BRICK – Brick Open Space Savers (BOSS) has recommended a parcel of vacant land at 2416 Hooper Avenue for open space preservation and conservation purposes.
BOSS is a citizens advisory committee that identifies and acquires undeveloped land to preserve as open space, established in 2021 by former Mayor John Ducey.
The governing body voted in favor of a $930,000 bond ordinance during the most recent Township Council meeting and authorized the issuance of $883,500 in bonds or notes to finance part of the cost of the property. This was the first reading of the ordinance.
The township has advised the NJDEP (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection) Green Acres Program of the acquisition and expects to receive funding to help offset the acquisition costs, said Mayor Lisa Crate.
“I just want to say that [BOSS] works very hard – we meet monthly, and we actually go out and look at properties together, and we’re very involved also with our Pick Up Brick to make sure that these properties stay clean and green for our township,” she said.
In other news, Councilwoman Heather deJong highlighted an amendment to the 2024 capital budget to finalize the insertion of capital projects the township intends to complete this year. The 2024 capital budget totals $10 million, she said.
“At the outset, the total request for capital funds exceeded $20 million, but the department heads worked hard to back into manageable numbers,” she said.
Some of the items listed include improvements to the concession stand at Brick Beach 3; year one of the Park Safety Surface Replacement Program – with Frede Park scheduled as the first priority; a high-water response vehicle for the Police Department; remounting two ambulances; cameras and lights at Pinewood Park; a sidearm garbage truck and rear-loading garbage truck for the Department of Public Works (DPW); and funding for the permitting and design of the DPW Public Works master site plan.
The 2024 capital budget also includes $75,000 for design costs for a new public safety building that the township would like to build on the barrier island, which would host the police department, including the summer crossing guards, Emergency Medical Services and the fire department.
The spending plan also includes $3 million in upfront costs to begin the Dredge Marshland Restoration project, which involves using dredged sediment to raise the elevation of the salt marsh in the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. The project is funded by a nearly $5 million grant from the state of New Jersey.
And finally, residents Dennis Veltri and Linda Ackerburg spoke during public comment about what they called a serious safety issue in town.
Mayor Lisa Crate discusses the acquisition of open space. (Screenshot by Judy Smestad-Nunn)
“There’s an epidemic of people running red lights,” Veltri said. “Literally, every day that I’m on the roads I see it happen – on our way over here tonight, it happened.”
After naming a number of busy intersections where he has witnessed motorists running red lights, Veltri asked if anything was being done.
“It seems like it’s happening every time we’re on the road, and it seems like it’s really dangerous,” Ackerburg added. “I mean, there’s so many accidents…it’s very scary.”
Business Administrator Joanne Bergin said the administration would pass along the residents’ concern to the police department, who does selective enforcement when they’re out on the road.
Veltri asked about the use of red light cameras. He said he knows the township had them a while ago and said he forgot why they were removed. “Is that an option – to reinstall them?” he asked.
Township attorney Kevin Starkey said the red light cameras, which were removed about 10 years ago, have to be authorized by the state.
“They were [authorized], in certain towns – it was a pilot program and actually Mayor Ducey in Brick was the first one to discontinue that program at the end of the contract,” and then the state discontinued the program, the attorney said.
It’s not an option for Brick Township without state authorization, Starkey said.
Mayor Crate suggested that the residents consider contacting the township police department to set up a Neighborhood Watch Program for their area and talk to Officer Terence Berkeley about local traffic safety concerns. The officer could then authorize selective enforcement for some of the dangerous intersections.
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