Will a Garden Grow in Red Bank?

The Red Bank Council opened their first Wednesday meeting to a room packed with concerned community members.

At the top of the list of topics for discussion was the implementation of a community garden. The majority of people in the room were there in support of the project, which proposes putting a 2400-square foot garden divided into individual plots in the empty lot along the river near the Red Bank Library.

“I think the community could benefit from the project,” said Red Bank resident John de la Parra, who was there to offer support to the project. “A lot of other towns have them, like Tinton Falls and Fair Haven, and they really add something to the community.”

The council was largely in favor of the community garden, but had multiple questions on what they deemed to be the three major issues preventing the project from breaking ground - location, cost and maintenance of the garden.

There were conflicting statements regarding issue of cost. The Council was concerned that the cost of running water lines from the river to the garden would be expensive, possibly running as high as $10,000.

There were experts on hand to dispute this, however. Cindy Burnham and Kathleen Gasienica, both part of the community garden committee, stated that there are donations to cover the start up cost and that it would not be a burden on the taxpayers. 

Burnham also stated that there is very little start up cost associated with the garden, and money would be raised for maintenance from the $25 per plot that they intend to charge.

Another concern was the location. The council debated over if the area behind the library was the right place to start a garden. Councilwoman Sharon Lee commented that she would like to see multiple community gardens throughout Red Bank.

The final issue addressed regarding the community garden was maintenance. The Council voiced their concerns on how the garden would be secured and whether it would be susceptible to vandalism. 

Kelly Sloan, a representative from the NJ Master Gardeners, helped to answer questions regarding this issue. He  assured the council that he would be able to care for the garden by doing the mowing and providing the irrigation system.

After a lengthy period of questions and answers to and from the council and the garden committee, the council agreed that the community garden would be a benefit to strengthening the community spirit in Red Bank, but further debate was needed. The garden committee was hoping to start digging in the upcoming weeks, however, the council offered no final resolution as of yet.

Also on the agenda Wednesday night was a proclamation to honor the Boys and Girls Club of Red Bank. Members were on hand to receive the plaque and to offer some kind words on what the Boys and Girls Club meant to them. They offered a variety of words, but the core message of what the Boys and Girls Club provides was clear—a safe environment that inspires those who belong to become better people.

The proposed 2011 budget was also a hot topic. A brief, yet detailed presentation by Stanley Sickles outlined the ins-and-outs of every taxpayer dollar.

Some hurdles facing the budget are the increase in pension and insurance costs and the large percentage of tax exempt properties that do nothing to help revenue. 

Sickles disclosed that Red Bank has 16.6 percent tax exempt properties, a huge number when compared with the surrounding towns which average about 5.3 percent. No resolution was offered to this problem, but it was clear that this won’t be the last time it will be discussed in regards to the budget.

Councilman Michael DuPont also raised the concerns regarding the “friendliness” of Red Bank to new businesses. He stated that recently seven new stores have opened, and they have all expressed grief over the process of opening in Red Bank. DuPont suggested starting a committee to ensure that Red Bank is a “business friendly” town. Mayer Pasquale Menna was in agreement, and the Council resolved to move forward with the new committee.