A gate leads to a waterfront walkway behind Riverview Medical Center at 1 Riverview Plaza. (Photos by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)
By BRIAN DONOHUE
Red Bank’s century-old and still distant goal of a contiguous public waterfront walkway along the Navesink River took a small step forward Thursday as the Borough Council moved to lock in access behind two Riverview Medical Center properties.
The Council voted unanimously to introduce an ordinance creating two permanent public access easements along the river behind the main hospital building at 1 Riverview Plaza, and the Jane H. Booker Pavilion at 81 East Front Street.
An easement is a legal agreement in which a property owner gives another party, in this case, the borough and the public, the right to access property or a part of a property.
The land is “to be used as a public promenade commonly referred to as the Riverwalk of the Borough of Red Bank,” the ordinance reads.
For some of the stretch, a sidewalk-width promenade provides views of Irwin’s Marina to the west and the Navesink River.
The Borough’s zoning ordinances require any waterfront development to provide a 25-foot access easement along the river, along with “appropriate provisions for passive enjoyment of river views by residents and the general public.”
Further along, the concrete walkway transitions into a path of separate pavers.
Similarly, in January, hospital officials agreed to an easement along another property just to the east, a planned refurbished parking lot at 103 East Front Street.
The easements allow the borough to make any necessary improvements to provide and improve public access to the water’s edge. Hold your horses, though.
The easement agreement reads: “The Easement Area shall be used only by the public as a walk and nature trail and it is expressly agreed that hunting, camping, skateboarding, parking and horseback riding are prohibited. Excessive sound generation such as the use of speakers or other disruptive noises shall be prohibited.”
Also, (sorry folks) snowmobiles are specifically prohibited.
On another hospital-related matter, the council passed a resolution opposing a controversial plan by the operators of RWJ Barnabas Health’s hospital at Monmouth Medical Center to move services from Long Branch to a new location in Eatontown.
The ordinance also reiterated the sentiment behind a 2020 council resolution endorsing a policy of nationwide “Medicare for all.”
Council members joined a chorus of criticism triggered by the plans.
RWJ Barnabas officials have stated they plan to move only certain services to the new Tinton Falls location, including surgery, inpatient care, and labor & delivery.
But critics fear it is a first step toward abandoning its urban campus in Long Branch.
“All of your health care is moving to places where people have money,’ Deputy Mayor Kate Triggiano said. “And why is that? It’s because all of your health care is really for profit.”
Councilman Ben Forest called the plan “an outrage.” And a representative of Red Bank’s Riverview Medical Center spoke in support of the resolution, saying the move would put crucial services out of reach for Long Branch’s urban population.
“When you remove a hospital from a community, you leave a community destitute,” said Sheila Hintze, vice president of operations for Hackensack Meridian Health Riverview Medical Center.
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.
