Red Bank mayor: No sale of riverfront lot
Resident: Volunteers needed for lot cleanup on June 1
BY MELISSA KARSH Staff Writer

RED BANK - Red Bank Mayor Pasquale Menna has called off the potential sale of one of the last remaining borough owned riverfront properties on the east side.

"The mayor has discontinued the process of investigating whether to sell the vacant lot," said Borough Attorney Thomas J. Hall in an e-mail April 25.

At a previous council meeting, residents had adamantly opposed the potential sale of the lot, which is situated along the Navesink at the foot of Maple Avenue, and instead have been campaigning for it to be used as a small boat launch ramp.

"The lot will remain an open lot and there are no plans to sell it," said Menna Monday. "Even though the council authorized an appraisal…we have not expended any sums ofmoney and we will not be charged, so we spent no money on it."

The property is located on block 8, lot 1 and is 57 feet by 192 feet, according to the Red Bank tax assessor. The property is assessed at $960,800 and includes $10,400 improvement on-site, which could be a paving improvement, according to the tax assessor.

The Borough Council approved the hiring of an appraiser March 10 to assess the value of the lot, but Menna has since stopped the process due to a lack of support for the proposal.

"The whole idea emanated from a candid review of all of our options as part of the budget process this year. Since the majority [of the council] have changed their mind in terms of a possible disposition [for selling the property], it doesn't make any sense for us to continue to discuss [it]," said Menna.

Menna said previously that the sale of the lot could help with tax relief for the 2008-09 proposed budget, which called for a 7-cent tax increase in the municipal tax rate when it was introduced.

"I would encourage the council to give me some realistic ideas in terms of budgetary considerations," Menna said of other options for tax relief. "We have to look at the budget comprehensively; we have to make cuts [and] we have to realistically consider what our options [are]."

Opponents of the sale had previously said it would not be a sound economic investment, serving as a one-time non-recurring fund to offset property taxes.

In addition to residents, the Red Bank Environmental Commission (EC) as well as members of the Borough Council were among those opposed to the sale. The EC had also passed a resolution opposing the sale of the property.

Fair Haven resident and Red Bank property owner Cindy Burnham has been leading the campaign to keep the lot in the borough's property inventory and has already put the site to use.

"I was out there last Saturday [April 19]. I went out and I made a little path to the water and I was out there launching [my kayak] last night [April 24] at 6 p.m.," said Burnham. "It's perfect."

Burnham said the next step is to clean up the lot, which is littered with debris.

"I see that property as having an immediate purpose," said Burnham. "We want to clean it up, make a natural walking path to the water and get the public down there to use it for hand launching or manual launching of small crafts like kayaks, canoes and small sailboats."

She said the clean up is scheduled for June 1 from 1 to 4 p.m. and that Councilwoman Mary-Grace Cangemi is helping coordinate the clean up with the borough.

"[Department of Public Utilities head] Gary Watson has been very helpful and he's agreed to pick up whatever we haul to the street," said Burnham. "We've reached out to the high schools, to Red Bank Regional, Rumson Fair Haven, Red Bank Catholic, and the residents to come out and do this."

Burnham said volunteers for the clean up should wear hard soled shoes and sun block. She said garbage bags and gloves will be supplied and a wheel barrel and metal rake are still needed.

Currently, on the site there is permit parking, a restriction that Burnham says is not being enforced and one she wants the council to lift.

She is also asking for a "no dumping" sign to be posted at the site.