Residents of Red Bank voiced concerns about the condition of Marine Park and called for a decision by the council on a new vision for the park, which is located on along the Navesink River.
The neglected park, which is home to the borough’s red clay tennis courts, is now a flashpoint for three competing proposals offering different visions for the park’s future.
The lack of attention to the park, while proposals are being discussed, sparked impatience from members of the community at the July 8 Borough Council meeting..
“It’s now become an eyesore. There has been no attempt to control the weeds that are now overgrowing the former courts,” Red Bank resident Arthur Hunnewell said during the public comment portion of the meeting.
Since superstorm Sandy in 2012, the condition of the area has worsened, according to Hunnewell.
“As a taxpayer I’m embarrassed,” he said.
He also said the borough mishandled the process of soliciting proposals for the park.
“It almost seems like the RFPs have been ‘wired,’ “ he said.
“It’s a rushed decision, there wasn’t enough time and there wasn’t enough public announcements to get appropriate bids. In other words it was pushing in a certain direction.”
Another resident, Stephen Smith, said he’d observed the tennis courts for years and they were always in use.
‘To me there isn’t any risk that [the proposal to restore the courts] would fail,” he said.
Another resident asked when there would be a decision on the proposals submitted to the parks and recreation committee, which is tasked with choosing from among the new visions for the park located along the Navesink River at the foot of Wharf Avenue. Mayor Pasquale Menna responded that the council is waiting for a recommendation from the parks and recreation committee, which is expected within the next month or two.
None of the proposals include the Monmouth Boat Club, which is located adjacent to Marine Park.
The MBC Commodore, Pat Carr, weighed in on the ongoing debate in a July 10 interview.
“I feel the boathouse and the tennis courts would go very well together,” he said.
Carr was critical of the Jetsun proposal, saying the miniature 18-hole golf course “has no place on the waterfront.”
The tennis courts and activity center are a “a more historic and more natural use” for the park, he said.
“The borough needs to acknowledge it’s history,” in weighing the proposals for the park, Carr said.
At a May 28 special meeting of the Borough Council, residents heard presentations on three new visions for the park.
One proposal submitted to the Parks and Recreation Committee would repair the deteriorated red clay courts with private financing.
The half-million dollar proposal would be funded entirely by James Cullen, a resident of Locust Point Road in Rumson.
In addition to restoring the courts, which were built 80 years ago, the funding provides for their maintenance for a number of years.
Two other proposals also have support from the community.
One, dubbed Red Bank Harbor, is backed by the development group known as Jetsun Enterprises and proposes turning the area into a family oriented space.
“We feel that our proposal opens up the area to the most people,” said Anthony Setaro, a real estate developer with Jetsun.
The proposal calls for the tennis courts to be removed and in their place a miniature 18-hole golf course would be constructed along with an artificial ice hockey rink.
The proposal envisions the area along the river as an area for paddle boating that residents would be able to rent. There would also be a concession stand.
According to Jetsun’s proposal, there would be infrastructure in place for public transportation to and from the area. The group would fund the $3.5 million project.
The third proposal, the Marine Park Activity Center, is backed by the Navesink River Rowing club and the Navesink Maritime Heritage Association.
The activity center also calls for removal of the courts and replaces them with a boathouse that where residents could rent kayaks and canoes and adaptive rowing and sailing classes would be available for individuals with disabilities.
“The park should provide waterfront access for the whole borough,” said Charles Ladoulis, a member of the Navesink Maritime Heritage Association, in an interview.
He pointed out that opening the river to the public would also benefit Red Bank schools as they could use the waterfront for after- school activities.
“The schools in the district don’t have the same sailing clubs that other towns on the river have,” said Ladoulis, noting that Rumson has a robust crew program.
He added that there are a number of people in town who have smaller boats or kayaks that have limited access to the waterfront.
The parks and recreation committee will decide which of the three proposals to recommend to the council for approval.
The committee will base its recommendation by scoring the proposals in several categories. Each category has an allotted point value that will help the committee choose which to recommend.
The categories and point values are:
Expansion of recreational uses that do not currently exist in Red Bank is worth a maximum score 20 points.
Inclusiveness for all members of the community is worth a maximum score of 30 points.
Incorporation of sustainable design elements is worth a maximum score of 15 points.
Incorporation of waterfront programming and activities is worth a maximum score of 20 points.
Finally, producing revenue for the borough is worth a maximum score of 15 points.
All of the proposals for Marine Park can be viewed on the borough website at www.redbanknj.org.