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.

FAIR HAVEN KICKS DPW HEAD TO THE CURB

Pavelines2The lines are a little wobbly, but temporary, says Borough Administrator Mary Howell.

By LINDA G. RASTELLI

In a cost-cutting move that Mayor Mike Halfacre says he’s been suggesting for a year, Richard Gardella will become the borough’s engineer and the public works superintendent has been “let go.”

The “most visible example” of the need for a borough engineer, the mayor explains, was friction with its contractor, Earle Asphalt, of Farmingdale, over the height of new curbs downtown.

After an initial paving, the curbs were too shallow, and the council ordered Earle to do the job over. Strict oversight by a borough engineer could have prevented the problem, Halfacre says.

“The curbs just confirmed the direction we were heading in already,” says Halfacre, who is trying to cut costs.

Meanwhile, the now-ex-superintendent, Tom Curcio, had been asking for a raise from his $83,000 salary after two years with the borough, Halfacre says. Instead, the borough will pay Gardella — who’s leaving a similar position in Neptune — $90,000. He starts Dec. 17.

Curcio’s position will be eliminated because Gardella will now oversee public works in addition to his engineering duties.

Curcio, of Point Pleasant, did not return a phone call from redbankgreen requesting comment.

Engineering is the third largest expense the borough has, after Public Works and police, and Halfacre expects the reorganization to save the borough “well into six figures.

“Having an in-house engineer will be significantly less expensive than having 100 percent of our engineering done by outside firms,” he says. Now, the borough will bid out only the design of projects, and have Gardella supervise and manage them.

The town has been playing musical engineers in the last three years, with three or four different firms serving as the borough’s principal engineer, which has been “not a great experience,” says the mayor.

The borough’s dispute with contractor Earle, meanwhile, appears to be resolved. Earlier this week, Administrator Mary Howell gave a the council favorable report about the repaving and remilling of the streets and curbs in the historic downtown. Earle is handling part of a $516,000 makeover of the sidewalks, street lighting and roadway.

“The [traffic] lines are not straight,” Howell noted, but they are temporary, and the streetlights and crosswalks will be finished within two weeks.

“They did everything we asked, and worked until 2 a.m.,” Howell said of the contractor.

Some of the seams that are now visible, the mayor explained later, will be covered by the application of “tire grip,” a full parking-lane wide covering.

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 ...