The BRICK Times
Vol. 20 - No. 26
In This Week’s Edition
MICROMEDIA PUBLICATIONS
JERSEYSHOREONLINE.COM
Two Parks Remain To Be Renovated
BREAKING NEWS @
jerseyshoreonline.com
Dear Joel Page 10
Dr. Izzy’s Sound News Page 16
Dear Pharmacist Page 17
Inside The Law Page 20
─Photo by Judy Smestad-Nunn Erosion and old facilities need to be worked on in Cedar Bridge Manor Park. By Judy Smestad-Nunn BRICK - There are just t wo remai n i ng parks left to be renovated in the township: Cedar Bridge Manor Park, located in the neighborhood opposite Boulevard South Shopping Center on Hooper Avenue, and Mallard Point Park on Tunes Brook Drive, located in the neighborhood behind Bay
Harbor Plaza shopping center. First in line is Cedar Bridge Manor Park. In January 2020, the township administration met with the residents who live near the waterfront park to get their input for the park design, and their suggestions are being incorporated into the final plan, said Mayor John G. Ducey.
According to towns h ip B u si n e s s Ad m i n ist r at or Joa n ne Bergi n, the overall consensus f rom the meeting was the residents want to remove proposed bocce courts and a horse shoe pit in favor of an expanded playground area - specifically, the desire to accommodate swings. Residents also suggested relocating the
playground area further away f rom the shoreline, she added. They also asked for a bike rack. The park project, as outlined, includes shoreline restoration - specifically rip-rap st abilization edge with vegetation. “There is not enough space for two playground areas, and (Parks - See Page 2)
Caution Urged As COVID Numbers Increase By Chris Lundy OCEAN COUNTY – Positive COVID-19 tests have come in at a higher rate recently, causing medical professionals to urge caution. However, they also note that many of the local cases are not severe. The county’s case totals leveled off through most of the summer.
But there was an increase as schools reopened a nd people went to fall gatherings. For example, on one day in the middle of October, there were 250 new positive tests reported. The state has gone back and forth about opening, mostly keepi ng r e st r ic t ion s i n
place, especially as numbers rise here and throughout the country. Most of those reported as sick are Ocean County residents, as opposed to tour ists who tested positive while they were visiting. There were a small amount of college students getting sick at school, but since their
home address is listed as Ocean County, they were added to the total. The main demographic seeing increases is adolescents and adults younger than 30. “Any time there is an uptick there’s certainly reason for concern,” said Brian Lippai, Public Information Officer for the Ocean County
Health Depar tment. “There have been numerous factors that have led to the increase but it’s important to note that many of the cases we are currently seeing are on the mild to moderate side than we saw earlier in the pandemic. Recovery time is shorter and the (Totals - See Page 4)
November 14, 2020
Ratables Slowly Rebuilding From Sandy
By Judy Smestad-Nunn BRICK - As a result of the destruction by Superstorm Sandy eight years ago, the township saw a loss of $424 million in ratables, which is property that provides tax income for local governments. In January 2012, nine months before the October storm, the total ratables base in Brick was assessed at $10.6 billion. In January 2013, the ratables had dropped to about $10.2 billion. Property damage was one of the big factors that drove that number down, but so was tax appeal settlements, said township tax assessor Mike Kingsbury. “It’s hard to say where we’re at in 2020, but as of January 1 of this year, we were down to $10.39 billion. It’s been a slow and steady rise up, but we’re not there yet,” Kingsbury said in a recent phone interview. The return of ratables is mostly attributed to rebuilding - oftentimes much larger - homes. “A lot of the houses that were demolished were little tiny bungalows, and now you can drive around town and the majority of new construction are large houses,” he said. “And don’t forget, most of these were on the water, so usually you match the value of the house with the value of the land, so you’re not going to put an 800-square-foot bungalow on a lagoon lot or a bayfront lot,” he said. “You’re going to build three story houses like everyone’s doing.” Also, in the aftermath of Sandy, the tax assessor’s office made adjustments on barrier island land, and those adjustments are also returning, he said. Additionally, tax appeal numbers are way down, and the reduction in assessments are down because the market is improving so strongly, he added, which is helping to limit the reduction in ratables. Kingsbury was asked if the ratables base in Brick will be higher than it was before Sandy since so many of the cottages are being replaced with homes that have a higher tax assessment. “I don’t know, because if the market tanks, the tax appeals are going to ramp up again, so there’s always an unknown,” he said “The residential real estate market is pretty (Taxes - See Page 2)
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