Visitors Center makes station something to ride home about
Gilda Rogers
Visitors Center makes station something to ride home about
Since I ride the rails, my relationship to the Red Bank train station is a personal one. I have viewed the station as superfluous and practical; it has tried my patience and it has made me thankful, and it’s done all that in just the last few years.
Back in 1999, superfluous was the only way I could view the station. That was the year it underwent a $1.4 million Norman Rockwellish renovation that befit its status as a historic landmark. However, despite the bright face of its candy-colored facade, the building largely stood as a silent monument to a bygone era.
With NJ Transit closing the building at 11 a.m., it was more of an antagonist than an ally for many mass-transit users. Does anyone remember the brutal winter we had last year?
However, showing patience truly has its rewards.
All the work done on the nostalgic depot set the stage for it to become a place as practical as its facade is heartwarming.
On Oct. 23 the Red Bank Visitors Center celebrates its first year in operation at the station. Executive director Margaret Mass is really pleased at how the center has become a valuable service to the community.
"It has really taken off," said Mass. "Our hopes were high but it exceeded far more than we anticipated."
The center provides information for out-of-towners, as well as for residents who want to know what’s going on around town. Stocked with pamphlets and brochures about Red Bank, the center takes on a dual role after NJ Transit closes its window of operation and doors.
The Red Bank Visitors Center, which is open on Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., provides the warmth that comes from a human connection for those seeking bus and train information, while aesthetically sprucing up the place with artwork, signage and decorative displays.
Upon realizing what a valuable staple the center was for its operation, NJ Transit stopped charging the center rent and has entered into a partnership.
"If we can get more volunteers, we can be open more days," said Mass. "Our goal is to keep increasing our days. We partnered with them [NJ Transit], because they recognized we’re a valuable resource for them. We help the community at large."
In moving forward, Mass reported on phase two of the Red Bank train station, which serves more than 1,600 riders daily. Mass recently attended a meeting at NJ Transit’s headquarters in Newark, and stated that within the next two years (remember, patience is a virtue here), with the evolution of the train station in conjunction with the coming of the Two River Theater Company to Red Bank, we’ll see an improved and hopefully a more practical-functioning station.
"There are new plans and designs for high-level platforms with artwork integrated into the structure," said Mass. "The station will take on a whole new look. It will be a portal to the arts and cultural community here in Red Bank."
The center, which was funded by a three-year grant for $150,000 from J.P. Barry Hospitality that includes the Molly Pitcher and Oyster Point hotels, was a worthwhile investment. But what is important is that the Red Bank Visitors Center is resourceful, inviting and provides shelter from the cold. For this I am thankful. You should be, too, and if we practice patience, the best is yet to come. Stay tuned.
Gilda Rogers can be reached for ideas and comments at [email protected]