Neptune to Purchase Tract in Shark River Hills
By DON STINE Neptune officials approved the purchase of a 2.65-acre tract on S. Riverside Drive in the Shark River Hills section to preserve the property as open space. The township would like to acquire about 18 flood-prone properties along the Shark River under the state’s Blue Acres program. Township Business Administrator Vito Gadaleta said this is the biggest tract on the site that is scheduled to become a park across from the Shark River. The property purchased by a $1.25 million bond ordinance at this week’s Township Committee meeting was zoned for nine single-family homes. The purchase price…
Breakfast with Santa in Shark River Hills
Breakfast with Santa is being held at the Shark River Hills Fire House on Sat., Dec. 16 from 9 a.m. to noon. Santa will be dressed and ready for pictures with the kids. Breakfast includes pancakes, eggs, sausage, assorted Danish and bagels, coffee, tea and juice. Adults are $10, kids three to 12 years old , $5 and children under 2 years old are free. For information call 732.425.5559. Also Santa Claus along with the Shark River Hills Fire Department, Ladies Auxiliary and Santa’s Elves are running a holiday toy drive on Sat., Dec. 9. Santa Claus will deliver pre-wrapped gifts on…
Road Between Neptune and Wall to Close
Schoolhouse Road, over Shark River, will close to traffic on or about Friday, Dec. 1 and remain closed for approximately seven months. Weather permitting, the project is expected to be completed by the end of June. “Due to the significant deterioration of the bridge and the roadway alignment, the bridge must be replaced with a wider, longer structure,” said Freeholder Thomas A. Arnone, liaison to the Department of Public Works and Engineering. “The goal is to improve the overall safety of the traveling public in the area.” Schoolhouse Road will be open to local traffic only between Belmar Boulevard (County Route…
Longer Commute for Shark River Hills
By DON STINE Many Neptune residents living in the Shark River Hills section of Neptune are finding it a little harder than usual to make their way home right now. A $3.5 million grant from the state Department of Transportation, which includes a $300,000 contribution from the county for utility changes and upgrades, is paying for a project that will upgrade the East End Avenue Bridge, crossing the western end of the Shark River. The bridge was recently closed and is expected to remain closed until almost Memorial Day. In the meantime it is creating some problems for residents…
In Neptune: Complaints Received About Speeding
By DON STINE Speeding in Neptune’s Shark River Hills area and parked cars that are never moved in Ocean Grove were all issues raised recently at a Neptune Township Committee meeting. Dr. James Chenitz said he and other residents are concerned about speeding traffic on upper S. Riverside Drive in the Shark River Hils section of the township and said the governing body has been presented with a petition signed by about 60 residents asking that some action be taken. “There is a lack of police enforcement and there is daily speeding,” he said. He called the area “a…
Neptune to Request Modifications for Shark River Area
By DON STINE Neptune officials scrapped plans this week to create a living shoreline on the Shark River, along South Riverside Drive, in the township’s Shark River Hills area and will instead focus to improve infrastructure in the same area. An ordinance putting funding in place for a $1.2 million project to install a living shoreline along sections of S. Riverside Dr. was” tabled indefinitely” at the Aug. 28 Township Committee meeting. A “living shoreline” is a term used to define a number of shoreline protection options that allow for natural coastal processes through the strategic placement of plants,…
Shark River Hills Residents Will Rally for the River
The Shark River Cleanup Coalition, along with some residents of Shark River Hills in Neptune, will hold a Rally for the River regarding the South Riverside Drive Flood Remediation Project Sun., Aug. 13. The rally will start with a march that starts at the bottom of Snake Hill. Marchers will gather at the bottom of Snake Hill at 11:30 a.m. The march will proceed to Volunteer Park, where speakers and marchers will call for Neptune to delay any vote on a bond ordinance to finance this project until other entities/agencies have reviewed the need for this proposed project and its impact on…
Living Shoreline Encouraged Along Shark River
By DON STINE Some Neptune residents living near South Riverside Drive in the Shark River Hills section of Neptune may get what they have been asking for- a living shoreline along the Shark River instead of bulkheads. An “armored dune” concept was presented to more than 100 people during a special meeting at the Shark River Hills Fire House July 25. The concept calls for a walkway along the existing grade next to the road, followed by a geotube core nearer to the water, followed by a marine mattress with marsh plantings at the water’s edge. “The baseline will…
Shark River Bridge to Close for 8 Months for Repairs
By DON STINE Motorists using the East End Avenue Bridge, crossing the western end of the Shark River between Neptune City and Neptune, should brace for the bridge to be closed for eight months beginning this October. The bridge, also known as County Bridge M17, crosses the upper (western) section of the Shark River between Neptune’s Shark River Hills area and Neptune City. It will be closed and refurbished beginning this October and scheduled to open Memorial Day weekend of next year. “It will be a beautiful structure,” Freeholder Thomas Arnone said. Arnone and County Engineer Joe Ettore gave…
Shark River Coalition Resumes Crab Tagging
This week the Shark River Cleanup Coalition’s horseshoe crab tagging program resumes. Tagging sessions are set for Thurs., June 8 at 7 p.m. and Fri., June 9 at 7:30 p.m. Those who would like to participate are asked to meet at the Belmar Marina parking lot by the L Street beach to receive tagging location assignments. Captain Al Mojeski will hold a quick tagging training for those volunteers who have not tagged before. Please email us at: sharkrivercleanupcoalition@hotmail.com, if you plan to participate in the tagging program. Volunteers should dress to get wet (shoes, especially), have a change of…
