Big Gun Comes to Hartshorne Park

Click photo for larger view. Photo by Paul Scharff Photography

The Monmouth County Park System is pleased to announce that a historic World War II naval gun from the Battleship New Jersey was transported yesterday to Battery Lewis at Hartshorne Woods Park for permanent display as part of the Battery Lewis restoration.   The gun barrel, which is 68 feet long and weighs 120 tons, is almost identical to the 16-inch guns on Battery Lewis during World War II.

Originally on the USS New Jersey and donated by the U.S. Navy to the Monmouth County Park System, the gun barrel has travelled by rail from Norfolk, Virginia to Red Bank, where it will be offloaded onto a tractor trailer for transport to Hartshorne Woods Park.

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Middletown Reduces Spending By Almost $1 Million

Middletown Mayor Stephanie Murray

The Middletown Township Committee is slated to introduce their 2015 budget tonight with a spending decrease of $959,463. The total budget as introduced will be $69,437,466 compared to 2014 spending of $70,396,929.

Decreased non-tax revenues, including parking permits and court fees, of $2.8 million and increases in snow removal costs of $1.3 million and insurance costs of $600,000, were off set by savings from shared services agreements with other municipalities and the Middletown Board of Education, as well as utility cost savings for $223,000.

The tax levy on Township property owners will increase $428,484 to $46,964,220, not including the Township Library.  With the library budget of $3,445,649, the overall tax levy increases by $486,502.

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Monmouth Freeholders Vote To Privatize Nursing Homes

By a vote of 4-1, the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders officially started the process of privatizing the John L. Montgomery and Geraldine L. Thompson Care Centers, the nursing homes that have been run by the county government since the early 1900’s.

Freeholder Director Gary Rich and Deputy Director Serena DiMaso joined Freeholders John Curley and Tom Arnone in voting to move the nursing homes to the private sector.  Curley and Arnone have long advocated the privatization, while Rich and DiMaso have sought additional study of the issue.  Freeholder Lillian Burry voted no on privatization, steadfastly maintaining her position that county government has an obligation to care for its most vulnerable residents.  Burry favored a plan to merge the operations of the two care centers.

Monmouth County property taxpayers have borne deficits of $45 million in the nursing homes since 2007. With cutbacks in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements under ObamaCare, the deficits have grown to almost $7 million per year.

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Judge orders approximately 200 goats, sheep removed from Millstone farm

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Christopher Dean resigns as Marlboro GOP Chair

Selika Josiah Gore is elected unanimously as new Chairwoman

Marlboro GOP Chair Selika Josiah Gore

Marlboro-  Christopher Dean resigned as Chairman of the Marlboro Republican committee yesterday. Selika Josiah Gore was unanimously elected by the committee members as the new Chairwoman.

Gore is a wife and mother of two teen-aged boys.  An attorney who works as an executive at the New Jersey Motor Vehicles Commission, she was the Deputy Campaign Manager for Scott Sipprelle’s 2010 run for congress and has considerable experience in state, county and local campaigns. She has served as Vice Chair of the Marlboro Republicans for the last four years.

“I’m honored to have the support of my Committee members, said Gore, “I look forward to working with our county and state partners to continue to build a solid Republican organization in Marlboro. We need to focus on fielding the best candidates to bring our message of smaller government and fiscal responsibility to the people of Marlboro.  That is what I plan to do.”

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Monmouth County Public Works employees arrested on drug charges

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Historic Glimmer Glass Bridge connecting Brielle and Manasquan reopens 80 days ahead of schedule

Pictured left to right: Kevin Harms, Rob Harms and Jeff Brantly (all from Harms Construction Company, Inc.), Manasquan Mayor George Dempsey, Dan Healey (from Harms Construction Company, Inc.), Assemblyman David P. Rible, Manasquan Councilman Jeff Lee (in sunglasses), Freeholder Director Gary J. Rich, Sr., Manasquan Councilman Gregg Olivera (partially obscured), Freeholder Thomas A. Arnone, Manasquan Councilman Owen McCarthy, County Public Works Director John W. Tobia and County Engineer Joseph Ettore.

MANASQUAN, NJ- The Glimmer Glass Bridge, which had been closed since last August due to significant damage to the bridge deck and immediate safety concerns was re-opened this afternoon, 80 days ahead of schedule.  Repairs to the bridge performed by George Harms Construction Co. of Farmingdale were expected to be completed on May 29 as the summer tourist season kicks off.

“Reopening the Glimmer Glass Bridge is a welcome relief to the nearby residents and the communities of Manasquan and Brielle,” said Freeholder Thomas A. Arnone, liaison to the County’s Department of Public Works and Engineering. “We appreciate all the work done by George Harms Construction to complete this deck replacement project 80 days ahead of schedule.”

“Harms Construction began work in October and worked weekends and overtime to complete the project well ahead of schedule,” said Freeholder Director Gary J. Rich, Sr. “With this being one of the coldest winters in recent memory, this was no small task.”

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Golden Hammer: Naval Weapons Station Earle employees misused funds after Sandy

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Former Wall schools boss convicted of official misconduct, falsifying records

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Jury selection begins today for N.J. babysitter accused of shaking toddler to death

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