The streets of Red Bank will become a baragain-hunter’s bazaar on Saturday, Sept. 20, if all goes according to plan.
A townwide yard sale proposed by South Street’s Audrey Oldoerp got the thumbs-up from the Borough Council Monday night after questions about bulk-waste leftovers and the transmission of bedbugs and other vermin were met.
After consulting with his counterparts in Belmar, which has long had an annual townwide sale, acting public works director Gary Watson Sr. said vermin transmission “is not an issue.”
As for the detritus of the event, Watson said that time of year is the lightest in terms of bulk pickups for his department. He said a pickup would be done on the Thursday before the event and on the Monday afterward.
The day between the sale and the pickup would enable passersby to grab unsold goods left at the curb, Watson said.
Oldoerp told the council that the event makes sense on a number of levels for Red Bank. She said it will draw in visitors who, after perusing what’s on offer curbside, might then do some shopping in the Antiques District. It will promote reuse and recycling, she said, and foster a greater sense of community.
Nearby towns such as Atlantic Highlands and Belmar have successfully held townwide sales for years, and “it would be nice for Red Bank residents to enjoy the benefits of one also,” Oldoerp said.
The event, sponsored by the borough Environmental Commission, the Human Relations Committee and Department of Public Works, is a rain-or-shine one. It will run from 9a to 3p.
Residents who wish to participate will be asked to register with the borough for a modest fee that hasn’t yet been set, but will be about $5, says Oldoerp, to help offset the borough’s bulk-waste disposal costs.
Registrants may opt to have their addresses included in a master list and location map that will be published by redbankgreen, which has volunteered to help publicize the event.
Participants are being encouraged to set aside an area for giveaway items to further encourage reuse, Oldoerp said. And a list of agencies that accept specific types of donated goods, such as clothing and computer equipment, will be distributed in the hope that it will lighten the borough’s waste load.
Councilwoman Grace Cangemi, who had raised the prospect of bedbugs moving from one house to another in used clothing or furniture, was absent from the meeting.
