Multi-Million Dollar Tennis Center Readied for Opening in Ocean
By DON STINE An eight-court tennis center under construction on West Park Avenue in Ocean Township, a product of both private and public funding, is scheduled to open this spring. “We are almost there and I think we will be open in the late spring Hopefully, we will also have the outdoor courts ready for the summer. This is a great project and wonderful for the community,” Mayor Christopher Siciliano said. A deal was signed to build close to a $3 million Park Avenue Tennis Center in front of the existing township pool complex on W est Park Avenue.…
Ocean Chamber Says Farewell to Director
By DON STINE Kim Horn Blanda, executive director of the Greater Ocean Township Chamber of Commerce, is leaving her position after serving for eight years leading the organization she helped create in 1983. A founding member of the chamber, Blanda has created and chaired several events over the years and designed and edited the chamber’s long-time newsletter “Business in Ocean.” In addition to running the day-to-day activities of the chamber, and working with all committees on the development and implementation of events and programs, Blanda has been designing and updating the chamber’s website “I was always a very, very…
Hope Fund Seeks Applications
The Community Hope Fund, a non-profit, registered 501 (c) 3 organization dedicated to promoting positive youth development and supporting charitable needs in Ocean Township and neighboring communities, is once again announcing the Request For Proposal for its Youth Development Grant Program. Through this program, CHF supports local initiatives that employ innovative and research-based models to promote youth development. Specifically, CHF is looking for local programs that build “Developmental Assets” in youth. These assets are the 40 positive experiences and personal qualities that help determine whether youth make good or bad decisions. This year, the Community Hope Fund will award…
Spring Comes in Like a Lion
By DON STINE Talk about March Madness! It seems like Old Man Winter just doesn’t want to give up this year as the fourth nor’easter in three weeks hit the Jersey Shore on Wednesday. It was the first full day of spring. “I believe the last time we had this many storms, in such a short period, was 1985,” said Neptune Township Clerk Richard Cuttrell, who tracks storms on his website TriStateStormWatch.com. Cuttrell said the storm was going to hit later in the day on Wednesday than anticipated and that means the snow will continue until as late as 3 a.m. on Thursday. At press time…
Students Show Support for Action on Gun Violence
By DON STINE Neptune and Ocean Township High School students joined other students in a national walkout across the United States Wed., March 14 in a protest urging elected officials to take action on school gun violence The demonstration comes one month after the shooting massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., where 17 people were killed. More than 2,800 demonstrations were held in all 50 states, from Maine to Hawaii, and drew hundreds of thousands of students. Students also gathered in major cities, like New York, and others gathered outside of the White House to…
Ocean Officials Add More Buffering to Development Site
By DON STINE Heavier buffering and setbacks will now be required for a commercial/residential project being proposed on a 32-acre tract at the intersection of Route 35 and Deal Road in Ocean Township. The Township Council last week adopted an ordinance that made the modifications, which was in response to concerns from both residents and township officials. “We want to make this as buffered as possible,” Mayor Christopher Siciliano said. But many of the those filling up the council chambers were not happy with the fact that the site is being developed, with many urging the governing body…
Ocean Officials Still Seek Solution to Deer Problem
By DON STINE Too many deer is an ongoing problem in Ocean Township and other surrounding communities but township officials have not given up on their efforts to find a way to deal with it. Mayor Christopher Siciliano said that a special subcommittee has been looking into the problem and ways to solve it. “The entire council is anxious to have a deer management policy in place as soon as we can,” he said. He said efforts are being made to find a “nonlethal way” to deal with the problem, “if feasible.” “We have been working oi it and…
Ocean Names Street After Retired Official
By DON STINE It’s official, former Ocean Township Councilman John Huss is having a street named in his honor. “It’s a great honor, no doubt about it,” Huss said. The new street goes from West Park Avenue into a new development of age-restricted residential housing, called 777 West Park Avenue. The new housing, near the post office, was built to replace similar housing along the Poplar Brook that was subject to flooding and subsequently razed. “The street is functioning but people, like Uber drivers, are not finding it- so we are naming it. And Huss has been a longtime…
Ocean Man Confirmed for State Position
An Ocean Township man has recently been confirmed as Adjutant General of New Jersey. Colonel Jemal J. Beale, in his new position, will oversee the 8400 men and women in New Jersey’s National Guard and Airmen. The adjutant general also manages the state’s Department of Veteran’s Affairs. Senator Vin Gopal congratulated Beale on his appointment. “I would like to congratulate New Jersey’s newly confirmed Adjutant General, Colonel Jemal J. Beale. Colonel Beale works hard on behalf of the men and women in uniform, as well as, in the community of Ocean Township, where he lives. In his military career…
Ocean Township Student Reaches Semi-Finals in National Science Competition
A student from Ocean Township has recently become one of 10 semifinalists in a national space engineering competition. Myles Fort, of Ocean Township, was recognized in the junior level division in the five to 12 year old group in American Society of Mechanical Engineers ASME Foundation and NASA’s Two for the Crew Challenge. He will now progress to the next round of competition. According to a release from Future Engineers, an online education platform, there are 20 semifinalists in the Two for the Crew Challenge, the sixth in a series of design competitions tasking students to invent useful items…
