By Allison Perrine
Café restaurants. By Allison Perrine.
HIGHLANDS – The borough will “right a wrong” from its past and turn over a portion of waterfront property on Cornwall Street to Inlet Café and Proving Ground, which border the site, eliminating the rights of the public in the 40-by-40- foot space.
The decision came as a 4-1 vote and was made at the Jan. 20 mayor and council meeting. But it was not the first time the topic was addressed. About 32 years ago then-council members approved the same ordinance but the paperwork was never filed and therefore was never written into law, officials said. It was also brought up in September but was rejected by the council, which had three different members than are on the dais today.
“It’s righting a wrong. I mean, one of the hallmarks of a lot of the things that happened in the past in this town is incomplete paperwork, things not being finished or properly paid, over the course of the entirety of this town,” said councilman Kevin Martin, one of the newest members of the council. “And honestly, if a clerical error is the difference between us righting a wrong that we should’ve done years ago and now that’s what we’re here to do.”
The borough is giving the property to the restaurants so that when customers are drinking in the area, the liability is back on the establishments and not the town. The nearby bulkhead, however, will still be the responsibility of the borough, which concerned some residents.
Councilwoman Linda Mazzola, who was on the council last year, cast the sole “No” vote and said she voted that way because the previous council had just decided not to vacate the 40-foot-by-40-foot property at the waterfront. She called its reintroduction this year a bit “alarming.”
Over the years, the neighboring restaurants have beautified the area with benches, trees, bike racks, proper curbing, pavers and more, according to Jack Manousos, one of the owners of Proving Ground, formerly Windansea. He purchased the business three years ago and helped continue the beautification of the area started by Douglas Lentz of the neighboring Inlet Café.
“I think, unfortunately, there’s a misconception that we’re trying to take this from the township or this is just being given,” Manousos said. “This place in between us has always been something where we’ve seen townsfolk and customers all come there and enjoy the views, enjoy the music – everything.”
“This gives us an oppor- tunity to not only legalize this area but also put the liability back on the restau- rants where it belongs and not on the township for the property,” he said.
Resident Michael Cannon gave credit to the restaurateurs and complimented the way they have taken care of the property over the years. However, he said while the two restaurants occupy the adjacent properties right now, there’s no telling what will be there in the years to come.
“Right now there are restaurants there; 50 years from now, 20 years from now, we don’t know what will be there. It could change dramatically,” he said. “To give it away – and forever – just really doesn’t seem correct to me.”
Cornwall resident Daniel Dmuro said, because the property is not only used by restaurant-goers, he felt “very uncomfortable with the borough getting rid of its ownership of it” for private gain. He called it “a loss for residents” and said there is no harm in keeping things as they are.
“To sum it up, I think this would be a pretty ma-jor loss for the residents of town. To give up this piece of property seems very, very short-sided and I’d be incredibly disappointed if the new council moved ahead with passing this resolution,” he said. “Certainly, we want to support our local businesses, but what’s really important is that we put the residents first.”
Manousos said that the two restaurant owners want the entire town to enjoy the property just as it has been and that will not change despite them having acquired the property. “I think we’ve made it extremely open that residents can still come along there and sit on the benches and enjoy the view and, if they so choose, have a drink and dinner, that’s even better.”
He added that based on inspections, the bulkhead is “extremely well built” and while he could not speak for Lentz, he would not mind discussing an agreement with the town to help keep the bulkhead maintained and in good condition.
Lentz emphasized that the property ownership change is a liability and legality issue, and that “nothing is going to change” for noncustomers who just want to come to the property and enjoy the views and music. “The customers and the people that walk and bike there will be welcome to go as it is. It’s just a matter of legality and liability,” he said. “It’s a win-win for the town and it’s a win-win for the residents.”
Some felt otherwise. Resident Kim Skorka asked the council to table the vote so that an agreement could be discussed or drawn up regarding the bulkhead. She wanted assurance that if the restaurateurs or their patrons damaged the bulkhead in any way, they would be the ones who are responsible for repairs – not the borough.
“I was really hoping there was a way to continue to grant access to the public. The people who speak about it being for restaurants and residents – you guys happen to live on the hill and have a gorgeous view of the river and the ocean. I live downtown, I don’t,” she said. “It’s great to go down there in the morning. You get a beautiful view of the sunrise over the river, over Sandy Hook, and that’s going to be taken away from not just me but for the entire general public.”
Councilman Don Melnyk, who is also new to the dais this year, said businesses as a whole are what bring people to the area, not access to the beach. “Businesses are why the people find themselves in this part of town, as the owners of these properties are the reason why this area is still well maintained. The option we have today is to correct an error of the past and that’s exactly why I ran for council,” he said.
This article was originally published in the Jan. 28-Feb. 3, 2021, edition of The Two River Times.
