By Allison Perrine
MONMOUTH COUNTY – It’s time to move on from 2020 and look ahead to a new year full of potential and hope.
The Two River Times wanted to know what that might entail so we reached out to local government leaders and asked what they are personally excited about for their hometowns in 2021. And even though last year was a difficult one, we wanted to know: What’s something positive that happened to their town in 2020? We reached out to all the local leaders but some did not respond by press time. Here’s what the mayors of Colts Neck, Highlands, Holmdel, Middletown, Monmouth Beach, Rumson, Sea Bright and Tinton Falls had to say.
Mayor Michael Viola, Colts Neck
“We are in the beginning stages of constructing a generational project for Colts Neck, a new municipal building. The building will house our police department, municipal offices and court in a flexible multi-purpose public meeting room. We released the drawings, elevations, and funding objectives in late January of 2020 then the pandemic hit and brought all advances to a crawl. Our strong credit rating (AA+) resulted in financing the project at 2.28 percent. In 2021, the process of razing the old building and raising the new one will hit full stride.
In late March, Colts Neck moved seamlessly from open to the public to a virtual process without interruption of services or support. Additionally, our community does not have large commercial “ratables” so a decline in revenue has not been realized. We revised and adopted a budget that maintained a flat municipal tax rate for a second consecutive year while investing in our infrastructure and continuing to plan for our future.”
Mayor Ben Lucarelli, Fair Haven
“We are most excited by the prospect of commencing construction on our new DPW and Police Facilities, and the paving of River Road (CR10) which will incorporate bicycle pedestrian facilities.
First and foremost, our First Responders, Police, Fire and First Aid were steadfast in protecting the town and residents despite the uncertainty of COVID. Our Recreation Commission and Director, DJ Breckenridge, made the required adjustment to keep our parks open and our youth programs functioning in a safe manner. And finally, our residents who adapted their behavior and kept our infection rate low by comparison.”
Mayor Carolyn Broullon, Highlands
“In 2021, I am looking forward to many things in the Borough of Highlands. Our new borough administrator and DPW superintendent are ready to roll up their sleeves to continue the forward progress we have made in the last few years. Our parks and open space will be getting updates. Our infrastructure, including sanitary and storm sewer improvements, will be seeing a big upgrade in the Waterwitch section of town. The two current areas of redevelopment will be moving into naming a developer and solidifying the developer’s agreements.
Looking back on 2020, I am humbled by the amount of compassion and generosity our community has shown to each other. The amount for food drives, clothing drives and people reaching out to me to help those families in need during the madness of everything COVID-19 was something on a scale I have never seen. The kindness exhibited to and for our neighbors restores my faith in our community’s goal to help each other through this time.”
Mayor Tony Perry, Middletown Township
“Our new town hall is beginning to take shape and we look forward to welcoming residents to our state-of-the-art facility later this year. We’re also set to close on a long-neglected piece of property in historic Campbell’s Junction where we will construct a 100 percent affordable housing project for the men and women who have honorably served our nation. Additionally, we will implement an increase in our Open Space Trust Fund, thanks to the support and approval of close to 70 percent of our residents, which will allow the governing body to add to our more than 6,000 acres of preserved land and make the necessary upgrades to our recreational facilities.
Our township’s capacity to rise to an occasion was tested in 2020 and I’m proud to say that we did just that. Despite all the challenges we faced, we were inspired by the extraordinary efforts of our first responders and Healthcare Heroes. We were uplifted as we watched Major Matt Zilinski return home to his family after an 11-month deployment in Kosovo as community members lined the streets waving American flags and homemade signs. We watched Little League teams help the very businesses that have always supported their season. We celebrated with Ann Del Priore who beat the Spanish Flu, and at 108 years old beat COVID-19. We praised the heroic efforts of five High School North students as they sprang into action to save two children from an icy pond without regard for their own safety. Our spirit is strong in Middletown and we expect the best is yet to come.”
Mayor Greg Buontempo, Holmdel Township
Holmdel Township has been one of the leaders among New Jersey municipalities in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the state moves towards the crest of the second wave of this pandemic, our goal is to make progress in the battle of COVID-19 through additional mobile testing sites in Holmdel, providing the latest information to our residents through our social media, and facilitating vaccine distribution locally once the vaccine becomes available to the general public. We anticipate being able to cut the ribbon on our new firehouse this year as well as a new park in memory of one of our young residents who passed away.
Our Township Committee and government officials made great strides in increasing transparency. Holmdel residents wanted a more open and communicative government and we listened! We have increased modes of communication including the use of social media, voice calls, video conferencing and regular email and SMS updates to make sure that our residents are well-informed and active participants in our local government.
Additionally, the township broke ground on our new centrally located firehouse which will help improve fire protection in our community. Finally, I am so grateful for the generosity of our Holmdel residents in their response to the Mayor’s PPE Drive. Holmdel Township received thousands of pieces of protective equipment to ensure the safety of our first aid volunteers, who respond to hundreds of calls each month to aid our residents.”
Mayor David Stickle, Monmouth Beach
“In 2021, we are excited to be fully staffed with our police, public works depar tments and beach staff. This will enable us to provide better protection for our residents and guests. We also look forward to returning to some sense of normalcy later in the year.
I am extremely proud of the performance of all of our borough employees and volunteers during the 2020 COVID pandemic. They have worked tirelessly through extremely difficult circumstances to keep this town the desired location it is. All the while handling our crowded beaches and many parking issues with respect and thoughtfulness to both our residents and visitors.”
Mayor Joseph Hemphill, Rumson
“Just as everyone else, the Borough of Rumson had to quickly adapt to the uniqueness of 2020. With everyone’s health and safety as our primary concern, it was important that we continued borough operations while adhering to the safety guidelines and procedures provided throughout the year. Looking back, we are all proud of our collective response to COVID-19 and plan to hold on to some of the changes we made to better serve our residents in the future.
With what will hopefully be a much brighter 2021 on the horizon, we are looking forward to utilizing and growing our communication channels to connect with our residents and the entire Two River community. The borough now sends weekly email blasts, which include information on special events, community announcements, dates and deadlines and feature stories highlighting the accomplishments of our very own. Those interested in joining this list can register at rumsonnj.gov today.
This year, we were able to acquire and install a brand-new LED message board which is located in the Rumson business district. Not only are we able to rotate important, timely information daily, but we will also be able to publish emergency notifications that will align with future Nixel and severe weather alerts as they are released. These platforms, in addition to our existing social media presence, allows us to direct individuals to our fully interactive website.
Since March, we have been able to conduct important business virtually through the use of Zoom. We want to thank our residents for remaining engaged with us during this transition. Finally, we continue to experience financial stability and development through our capital improvement plans. This year, we have completed a number of shared service projects with the Rumson Board of Education, completed Phase II of the River Road Curb and Sidewalk Project, both on budget and ahead of schedule, and continue our sanitary sewer rehabilitation program to reduce groundwater infiltration through the borough’s piping network.
We look forward to breaking ground on a number of projects in 2021, including continued road, curb and sidewalk rehabilitation and flood resiliency improvements.
We know that 2020 has been a challenge for all of us. However, the collective response from our community for the Fall Green Day, an opportunity for Rumson residents to safely and securely shred personal documents and recycle old electronic devices, the virtual Veteran’s Day ceremony and our virtual holiday celebration, both of which were highlighted by the good work of the Rumson School District and our students, the Rumson Rec’s Halloween and holiday house Decorating contests, and the annual DPW toy drive, which experienced historic donation totals, has been nothing short of incredible. Our residents’ collective response has been, and will continue to be, a guiding light. On behalf of the borough council, we wish everyone a happy and healthy 2021.”
Mayor Brian Kelly, Sea Bright
“I’m excited that our team successfully navigated carefully through a difficult 2020. We were able to take the pandemic seriously while keeping our shore town largely in operation. We hope to help manage any risk moving forward and help the residents, visitors, employees and business owners have a great 2021 at every level. Once we manage the risk from COVID well enough, we are anxious to also fully reopen our municipal building and beach pavilion as well as all other borough and business facilities.
Sea Bright did a great job of managing the risk from COVID while keeping beach, business and other operations open. I believe we let residents and visitors still safely enjoy our town, especially throughout the summer and fall, for what it is, a great shore town. I like the fact that we balanced everything very well without seriously hampering people’s ability to get out and live their lives while keeping the borough and businesses economic health intact.”
Mayor Vito Perillo, Tinton Falls
“Although 2020 was challenging in many ways, the Borough of Tinton Falls was able to accomplish many positive things. First, I would like to recognize and commend the efforts of the Borough of Tinton Falls Police Department, Office of Emergency Management, Emergency Medical Ser vices, Fire Companies, Public Works and all Borough employees for their hard work and dedication during the ongoing pandemic. The borough in 2020 completed a $2.3 million road paving program consisting of the paving of 3.7 miles of borough road. Also, in 2020 the borough received an upgrade in our Moody’s credit rating from Aa2 to Aa1. This helped the borough complete the refunding of a portion of our outstanding bonds, saving the borough approximately $700,000 in interest cost.
I am very excited about the quality of life improvements scheduled to be completed in 2021. The borough has appropriated $3.7 million in funds, through an open space ordinance, for various park improvements to Sycamore Recreation Complex, Liberty Park II, Riverdale West Park and Hockhockson Park. The funding also includes the development of a new park on Wardell road, scheduled to open in the spring of 2021, consisting of two tennis courts, six pickle ball courts, two basketball courts and a playground. The improvements are being completed at no additional cost to the taxpayers as they are being funded by the borough’s Open Space Trust Fund and a county Open Space Grant.”
This article originally appeared in the Jan. 7-13, 2021 edition of The Two River Times.
