Red Bank Municipal Complex to Get Outdoor Seating

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By John Burton
RED BANK – A portion of the area in front of the municipal complex will be getting a little sprucing up, courtesy of Red Bank RiverCenter and neighboring Count Basie Theatre.
The sidewalk and area in front of the borough’s fireman’s memorial at the 90 Monmouth St. complex will be renovated and transformed into a small rest area with benches and landscaping, according to James Scavone, executive director of Red Bank RiverCenter, which oversees the borough’s commercial Special Improvement District.
Plans do not call for moving the memorial; but, just west of it, the elevated concrete area will be getting some reworking and planting, Scavone said.
Plans also call for an “increased pedestrian bump-out,” for the sidewalk, Mayor Pasquale Menna said.
The Count Basie Theatre at 99 Monmouth St. has agreed to contribute 40 feet of benches for the project, Scavone said.
The reason RiverCenter is undertaking the project is because the theater “arguably, draws more people to town than any other single attraction,” Scavone said.
The improvements will provide theatergoers and general public “a small place to gather, have a seat and enjoy the area,” he said.
The mayor said the changes “will make for a nice, little area for the public, intending to go to the theater or going to dinner at a local restaurant.”
The project is expected to begin after the Memorial Day weekend and should only take about five days to complete, Scavone said.
The cost of the project, about $14,000, not including the benches, will be covered by RiverCenter’s capital improvement budget, Scavone said.