RED BANK: COMMENTING POLICY UNDER FIRE

Business Administrator Ziad Shehady has allowed little deviation from the council’s commenting protocol since his arrival in 2018. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

The Red Bank council moved to eliminate a citizenship requirement for business licensing and approved a debt refinancing Wednesday night.

And once again, the protocol for comments at council meetings was put to the test. Here’s a recap of what went down at the semimonthly session.

November 14, 2019 - 9:30 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: BELLHAVEN WORK TO START

After years of discussion, some of it quite heated, Red Bank’s Bellhaven Natural Area is about to get a makeover.

October 18, 2019 - 1:15 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: PARK AWAITS PREFAB BUILDING

Picnic tables and pathways have been installed, but for the second time since it began in the spring, construction work at Eastside Park in Red Bank appeared to halt last month.

What’s Going On Here? Read on.

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October 2, 2019 - 7:00 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: CONCERNS AIRED OVER LEAD TESTS

Caution tape signaled the closing of the Marion Street garden in August. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj Users of Red Bank’s community garden questioned the borough government’s sense of urgency Wednesday night about the presence of lead in soil at the town’s only community garden.

September 26, 2019 - 9:00 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: MURAL REQUESTS TO GET REVIEW

Pearl Street Consignment and Custom Clothes owner Emily Natale working on a mural on the Monmouth Street side of her shop last week. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Red Bank officials plan to create a committee to formally review requests for murals and other forms of public art, something that hasn’t previously existed, Business Administrator Ziad Shehady said last week.

September 16, 2019 - 10:00 am | Comments ()

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

hot topic red bank nj 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.

September 3, 2019 - 6:00 pm | Comments ()

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

hot topic red bank nj 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.

August 28, 2019 - 12:10 pm | Comments ()

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

hot topic red bank nj 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.

August 19, 2019 - 10:45 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: FOOD TRUCK BAN TO CONTINUE

A proposal would have allowed food trucks to operate on underused property outside the downtown, including the vacant gas station at Riverside and Bridge avenues. (Photo by Trish Russoniello. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj A push to end Red Bank’s ban on food trucks ran out of gas Wednesday night.

Over the objections of one of their colleagues, council members sided with owners of brick-and-mortar restaurants, who say trucks would unfairly undermine them while rewarding other property owners for neglect.

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August 16, 2019 - 8:10 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: CONTAMINATION SHUTS GARDEN

Caution tape and notices at the entrance to the community garden on Marion Street Monday morning. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj Red Bank has shut down its sole community garden out of “an abundance of caution” over possible lead contamination, the borough government announced Monday.

August 12, 2019 - 1:26 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: REDEV AGENCY INCHES AHEAD

Wilson Beebe recommended some tweaks to the agency’s statement of goals and objectives. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj Still taking small steps, Red Bank’s new Redevelopment Agency advanced on its goal of giving municipal properties some long-overdue attention Tuesday.

In a 20-minute meeting, agency members agreed to begin the process of assessing the condition of borough real estate holdings.

July 24, 2019 - 7:30 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: WAIT FOR RESTROOMS NEARS END

Construction work that began in the spring at Eastside Park in Red Bank appeared to stall last month.

What’s Going On Here? Read on.

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July 9, 2019 - 8:30 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: NEW AGENCY EYES TOWN ASSETS

Among the ideas the committee may take up: the possible sale of borough hall, above, at 90 Monmouth Street. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj A new municipal body with the potential to exert powerful influence on the future of Red Bank quietly took to the stage Tuesday.

Not quite the hottest ticket in town, the late-afternoon session of the new Redevelopment Agency drew an audience of three: two advisory committee members, who left early, and a reporter. But the ideas being floated, including the possible sale of borough hall, could soon move to the spotlight.

June 26, 2019 - 9:10 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: SWEEPING CHANGES COMING

Rules would be modified for streets where parking is now prohibited on one side, such as Spring Street, to allow for alternate-side parking, officials said. (Photo by Trish Russoniello. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

A pending alternate-side parking law for Red Bank won’t be enforced until the borough has an online streetsweeper-tracker up and running, an official said Wednesday night.

Still, the plan to mandate one-side-only parking throughout the town twice a week ran into objections.

June 20, 2019 - 8:10 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: FOOD TRUCKS UP FOR DISCUSSION

John Yarusi risked a summons when he parked his Johnny’s Pork Roll truck on Wallace Street in a short-lived experiment test of borough law in 2013. (Photo by Jim Willis. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj Is Red Bank ready at last to unlock the gates that keep out food trucks?

The idea of easing restrictions on food truck operations came up at last week’s borough council workshop meeting, as it has in the past. But this time, it’s not being summarily rejected by the agency that promotes the downtown business district.

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June 12, 2019 - 7:45 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: COUNCIL RECAP

Piero Vescio swears the oath as a policeman as his father, Lieutenant Errico Vescio, watches with other family members. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

Here are some highlights from last week’s Red Bank council meeting.

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May 15, 2019 - 5:00 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: SILENCE BY ALL ON HARASSMENT

Business Administrator Ziad Shehady, left, chatting with borough resident Stephen Hecht last May. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj Red Bank’s elected officials closed the books Wednesday night on a harassment complaint filed against borough Business Administrator Ziad Shehady.

But the public may never know the details of the case, or the recommendations that followed an investigation.

March 14, 2019 - 1:45 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: HARASSMENT REPORT ON AGENDA

Business Administrator Ziad Shehady in December, above. Below, the council plans to advance plans for the redevelopment of the former VNA headquarters at 176 Riverside Avenue. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

A report on a claim of workplace discrimination and a step toward the building of what could become one of Red Bank’s largest residential projects are on the borough council’s agenda for Wednesday night.

March 11, 2019 - 11:35 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: MARINE PARK PLAN UNVEILED

The plan calls for a new parking area on the current site of tennis courts, shown at upper left, and a new entry plaza, at lower left. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj Red Bank’s Marine Park would lose its clay tennis courts to a parking lot in exchange for new green space under a concept plan informally adopted by the council Wednesday night.

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March 7, 2019 - 10:00 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: BELLHAVEN MAKEOVER IN SIGHT

Consulting engineer Christine Ballard details the Bellhaven plan for the council last week. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

After years of revisions, and no small amount of controversy, changes to the Bellhaven Natural Area in Red Bank could be completed by this summer, officials said last week.

Once again, the project has been scaled-back from a version of a plan that called for a spray park and triggered loud protests four years ago, they said.

February 13, 2019 - 4:00 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: SNOW TOSSERS TO FACE TICKETS

How it’s done: a snowblower pointed away from Broad Street during a storm in January, 2014. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj You know who they are: the folks who shovel snow from their property into the street after plows have been through. Hey, maybe you’ve done it yourself.

Red Bank officials say it’s a costly pain in the neck, and plan to make it a violation enforced with “zero tolerance.”

January 21, 2019 - 12:00 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: PARKING SYSTEM FOUND ‘BROKEN’

Carrie Krasnow, with study co-author Brian Bartholomew looking on, addresses the audience at the Red Bank Primary School Thursday night. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj Red Bank might soon need another 220 or so parking spaces downtown, but it doesn’t need a parking garage just yet, a pair of experts say in a long-awaited study unwrapped Thursday night.

Instead, local officials first have to fix a “broken” parking management system, they said.

January 11, 2019 - 2:00 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: NEW FOUR-WAY STOP GOES LIVE

With the installation of oversized stop signs Wednesday, a new four-way stop is now in effect at East Bergen Place and South Street in Red Bank.

The big signs will also be posted at Oakland and Pearl streets, where the borough council created another four-way stop last year, said public works Director Cliff Keen.

Don’t know how a four-way stop works?

January 10, 2019 - 10:00 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: STUDENTS RETHINK MONMOUTH ST.

Curtis McDaniel discussing the concept plan he co-created, showing an eastward view along Monmouth Street. Below, developer Todd Herman comments on a student pitch. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Assignment: come up with new design concepts to enliven the stretch of Monmouth Street between the train station and borough hall in Red Bank.

The response: lots of new apartments, rooftop bars, hidden parking decks, pockets of greenery and even an amphitheater across the street from the Count Basie Center for the Performing Arts.

December 18, 2018 - 11:30 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: COUNCIL AGENDA

Borough hall would get a new phone system under a contract up for approval by the council. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

Here’s a preview of the Red Bank borough council’s agenda for its semimonthly meeting Wednesday night:

November 28, 2018 - 8:45 am | Comments ()

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Serving Red Bank and Greater Red Bank, NJ

RED BANK: COMMENTING POLICY UNDER FIRE

RED BANK: BELLHAVEN WORK TO START

RED BANK: PARK AWAITS PREFAB BUILDING

RED BANK: CONCERNS AIRED OVER LEAD TESTS

RED BANK: MURAL REQUESTS TO GET REVIEW

RED BANK: TESTS DETAIL GARDEN LEAD LEVELS

RED BANK: PUSHBACK OVER REDEV CONTRACT

RED BANK: ANGLE SPOTS, NEW KIOSKS COMING

RED BANK: FOOD TRUCK BAN TO CONTINUE

RED BANK: CONTAMINATION SHUTS GARDEN

RED BANK: REDEV AGENCY INCHES AHEAD

RED BANK: WAIT FOR RESTROOMS NEARS END

RED BANK: NEW AGENCY EYES TOWN ASSETS

RED BANK: SWEEPING CHANGES COMING

RED BANK: FOOD TRUCKS UP FOR DISCUSSION

RED BANK: COUNCIL RECAP

RED BANK: SILENCE BY ALL ON HARASSMENT

RED BANK: HARASSMENT REPORT ON AGENDA

RED BANK: MARINE PARK PLAN UNVEILED

RED BANK: BELLHAVEN MAKEOVER IN SIGHT

RED BANK: SNOW TOSSERS TO FACE TICKETS

RED BANK: PARKING SYSTEM FOUND ‘BROKEN’

RED BANK: NEW FOUR-WAY STOP GOES LIVE

RED BANK: STUDENTS RETHINK MONMOUTH ST.

RED BANK: COUNCIL AGENDA