The intersection of Chestnut and Pearl streets may finally get long-discussed four-way stop signs. (2009 photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
Two Red Bank intersections may soon be getting four-way stops, if the borough council follows through on plans it greenlighted informally Wednesday night.
Students working on a mural in the background as new plants soak up the sun in the community garden at the Coffee Corral. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
On a mostly vacant corner lot in Red Bank that was to have been the home of a new restaurant, the kids have taken over.
In recent weeks, students from the borough’s middle school have planted a community garden behind the Coffee Corral, at the corner of Shrewsbury Avenue and Drs. James Parker Boulevard. Others are in the process of transforming two sides of a garage into lush, coffee-themed murals.
Marjorie Cavalier in Red Bank with the replacement Port of Red Bank sign she championed. The old sign was already in bad shape in 2011, as seen at right in the photo below. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
A weather-beaten historical marker in Red Bank’s Marine Park was replaced last month, after some gentle lobbying by a recently retired teacher and history buff.
But Marjorie Cavalier, who pushed for replacement of the illegible ‘Port of Red Bank’ sign, isn’t finished. She’s now turned her attention to development of an app to help illuminate borough’s past. More →
It took months of complaints by a frustrated postal clerk, plus some attention by redbankgreen, but the Fair Haven Post Office finally has an identifying sign out front.
What’s Going On Here? Read on.
Almost three years after it was removed, and five months after redbankgreen last reported on it, the Fair Haven post office still doesn’t have an identifying sign out front. Instead, there’s a hand-lettered cardboard sign in the window, now surrounded by holiday trimming.
What’s Going On Here? Read on.
A flag and two mailboxes out front hint at what’s inside, but the Fair Haven post office hasn’t had identifying signage for about two years. That’s created the mistaken impression that the office is closed, says the frustrated local clerk.
What’s Going On Here? Read on. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
Without fanfare, what may be Red Bank’s first outdoor news ticker flickered to life at the corner of West Front Street and Maple Avenue.
But wait: don’t borough ordinances prohibit internally illuminated and animated signs? They do. So What’s Going On Here?
An exhibit used in the Coffee Corral hearing illustrates the placement of the new building, which would on Shrewsbury Avenue at the corner of Drs. James Parker Boulevard. The existing shop would be used for roasting beans. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Red Bank’s Coffee Corral won approval for an ambitious West Side building plan Monday.
The borough planning board gave a unanimous OK for owners Courtlyn Crosson and her father, business founder Russ Crosson, to transform vacant land at the corner of Shrewsbury Avenue and Drs. James Parker Boulevard into a new home for the coffee shop, plus an adjoining restaurant.
A message from the Fair Haven Volunteer Fire Department. (Photo by Trish Russoniello. Click to enlarge)
Proposed changes to the ordinance that regulates signage were rejected by the council. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
The Red Bank council yanked the plug on a new sign ordinance Wednesday night, leaving the town with a law that even local officials say is hot mess.
Amid widespread criticism, and some squabbling among majority Republicans, the governing body on Wednesday rejected proposed changes to the sign law that Councilwoman Cindy Burnham said had been in the works for three years and cost the town $18,000.
A proposed ordinance to regulate signage is still too complex, officials say. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
After more than two years of review and tweaking, a proposed change to Red Bank’s signage law is still too complicated, according to… well, nearly everyone who’s looked at it.
“Fourteen pages of regulations with three pages of tables does not help simplify what’s allowed and not allowed,” Jim Scavone, executive director of the downtown promotion agency Red Bank RiverCenter, told the borough council two weeks ago.
His comments have since been widely echoed. Planning board member Linda Cohen, who owns Eye Design on Broad Street, expressed concern that prospective business tenants would get one look at the document and decide to set up shop elsewhere.
Still, the planning board unanimously agreed Monday night that the proposed changes did not conflict with the town’s Master Plan, and kicked it back to the council with the message to “keep tweaking,” even if the amendments become law. More →
Architect Ned Gaunt’s rendering of the proposed St. Crispin’s Social Ministry House on the St. Anthony of Padua campus. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
At a hearing packed with supporters, and without a peep of objection, Red Bank’s zoning board gave unanimous approval Thursday night to a plan by St. Anthony of Padua parish to build a new social services facility on Herbert Street.
“They’ve obviously been very beneficial to the town,” said board member Sean Murphy, citing the church and its volunteers. “Unfortunately, the need is growing, but we’re very fortunate to have them.”
Doc Shoppe, and only Doc Shoppe, is permitted to have a table on the sidewalk out front under a trial run approved by the council. Meanwhile, a sign ordinance was sent back for more revisions. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
Efforts by Red Bank businesses to draw in more customers were the subject of two measures discussed by the borough council last week.
One concerned retail and restaurant signage, which was the subject of an enforcement crackdown that generated considerable blowback a year ago.
The other is a trial run, using one store, to gauge the impact of allowing merchants to display wares in front of their stores.
While other residents of the Greater Red Bank Green were in panic mode in the bread aisles of supermarkets, some were preparing for the looming blizzard by stocking up on their favorite beverages. NJ.com’s Brian Donohue caught up with some of them at Spirits Unlimited in Middletown, home of the famous “evil clown” sign.
A display of moonshine products at Crate’s Liquor in Red Bank. (Photos by Rachel Weston. Click to enlarge)
By RACHEL WESTON
Neon signs may be endangered, but the light of the moon shines more brightly in Red Bank after Crate’s Liquors installed a new window display last week.
Russell Burlew, owner of the North Bridge Avenue bottle shop, was among the retailers who received a confusing letter from borough hall this spring directing them to remove illuminated and neon signs from storefront windows. The signs violated borough ordinances, they were told.
After an outcry by business owners, some of whom have had their signs for decades, enforcement of the orders has been halted by the borough council, which is reviewing the sign ordinance.
Meantime, though, Burlew went ahead and removed 15 signs that advertised beer and other beverages and found a new use for the space: a moonshine display.
Neon signs in store windows at the City Centre strip mall on White Street. Cluck U Chicken, above left, got a warning, but Psychic Advisor Gina on Monmouth Street, below, did not, according to borough records. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
A recent crackdown on neon and other illuminated signs that lit up the business community with outrage prompted Red Bank officials to pull the plug on enforcement Wednesday night.
The blitz came to light at the bimonthly meeting of the mayor and council, when Councilman Mike DuPont said he had been besieged with complaints by merchants and restaurateurs over warning letters for signs some of them have had in their windows for decades.
“Many of the restaurants I visited complained bitterly,” said DuPont. “I heard all about it.”
Though the above photo may appear to have been taken indoors, Where Have I Seen This hasn’t abandoned its principles. The tableau is visible to a passerby.
Do you know where the shot was taken? If so, or you’d like to guess. please send an email to wherehaveiseenthis@redbankgreen.com.
Did you get last week’s Where, which showed two signs featuring the numeral 2 above the word “remember”?
The sign has been the target of repeated thefts and acts of vandalism. (Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
For the sixth time in 20 years, Red Bank dentist Harry Mahoney is gritting his teeth over the sign that advertises his practice at River Road and Prospect Avenue.
The sign, in the shape of a healthy molar, was busted in half early Sunday, Mahoney tells redbankgreen.
The grammar police might want to pay a visit to 28 Broad Street in Red Bank – the future home of Patrizia’s family-style Italian restaurant – for this window message. Even the Urban Dictionary is not kind to those who write “should of” instead of “should have.”
But is calling this out something we shouldn’t oughta done? (Click to enlarge)
The sign outside Little Silver surf shop Brave New World on Oceanport Avenue was destroyed by a fire caused by an electrical short at about 8:45 Wednesday night, according to store employee and volunteer firefighter Clayton Smith. (Click to enlarge)
The crime reports below were provided by the Red Bank Police Department for the period of November 16 through November 23, 2012. This information is unedited.
Theft occurring on 11-16-12 at Shrewsbury Ave. residence. Victim reported that unknown person(s) stole two metal stools and a wooden bench from front porch. Ptl. Garrett Falco.
Criminal Mischief occurring between 11-17-12 and 11-18-12 at Herbert Street. Victim reported that unknown person(s) bent antenna on parked vehicle. Ptl. John Camarca.
Theft occurring on 11-19-12 at Broad St.business. Victim reported that unknown person(s) stole the wooden easel signboard with chalkboard surfaces, which was on sidewalk in front of business. Ptl. Matthew Ehrenreich.
A second clue to last week’s Where Have I Seen This? didn’t keep some fans of this feature from going a bit astray.
One guessed it was taken at Prown’s Home Improvement on Monmouth Street. Another suggested “Page Photo Service (Matthew Page) located at 113 West Front Street, Red Bank” and added: “They had purchased the entire facilities of the Camera Shop formerly located in Carlton Theater building,” which is of course now the Count Basie Theatre.
Last week’s Where Have I Seen This? showed a sign that looked like a cross between a Snellen eye chart and the Daily Jumble.
Which is ruder: this sign on White Road in Little Silver, or the gift from the well-fed pooch that apparently prompted it? (Click to enlarge. On second thought…)