Two River towns want to improve safety and accessibility with applications for annual Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding. Here is a look at what some towns are planning to ask for in 2020 and what they have recently received.
RED BANK
A conceptual redesign of Johnny Jazz Park, a public square on the corner of Shrewsbury Avenue and Drs. James Parker Boulevard, was presented by Red Bank borough administrator Ziad Shehady during the council’s final meeting in July.
The revitalization plan includes a raised 18-inch-high platform stage for live music and performing arts events, a wall of seating along Drs. James Parker Boulevard and outdoor musical instruments for an interactive children’s experience. Several ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) enhancements, including ramps and walkways that offer access to and through the park, are also included.
“We wanted this plan to reflect the theme and the spirit of the community for which Johnny Jazz Park was named, which is promoting music, culture and the arts,” Shehady said. “We’ve had concerts in the past at that park and want to continue to do that in a park that is keeping up with the times.”
The park is dedicated to the memory of the late borough butcher and jazz enthusiast, Ralph “Johnny Jazz” Gatta, the subject of an exhibit on display through August at the T. Thomas Fortune House Cultural Center.
The park enhancements would be funded by a $200,000 Community Development Block Grant, the maximum amount.
Shehady said the park was chosen for enhancements because CDBG guidelines place geographic limits on project locations.
“CDBG publishes a map that says where funds can be utilized and, based on the condition of Johnny Jazz Park, we felt it would make a great candidate for a revitalization project,” Shehady said.
ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS
Council members, borough professionals and residents brainstormed July 24 about how to draw up the municipality’s application for 2020 aid.
Mayor Rhonda C. Le Grice said she believes improved access ramps along Grand Avenue would enhance safety for young families and elderly pedestrians entering downtown Atlantic Highlands from the borough’s Hillside community to the west of Route 35.
“We have an active community of seniors who like to spend time in our downtown area and walk along the harbor. We also have a lot of young families in town who transport their children in strollers. I was at preschool story time at our library and it was like a stroller parking lot. Improving safety and access along that roadway is integral to our entire community,” Le Grice said.
She added that residents also suggested the replacement of the front access doors at the borough hall facility situated at 100 First Ave., a building that was remodeled in 2012. Though the doors are compliant, the mayor said residents think they are too heavy.
“I have difficulties with that door sometimes, too. We could look to apply for the push-button access technology that would make it easier for those in wheelchairs to access the building,” Le Grice said.
LITTLE SILVER
Little Silver Mayor Robert Neff said the borough is considering an application to increase and improve parking at Sickles Field off Rumson Road.
Neff said the governing body is working with borough administrator Kim Jungfer to explore how to improve the area.
Sickles Field is located near Sickles Market and the historic Parker Homestead, a property and family home settled in 1665 that is known as one of the oldest structures in the United States.
Currently, parking for Sickles Field is located in a paved area near the market and in a dirt area across from a baseball field that serves as an overflow parking area.
SEA BRIGHT
Sea Bright Mayor Dina Long said ADA accessibility to the borough’s waterways, in particular to the Shrewsbury River, is the focus of the borough’s current Community Development Block Grant application.
2019 GRANTS
Monmouth County recently released grant funding to select municipalities and organizations as part of the 2015-2019 Consolidated Strategy and Plan Submission for Housing and Community Development Programs.
The 2019 appropriations included more than $2.2 million for Community Development Block Grants, upward of $1.4 million for the HOME Program Consortium and $207,750 in Emergency Solutions Grant Program funding.
Of that total, Sea Bright was awarded $46,296 in Community Development Block Grant funding for additional access to borough bulkheads along the river at the end of Osborne Place, a roadway located just south of Donovan’s Reef and the borough’s downtown business district. The borough’s bulkheads were raised in the wake of Super Storm Sandy, hindering scenic river views. This funding will be used to construct one elevated handicap-accessible deck on the bulkhead.
OTHER COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT FUNDED INITIATIVES:
• County of Monmouth: $262,968 was awarded to the county to continue its Housing Improvement Program, which provides emergency housing repairs and barrier-free improvements for income-eligible residents.•
Matawan: The borough was awarded $159,022 for infrastructure improvements. The funding will be used to complete Phase III of the Matawan Streetscape Improvement Project, which includes enhancements to sidewalks and curbing, the construction of ADA-accessible sidewalk ramps and the installation of new lighting and street trees along Main Street and Center Street, two primary commercial and residential arteries.
• Association for the Blind: The association was awarded $42,697 to pay for operating costs, including utilities, insurance and transportation to various recreational events.
• Caregiver Volunteers of Central New Jersey: $31,259 was awarded for medical transportation services, grocery shopping, social visits, respite care and phone call check-ins to low and moderate income seniors.
• Monmouth Arts: $11,574 will be used to host a 10-week youth arts program at the Boys and Girls Club of Red Bank.
HOME INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIP (HOME) PROGRAM GRANT FUNDING INITIATIVES:
• First-time Homebuyers Program: $255,454 will be used to assist qualified low and moderate income residents purchase their first home.
• Habitat for Humanity: $211,091 will be used to construct a two-family duplex in Atlantic Highlands.
• HABcore Inc: $300,000 will be used to construct four one-bedroom units to provide permanent supportive rental housing at 119 River St. in Red Bank. This project is an addition to the family house HABcore has operated in the borough since 1992.
EMERGENCY SOLUTIONS GRANT (ESG) PROGRAM INITIATIVES:
• Rapid Re-Housing Program: The county program was awarded $125,669 to provide short-term rental assistance and additional supportive services to homeless county families.
• 180 Turning Lives Around: The local emergency shelter for victims of domestic violence and their children was awarded $9,000.
