A two-story boathouse and an open-air pavilion for hosting activities on the Navesink River are included in one proposal for Marine Park. Other proposals include Red Bank Harbor, a family activity center featuring mini-golf and an ice skating rink; and refurbishment of the deteriorating red clay tennis courts. COURTESY OF MARINE PARK ACTIVITY CENTER LLC. Three proposals submitted to Red Bank offer different takes on how best to replace the crumbling clay tennis courts at the borough’s riverfront Marine Park.
A family activity center, a boathouse centered on the Navesink River, and a plan to rebuild and restore the tennis courts are all being considered by the Parks and Recreation Committee. The four clay courts, overseen by the Red Bank Clay Courts Tennis Association, have been closed since incurring damage during superstorm Sandy in 2012.
Councilwoman Linda Schwabenbauer, who chairs the Parks and Recreation Committee, said the proposals will be discussed and a recommendation will be made to the Borough Council.
“There will certainly be a public discussion with residents before any votes are cast,” Schwabenbauer said.
“Ideally, I’d like to hold meetings with residents prior to making a recommendation to the council. Given that our decision will have a lasting impact on Red Bank’s waterfront area, I anticipate that the review process will take some time.”
One proposal — a joint venture between Red Bank-based real estate company Jetsun Enterprises and Morganville-based Lucas Construction Group — includes a plan to replace the tennis courts with an outdoor family activity center named Red Bank Harbor.
“What we realized is that Red Bank needs an anchor facility at the waterfront,” said Douglas Booton, president of Jetsun Enterprises.
“Everybody likes to go to the river; obviously, it’s beautiful down there. But you walk down that hill in Marine Park, and you walk up to the river, and then you kind of stand there and you go, ‘This is really beautiful. … I guess I’ll go now.’ Unless you’re going to Boondocks [restaurant] or you’re fishing, there’s really no reason for families to stay down there.
“There’s a problem with that. It sits right in the middle of downtown Red Bank. People should be walking down Broad and feeling like they can continue onto the river and have a reason to not just stop at the end of Broad and say, ‘Do I really want to walk down this hill to stare at the river for 10 minutes?’ ”
The plan, Booton said, is for a family activity center — a mini-golf course, an ice rink, two concession stands and a visitors center.
“Outside of jungle gyms, where do families bring their kids in Red Bank to have any kind of family time?” Booton said. “There really is no place. Sure, you can go to the theater … but there’s really no major place where families can make a day of it or even a few hours.”
Activities will be discounted for residents, while all residents older than age 65 and younger than age 4 will be able to use the activities for free.
Funding for Red Bank Harbor would be raised through private investors and bank financing.
Booton also said the proposal calls for an electric transit loop, which he said would create a “solution” to parking problems in Red Bank. Electric golf carts would travel throughout the borough — funded by advertising — and transport residents to various locations around town, including Marine Park, for no cost.
The proposal also includes a boathouse, which would provide improved access to the waterfront, as well as a center for residents and visitors to rent kayaks, paddleboards and paddleboats.
Booton said he is interested in collaborating with the Marine Park Activity Center LLC, a group that also submitted a proposal that includes members of Navesink River Rowing and the Navesink Maritime Heritage Association.
Marine Park Activity Center proposes a two-story boathouse and an open-air pavilion to host water activities, an educational component and a boat launch.
“We want to see riverfront access extended to the people of Red Bank and people in surrounding communities,” said Linda Ensor, treasurer of the Marine Park Activity Center.
“What we envision is a maritime center that would serve both recreational and educational purposes. In other words, people could come down, rent kayaks, rent canoes, learn how to row and just learn about the river itself.”
Since the proposal for Red Bank Harbor also includes a boathouse and plans for water activities and education, Ensor acknowledged that the two groups could potentially collaborate.
“We were really lucky to find that they were interested in doing things that are really similar to what we wanted to do. … It could work out that the two organizations could work together,” Ensor said. “They could build [a family center], and we could run the waterfront activities out of the water side.”
Ensor said the boathouse would also be used as a catering facility, which could provide the borough with revenue.
“But really, the fundamental purpose of this for us is access to the river,” Ensor said. “Because really, the only place that the public can get on the river right now is Maple Cove, and that’s a wonderful start. But there’s so much more that the river can offer.”
Ensor said the group plans to reach out to private donors, corporations and national organizations to appeal for funding for the project.
“We’re really positive [that] once we get approved, we won’t have any trouble getting the money,” Ensor said.
The third proposal is a plan to restore and improve the clay tennis courts. James Cullen, a Locust resident, has offered to fund the restoration of the project himself. He said he is interested in rebuilding the tennis courts in order to preserve the authentic red clay characteristic, which is rarely found in public American tennis courts.
“The courts, in a way, give Red Bank a unique touch,” Cullen said.
“When I heard they were having a hard time getting funding [to rebuild the tennis courts], I thought I could fund it and get it back to where it was.
“It’s hard to find any red clay — especially the European red clay — anywhere in the United States, except for really private clubs. So it’s a unique experience. … The kids in Red Bank haven’t had the chance to really take advantage of it.”