A flower shop has relocated to the long-empty former Katsin’s Drugs space on Shrewsbury Avenue, known for its giant neon sign. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
A Red Bank store space that’s been vacant for as long as it takes to raise a baby to adulthood finally welcomes a new tenant this weekend.
Also in this edition of redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn: a new electric bike shop, a hair salon, a pasta shop, a gift boutique and more.
The abbreviated third season of Broadwalk, Red Bank’s outdoor dining plaza on upper Broad Street, is scheduled to end Sunday night, with a reopening to vehicular traffic Monday.
Created by the borough council in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and renewed in 2021, Broadwalk didn’t get a green light for this year until late July, delayed by a streetscape project. Then it was allowed to continue another month past its original termination of Labor Day, meaning the new vehicle-blocking retractable bollards (seen at right) vehicles would remain up.
Though the council has not yet determined the future of the economic experiment, Bob Zuckerman, executive director of the downtown promotion agency Red Bank RiverCenter, said he’s “hopeful” the endeavor will return in the spring of 2023.
Meantime, here’s some info on the season-ending activities. While Friday night’s weather appears conducive to a final raising of wine glasses, the rest of the weekend could be a bit chancy. Here’s the outlook:
A satellite view of the Senior Center, where the patio provides a view of the Swimming River. (Satellite image from Google Maps. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
The Red Bank council initiated a process to create a new “passive park” behind the Senior Center Wednesday night.
Still unanswered, however, is the question of how big the park might be, and how it would be accessed.
What’s Going On Here at East Front and High streets in Red Bank?
Read on for the answer… or make up your own photo caption.
A 2021 view of the rear of the Senior Center, which overlooks the Swimming River. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
A proposal to subdivide the Senior Center property to create a “passive park” is on the Red Bank council’s agenda Wednesday night.
Also on the table for the semimonthly meeting are matters relating to parking, parks and a committee name change. Here’s what to expect.
The August 31 crash occurred on Newman Springs Road at the intersection of Hance Road, as indicated by the star. (Image from Google Maps. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
A Red Bank man was charged Monday with multiple offenses arising from a hit-and-run crash in which a bicyclist was seriously injured last month, according to police Chief Darren McConnell.
A screen grab from the first edition of the borough’s new newsletter. (Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
With the recent launch of newsletters, Red Bank residents have two additional ways to keep abreast of civic events and downtown goings-on.
In yet another crash resulting in a rollover, two motorists were injured when their vehicles collided in Red Bank Friday afternoon.
According to police Chief Darren McConnell, the accident occurred at Bridge Avenue and Herbert Street at around 4 p.m.
Most of the shops along the strip are owned by immigrants. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
The street is named English Plaza, after a former Red Bank mayor. But for the majority of businesses along the short block, English is a second language.
Of the eight shops in the strip of one-story business, at least six are owned by immigrants. That far outpaces the borough’s foreign-born population, which comprises 20 percent of residents, according to the Census.
Here are the stories of five, owners of two restaurants, a home decor shop, a beauty salon and a liquor store.
We kick off this first weekend of autumn, 2022 with the debut of ‘Stomp Your Blues Away,’ a post-pandemic paean to Red Bank by Omega Train.
“When I take my body down to old Red Bank’s downtown,” goes the song, “my pain don’t hurt me anymore.”
Well, that’s music to Red Bank’s restaurants and shops this next-to-final weekend of the Broadwalk outdoor dining plaza. Visitors will also find lots of added attractions, including a Kids’ Takeover from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Friday; StreetLife music performances Saturday night; and bands at three bars: Red Tank Brewing, Jamian’s and Triumph Brewing.
And the weather looks ideal for stomping… or maybe just strolling. Both Friday and Saturday will be warm and sunny, with early-fall temperatures in the evening, according to the National Weather Service. Sunday’s outlook isn’t look bad, either: partly sunny, with a 30-percent chance of rain after 2 p.m.
Check out the extended forecast below. More →
State Police on scene at 198 Drs. Parker Boulevard. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
New Jersey State Police had one man in custody after officers in tactical gear raided a Red Bank house Thursday afternoon.
New Jersey Transit police and other law enforcement agencies plan to conduct an emergency training exercise on North Jersey Coast Line bridge that crosses the Navesink River Saturday, the agency reported this week.
Press release from Lunch Break
With the advent of fall nearly upon us, thoughts may turn to pumpkin-picking and the upcoming holiday season. It’s also the time of year when Red Bank-based Lunch Break relies on the generosity of compassionate community members on behalf of the food- and financially insecure – those who may never have the luxury of treating their families to the traditions of the autumn season or celebrate a Thanksgiving meal with turkey and trimmings.
With Mayor Pasquale Menna in the background, Councilman Ed Zipprich attached a borough pin to the jacket worn by Angela Mirandi after her swearing-in as council member in February. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Eight days after former councilman Mark Taylor blasted current Councilman Ed Zipprich as the source of “chaos” in Red Bank government, Zipprich returned fire Wednesday.
In a prepared statement, Zipprich slammed Taylor for “ineptitude” as a council member and for purported failures of leadership at the Red Bank Borough Education Foundation.
Taylor, in turn, doubled down in his attack on Zipprich.
The fire suppression system “did its job,” stopping a blaze in Red Bank’s Dublin House Pub early Wednesday morning, a fire official said.
Hackensack Meridian Health’s Riverview Medical Center and its holdings comprise one of three areas of town that will get special focus in the Master Plan. (Google Map from Monmouth County property records. Click green circles for site details.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Red Bank residents will have two opportunities to weigh in on the borough’s ongoing Master Plan update next month.
Among the topics: the future of three discrete sections of town, including the area around the sprawling Riverview Medical Center.
Film-production trucks lined West Front Street along Riverside Gardens Park in Red Bank Monday morning.
Red Bank police are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying two individuals considered “persons of interest” in an investigation of a theft that occurred in the borough, the department announced Monday.
A wisp of cloud, or maybe a jet’s vapor trail, crossed the sky behind the former church, now an office building, at 211 Broad Street in Red Bank at dawn Monday.
The final few days of summer 2022 will bring sunshine and daytime temperatures in the mid-80s through Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. Autumn begins with rain possible Thursday. Check out the extended forecast below. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
Mark Taylor has previously served as a councilman and member of the Charter Study Commission. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Former Red Bank councilman Mark Taylor is running for a seat on the governing body again in November, he announced this week.
The Republican’s entry into the race throws up a hurdle in what had appeared to be a clear path for two Democrats.
The crime and arrest reports below were provided by the Red Bank Police Department for August, 2022. This information is unedited; see below for additional information.
CRIMES
Theft: On 08/02/2022, a patrol unit in the area of Monmouth St. took a report of theft of a bicycle. The victim reported the theft of a white in color bicycle. The bicycle was valued at $200.00. Ptl. Tanner Shea.
The newly remodeled house at the five-points intersection of Harding Road, Hudson Avenue and Branch Avenue. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Home restorers Carole-Ann Gorhan and Roger Palacio have been getting a lot of attention from passersby in Red Bank in recent months.
Motorists have been tooting horns, and pedestrians have been stopping to thank them for bringing the house at 42 Harding Road back to life.
Railfan Donny Fortunato videorecords as a freight engine crosses Drs. Parker Boulevard on August 26. (Video by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Once or twice a week in recent months, commuters stuck at a rail crossing in Red Bank might have seen something that struck them as odd: small clusters of camera-wielding observers savoring the movements of a giant freight engine.
Red Bank-area residents will mark the 21st anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on America with memorial events Sunday.
Dozens of residents of the Greater Red Bank area died in the horrific attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001.
Let’s not forget those who died, and the families and friends left with holes in their hearts. For information about local commemorations, click here.
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