RED BANK: MURPHY ROLLS, AND SWEENEY SITS

Phil Murphy in a campaign photo, apparently taken at Edie’s Luncheonette in Little Silver. (Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

Democratic gubernatorial candidate and Middletown resident Phil Murphy moved closer to his goal Thursday when a key prospective primary contender decided to sit out the race.

State Senate President Stephen Sweeney said he would not vie for the governorship as Murphy racked up dozens of endorsements from elected officials statewide Thursday, including Red Bank Democrats.

October 6, 2016 - 2:15 pm | Comments ()

SEA BRIGHT: REBUILDING BONDS UPHELD

By a 2-to-1 margin, Sea Bright voters endorsed the plan to erect two new buildings to house all public operations on the fringes of the municipal beach. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

HOT-TOPIC_03 Sea Bright voters gave landslide approval Tuesday to a plan to rebuild every public structure wiped out by Sandy.

In a special election on a trio of bonding actions taken by the borough council in June, voters by a 2-1 margin backed the plan, which would put two sizable new structures with a combined price tag of $12.73 million at the edge of the municipal beach.

September 27, 2016 - 9:11 pm | Comments ()

SEA BRIGHT: PIVOTAL VOTE ON FACILITIES

Sea Bright voters go to the polls Tuesday for a special election on a series of bonding actions taken by the borough council in June.

At issue: whether to take on $5.3 million in debt to replace every public structure wiped out by Hurricane Sandy.

September 27, 2016 - 7:59 am | Comments ()

SEA BRIGHT: POST-SANDY REBUILD DEBATED

Crammed in beside desks in a gym repurposed as offices since Hurricane Sandy, dozens of residents attended the meeting. Below, the proposed police, fire and first aid building would include borough offices on the second floor. (Photo by John T. Ward. Rendering by Settembrino Architects. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

With millions of federal dollars possibly at stake, Sea Bright voters debated Tuesday whether to take on the financial burden of rebuilding all of the town’s public facilities wiped out by Hurricane Sandy.

With a pivotal referendum scheduled for September 27, dozens of residents crowded into a gym that’s been co-opted for borough offices since the 2012 storm, largely in agreement that new facilities are needed, but split on costs.

August 24, 2016 - 8:08 am | Comments ()

SEA BRIGHT: TOWN HALL ON REFERENDUM

Sea Bright residents are scheduled to gather for a town hall meeting Tuesday night to discuss a referendum on whether to bond for new public facilities to replace those destroyed by Hurricane Sandy in October, 2012.

August 23, 2016 - 5:58 am | Comments ()

SEA BRIGHT LIBRARY RAZING SPARKS DEBATE

On Sunday, a backhoe sat on the slab where the library had stood until it was demolished a day earlier. Below, an architect’s rendering of a proposed combination library and bathing pavilion. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

In 2011, when concept plans for a remodeled Sea Bright municipal parking lot were drawn up, town officials assured residents that the library building had been left off by accident. It’s not going to be torn down, they said.

Last June, when the council approved spending $70,000 to repair damage to the structure caused by Hurricane Sandy seven months earlier, the action was touted on the borough government’s Resource Center website under the headline, “Sea Bright Library to be Rebuilt.”

But last month, the borough council abruptly reversed course, deciding the library had to go. And on Saturday, the building was hastily demolished, blindsiding supporters who were racing to save it and triggering a debate on social media about the significance of the simple frame structure.

January 14, 2014 - 1:31 pm | Comments ()

Red Bank Green

Serving Red Bank and Greater Red Bank, NJ

RED BANK: MURPHY ROLLS, AND SWEENEY SITS

SEA BRIGHT: REBUILDING BONDS UPHELD

SEA BRIGHT: PIVOTAL VOTE ON FACILITIES

SEA BRIGHT: POST-SANDY REBUILD DEBATED

SEA BRIGHT: TOWN HALL ON REFERENDUM

SEA BRIGHT LIBRARY RAZING SPARKS DEBATE