The site of parklet construction on Monmouth Street Friday evening. (Photo by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)
By BRIAN DONOHUE
Anyone who owns an old house knows even the most well-planned renovation project can hit snags once you start discovering surprises that had been hidden behind the walls and floors. The same goes for an old street in an old town.
Contractors working on a new “parklet” on Monmouth Street discovered a few surprises from the olden days when they began digging, including lead water lines and an underground fuel tank, delaying the project, officials said. Once the issue is remediated, officials with both the borough and Red Bank Rivercenter, say it should be on track for completion in the next few weeks.
Rivercenter Executive Director Bob Zuckerman sent out a reminder that adjacent businesses remain open.
“Everyone has access to all of the businesses, which include Whipped, Mr. Pizza Slice, Toss’d, The Green Room, Fable Creamery and Ce la Vi,” Zuckerman wrote in the organization’s weekly newsletter. “Please support these businesses if you can during this time! A lot of people see the traffic cones and the barricades, and they think that the road is closed and the businesses are closed. This couldn’t be further from the truth! Both Monmouth Street and all of the above businesses are open during their normal business hours.”
Meanwhile a short stroll away in Marine Park, progress proceeds apace on a remake of the park, with a new parking lot completed last week.
The newly completed parking lot in Marine Park. (photo by Brian Donohue/click to enlarge)
“I’m actually happy with the timeline they are on,” Borough Manager Jim Gant said at last week’s meeting of the Mayor and Borough Council.
Work is expected to begin soon to tear up the older parking in the northeastern corner of the park closer to the waterfront. That area is going to be converted to an open grass covered lawn and green space.
Gant said a Marine Park committee consisting of himself, Deputy Mayor Kate Triggiano and council members Kristina Bonatakis and Ben Forest will meet September 30 with engineering firm CME Associates to discuss details of the next phase, including an inventory of the park’s 40 trees. In a 2019 final concept plan for the park, 32 of the parks 40 trees appear targeted for removal, which recently raised concerns of at least one member of the borough planning board.
redbankgreen editor Brian Donohue may be reached via email at [email protected] or by calling or texting 848-331-8331 or yelling his name loudly as he walks by. Do you value the news coverage provided by redbankgreen? Please become a financial supporter if you haven’t already. Click here to set your own level of monthly or annual contribution.
