ON THE GREEN: REMEMBERING SEPTEMBER 11
Red Bank-area residents will have several opportunities Wednesday to participate in commemorations marking the 18th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on America.
FAIR HAVEN: NEW RESTAURANT LAW TABLED
Mayor Ben Lucarelli, right, with Council President Jon Peters at Monday’s council meeting. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Steam continued to rise Monday night from last month’s controversial planning board decision to allow a Dunkin’ coffee shop to open in Fair Haven.
At issue at the council’s semimonthly meeting was a proposed ordinance that would all but ban fast-food restaurants, even as advocates acknowledged it was no more than a “stopgap” measure.
FAIR HAVEN: POLICE ACTIVITY
Crime and arrest reports, unedited, as provided by the Fair Haven Police Department for the month of August, 2019. For additional information, please scroll to the bottom of this post.
08/05/19 Ptl. Robinson took a theft report of two garage door openers taken out of two vehicles from a residence on Pine Cove Rd.
RED BANK: RUMAGE REFLECTS ON FIVE YEARS
Superintendent Jared Rumage wished middle schoolers a nice holiday weekend on the Friday before Memorial Day in May. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Red Bank’s school district still faces stiff financial challenges, but is “without question” in all-around better shape than it was when he arrived five years ago, says Superintendent Jared Rumage.
And as he did at a presentation last week, Rumage is hoping to leverage the narrative of that improvement to win voter approval of a $6.75 million referendum in November.
RED BANK: SUN TO SHINE AS DORIAN PASSES
After causing devastation in the Bahamas, Hurricane Dorian was lashing the Carolinas Friday morning and expected to track “well offshore” of the New Jersey coast as it heads northeast toward New England and Canada, according to the National Weather Service.
For the Greater Red Bank Green, that means gusty winds, high surf and rip tides along the Atlantic coast, but otherwise no adverse impact. In fact, the forecast shows that after a day of scattered showers Friday, the region will see lots of sun over the weekend.
Check out the extended forecast below. (NOAA graphic. Click to enlarge.) Read More
RED BANK: CRIMES AND ARRESTS
The crime and arrest reports below were provided by the Red Bank Police Department for the month of August, 2019. This information is unedited. For additional information, please scroll to the bottom of this post.
CRIMES
Theft: An unlocked bicycle described as a black Elektra men’s beach cruiser style with a green stripe was reported stolen on 08/02/19 in the area of Wallace and Broad St. The bike is valued at $350.00. Ptl. Thomas Doremus.
RED BANK: POOP & MORE DELAY SAXUM VOTE
A rendering displayed at the planning board depicts a public plaza on the Riverside Avenue side of the proposed apartment project. (Rendering by Arterial. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Unanswered questions held up a planning board vote on one of the largest development plans in Red Bank history Wednesday night.
Among them: where will the poop deposited on the rooftop dog runs go?
RED BANK: STREETSCAPE PROJECT NEARS END
A summer-long streetscape project in downtown Red Bank neared completion this week. But it will take one last, extended disruption to get there, says Red Bank RiverCenter.
What’s Going On Here? Read on.
FAIR HAVEN: POLICE ACTIVITY
Crime and arrest reports, unedited, as provided by the Fair Haven Police Department for the month of July, 2019. For additional information, please scroll to the bottom of this post.
7/1/19 Caller reported that her vehicle was entered overnight on Maple Ave. The car door was found open, but nothing was taken. William Lagrotteria was the responding Officer.
RED BANK: TESTS DETAIL GARDEN LEAD LEVELS
The community garden on Marion Street was overrun with weeds Tuesday afternoon. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Three weeks after Red Bank shut down its sole community garden in response to a report of elevated lead in the soil, testing shows lead below levels considered unsafe, the borough said in an announcement Tuesday.
ON THE GREEN: HEY, SUMMER’S NOT OVER YET
A beach chair and cooler left curbside on Parker Avenue in Fair Haven Monday evening appeared to endorse the notion that with Labor Day behind us, summer was over.
Well, unofficially, maybe. But three weeks remain until the start of autumn, and even with some possible effects from Hurricane Dorian in the form of gusty winds later in the week, there’s still plenty of sunshine to be had in coming days, according to the National Weather Service.
Check out the extended forecast below. (Photo by Trish Russoniello. Click to enlarge.) Read More
RED BANK: THAI, MINI-DRONES, TACOS & MORE
The space vacated by Siam Garden, at the north end of the Galleria Red Bank, will soon get a new Thai restaurant run by a familiar chef. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Fans of Red Bank’s recently closed Siam Gardens will soon have a new Thai restaurant to check out, and won’t have to change their routes to get there.
This edition of redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn has the dish, as well as word about a new indoor, mini-drone-flying course and other business churnage.
RED BANK: PUSHBACK OVER REDEV CONTRACT
Commissioner Megan Massey pressed agency manager Ken DeRoberts on differences in prices quoted for a contract. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
Red Bank’s new Redevelopment Agency began doling out work to professionals Tueday, and one member immediately tapped the brakes on spending.
At its monthly meeting Tuesday, Commissioner Megan Massey signaled a reluctance to approve a contract that had been recommended by the agency’s manager.
RED BANK: REFERENDUM Q&A SCHEDULED
Red Bank voters, faced with a $6.75 million ballot question in November, will get their first chance to grill Superintendent Jared Rumage on the issue Thursday night.
RED BANK: LADLE HANDOFF FOR SOUP MAVEN
After almost a quarter-century and countless pints of soup, That Hot Dog Place in Red Bank is about to undergo a ladle handoff.
What’s Going on Here? Read on for the answer.
RED BANK: CRASH CUTS RESTAURANT POWER
A Manalapan man was charged with driving while intoxicated after his Merccdes sedan struck a Red Bank restaurant Sunday, knocking out its electrical service.
RED BANK: PLASTIC BAG BAN PASSES
A ban on single-use plastic bags will go into effect in September, 2020. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Red Bank stores will be barred from giving customers plastic bags and styrofoam food containers under an ordinance adopted by the council Wednesday night.
The ban was approved without any opposition voiced, though supermarket executive lamented that such laws are being adopted town-by-town, rather than at the state level.
FAIR HAVEN: RIVER RATS LOSES TAX CASE
River Rats’s home at the northern end of Battin Road. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Fair Haven’s River Rats organization is not entitled to a property tax exemption, even though it’s a registered nonprofit run by volunteers, the New Jersey Tax Court ruled last week.
The organization tells redbankgreen it will appeal the decision.
RED BANK: DEBATE OVER ‘McKENNA WAY’
Ex-mayor Ed McKenna with former councilman Tom Hintelmann at Democratic headquarters on election night last November. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
An ordinance that would name a downtown alleyway for former Red Bank mayor Ed McKenna drew both criticism and support at Wednesday night’s council meeting.
FAIR HAVEN: DUNKIN’ WINS BOARD APPROVAL
Though turns would still be allowed in both directions on River Road, the shopping center’s eastern driveway will be changed to exit-only, under a condition set by the board. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
More than a year after it was proposed, a Dunkin’ coffee shop won approval to operate in Fair Haven Monday night.
The 6-2 planning board vote, shortly before 11 p.m. capped months of passionate debate over traffic safety, a fast-food law that went MIA and the shop’s potential impact on the small-town character of the borough.
SHREWSBURY: CRIMES AND ARRESTS
Crime and arrest reports, unedited, as provided by the Shrewsbury Police Department for the period of August 3 to August 16, 2019. For additional information, please scroll to the bottom of this post.
CRIMES
Report of Shoplifting in the area of Broad Street on 8/6/19. Victim reports unknown subject(s) removed merchandise. Damages totaling $550.00. Ptl. Mary Ellen Rumola investigating.
RED BANK: RIVERWALK BACK ON TRACK?
Two years after borough officials shut down construction over safety issues, signs of life have been stirring around a downtown Red Bank building project.
What’s Going On Here? Read on…
SANDY HOOK: PLOVERS PROLIFERATE
Music-lovers may have had to sacrifice their summer beach concerts at Sandy Hook this year to safeguard piping plovers, but the interruption helped ensure “another successful breeding season” for the endangered birds, park officials said Monday.
RED BANK: ACCIDENT KNOCKS OUT POWER
JCP&L reported between 100 and 500 customers in Red Bank had no electrical service Monday morning, more than 12 hours after a disruption caused by an accident on Catherine Street.
A report that a tour bus, attempting to turn around on Shrewsbury Avenue, backed into a utility pole could not be immediately confirmed. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
RED BANK: ANGLE SPOTS, NEW KIOSKS COMING
The sidewalk along the south side of White Street, at left, would be removed to allow for head-in angled parking on that side. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
An old-school approach to parking may soon return to one street in downtown Red Bank: angled parking.
The borough council informally agreed last week to remake a portion of White Street for angled parking on one side.