By Allison Perrine
RED BANK – The status of the Red Bank Senior Center had residents in an uproar last Wednesday night as dozens of individuals urged the mayor and council to fix the facility that has been in disrepair for two years.
The now-unoccupied building, which was a meeting place for seniors to socialize and participate in activities, suffered damage from a burst pipe in 2019. That incident uncovered a series of other issues that must be corrected, which could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. The borough said it has been trying to find the best approach to move forward while balancing issues with other municipal buildings around town. But residents – and some council members – say that’s not enough.
“The Red Bank Senior Center is one of the few remaining publicly owned properties in the borough with access to the Navesink River. It is shameful to continue letting this property sit in disrepair,” councilman Michael Ballard posted on the Red Bank Senior Center “SOS” page on Facebook. “It is way past time to restore and maintain this beautiful, resident-owned property to a useful state and keep public property for public use.”
The borough’s insurance company estimated the price to fix the burst pipe at the facility, located on Shrewsbury Avenue, would be about $90,000. But much more is needed to fix the rest of the building’s 20-plus-year-old fire suppression system that “was not adequate” and was “failing,” according to borough administrator Ziad Shehady. The system was not operable, and many of the problems are not considered valid insurance claims.
“The valid insurance claims were corrected, we received the money and in fact, we’ve got some of it set aside for larger repairs. But, in order to make the bigger repairs to the senior center, it’s going to cost several hundred thousand dollars,” said Shehady. That includes the new suppression system and associated electric, HVAC and roofing changes, insulation, drywall, flooring, paint and spackle costs.
“The reason that we have not repaired it right now is because we don’t want to rush to put more Band-Aids on this facility,” said Shehady. “Because we care about the seniors, we want to give them the best facility possible.” That could mean repairing the existing building, adding onto the building or looking at other locations for a senior center, he added. No decisions have been made, he and the mayor and council said Jan. 13.
But residents like 49-year resident Tiffany Harris are outraged with the handling of the center. A former outreach worker for the senior center, Harris decided to organize a “Save Our Seniors” rally Jan. 9 after she learned the status of the building she once worked in.
“Once I heard what was going on, I rode down to the senior center and I couldn’t believe my eyes, what I saw,” Harris told The Two River Times. “I was very emotional and very taken back that the senior center looked in such disarray and that it’s been that way for two years. I couldn’t believe it because I am a Red Bank resident and I don’t live far from the senior center and had no idea that that was going on.”
Harris said she is passionate about the center because she has come to know many of the seniors in town while growing up in the borough. She said she values how they feel and knows that the existing center at 80 Shrewsbury Ave. was “hand-picked” for them and offered many different activities for the seniors. At any given time, 100 members could stop by to relax, socialize, see doctors on site, take a variety of classes and more.
“I felt like I needed to say something because the seniors are so near and dear to my heart and I was just crushed that it’s just been overlooked for the past two years,” said Harris.
About 50 to 60 attendees came to the rally Jan. 9 – including former senior center director Freda Terry, who traveled to the borough from North Carolina to attend – as well as Ballard and councilman Ed Zipprich. The two council members’ attendance was criticized by the other members of council in a statement issued by Red Bank Dems that same day, released by Mayor Pat Menna and council members Kathy Horgan, Erik Yngstrom, Hazim Yassin and Kate Triggiano.
“We are disappointed that, instead of debating and discussing this issue with us in a Council meeting, Councilmen Zipprich and Ballard have chosen to drag Red Bank backwards into alarmist politics instead of reasoned solutions,” the letter stated. “We are stunned that sitting councilmembers would politicize our senior citizens, and call them to a rally in the middle of a pandemic, for their own political aggrandizement.
“Beyond our dismay at such a display, for far too long, Red Bank has made knee jerk decisions based upon individuals’ political ambitions, rather than sound policy. That is why we have a Borough Hall that’s too small, a DPU yard that’s too old, and a Senior Center that’s unstable,” it continued.
But according to Harris, Zipprich and Ballard had nothing to do with the organizing of the rally. Harris said she invited them and Triggiano, who did not attend. And according to Shehady, that’s not the only false rumor spreading around town regarding the senior center and rally which could be contributing to the “uproar.” Setting the record straight, he said he and elected officials have met with seniors since 2019, keeping them updated on the process. The council has taken the issue seriously because it want to get things perfect for the seniors. He also said rumors that the governing body is already looking to sell the property or change its use are not true.
“I’ve heard comment after comment with incorrect information and assumptions being made about the senior center, and all on the premise that this governing body, that the administration and that I don’t care about the seniors or that we’re neglecting them. That could not be further from the truth,” said Shehady at the Jan. 13 meeting. “The reason that we are in this situation is because we care about the seniors.”
While no decisions have yet been made about how to move forward, options include repairing or renovating the existing site, or changing locations. According to Menna, there are no plans to sell the property. In the meantime, the council has arranged a $2,000-a-month lease at Trinity Episcopal Church to give the seniors a place to get together. The church is ADA-compliant and is safe for seniors, the council assured. The term is for three years but the borough has the option to terminate the lease with a 90-day notice.
“This town has given its senior citizens some of the best real estate in town. Waterfront views, precious waterfront views, a really rare spot. This is a town that really values its seniors,” said resident Brian Donohue during the Jan. 13 meeting. “Red Bank has a real precious gem in the senior center and it’s that view, it’s that visual access to the river that’s really rare for…people who don’t have the money for a boat, people who don’t have waterfront houses, for people who can’t afford the brunch at Oyster Point. This is their chance. You can say ‘Move them somewhere else’ and ‘it’s adequate facilities’ – it’s not. That’s an irreplaceable spot.”
The article originally appeared in the January 21 – 27, 2021 print edition of The Two River Times.
