By Sunayana Prabhu
RED BANK – The council reached an informal consensus at its latest meeting to open Broadwalk this season from May 15 through Oct. 1, but has yet to vote on the plan.
Now in its fourth year, Broadwalk has become a summertime staple in the borough, putting Red Bank on the must-visit list of many popular travel magazines, but its success is not without challenges. The decision to vote on the fourth run of Broadwalk was delayed again at the council meeting March 22, in order to work through a few remaining concerns from many on the dais.
Council member Kate Triggiano and Mayor Billy Portman pushed the other council members to vote at the meeting to lock in timeframes and fee structures for businesses. But the council instead took a straw poll on the start date of May 15, at the behest of council member Ed Zipprich.
“I would appreciate if we circle back to this at our next meeting,” said Zipprich, who was supported by council members John Jackson and Jacqueline Sturdivant.
Portman expressed concern that businesses would not have sufficient time to prepare for the season if the action was delayed but Zipprich, who also serves as the borough’s liaison with RiverCenter, the borough’s promotional agency, said although none of the council members were “opposed to Broadwalk” they needed to “hammer out” “minor details,” such as the location of streateries, mechanical issues with the bollards that were installed last year and fees, among other items.
Zipprich insisted on delaying the vote until after a discussion with Bob Zuckerman, executive director of Red Bank RiverCenter.
Council president Michael Ballard said he was concerned about the “giant tents” set up during the season, but Triggiano argued these details were in the purview of the RiverCenter and the council.
“This is sabotaged by subcommittee,” Triggiano said. “Really, what is being asked of this council is to approve the dates and the fees.” Triggiano noted Zuckerman was at the meeting and called him to the mic, pressing the council to make a decision. “Let’s get this done,” she said.
At the previous council meeting March 8, Zuckerman gave a detailed PowerPoint presentation, offering solutions to many concerns, such as sharing trash pickup and cleaning services, working with nonprofits and the borough’s recreation department to add more events, assigning an alcohol-free community tent where residents are allowed to order take-out from their choice of restaurants, and a more streamlined loading and unloading process to curb traffic problems.
Broadwalk had a shortened run in 2022 due to road construction; it ran from late July through Oct. 2.
At the previous meeting the council informally agreed to keep the fees for Broadwalk at 2022 rates, around $2.25 per square foot of outdoor space per month. There is no consensus yet on fees for streateries for restaurants outside of the Broadwalk area.
At the latest council meeting Jackson suggested moving the end date to mid-September. “Some residents don’t want a six-month street fair,” he said.
But “the best months of the year, as we all know who live around here, usually are September and October, so we’d like to have access to that,” said Tim McLoone, owner of Robinson Ale House and several other restaurants throughout Monmouth County.
McLoone said Broadwalk was “a lifesaver for us coming out of the pandemic,” but restaurant businesses suffered in 2022 compared to 2021 because of the delayed start date. “We dropped over $200,000 in revenue from the prior year in May and June and most of July, so it was pretty tough,” he said. He also insisted on seven full days of operation for Broadwalk since restaurants rent the outdoor furniture for the season, and if Broadwalk closes for a day, that furniture “has no place to go.”
Launched at the peak of the pandemic in 2020 to support restaurant businesses in the borough, Broadwalk is an outdoor pedestrian plaza that transforms the downtown section of Broad Street into an open dining and recreation space. During its run, Broad Street is closed to vehicular traffic from White Street to Front Street, bringing both fun and frustration to residents.
A few council candidates running in the upcoming May 9 elections voiced their concerns; Erin Fleming said she welcomes Broadwalk but seven days a week is “just too much for us.”
“Many of the streets on the West Side are becoming burdened,” she said, citing traffic issues which worsen due to the closure of Broad Street.
Sean Murphy was concerned about “fairness to the businesses on the side streets,” he said, citing those like Cardner’s barbershop, whose parking lots cannot be accessed for the duration of Broadwalk.
Both Fleming and Murphy will be running with Ballard and Jackson on the Red Bank Together slate led by mayoral candidate Tim Hogan.
Council candidate Ben Forest said Broadwalk was “powerful” in bringing the community together and asked the council to support “the businesses that are impacted negatively.”
Laura Jannone said, after the pandemic, a space like Broadwalk is “important for us to socialize.”
Candidates Forest and Jannone will be running with Portman and Triggiano on the Red Bank Ready slate in the upcoming May 9 elections.
Sue Viscomi, an independent candidate in the upcoming council race, pressed the council to work on “enforcement,” whether it is trash or parking during Broadwalk.
The final approval of plans for Broadwalk is scheduled for the next council meeting April 12.
The article originally appeared in the March 30 – April 5, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
