Temporary stay announced on civilian housing at base

The U.S. Navy will place a 60-day temporary freeze on renting housing at Naval Weapons Station Earle to civilians. The base lies in portions of several Monmouth County communities.

Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), state Sen. Jennifer Beck (R-Monmouth) and Colts Neck Deputy Mayor Russell Macnow recently met with Assistant Secretary of the Navy Dennis McGinn in Washington, D.C., to discuss their concerns with the Navy’s proposal to allow civilians to live in housing on the base, according to a press release.

Smith, Beck and Macnow also presented concerns put forth by Monmouth County Freeholder Lillian Burry and a letter from Tinton Falls School District Board of Education President Peter Karavites.

In the press release, Smith and Beck said the Navy agreed to place a 60-day temporary freeze on renting Earle housing to civilians. They said the purpose of the stay is to attempt to fill housing on the base with active duty and retired military personnel — rather than open the base to non-Department of Defense civilians.

“We have urged the Navy to re-evaluate its dangerous current proposal in the context of recent terrorist events, especially and including events in New Jersey,” said Smith, who successfully fought against a similar proposal at Earle’s former Laurelwood housing units in 2010.

“It is my sincere hope that these 60 days will be sufficient time for the Navy to better assess and fully appreciate the significant security challenges, as well as the public safety and education issues their plan creates for our region, and tenuous new burdens it would place on our municipalities,” Smith said.

“I am pleased the Navy has agreed to put in place a 60-day temporary stay on renting out these units to civilians,” Beck said. “Clearly, the Department of Defense has heard our concerns. However, this is only a temporary solution and I will continue to oppose any plan allowing civilians to use Earle housing. I do not believe that allowing members of the general public to live on an active military weapons installation is an acceptable proposal for our region.”

“While the 60-day stay on this proposal is a good start, it is not the end,” Macnow said. “Colts Neck still has serious questions regarding the viability of this proposal and the impact it will have on our municipality. We continue to have many unanswered questions and are adamantly opposed to any suggestion that civilians should be housed at Earle.”