Thunderstorms dropped heavy rain on the Greater Red Bank Green Wednesday afternoon, setting off fire alarms and leaving wide puddles for pedestrians and cyclists to navigate.
The closing hours of July, 2019, appeared to be equally soggy, with thunderstorms likely through 11 p.m., some of them severe, according to the National Weather Service. Check out the extended forecast below. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
The recently restored T. Thomas Fortune House in Red Bank has earned a new distinction: it’s been named a National Historic Site in Journalism by the Society of Professional Journalists.
Borough resident Karla Ortega, left, translated remarks by Lieutenant Juan Sardo into Spanish as Councilwoman Kate Triggiano, right, looked on at last week’s council meeting. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
In what may be a first in New Jersey, Red Bank police will be able to draw on a team of local volunteers to help them bridge language divides in dealing with the public.
A new program championed by first-term Councilwoman Kate Triggiano will make volunteer interpreters available to help police in their normal duties as well as at community events, she said.
Lincroft-based CPA firm Curchin Group has chosen the beneficiaries of it 14th annual indoor golf tournament, to be held this fall.
Crime and arrest reports, unedited, as provided by the Shrewsbury Police Department for the period of July 6 to July 19, 2019. For additional information, please scroll to the bottom of this post.
CRIMES
Report of Theft in the area of Avenue at the Commons on 7/6/19. Victim reports unknown subject(s) removed property. Damages totaling $300.00. Ptl. Ralph Latham investigating.
Borough officials will try to come up with a “reasonable” alternative to the aborted plan, said Mayor Menna. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
The Red Bank council has scrapped a plan to implement alternate-side parking that found little public support.
At its regular meeting Wednesday night, the council voted to kill an already-introduced ordinance that would have mandated the parked-car switcheroo on a weekly basis, in conjunction with more frequent street sweeping.
Wilson Beebe recommended some tweaks to the agency’s statement of goals and objectives. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
Still taking small steps, Red Bank’s new Redevelopment Agency advanced on its goal of giving municipal properties some long-overdue attention Tuesday.
In a 20-minute meeting, agency members agreed to begin the process of assessing the condition of borough real estate holdings.
Fair Haven and other towns on the Greater Red Bank Green were abuzz with the sound of power saws Tuesday morning as residents worked to clear downed trees and limbs following Monday evening’s brief, intense storm.
A brief, intense storm Monday evening blew a tree down onto an apartment building on Spring Street in Red Bank, above, and left numerous power outages across the Greater Green, according to the JCP&L service map, at right.
More thunderstorms, some severe, were possible overnight, according to the National Weather Service. (Photo by John Tyler. Click to enlarge.)
Single-use plastic bags and more would be banned under an ordinance up for introduction. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
The Red Bank council has street-sweeping, green roofs, single-use plastics and cranes on its plate when it meets this week for its only regular meeting of July.
Here are some of the expected highlights: More →
After a brutally hot weekend, when heat and humidity pushed ‘feels-like’ temperatures to peaks of 111 degrees both Saturday and Sunday, the new week kicks off with the possibility of “excessive rainfall” on the Greater Red Bank Green. (National Weather Service image. Click to enlarge.)
An excessive heat warning is in effect from noon Friday through Sunday, when heat-index values are expected to reach dangerous levels, according to the National Weather Service.
Though the Greater Red Bank Green will be cooler relative to nearby areas, “feels-like” combinations of air temperature and humidity are expected to exceed 100 degrees Friday, and could reach 110 Saturday, the NWS forecasts.
Red Bank’s Office of Emergency Management is monitoring the situation and “taking necessary precautions to prepare and respond,” according to an announcement on the borough website. Fair Haven’s OEM plans to open Bicentennial Hall, on Cedar Avenue, as a cooling station for residents who need relief, from noon Friday until 8 a.m. Monday.
Check out the extended forecast, as well as some tips on keeping cool and safe, below.
The Victorian structure, now said to have been built before 1868, is slated for demolition. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Five months after Red Bank’s planning board approved the demolition of a Victorian house owned by Riverview Medical Center, the borough Historic Preservation Commission is hoping to save it.
Relying on newly assembled information showing the house at 95 East Front Street was older than previously believed — and may have belonged to descendants of a prominent industrialist — the HPC plans to ask the hospital to turn it into a “medical bed & breakfast.”
With the brickwork of the Urban Outfitters building across the street reflected in glass, workers applied brick to the facade of 7 Broad Street in Red Bank Tuesday. And over on Wallace Street, a mason repointed existing brick above Rocky’s Barber Shop.
The Greater Red Bank Green, along with the entire eastern and central parts of the United States, is expected to feel like a brick oven in coming days. According to the National Weather Service, dangerously hot conditions will arrive Wednesday, with “feels like” temperatures getting as high as 106 degrees. Excessive heat will may return Friday and persist through the weekend. Read the NWS heat advisory for more details.
Wednesday night, there’s also a chance of thunderstorms accompanied by high winds, lightning and flash flooding.
Check out the extended forecast below. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
A rendering shows one of the two buildings proposed for the former VNA site, with Riverside Avenue at left and Bodman Place at right. (Rendering by MVMK Architecture. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
It was a night of “hold that thought” as hearings got underway on one of the largest development plans in Red Bank history Monday night.
At a planning board session on a 210-unit apartment complex proposed for a busy stretch of Riverside Avenue, neighbors who packed the room were repeatedly advised to defer their questions and comments on traffic until the developer’s traffic consultant testifies.
Hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk? How about poach or boil? This display of fresh eggs on Prospect Avenue in Little Silver may be put to the test in coming days, as heat and thunderstorms threaten the Greater Red Bank Green.
The National Weather Service forecasts peak daytime temperatures near or above 90 degrees through the rest of the week, soaring to 95 by Saturday, with showers and thunderstorms likely Wednesday and Thursday.
Meantime, Tuesday looks to be mostly sunny with highs around 90. Check out the extended forecast below. (Photo by Trish Russoniello. Click to enlarge.)
Crime and arrest reports, unedited, as provided by the Shrewsbury Police Department for the period of June 29 to July 5, 2019. For additional information, please scroll to the bottom of this post.
CRIMES
Report of Theft in the area of White Street on 7/1/19. Victim reports unknown subject(s) used fraudulent business to elicit funds. Damages totaling $925.00. Ptl. Daniel DeCristofaro investigating.
The Galleria is losing two restaurants: West Side Eatery and Siam Garden. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
A salad-bar restaurant and a “general store-slash-coffee bar” prepare to open in Red Bank as two other eateries close their doors.
Read all about those changes and more in this edition of redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn.
Dormant for decades, a building that would be key to a Broad-to-the-river project in downtown Red Bank was suddenly getting some TLC Thursday.
What’s Going On Here? Read on… (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
Workers removed the track at Count Basie Fields last week to prepare for the installation of a new surface. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Red Bank Catholic High School will increase its contribution for upgrades at Count Basie Fields under a new cost-sharing arrangement approved by the Red Bank council last month.
Payments by the school, which uses the facility as its home football stadium, will help fund replacement of the cushiony running track, a project that got underway last week.
A flag and two mailboxes out front hint at what’s inside, but the Fair Haven post office hasn’t had identifying signage for about two years. That’s created the mistaken impression that the office is closed, says the frustrated local clerk.
What’s Going On Here? Read on. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
Construction work that began in the spring at Eastside Park in Red Bank appeared to stall last month.
What’s Going On Here? Read on.
Borough officials say streets with one-side-only parking, including Spring Street, above, will allow parking on the other side during street sweeping. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
After a number of complaints were raised, a proposed alternate-side parking ordinance for Red Bank will be revised to make the system monthly rather than weekly.
Crime and arrest reports, unedited, as provided by the Shrewsbury Police Department for the period of June 8 to June 28, 2019. For additional information, please scroll to the bottom of this post.
CRIMES
Report of Shoplifting in the area of Shrewsbury Avenue on 6/5/19. Victim reports unknown subject(s) removed merchandise. Damages totaling $73.00. Ptl. Derek Myers investigating.
The Red Bank nonprofit says no families of kids now in a free membership program will be turned away. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Red Bank’s volunteer firefighters will get to keep their free memberships to the local YMCA, the organization announced Wednesday.
Police will still have to pay, though now at a discount, a spokeswoman for the nonprofit said. But there’s no change to the plan unveiled last week to end across-the-board free memberships for borough schoolchildren.