Vote Next Week on Shark River Dredging Plan
By DON STINE The future of the Shark River will probably be determined on Mon., March 10 by the Monmouth County Board of Recreation Commissioners, which will vote on moving approvals forward on a controversial 16-acre dewatering site for the proposed river dredging project. Proponents and opponents of the project attended the recreation commissioner’s meeting on Feb. 24 at Thompson Park in Lincroft. Another meeting, also at the park, will be held at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 10 when a vote will be taken on moving the recommendation to use a dewatering site in Neptune on to the…
Shark River Hills Family Returns Home After Sandy
By RICHARD VIRGILIO Coastal Habitat for Humanity, along with local community leaders and partner organizations, came together recently to celebrate a Shark River Family’s return home after more than a year’s displacement due to Superstorm Sandy. “After Sandy, our home looked like someone took a dollhouse and shook it,” said Tracy Antman, Coastal Habitat’s partner homeowner. “We are just your average, middle class family that was used to doing for other people. But when it came time for us to ask for help to make our home livable again, we heard ‘declined’ from every place imaginable – until Coastal…
Yacht Club Will be Built on Same Footprint, But Elevated
The Shark River Hills Beach & Yacht Club, which was destroyed last year during Superstorm Sandy, is being rebuilt but will be 13 feet higher than its previous elevation. The club building, at 360 South Riverside Dr. in the Shark River Hills section of Neptune, was about 50 years old with several improvements made over the years. Yacht Club Board of Directors Chairman John Dempsey said its membership recently approved the final $1.5 million plan to rebuild the club, which was razed in April because it was deemed unsafe. The new building will be built on its same footprint…
Bittersweet Anniversary in Shark River Hills
By DON STINE Neptune’s Shark River Hills area was hit particularly hard during Superstorm Sandy and one year later residents are still in various stages of recovery. The storm, which hit the Jersey Shore on Oct. 29, was the second-costliest in American history, resulting in about $65 billion in damage. Large sections of the Jersey Shore were impacted, with everything from minor damage to total destruction. Low-lying areas in Shark River Hills, adjacent to the Shark River, saw heavy damage during the high storm surge and some people are still displaced one year later. Neptune Chief Financial Officer Michael…
New Sign for Neptune Park Will Be Unveiled Oct. 26
While much work still remains to be done in Shark River Hills and all along the Jersey Shore, township residents will take a brief respite to mark the first anniversary of Superstorm Sandy on Sat., Oct. 26. At 11 a.m. on that day township officials, volunteers and residents will gather to officially rename Riverside Park as Volunteer Park. In August the Township Committee passed a resolution approving the name change. At the ceremony a new sign will be unveiled, which has been donated to the park through donations from residents. Also, at that time, the winners of two contests…
Time Running Out for Shark River Dredging
By DON STINE The last best alternative to getting the Shark River dredged and insuring its future for the area is now at stake, officials told a standing room-only crowd at a special hearing this week. Freeholder Director Thomas Arnone, a former Neptune City mayor, urged the crowd to be patient but at the same time said a decision has to be made on a dewatering site. “This is it,” he said. “This is the last straw we are looking at.” Officials are looking at dredging navigation channels in the Shark River and depositing the spoils in Neptune to…
Investigation Sought on Alleged Forgeries in Neptune
By DON STINE Allegations of fraud were raised this week over a petition seeking to overturn Neptune’s recent decision to establish rent control on buildings with more than four units. A 1,408-signature petition seeking to place a new rent control ordinance on a public ballot has been found to have many invalid and forged signatures, said residents who never signed the petition. The Neptune Committee to Repeal Rent Control recently submitted the petition requesting that the rent control issue be offered to voters in a referendum. However, after investigation, the petition was found to contain many forged signatures and…
Neptune Park Renamed, Fund-Raising Drive Underway
Neptune Mayor Eric Houghtaling and the Neptune Township Municipal Committee have announced that Riverside Park along South Riverside Drive in Shark River Hills has been renamed Volunteer Park in honor not only of the volunteers that helped the residents of Shark River Hills after Hurricane Sandy, but all of the volunteers in Neptune year round. Partnering in the effort is the Shark River Hills Property Owner’s Association. On the weekend before the first anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, a renaming ceremony will be held at the park, opposite the Municipal Marina. Further information will soon be provided, but at that…
Recovery Foundation Distributes $42,500 to Shark River Hills Residents
Recovery Along the River Foundation, Inc. of Neptune said $500 American Express gift cards were dispensed to 85 Shark River Hills residents and property owners over the holiday weekend. The cards were distributed in cooperation with the Shark River Hills First Aid Squad. The $42,500 was generated through River Concert 2013 which was held on June 1 at Riverside Park. Both the Foundation and First Aid Squad have supported the residents impacted by Super Storm Sandy and have hopes that all displaced residents will return to their homes damaged during the storm. Foundation members said additional funds will be…
Shark River Hills Property Owners May Have Option to Sell
By DON STINE Rumors that Neptune plans to use the power of eminent domain to acquire flood-prone businesses and residential properties along the Shark River are false, township officials said earlier this week. “There is no proposal for the eminent domain taking of these properties. Eminent domain is not an option,” Township Business Administrator Vito Gadaleta said. According to Gadaleta, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) just released flood maps that list 21 properties in Neptune that are eligible for buyouts under the state Department of Environmental Protection agency’s Blue Acres program. The program provides municipalities with funding to…
