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RED BANK: TREE REMOVALS AT ISSUE

A view down South Street on August 3, above, and a century-old tree being removed Monday. (Photos by John T. Ward, above, and Kenny Katzgrau.  Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

The abrupt removal of nine trees along South Street in Red Bank this week was “unavoidable,” according to interim borough Manager Darren McConnell.

Residents, though, said they were in the dark about the plan until it was too late to change it.

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RED BANK: TREES COMING DOWN

As part of a road repaving project, a crew began removing nine trees along South Street in Red Bank amid complaints from residents Wednesday morning.

redbankgreen plans to follow up with a story. (Video by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

RED BANK: TREES BOOST TAB FOR ROADWORK

The work to preserve trees on Hudson Avenue included bumping out curbs and extending driveway aprons. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Mid-project changes to preserve trees helped boost the tab for road work in Red Bank by more than $227,000 to this summer, officials said.

And the added expenses came in one penny below the threshold at which the entire $1.14 million project would have had to be re-bid.

RED BANK: NICE PLACE YOU GOT HERE…

red bank nj turkey vulturered bank nj turkey vultureAffecting the air of a thuggish gang, a group of vultures loitered outside Les Gertrude apartments on Broad Street in Red Bank Thursday morning. One enjoyed a sidewalk breakfast of fresh kill. 

Any ornithologists out there who can identify these gray-headed birds? (Photo by Trish Russoniello. Click to enlarge.)

RED BANK: NEW FOUR-WAY STOP GOES LIVE

RED BANK nj 4-way stopWith the installation of oversized stop signs Wednesday, a new four-way stop is now in effect at East Bergen Place and South Street in Red Bank.

The big signs will also be posted at Oakland and Pearl streets, where the borough council created another four-way stop last year, said public works Director Cliff Keen.

Don’t know how a four-way stop works?

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RED BANK: COUNCIL MULLS STREET ISSUES

red bank snow storm 2014A plow clearing Broad Street during a storm in March, 2014. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Stop signs, snow removal, street sweeping and other road-related issues were on the agenda at the Red Bank borough council’s workshop session Wednesday night.

Some new ordinances are expected to follow.

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FAIR HAVEN: OUTCRY HALTS TREE CUTDOWN

Sweetgum trees along Third Street and Cedar Avenue were scheduled for removal to make way for a walking path along the perimeter of the Community Center Fields. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Fair Haven’s elected officials faced a storm of criticism by residents Monday night over a plan to cut down 10 mature trees alongside the borough’s main ballfields.

By the end of the semimonthly council meeting, the governing body had decided to put the plan on hold and “go back to square one,” in the words of Mayor Ben Lucarelli.

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ON THE GREEN: RAINBOWS AND SUNSHINE

rb rainbows 060516Following a brief downpour, a redbankgreen reader with a primo view snapped this photo of a double rainbow over Red Bank and the Navesink River Sunday evening.

The weather outlook for Monday is a pot of gold, if you like it sunny with temperatures in the low 80s. (Reader photo. Click to enlarge.)

ON THE GREEN: WEATHER OUTLOOK MIXED

rb streetlight 060216rb kayaking 060216 2Though a bit overcast, Thursday was a good day to fix a streetlamp on Monmouth Street in Red Bank, above, or take in a bit of kayaking on the Navesink, at right, as a group led by Northeast Mountain Guiding did out of Maple Cove.

The weather outlook on the Greater Red Bank Green for the coming weekend, like last weekend, is mixed: some showers Friday, mixed sun and clouds Saturday and rain Sunday, according to the Weather Underground(Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

ON THE GREEN: WEEKEND FORECAST MIXED

sb beach 052616 2Sunshine and temperatures in the high 80s made for an ideal beach day in Sea Bright Thursday. But Friday’s lead-in to the Memorial Day weekend will be mostly cloudy, with a chance of showers after 4 p.m., before giving way to two days of mostly sunny conditions, according to the National Weather Service. The forecast for Memorial Day: cloudy, with showers likely, and a thunderstorm possible. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

ON THE GREEN: AN EARLY TASTE OF SUMMER

hot weather 052516The lead-in to the Memorial Day weekend includes several days of peak temperatures in the 80s in the region that includes the Greater Red Bank Green, according to the Weather Underground. It begins under clear skies Wednesday with an anticipated high of 87 degrees.  (Click to enlarge.)

ON THE GREEN: BREAK IN RAIN FORECAST

rb runners 050416 2Young runners charge through the rain on Spring Street in Red Bank Wednesday. 

Thursday’s outlook isn’t as wet, with just a slight chance of precipitation, but rain is forecast to return Friday, when as much as an inch may fall on the Greater Red Bank Green, according to the Weather Underground. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

ON THE GREEN: GLOOMY SKIES LINGER

turkey vultures 050216turkey vultures 050216 3A half-dozen or so turkey vultures have been visiting Madison Avenue in Red Bank this week, taking turns enjoying the heat emitted by home chimneys when not scavenging for carrion.

Did they bring the gloomy weather we’ve been having this week? Occasional showers Wednesday morning are expected to turn into steady rain in the afternoon, according to the Weather Underground. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

FAIR HAVEN: AUTUMN 2014

rumson rd 101514This burst of autumn color is brought to you by the trees along Ridge Road outside the Fair Haven Fields Nature Area, right, and Rumson’s Meadowridge Park, left. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

WHERE HAVE I SEEN THIS?

Where_122613

Where Have I Seen This? wraps up 2013 with… a window on the future? A bit of light in the darkness? A cliché barrel whose bottom has been scraped?

If you know a better description, or – better yet – Where the above photo was taken, please send an email to wherehaveiseenthis@redbankgreen.com.

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FAIR HAVEN: A WALK IN THE WOODS

fh fields tour 1 102313fh fields tour 5 102313Seven-year-old Anna Gredell, above, took careful notes as Jeff Dement (center in photo at right) of the American Littoral Society detailed elements of a holly leaf at the Fair Haven Fields Natural Area Wednesday afternoon.

The occasion was one of several ‘tree walk and talk’ tours that the society, in conjunction with local conservationists, offers each year at the 40-acre borough-owned preserve. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

LITTLE SILVER: WORK STARTS ON CONDOS

Six years after winning its original approvals, construction of the 39-unit Carriage Gate condo project got underway with site-clearance work at Eastview and Oceanport avenues in Little Silver this week.

Developer Patrick Kalian, of Shrewsbury-based Kalian Builders, tells redbankgreen that four acres of the 14-acre site will be cleared, with the balance deeded to the town or another entity for preservation. “It will stay heavily wooded, just as it is now,” he said.

The townhouse-style homes, including eight designated as ‘affordable,’ are expected to become available in June, 2014, Kalian said. A restriction limiting occupancy to residents 55 and older was dropped in 2011. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

FAIR HAVEN: SPRING, 2013

Fair Haven Road alongside Fair Haven Fields offers a flowery feast of pink this time of year, as seen looking south toward Ridge Road on Monday.

Expect Tuesday’s weather to be mostly cloudy, with a high near 58, says the weatherbot. The outlook for Saturday’s Townwide Garage Sale is sunny and mild. (Click to enlarge)

AUTUMN 2012: SUGAR MAPLE ON SUGAR MAPLE

Sugar Maple Drive in Rumson, looking north, with the hills of Hartshorne Woods in Middletown visible in the distance. (Click to enlarge)

TREE SLAUGHTER, FIVE YEARS LATER

The White Street trees on Thursday, and the scene in April 2007, below. (Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

Heading into a sunny Easter weekend, redbankgreen revisits the scene of the 2007 White Street Tree Slaughter, and finds the update equally sunny.

Five years ago this month, nine mature Bradford pear trees lining the Red Bank municipal parking lot on White Street were cut down by borough workers, prompting some jaw-dropping by passersby.

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AUTUMN SHOWERS EXPECTED

rumson-tree-111311Yummy fall colors were on display on Buena Vista Avenue in Rumson Sunday.(Click to enlarge)

You might want to get those leaves out to the curb while they’re still dry and fluffy, as we’ve got rain in the forecast by midweek, before sunshine returns on Thursday.

Here’s the outlook from the National Weather Service:

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