ...
THEY’RE BACK!
Ospreys returned to the skies over Red Bank this week for the first time since they migrated to warmer climes in late fall. With temperature ...
SPRING IS SPRUNG
RED BANK: Spring 2024 arrives on the Greater Red Bank Green with the vernal equinox at 11:06 p.m. Tuesday.
RED BANK’S FINEST – AND NEWEST
Red Bank Police Officer Eliot Ramos was sworn in as the force’s newest patrolman Thursday, and if you’re doing a double take thinkin ...
EASTER EGG MAYHEM AT THE PARK
An errant whistle spurred an unexpectedly early start to the Spring Egg Hunt on Sunday, which had been scheduled to begin at eggsactly 11am ...
PRESEASON DOCKWORK
RED BANK: With winter winding down, marina gets ready for boating season with some dockwork on our beautiful Navesink River.
CORNED BEEF AND DISCO FRIES?
It’s Friday, and smart Lent-observing Leprechauns know the pot of gold at the end of Red Bank’s rainbow is actually the deliciou ...
SURFBOARD DITCHED
It’s a violation of etiquette in surfing to ditch your board.  (it could hit another surfer and hurt them). But someone appears to ha ...
ELSIE, TAKE ME WITH YOU!
Soaked by pouring rain with the temperature hovering in the low 40’s, this sign in the window of Elsie’s Subs on Monmouth Street ...
WALK THIS WAY
PARTYLINE: Before-and-afters of a sidewalk cleanup on West Street.
SOGGY NOTION
RED BANK: Breezeway sculpture captured the mood downtown as heavy rains fell Saturday morning.
HOME DELIVERY
RED BANK: After a subdivision, an instant house rises on a new Catherine Street lot.
COMMUNITY PROFILES
For Black History Month, Red Bank's Community Engagement and Equity Advisory Committee has been running a series of local profiles on Facebo ...
HEARTY FAREWELL FOR HARDY
RED BANK: Council to honor DPU supervisor Rich Hardy, who retired recently after almost 39 years of keeping things running.
HOMEBOUND? READ ON…
RED BANK: Can't get to the public library? It's now offering free delivery and pickups for homebound borough residents.
TAMING A BEAST OF A WEEK
RED BANK: After the second snowfall of the week, a borough family finds the perfect use for it – a Godzilla snow sculpture.
RED BANK: LIBRARY CLOSED, BUT THE HILL’S OPEN
RED BANK: Though the library was closed by a snowstorm, kids got to enjoy the riverfront property's steep slope Tuesday.
LIGHT(HOUSE) MAKEOVER
This year, getting ready for spring means a midwinter makeover for Strollo's Lighthouse in Red Bank.
TODAY: LOCAL PUPPY COMPETES ON ANIMAL PLANET’S “PUPPY BOWL”
Red Bank’s very own rescue puppy, Biscuit, is set to compete in Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl this Sunday, February 11, at 2 PM. Th ...