Plans for the demolition of Red Bank’s idle incinerator stack are moving ahead, with work expected to begin as early as Monday, borough engineer Christine Ballard tells redbankgreen.
In a press release issued today, Ballard says the 100-foot-tall brick smokestack at the western end of Sunset Avenue is part of a hazardous discharge site remediation leading, possibly, to the creation of a park on the 8.5-acre property.
In addition, the receipt of some $511,000 in grants for the takedown and ground testing afterward means that the project can move ahead “without overly burdening taxpayers.”
Here’s the full text of the press release:
BOROUGH PLANS TO CLEAN-UP SUNSET AVENUE
INCINERATOR AND LANDFILL SITE
The Borough of Red Bank has received DEP funding and approval to take down the one hundred (100′) foot smoke stack and incinerator structure at the end of West Sunset Avenue. This structure has been an eyesore since it was decommissioned in 1984. The structure has now become a hazard and Borough officials are excited to see it down later this month.
Earlier this year, the NJ Department of Environmental Protection completed its review of the Hazardous Discharge Site Remediation Fund (HDSRF) Municipal grant application and authorized a $226,000 grant for remedial investigation of the site containing the old incinerator and landfill. In July, the Borough was awarded a supplemental grant in the amount of $284,900 to cover costs associated with demolition of the old smoke stack and incinerator building and for additional sampling in and around the footprint of the structure.
Many people in the Borough don’t remember what the property looked like before the incinerator was constructed in the 1930’s, but everyone will be happy to have the property restored to a beneficial use. Grant funding has provided an opportunity for the Borough to restore the property without overly burdening taxpayers. This (HDSRF) program was established by the State to provide funding to municipalities who clean up sites like the one on Sunset Avenue and promise to turn them into parklands.
Back in 2008, Borough officials passed a Resolution dedicating the site as a future park and the property has been added to the Open Space Inventory. Borough officials have begun discussions regarding the concept for the park site, but no final decisions have been made. The 8.5 acre property along the Shrewsbury River provides a great opportunity for Borough residents to enjoy more open space in the future.
