FAIR HAVEN: COUNCIL TO MEET IN-PERSON

A view of the Fair Haven council chamber in 2017. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

After 15 months of meeting via technology, the Fair Haven mayor and council plan to enter the post-pandemic era with an in-person meeting Monday night.

On the agenda: honors for three Eagle Scouts; a ban on cannabis businesses; discussion of 5G telecommunications and more.

Here’s the full agenda. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at borough hall, 748 River Road.

June 25, 2021 - 7:50 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: NO LOCAL TAX INCREASE IN BUDGET

A screengrab from Wednesday’s virtual meeting, which was chaired by  Councilman Hazim Yassin, top right. (Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Red Bank property owners will see no increase in the local tax rate under the budget introduced by the borough council Wednesday night.

The governing body also finalized a plan for a charter study referendum that several commenters referred to as “historic;” eliminated the job of animal control officer to make way for the Monmouth SPCA; and tabled the hiring of a new executive director of the Redevelopment Agency.

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June 24, 2021 - 7:30 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: AGENCY APPOINTEE SILENT

Cherron Rountree, bottom left, during the agency’s meeting Tuesday. (Zoom screengrab. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

The prospective new manager of the Red Bank Redevelopment Agency appeared onscreen without introduction during its monthly meeting Tuesday evening.

Cherron Rountree, who now serves as township administrator in Holmdel, also did not speak, even as former council member Cindy Burnham said her appointment should be halted by a pending sexual harassment lawsuit in which Rountree is a defendant.

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June 23, 2021 - 7:58 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: TWIN PUMPERS DELIVERED

Red Bank’s volunteer fire department took delivery of a new firetruck Tuesday morning, the second in four days.

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June 22, 2021 - 1:45 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: WHAT’S ON COUNCIL AGENDA

The East Side parking lots would get a makeover under an engineering contract on the agenda. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

The Red Bank council has some weighty spending and hiring matters on its agenda when it meets this week.

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June 21, 2021 - 2:20 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: MARCH INAUGURATES JUNETEENTH

Juneteenth marchers on Shrewsbury Avenue, above, and Drs. James Parker Boulevard, below. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Red Bankers commemorated the new federal and New Jersey state holiday of Juneteenth with a march Saturday.

The hike on a humid last day of spring was bookended by gatherings at Pilgrim Baptist Church on Shrewsbury Avenue and the T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center on Drs. James Parker Boulevard.

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June 21, 2021 - 7:30 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: PROJECT GETS NO BOARD SUPPORT

Twenty apartments would be built above stores at 234-240 Shrewsbury Avenue under a revised plan by developer Roger Mumford. (Rendering by Thomas J. Brennan Architects. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

A plan for 20 apartments and new retail space on Shrewsbury Avenue found no support from the Red Bank zoning board Thursday night.

It’s too tall, too dense, and too out of step with where things should be going, board members told developer Roger Mumford after three hours of testimony.

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June 18, 2021 - 7:50 am | Comments ()

FAIR HAVEN: SET A SPELL AS SUMMER BEGINS

Artist Mike Quon livened up this bench outside his home on River Road in Fair Haven recently to commemorate LBGTQ Pride Month.

There’s some good bench-sitting weather coming up this weekend on the Greater Red Bank Green, as the solstice marks the official start of summer at 10:32 p.m. Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.

Here’s the forecast:

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June 18, 2021 - 6:00 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: SCHOOLS GRADUATE 147

Sunshine and cool breezes set the stage as 147 eighth-graders from Red Bank Charter School and Red Bank Middle School gathered for outdoor commencement ceremonies Wednesday evening. 

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June 17, 2021 - 7:30 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: MORE RESTAURANTS COMING

Elli’s Backyard plans to open in the space vacated last year by Via 45. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

Going all-in, a young restaurateur plans to open his first business venture in downtown Red Bank in coming weeks.

That story and more in this edition of redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn.

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June 16, 2021 - 7:56 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: TRIGGIANO, STURDIVANT WIN

By JOHN T. WARD

It’s all but official: incumbent Kate Triggiano and newcomer Jacqueline Sturdivant are the winners of last week’s Red Bank Democratic primary, according to updated results posted online by the Monmouth County Clerk’s Tuesday.

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June 15, 2021 - 2:30 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: APARTMENT PLANS BACK ON DECK

Twenty apartments would be built above stores at 234-240 Shrewsbury Avenue under a revised plan by developer Roger Mumford. (Rendering by Thomas J. Brennan Architects. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Two proposed apartment buildings just blocks apart on Shrewsbury Avenue return to Red Bank zoning board for possible approval Thursday night. Read More »

June 15, 2021 - 12:30 pm | Comments ()

FAIR HAVEN: FIREMEN’S FAIR BACK ON TRACK

The fair will return in August, said Councilman Mike McCue. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

The summer-ending food-and-fun extravaganza known as the Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair will return in August, borough Councilman Mike McCue said Monday night.

That sparkler of news, another sign of the waning COVID-19 pandemic, came amid council action on the budget, cannabis, waterfront property and more.

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June 15, 2021 - 7:59 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: PARK PULSES WITH LBGTQ PRIDE

Vivid color brightened up Red Bank’s Riverside Gardens Park under gray skies for the second LGBTQ Pride event Saturday.

Organized by the borough’s Parks and Rec department, the gathering featured line dancing, hula-hooping, juggling and tons of love. Check out additional photos below. (Photos by Trish Russoniello. Click to enlarge.)

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June 14, 2021 - 7:00 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: TOWN TO ZONE FOR CANNABIS

By JOHN T. WARD

Red Bank will move quickly to set zoning rules on the growth, distribution and retail sale of cannabis, the council informally agreed Wednesday night.

The decision will enable the borough to dictate where cannabis commerce can occur, and eventually generate some tax revenue.

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June 11, 2021 - 7:57 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: PRIDE RETURNS TO PARK

For the second time in three years, Red Bank’s Parks & Rec department hosts a free Pride event in Riverside Gardens Park Saturday, featuring a DJ, family activities and more in celebration of LGBTQ pride. Check out details here.

As in 2019, the colorful logo on the park lawn was created by the public utilities department. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

June 10, 2021 - 3:15 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: ANIMAL JOB ENDANGERED

Henry Perez with a ferret owner during a census of cats and dogs in 2008. (Photo by Colleen Curry. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Henry Perez thinks maybe he’s dropped the ball, given that his bosses – the Red Bank mayor and council – appear determined to eliminate his job.

“I totally blame myself, because my residents know more about what I do than my superiors,” the borough’s animal control officer told the the council during its monthly workshop meeting Wednesday.

Still, over the pleas of residents, the governing body showed no sign of halting a plan to sign a six-month contract with the Monmouth County SPCA.

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June 10, 2021 - 7:58 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: WOMEN IN LEAD AS DEMS SPLIT

Kate Triggiano at her January, 2019 swearing-in with husband, David, son, Otto, and former Assemblyman John Wisniewski. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

The two women on competing tickets moved closer to claiming wins in the Red Bank Democratic primary election for council Wednesday.

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June 9, 2021 - 6:30 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: THREE CLOSE IN DEM’S PRIMARY

By JOHN T. WARD

Incumbent Councilwoman Kate Triggiano led three other candidates after a rare Red Bank Democratic primary challenge Tuesday.

But the race for two openings on the party ticket in November was far from settled, with the second spot an even closer call.

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June 8, 2021 - 10:20 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: ONE PRIMARY CONTESTED, ONE NOT

By JOHN T. WARD

Four Red Bank Democrats square off Tuesday in a rare primary election for two spots on the November ballot for borough council.

Meantime, the borough’s Republicans have two “placeholder” candidates on the primary ballot.

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June 8, 2021 - 6:50 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: MUSICIAN SUFFERS HEART ATTACK

Bob Burger, seen at right with the Weeklings at the Red Bank Oysterfest in 2018, suffered a heart attack onstage during a performance by Bob Burger and the Red Shoes at the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank Saturday night, according to the Asbury Park Press.

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June 7, 2021 - 11:15 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: ANIMAL SERVICE BACK ON AGENDA

Debbie Nagel, the animal control supervisor for Long Branch who serves as backup for Red Bank, with an orphaned raccoon pup rescued from a tree on Brown Place last month. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Squirrels in the attic? Bats in the bathroom?

Red Bank residents would have to pay $90 an hour to have wild animals removed from their homes under a plan that returns for discussion Wednesday night.

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June 7, 2021 - 9:50 am | Comments ()

LITTLE SILVER: T-STORMS FILL FORECAST

Lightning sheared bark off a tree in Little Silver during a thunderstorm Friday night. The tree, located alongside the borough’s firehouse on Prospect Avenue, did not catch fire, according to reader James Marrin, who took the photo at right (click to enlarge).

According to the National Weather Service. the Greater Red Bank Green is in for possible thunderstorms at some point every day through Saturday. Check out the extended forecast below.

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June 7, 2021 - 7:10 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: EPOXY, SOAP & GOLD TUB IN CHURN

The former Anima space at 37 Broad is getting a new tenant, while the facade of the now-vacant storefront next door (at left) is getting a makeover. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

Epoxy-and-wood tables; “occult” bath products; and news about two downtown restaurants get the spotlight in this edition of redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn.

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June 4, 2021 - 12:00 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: HEIGHT REMAINS STICKING POINT

The latest proposal for 141 West Front Street includes a restaurant atop the existing office building, at left, and stepped-back apartments and parking with faux windows above the existing Pazzo MMX restaurant. (Rendering by Feinberg & Associates. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

PRC Group will have to wait at least two more months for a zoning board decision on its proposed makeover of a prominent Red Bank property.

At the latest hearing on the plan Thursday night, board members continued to challenge the scale of the project, even after two rounds of shrinkage.

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June 4, 2021 - 7:52 am | Comments ()