Resident proposes ‘A Brick for Brick’ to buy Foodtown site

As a resident of Brick, I could not have been happier to see the attention the Brick Township Bulletin recently gave to the governor’s proposal for increased protection of the Metedeconk River.

I hope the citizens of Brick take action. I, for one, will attend the Brick Planning Board public meeting tonight at 7 o’clock opposing the construction of Home Depot on Route 70 at the headwaters of the Metedeconk River.

The proposed building site stretches 13.1 acres and enjoys the waterfront views at Forge Pond. Besides the environmental travesty that would be committed by covering this property with commercial asphalt, there is also the fact that a second Home Depot resides a mere 1.5 miles down the road! As a consumer and as a resident of Brick, the construction seems absurd, and truly, capitalism at its worst. I am confident the Brick Planning Board will agree.

This brings me to the question of how this land can be best utilized to benefit the community of Brick. Joseph Azzolina, the owner of the property, is asking $6 million from the potential buyer. Although initially this price seems like an astronomical figure, in terms of a communal purchase, it is a possibility.

The preservation of this area as a park could be the mayor’s greatest legacy. The potential for this to be a place where our children can play and everyone has access to the water is too precious to ignore.

I propose "A Brick for Brick." If every working resident purchased a $100 brick for the sidewalks of the park, we could achieve this goal.

So, I challenge the citizens of Brick to be that strong community on the water and make this dream a reality.

Katherine Weiland

Brick