With two Fair Haven Borough Council seats up for grabs, a lone Democrat is vying to oust one of two Republican incumbents.
Those GOP incumbents are Robert Marchese and Eric Jaeger. The last time the two ran on a ticket together was the year Hurricane Sandy hit — 2012. Marchese is seeking election to a full third three-year term. Jaeger, who began serving in 2012 to fill an unexpired term, is seeking a full second.
Continue reading On the Borough Council Ballot in Fair Haven
Longtime Rumson GOP Mayor John Ekdahl is going for his fourth term as mayor facing familiar Democrat Michael Steinhorn.
By Elaine Van Develde (photos and story)
The namesake of Church Street in Fair Haven will soon be gone.
The steeple of the longstanding Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion at the corner of the aptly coined Church Street and River Road is still standing, but most of the house of worship has been demolished.
As part of a Planning Board-approved subdivision plan, the demolition of the six-year-shuttered church on a .54-acre parcel, the last renovation of which was deemed a “do-it-yourself project by a very adventurous (group of) builder(s)” in the late 1960s by Rumson builder Kolarsick attorney Brooks Von Arx, began on Tuesday.
As of 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, only the front quarter of the church remained.
Von Arx had said that razing the church was warranted to make way for the unanimously board-approved three-home subdivision because the structure was found to be in disrepair and lacked the architectural integrity or historic background to warrant preservation.
Along with the church, a two-story dwelling and former nursery school on the site were demolished.
The with no historic or architectural integrity to warrant preservation, will now be razed, as will a former nursery school, sanctuary and two-story rectory dwelling that sit on the site.
A church has sat at the location since the late 1800s, thus the namesake street.
For more information on the issue, click here.
Here’s the new Holy Cross Church, here’s the steeple. Pretty soon the doors will be open and there will be people, as a Rumson twist on the classic rhyme goes.
If you drive by the revamped Holy Cross Church in Rumson, you’ll see that it’s ready for parishioners.
However, as Catholic church discipline dictates, there must first be a dedication before a Mass is celebrated in a new or rehabilitated house of worship.
That dedication will take place on Saturday at 4 p.m. A reception will follow in the gym of the school on the campus.
Read more about the church’s revamp and see old photos by clicking here. (For history, click on each of the links.)
For more about the dedication tradition, click here.
— Elaine Van Develde/photos and story
By Elaine Van Develde
“Because he’s one of our own, it’s even more special.”
That’s what Fair Haven Police Chief Darryl Breckenridge told a packed audience at Borough Hall Monday night about Fair Haven native Brooks Robinson just before he was sworn in as a patrolman in the borough’s Police Department.
A 2006 Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School graduate, Robinson was brought into the department in 2012 as a Special Law Enforcement Officer Class I and more recently was promoted to a Class II.
He studied at Brookdale Community College and received his bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University.
But, for the chief, the honor in promoting Robinson was more a Fair Haven family affair.
Welcoming the Fair Haven Robinson family and the family, and extended family of his wife, Alyssa Pecyno Robinson, also a 2006 RFH graduate, he talked a little bit about why.
“To me, it’s a great honor to be able bring someone aboard on a full-time basis here in Fair Haven who actually went through the school system here, went to the high school and is a part of the town,” he said. “Brooks is going to be a tremendous asset to the department.”
Bringing out the bible, that he noted has been in the Fair Haven family for many years and was donated to the borough by Hap Williams for swearing-ins, Mayor Lucarelli administered the oath to Robinson, Alyssa holding the bible.
” … And that I will faithfully, impartially and justly perform the duties of patrolman according to the best of my ability, so help me God … Congratulations.”
Applause.
Congratulations, Patrolman Brooks Robinson!
The sirens and bustle of emergency response teams that people saw and heard in Sea Bright this afternoon were the bi-product of a water rescue, the victim of which was reported to have still had a pulse when transported to the Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch.
Early in the afternoon, just after noon, Sea Bright Ocean Rescue and emergency response teams from stations 43 and 33 were “dispatched to the dispatched to the south beach section of town for a reported water rescue,” a post on Sea Bright Fire Rescue Facebook page said.
“Chiefs Olenhaus and Murphy arrived on scene within a minute of dispatch and transmitted a Code X for a confirmed submerged swimmer.”
The teen boy had been swimming with another (who was pulled out of the water unscathed) in an unguarded area of the beach marked with red flags signaling dangerous rip tides, according to onlookers at nearby Driftwood Beach Club.
The rescue crews searched the water and quickly located the victim, who was brought to shore and given CPR, the Facebook post said.
“At the time of transfer of care to the hospital the victim had a pulse,” the post said.
He was listed in critical condition at Monmouth Medical Center as of 3 p.m..
By noon on Monday, all that was left of the historic Williams-Robard estate in Fair Haven was an old television, a couple of mattresses, a laundry basket, and a chunk of foundation on a heap of scrap.
The 160-year-old waterfront DeNormandie Avenue home that freed slave Charles Williams built — and made home to his immediate family and Robards family descendants — was demolished to make way for a passive park was on the banks of the Navesink River in Fair Haven.
The acquisition of the property has been in the works, via several funding avenues, for the better part of a decade.
The borough finally acquired the 6.9-acre property in the fall to preserve a rare swath of waterfront open space for future generations to enjoy, rather than letting it be sold to a private developer and closed off from public access.
The house, officials have said, was in too much disrepair to preserve. Also, as part of the deal for procurement of funding for the $1.2 million acquisition, borough officials had to agree to demolish the home.
The most recent owners, the Robards descendants, had lived in the house since 1855.
“Winifred Robards (who lived there since 1855, when she was 3) was known to invite kids onto the property to play and enjoy it all the time,” Lucarelli said.
It was her wish to pay that forward, Lucarelli had said. A plaque commemorating the Williams-Robards families will be erected on the site with a recounting of its history, Lucarelli said at the announcement of the acquisition in the fall.
Click here for the story of the acquisition.
— Photos and story by Elaine Van Develde
The following is an edited press release from Monmouth County:
Oceanic Bridge repairs are scheduled to start on Monday morning with an estimated completion date of mid-April; and, with them traffic delays are anticipated with scheduled lane and overnight full bridge closures,
The drawbridge, which spans the Navesink River between Rumson and Middletown, will undergo repair work to its structural steel and concrete deck beginning about 9 a.m..
To complete the work and keep the bridge open to traffic during peak traffic hours, the county has developed a staggered schedule to coordinate repairs with corresponding lane closures and fully operational and closed times.
Single lane closures during the mid-day and early evening hours will facilitate vehicular and pedestrian traffic. A full overnight closure will also be in place from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
The schedule for fully operational times, lane closures and full closure is as follows:
• 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., both bridge lanes open to all traffic;
• 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. , single lane closure with alternating lanes of vehicular traffic;
• 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., both bridge lanes open to all traffic;
• 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., single lane closure with alternating lanes of vehicular traffic;
• and 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. , bridge closed to pedestrian and vehicular traffic
For marine traffic, seasonal rules and scheduling will be in effect.
“This work must be done to keep the Oceanic Bridge in working condition during its regular operating season,” said Freeholder Thomas A. Arnone, liaison to the County’s Department of Public Works and Engineering in the release. “We appreciate the patience of the travelling public while we work to keep the bridge operational and get the necessary work completed.”
The staggered times will allow contractor George Harms Construction Co., Inc,. of Howell, to perform the required work above and below the bridge deck.
Motorists may want to plan an alternate route.
Motor vehicle traffic on Bingham Avenue between Rumson and Middletown should travel east and north through Sea Bright and Highlands to Middletown.
Motor vehicle traffic on Navesink River Road and Locust Point Road in Middletown should travel east and south through Middletown, Highlands and Sea Bright to Rumson.
Along with the upgrade of the blizzard warning for the Rumson-Fair Haven area from noon Monday through Tuesday evening, preparation mode has gone into overdrive with the anticipation of up to 33 inches of snow in a two-day period.
“There’s nothing left,” a grin-sporting guy joked as he left the near barren Acme in Fair Haven Sunday night.
Yes, the snow is coming, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
Here’s how it’s going to hit the area, the NWS says:
• Overnight into Monday morning, starting at about 3 a.m., there is a chance of up to about half an inch of snow predicted with temperatures hitting a low of about 25 degrees and northeast wind from 11 to 16 miles per hour
• Monday during the day, intermittent snow is expected with accumulation of roughly 1 to 2 inches and a northeast wind of 20 to 24 miles per hour.
• Monday night, a new snow accumulation of 6 to 10 inches is expected with a north wind blowing at 26 to 36 miles per hour and gusts of up to 47 miles per hour. A low temperature of 25 degrees is anticipated.
• Tuesday will see a lot of areas with blowing snow, winds of 25 to 30 miles per hour, gusts up to 43 and heavy accumulation of roughly 10 to 14 more inches. A high temperature of 32 degrees is expected.
• On Tuesday night, the NWS predicts temperatures at a low of 19 degrees, winds of up to 31 miles per hour with gusts of as high as 36 miles per hour and 1 to 3 more inches of snow.
The Fair Haven Fire Department asks that residents keep hydrants clear of snow by 3 feet in each direction and clear to the street. “Attention Residents…Help US Help You!!! If there is a hydrant in front of or near your property, please keep it clear. Thank you!!!” a post on the department’s Facebook page said. See the graphic below.
Forecasters say that what puts a snow storm in the blizzard category is mostly the high winds causing high drifts and dangerous circumstances.
A coastal flood warning is also in effect for Sea Bright and Sandy Hook that could also affect low-lying areas of Rumson.
On Tuesday, at Sandy Hook, high tide is slated to come in at 1:07 a.m. “with a forecast tide level of 7.5 to 8 feet above mean lower low water,” according to the National Weather Service.
By Elaine Van Develde
“I call him Charles in Charge,” Fair Haven Borough Administrator said with a smile when bidding goodbye to the town’s well-liked director of the Department of Parks and Recreation and, more recently, Special Events, Charlie Hoffmann.
That was Monday night at the Borough Council meeting, five-and-a-half years after Hoffmann first met Fair Haven and fell in love at first sight.
“When I interviewed for this job five-and-a-half years ago, I had no absolutely no intention of taking it,” Hoffmann said at the meeting. “Someone just told me to come here and practice interviewing. I took a drive around. I was pulled over twice — so, good job with your men, chief — and instantly fell in love with this town. Then I met (then) Mayor (Michael) Halfacre in his Hawaiian shirt and said (to myself), ‘I need to work here.’ It’s probably the best decision I’ve ever made, professionally.”
Since then, Hoffmann worked as the full-time Recreation director until two years ago, when he announced his resignation. The notice was met with such chagrin that Hoffmann ended up staying on part-time transitioning D.J. Breckenridge, now director, into the job. Once that transition was complete, Hoffmann continued until now as Special Events director.
It was a transition that Borough Administrator Theresa Casagrande said was “seamless” for the residents and good for the town.
That’s because, she said, “I think it’s fair to say that Charlie is near and dear to the hearts of the people of Fair Haven. For many people, he was the face of Fair Haven, because they saw him (spearheading events around town) more than us. I think he has done an exemplary job.”
Hoffmann called attention to some new events he brought to the borough that he was particularly proud of, and thanked all those residents and officials, especially Recreation commissioners and council members Susan Sorensen and (former) Bob Marchese, who helped bring them to fruition as standing new traditions: the annual campout, father-daughter dance, grants, concerts on the dock and the centennial celebration, which has now turned into an annual Fair Haven Day.
Saying he was “dealt a great hand here” in Fair Haven, Hoffmann signed off by saying, “The ZIP code 07704 will always have a special place in my heart.”
By Elaine Van Develde
Historically, officials in Rumson can’t remember a time when a Democrat or independent sat on the governing body.
There has, however, been one consistent candidate for Borough Council for many years now — Michael Steinhorn.
This election was no exception. With two seats up for grabs — those of Republican incumbents Benjamin Day Jr. and Shaun P. Broderick — Steinhorn again threw his hat into the status quo ring, attempting to mix it up on the dais.
Garnering 512 votes, or 16.5 percent of the votes this time around, he failed. His campaign was characteristically low profile.
The top vote-getter in the Rumson council race was Day, with 1,313 votes, or roughly 42 percent of the votes. Broderick won 1,265 votes, or about 41 percent.
There were nine write-ins.
By Elaine Van Develde
The unofficial results are in and they’re showing that, for the first time in more than a decade, the all-Republican hold on Fair Haven’s governing body has been broken.
Newcomer to the local political scene, Aimee Humphreys, has unseated longtime Republican incumbent Jerome Koch.
With what was considered a good voter turnout for mid-term elections at the borough polls, according to Monmouth County Board of Elections’ results tally, Humphreys beat Koch by more than 100 votes — her 1079 to his 963.
The high vote getter in the council race was Susan Sorensen, who won her second three-year seat on the dais with 1,216 votes, or roughly 37 percent to Humphreys’ approximate 33.
Total votes cast for the council race were 3,268.
There were five write-ins. And as “unofficial” results dictate, provision and absentee ballots have not all been counted.
Republican Mayor Ben Lucarelli has won his uncontested bid for re-election with 1,354 votes. There were 25 write-ins.
The last time the GOP hold on the dais was broken was when Joseph Szostak won his independent bid for mayor in 2002. He served one term through 2006 when former Mayor Michael Halfacre won the mayoral election.
He served until 2012, or one-and-a-half terms, when he stepped down upon being appointed by Gov. Chris Christie to serve as director of the state Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
Watch for a follow-up interview with the newest member of the governing body and Sorensen.
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