CHRIS KELLY Monmouth University student Kelly Beaudry, Ramsey, relaxes to the sights and sounds of the ocean at West End Beach, Long Branch, before attending class July 14.
Shore Oaks Golf Club, Farmingdale, will be the setting for the Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey’s 17th Annual Golf Classic, planned for Aug. 4. The event will begin with registration at 11 a.m. and lunch on the patio at 11:30 a.m. The shotgun start is at 1 p.m. The golf will be followed by a cocktail buffet at 6 p.m., followed by a gourmet dinner buffet and awards party. The event will feature an array of prizes and awards, including the Robert C. Stanley Memorial Cup for the low gross foursome. A super raffle also will be held in conjunction with the Classic. For raffle tickets, which cost $5 each, or to register for the Classic, call the VNACJ Development Office in Red Bank at (732) 224-6791. The registration fee is $325 per person.
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Sworn in as a new council member and attending his first meeting, Stuart Chavis questioned if any type of traffic study had been done along with the Planning Board approval process for the Wegmans supermarket, which will be built on Route 35 near Seaview Mall. He was concerned whether the area would be able to handle an increase in vehicular traffic.
The answer to his question was yes, according to Township Manager David Kochel.
Kochel noted that the traffic study was limited because Route 35 falls under the jurisdiction of the state. A more recent traffic study was limited to internal circulation of traffic at the site connecting to Valley Road. Once the connector road, Eagle Avenue, is completed, it will reroute traffic off Sunset Avenue to Allaire Avenue, which Kochel said is currently underused.
The area was extensively studied in the past, taking into account existing retail outlets such as Arcadia Gardens and the Tropiquarium, which are in the same set of stores in which Wegmans will be located. Kochel referred to the retail area as a limping center — meaning not fully occupied. With Wegmans occupying more square footage and Seaview Square Mall becoming successful, the roadway will be used as it was originally intended.
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Ocean Township Councilman Stuart Chavis is planning a 5K run for the fall. According to Chavis, there has been much interest in the community to hold a run, and with the blessing of the other council members and the mayor, plans will be in the works to bring the race to fruition.
Chavis plans to start with the township’s recreation department to get the ball rolling and will be looking for sponsors. The race will be used as a fund-raiser to support other township activities. So far Joe Palaia Park, Deal Road, seems the best place to have the run. Its walking path is 3.1 miles long, perfect for a 5K and a safe place to run, according to Chavis.
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Ocean Township Councilman J. David Hiers suggested to the council that the sale of rolling papers be banned from local establishments.
"It’s a hot ticket item," said Hiers. "Banning the sale of the papers will send out a message that we have zero tolerance."
His suggestion comes on the heels of various strong stands made by township officials against drug use in the area. Hiers recently attended a meeting with members of the Board of Education and the police department to design a plan to bring drug activity in the town under control.
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Ocean Township Manager David Kochel told the council that he was recently approached by the township’s two fire districts with requests that the dollar amount of fire zone violations be increased. Currently the fine for a fire zone violation is $27.
Kochel said, "I think the fine is high enough. Tripling that fee is excessive."
Raising the fine would generate more money for the fire department. The only problem with that is that once a fine is paid, a percentage of it is divvied up into individual local and county funds. Adding the fire departments to that list would be too cumbersome, Kochel said. Another problem with the fines is enforcement. Kochel said it would be impossible to enforce all the violations. The council suggested the possibility of giving township fire officials the authority to issue tickets.
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The city of Long Branch needs the public’s help to cultivate the community gardens on Liberty Street, Sairs Avenue and Seventh Avenue. Anyone interested in volunteering can do so by contacting the Long Branch Chamber of Commerce. For more information, call Jacob L. Jones at (732) 923-2043.
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St. Luke’s Methodist Church, Long Branch, is hosting a presentation by a well-known local historian, Tim McMahon. McMahon will speak about Long Branch, America’s pioneer seaside resort, tonight, July 18 at 8 p.m. A donation of $5 at the door would be appreciated. For more information, contact Betty Barbour at (732) 222-1978.
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The class of 1963 at Monmouth Regional High School in Tinton Falls, the first class to graduate from the school, is holding a 40th reunion at 7 p.m. Sept. 20 at the Italian American Memorial Association (IAMA) in Long Branch. Betty Hill Child, who is organizing the celebration with Linda Marceau Morgan, said they had been talking for some time of having a reunion.
"We said this year, ‘We have to do it,’" Child said. To make reservations or for more information, call Bill Barnshaw at (732) 544-8454, or Jimmy Siciliano, (732) 222-1572.
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The North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA), which guides investment in transportation projects for 13 counties in northern and central New Jersey, has authorized the expenditure of $1.89 million in state funds for completion of intersection improvements at Route 71/Monmouth Road and Wall Street in West Long Branch. The project will result in wider roads at the intersection with left-turn lanes.
The NJTPA approved a three-year, nearly $5.6 billion Transportation Improvement Program, which includes the West Long Branch project and three others from Monmouth County, at its July 14 meeting. More than $2 billion of that sum is to be spent in the next fiscal year.
Monmouth County Freeholder Theodore J. Narozanick, who serves as chairman of the NJTPA Board of Trustees, said, "This investment program not only addresses the most important transportation needs of the entire NJTPA region, but also several key projects in Monmouth County."
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The Eatontown municipal band will continue its series of summer concerts in Wampum Memorial Park Mondays in July. Performances are free and will begin at 8 p.m. Each week will feature a different musical program from the band’s ever-expanding repertoire. Musical selections will include brand-new arrangements of medleys ranging from Hollywood hits to Broadway tunes with a few other surprise pieces.
Bring a lawn chair or blanket. In the case of rain, performances will move indoors to the nearby Eatontown Community Center, 68 Broad St.
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St. Dorothea’s Guild, Eatontown, will sponsor a "Christmas in July" luncheon and gift auction at noon on Sunday, July 27, at the Old Orchard Manor, 54 Monmouth Road in Eatontown. Tickets cost $25 if prepaid by July 19, and $28 afterward. For tickets or more information, call (732) 542-5559, (732) 542-6091 or (732) 842-8713.
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The Search Day Program of Ocean Township is holding a special fund-raising event July 25 at the Old Orchard Country Club in Eatontown. The black tie optional dinner-dance will feature gift and silent auctions, a 50/50 raffle and more. Tickets cost $100 each and can be obtained by calling Priya Mattson at (732) 493-5099.
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Big Brothers-Big Sister of Monmouth County, Eatontown, has started a Cars for Kids’ Sake campaign to raise money for at-risk children in Monmouth County. It asks anyone who has decided to get rid of a car to consider donating it to them. The donors may be able to take the fair market value as a charitable contribution for income tax purposes since Big Brothers-Big Sisters is a qualified nonprofit organization. To arrange to donate a car, call (800) 859-6526. To get involved with BBBS, call (732) 544-2224.
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The Muscular Dystrophy Association, based in Shrewsbury, is seeking volunteers to answer phones and help out behind the scenes at this year’s Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon, airing on WWOR UPN 9 on Sunday, Aug. 31, and Monday, Sept. 1. The telethon raises funds to support MDA’s program of worldwide research, public health education and services for people affected by any of more than 40 neuromuscular diseases. To volunteer, contact the local MDA office at (732) 389-0855.
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The Monmouth Civic Chorus, based in Red Bank, has invited all singers to join in a Summer Sing of great opera choruses. Come sing favorite selections from some of the world’s most beautiful operas at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 4 at Rumson Presbyterian Church, 4 East River Road. The $5 admission fee includes refreshments. Opera anthology scores will be available on loan. For more information, call the Chorus at (732) 933-9333.
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To help fight cerebral palsy and have a good time, head for the Windansea Tiki Bar at 56 Shrewsbury Ave. in Highlands on Aug. 23 for an afternoon of live music. David Miller & Jampact will provide music from noon til 4 p.m. For tickets, call Connie at (732) 651-6391, or the Windansea at (732) 872-2266, and ask for Lisa. A donation of $25 is requested.
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Long Branch Mayor Adam Schneider and council members David Brown, Dr. Mary Jane Celli, Anthony Giordano, and John "Faz" Zambrano will serve dinner to several ladies at the home of Jene Van Brunt in West Long Branch on July 19 from 8-10 p.m. Van Brunt is hosting the dinner for the women who were the gift recipients in a silent auction at a fund-raiser for the Joel Optatut Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Center at Monmouth Medical Center.
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Sickles Market in Little Silver is hosting its fourth annual Blues Festival, in celebration of the blueberry, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. Sickles, 1 Harrison Ave., just off Rumson Road, noted that the state of New Jersey is the second-largest blueberry producing state in the country, producing more than 40 million pounds of cultivated blueberries each year.
Activities for children at the festival will include the "Bee Lady" with her bee hive from noon to 2 p.m., face painting from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and a blueberry pie eating contest for kids at noon and 2 p.m. Sickles employees will compete in the annual employee blueberry pie eating contest at 4 p.m.
There also will be blues music by Holly Baines and Sauce from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and by Barbara King from 2-5 p.m.
Sickles will offer special prices on blue foods — blueberries, blue potatoes, blue cheese and blueberry pies, tarts and muffins — and blue plants, flowers and gift items. For more information, call Sickles Market at (732) 741-9563.
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Artwork by Megan Heath Gilhool, North Long Branch, is on exhibit at the Sea Bright Public Library through July 31.