Weigh in on Maple Ave. boat ramp at June 8 council meeting
Guest Column • Cindy Burnham
Iam disgusted and disappointed, although not surprised, in the decision of the mayor and council to drop all plans regarding Maple Avenue. Ya know … it's so funny that Red Bank has owned this property for 15 years and done nothing with it. They have let it become overgrown with weeds and used as an illegal dumping ground. People never knew it was there because of the weeds and garbage.

Friends of Maple Avenue got it cleaned up using $23,000 in private donations. Now there is a purpose for this site. There is a need. There is no access to the river east of the railroad tracks and this site is especially important since Red Bank sold the public boat ramp to Riverview Hospital in 2002 for $210,000.

That money was supposed to go toward the creation of another public boat ramp. This site might not be the best site for a public boat ramp, but it's the only one we have. Maple Avenue will bring people to Red Bank. Not just for recreation, but to walk into downtown Red Bank for breakfast, lunch or dinner after their paddle or whatever, just like Marine Park, Eastside Park or Count Basie. Is it too much to ask a town to place donated stone, a bench and a sign to designate this site as public access? Is it too much to ask a town to maintain the grounds? Cut the weeds? This is open space!

The council says they must obtain a permit from the DEP because the bench and stone would be within 150 feet of the mean high tide line. Councilman Ed Zipprich is worried about the nesting birds, the environmental commission is starting a green team, and Tom Williams says I am destroying the environmental habitat, yet Red Bank is letting a construction company use Maple Avenue as a staging site while they do work in Red Bank, dumping dirty stone, building structures and changing oil, and all within 150 feet of the mean high tide line.

Where is the environmental commission? Some of the members of the environmental commission did come out and help during the river sweep. You would think they would be outraged! Property on the DEP green acres list can only be used for conservation and recreation purposes. A diversion permit would be required by the DEP. Does Red Bank have one?

To talk about destroying the environment you need look no further. Red Bank is doing a really good job of it.

I believe that the council's agenda is to let this property become overgrown to the point where people won't even attempt to go down there. Then they will have a good case for selling it. Yes, people, it can still be sold. Not until it is encumbered, which means Red Bank must first borrow money from Green Acres, will it be safe from sale.

I believe that if the Red Bank Council really wanted to get this site up and running using the "keep it simple" approach and put a bench and decent path down there, it would have happened already. I just have to wonder how a council can be so against something that is so good for Red Bank, its residents and the environment.

Let's talk about the "naming contest," thought up by Councilwoman Juanita Lewis. In an effort to cooperate with the council and acting in good faith, I did what Councilwomen Lewis and Horgan and Councilman Zipprich asked of me. They wanted me to go to the Red Bank schools and educate the children about the naming contest.

I discovered that there had been no planning, thought or design put into this contest. It was a pathetic attempt at political grandstanding. I took time off from work to speak to the kids; kids took time out to listen to what I had to say and to make a thoughtful selection of a name for this site. I brought Parks and Recreation 75 entries. They chose one. They announced the winners at the second Red Bank Day. The students and the press were never notified, and to add insult to injury, the whole idea of a sign was dropped. This was why they had the contest! Mayor Menna said, "Who is going to pay for the sign?" What kind of message does this send to our kids?

Bottom line here is this … the council is not going to listen to me or Friends of Maple Avenue — I am a taxpayer, but not a voter. It seems the Red Bank Council has its own plan for Maple Avenue and it doesn't look good. As Councilman Art Murphy said to me at the council meeting, "Take your kayak and go launch it in Fair Haven, Cindy." Nice behavior for a councilman running for re-election in November.

Red Bank residents need to come out to the next council meeting June 8 at 5:30 p.m. and tell this council that this site deserves to be maintained like any other park. Not just for kayakers or canoeists, but for all people who just want to catch the sunset, walk on the sandy shores, find shells or feed the baby geese that are there right now. It's up to you!

Cindy Burnham is a resident of Fair Haven.