RED BANK: BOROUGH INKS NEW BASIE FIELDS DEAL WITH RBC

The bleachers at Count Basie Park. (Photo by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)

By BRIAN DONOHUE

As the Borough of Red Bank plans a $1.2 million rebuild of the bleachers and facilities at Count Basie Park, officials have reached a new deal that requires Red Bank Catholic High School to pay more for its use of the fields.

Under the terms of the new contract, the school will pay the borough $185,000 a year until the pact expires in 2035. Under the previous agreement, which expired in December, the school was paying $80,000 a year. The school will also make two $75,000 payments in 2026 and 2031.

The Mayor and Borough Council unanimously approved the contract with resolution last week, with Mayor Billy Portman calling it “a pretty good deal” for the borough.

Count Basie Field: owned by the Red Bank Borough Board of Education, leased to the Borough of Red Bank, home of the Red Bank Catholic Caseys. (Photo by Brian Donohue)

The borough has spent the past year putting funding in place for renovation of the facilities, which Red Bank Catholic uses for its home football, baseball and softball games. The total cost of the project includes $575,000 to replace the 2,000-person capacity bleachers, and $175,000 for a new press box.

The borough, which leases the property from the Red Bank Borough Board of Education, received a $500,000 state grant to help cover the costs last year.

Under a bond ordinance passed by the council in June 2024, the borough will borrow an additional $723,000 for the project.

When the grant was approved last year, Borough Manager Jim Gant said the Borough had “plans to discuss RBC’s role in this project and their willingness to contribute towards the improvement project.”

redbankgreen editor Brian Donohue may be reached via email at [email protected] or by calling or texting 848-331-8331.

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