The Arnone Report: Over the rivers and into the parks

By Monmouth County Freeholder Tom Arnone

Freeholder Tom Arone

Spring has sprung and we can finally put the shovels and salt away and begin to enjoy the outdoors!  Take time to visit one of our beautiful county parks – from Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park in Long Branch to Historic Walnford in Upper Freehold, to the Fisherman’s Cove Conservation Area in Manasquan. Monmouth County Park System offers over 30 park areas to explore.

Speaking of Manasquan, just up the block from Fisherman’s Cove, I am pleased to announce that on March 13 we reopened the 279-foot Glimmer Glass Bridge (W-9) on Fisk Avenue reconnecting Brielle and Manasquan 80 days ahead of schedule.  Reopening the Glimmer Glass Bridge was a welcome relief to the nearby residents and the communities of Manasquan and Brielle. We appreciate all the work done by George Harms Construction to complete this deck replacement project early, as 10 month closure had been anticipated.  There are many people and agencies that had a hand in moving this repair project along and we thank the NJ Department of Environmental Protection and the State Historic Preservation Office for helping to move the permitting process along, as well as the Christie administration and the New Jersey Department of Transportation for looking favorably on the Glimmer Glass project.  In October 2014, NJDOT provided a $1.6 million grant from the Local Aid Infrastructure Fund (LAIF) program to help fund the repair.
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Tinton Falls Animal Shelter Fires Volunteers

photo via ashcares.org

Asbury Park Deputy Mayor disputes Associated Human Societies’ allegations

The Associated Human Societies (AHS) has suspended the volunteer program at its Tinton Falls facility, according to a post on the organization’s facebook page for its Popcorn Park (Lacey Township) facility. (h/t app.com)

The announcement alleges that volunteers at the facility chronically violated protocols for handing animals which resulted in deaths, human and animal injuries and expensive veterinary bills. Additionally, the announcement alleges that volunteers “solicited funds to be collected as donations for Associated Humane Societies, yet they were never turned in.”

“The animals at our Tinton Falls facility will continue to receive the excellent care and attention that they always have from our dedicated staff while we work hard to formulate a plan for a new volunteer program going forward. Be assured that our dogs will continue to be walked. Volunteers were never responsible for feeding or medicating animals, cleaning or maintaining our facility, and were not involved with the general day to day operations of running the shelter, so none of that will be affected.”

The announcement said that the problems that have occurred at the Tinton Falls facility have not occurred at the organizations animal shelters in Newark or Forked River.

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Museums join to present unique Open Hearth Open House afternoon

FREEHOLD – The Monmouth County Historical Association and the Jewish Heritage Museum of Monmouth County will present a unique colonial Sephardic Jewish cooking demonstration, “Open Hearth Open House” Sunday, April 12 at the Covenhoven House, 150 West Main St.

This will be the first time the two museums have combined their histories in a single demonstration and are presenting the program operating in part under a grand received by the Historical Association from the NJ Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State.

Sephardic Jews, as defined for this Open Hearth demonstration, are Jews of Spanish or Portuguese ancestry who came to the New World after the Spanish Inquisition in the 15^th century. Although not many of these Jews settled in Monmouth County before the 19^th century, their existence here has been documented as early as 1716 when the Gomez family,  a family of Jewish traveling merchants, were here at least for a brief period of time. Their existence has been documented in both court and deed records.

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Freeholders honor MAST students

By Muriel Smith

FREEHOLD –  Eighty cadets from the Marine Academy of Science and Technology (MAST) NJROTC unit were honored Thursday night at the regular meeting of the Board of Freeholders, when each received a certificate of appreciation and the day was proclaimed MAST Day in Monmouth County.

Freeholder Lillian Burry brought the honors to the high school students citing their first place awards in senior and freshman divisions of drill competitions. The senior team placed first in three of the four, second in the fourth at the senior level, while both the senior and freshmen teams took all the top honors in the academics portion of the events. MAST’s varsity Color Guard led by Cadets Steven Vieira and Kyle McKean also is undefeated in each of the competitions.  The Color Guard opened the meeting Thursday night and presented colors for the pledge of allegiance which starts every freeholder meeting.

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Greg’s List: Things to do in Monmouth County this weekend, April 10-12, 2015

By Greg Kelly

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Friday, April 10

• Asbury Park Music in Film Festival – MORE INFO
• South Pacific at Algonquin Arts Theatre (Manasquan) – MORE INFO
• “Huge Flea Market” at Brookside School (Sea Girt) – MORE INFO
• Atlantic Cinemas Movie Night (Atlantic Highlands) – MORE INFO
• Jay Leno at Count Basie Theatre (Red Bank) – MORE INFO
• How to Sell Your Home in Today’s Market (Shrewsbury) – MORE INFO
• Minority Male Initiative at BCC (Lincroft) – MORE INFO
• Rent at Brookdale PAC (Lincroft) – MORE INFO
• Proof by Holmdel Theater Company (Holmdel) – MORE INFO
• Peter Pan’s Death at Grange Playhouse (Howell) – MORE INFO
• April Fools Follies at First Avenue Playhouse (Atlantic Highlands) – MORE INFO

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Christie, Army Corp Announce $202 million Flood Control Project In Union Beach (Video)

Governor Chris Christie came to Union Beach today announce the funding of a resiliency and flood control project that has been on the drawing board since 1995.

Photo by Paul Scharff

The project plans have been updated since Superstorm Sandy and will include:

• The massive flood control project – funded by federal, state and local contributions – will consist of construction of levees, floodwalls, tide gates and pump stations.
• The project will also rebuild beaches, dunes, and groins, which are jetty-like structures that are designed to slow loss of sand from beaches.
• In addition, more than 25 acres of degraded wetlands will be restored to help better absorb flood waters.

The majority of funding for the massive flood control project will come from the federal government at $132 million. New Jersey will fund about $57 million and Union Beach will provide $17 million.

“Union Beach has long been one of the most susceptible areas to coastal flooding in New Jersey, a vulnerability that was made all too real when Sandy slammed the town with its record 14-foot storm surge,” said Governor Christie. “As part of our long-term recovery strategy, this $202 million resiliency project will finally give this close-knit community the protection they need and the sense of security they deserve to withstand future storms.”

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Sandy Hook season parking passes go on sale this weekend

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Prosecutor: Be on alert for online and phone scams targeting Monmouth County residents

(FREEHOLD) Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni is asking residents to remain on guard for three common phone scams that continue to work their way across the country and within Monmouth County.

“The criminals associated with telephone and online scams are getting more sophisticated and approach consumers with enough legitimate-sounding information to seem credible, even to a savvy consumer. It’s important for the public to be aware of these newest ploys so that they can be on guard to protect their identity and their bank accounts,” Gramiccioni said.

IRS SCAM

It is tax season and one of the most common scams involves a caller posing as an Internal Revenue Service agent claiming that back taxes are owed.  If you are concerned you may owe the IRS back taxes, never provide any information to anyone over the phone.  First, call the IRS directly at 1-800-829-1040 to ask about your current tax status. The IRS will send you a letter in the mail, if you owe back taxes. They never make cold calls, and certainly never demand cash or threaten immediate police actions.

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Flu still hitting N.J. hard, Monmouth County has the most cases

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Demand pushing Jersey Shore rental prices higher as peak weeks sell out

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