HOLMDEL Seeking funding for improvements to Phillips Park’s basketball court, the Township Committee approved a resolution to apply for a Monmouth County Open Space Grant.
The township desires to obtain County Open Space Trust funds in the amount of $43,000 to fund the Phillips Park basketball court improvements, located at 110 Telegraph Hill Road, according to the committee agenda.
The total estimated cost for the improvements is $85,000. The grant is a 50 percent match so the township would have to pay $43,000, according to T&M Associates Supervising Engineer Bonne L. Heard.
“Last year we received money for Cross Farm Park, this year we are looking to refurbish the Phillips Park basketball court, which was in the plans many years ago,” Township Administrator Donna Vieiro said. “This court is used heavily by people during lunch, the weekends, [and] when there are games and we just want to get it fixed and try to get some money to do it.”
The committee hold a public hearing on the plan on Sept. 12, during its monthly meeting, at the municipal building.
The governing body wishes to upgrade the playing surface and basketball hoops and backboards at the two existing basketball courts at Phillips Park, according to the committee agenda.
Currently, the court’s surface has cracking and deterioration and it has been heavily used. The township wants to replace the surface with a low maintenance tile, repair the cracks, and install new backboards and rims, according to Heard.
The townships plans to apply for the grant by the end of September, according to Vieiro.
At past meetings Committeeman Eric Hinds has expressed concerns about the number of abandoned properties and their upkeep within the township, according to Township Attorney Michael Collins.
The council approved the first reading of an ordinance regulating the care, maintenance, security, and upkeep of vacant and abandoned properties and residential properties in foreclosure throughout the township.
By working with Hinds, Viero and the township staff, Collins said, “We developed the proposed ordinance, which takes advantage of a 2014 law that provides municipalities with additional authority with respect to abandoned properties.”
This ordinance would require any abandoned properties to be placed on a registry and that there would be a fee for banks to register the properties on that registry. It would also put the obligation on the banks to properly maintain those properties, and has fee/fine structure if the properties are not properly maintained. The ordinance would require banks that are out of state to appoint an in-state agent, according to Collins.
“One of the recurring problems for our enforcement department is that they can’t track down the out of state banks, so this would put the notice on the banks to report to someone in state to receive any summons that are issued,” Collins said.
The next reading for the ordinance will take place on Oct. 10, during the committee’s next monthly meeting, at the municipal building, according to the committee agenda.
In a previous meeting, residents expressed opposition and concerns due to receiving letters from the Township of Hazlet informing them that the township plans to build a second four-story Holiday Inn hotel behind their houses.
The committee passed an resolution proclaiming its disapproval toward the project and asks the Hazlet township officials to reconsider continuing to pursue the project.
A copy of the resolution is going to be sent to Hazlet Mayor Sue Kiley and the chairman of the township’s Land of Use board Jeff Tyler, according to Mayor Greg Buontempo.
Holmdel Library Foundation Trustee Ann Marie Buontempo and other fellow library trustees presented a $60,000 check to the committee to fund all of the shelving throughout the children, teen, young adult, and periodical sections in the new library and learning center in Bell Works, located at 101 Crawfords Corner Road.
For more information visit www.holmdeltownship-nj.com/agendacenter.
Contact Vashti Harris at [email protected].