For Immediate Release:
January 8, 2024

Planning Board presents 2023 Merit Awards

FREEHOLD, NJ – The Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners, in partnership with the Monmouth County Planning Board, presented seven organizations with 2023 Merit Awards during the Planning Board meeting held on Dec. 18.

“On behalf of the Board of County Commissioners, I want to commend our award recipients and the Planning Board for taking this opportunity to recognize all of the great work that is being done to support our communities,” said Commissioner Director Thomas A. Arnone. “Thank you to all of the organizations that continue to enhance our remarkable County while inspiring others to pursue planning excellence.”

“Once again, the Planning Board has done an extraordinary job of recognizing plans, projects and organizations that truly add community value to Monmouth County,” said Commissioner Ross F. Licitra, liaison to the Monmouth County Planning Board. “We encourage any organizations interested in applying next year to contact the Planning Board to learn more.”

The 2023 Monmouth County Merit Awards were presented to:

City of Asbury Park Arts and Culture Plan

Category: Creativity and Innovation

The Asbury Park Arts and Culture Plan, created during a one-year period starting in August 2022, is the result of collaboration between the City of Asbury Park and the nonprofit Asbury Park Arts Council.

The planning process was guided by a steering committee comprised of City officials, representatives of the Monmouth County Division of Planning, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the Asbury Park Arts Council.

The Arts and Culture Plan received a resolution of support from the Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners and was adopted unanimously by the City’s Planning Board on Aug. 21, 2023 as an amendment to the City’s Master Plan.

Half Mile of Horses Art Walk

Category: Creativity and Innovation

The Half Mile of Horses Art Walk project involves painted horse sculptures decorating Main Street in downtown Freehold Borough, honoring the equine heritage of Freehold Borough (home to Freehold Raceway, the oldest half-mile horse racing track in the United States).

The Neighborhood Preservation Program funded the program, which was implemented by Freehold Borough and the Historic Preservation Commission. Artists from throughout the State and Monmouth County submitted designs.

The Neighborhood Preservation Program Committee blindly voted on the 18 horse sculptures that would come to fruition. From July through October the horses decorated Main Street and visitors voted for their favorite horse. In October the winners were announced, and each winning horse was draped with a horseshoe ring of roses.

The Boys and Girls Club of Monmouth County – Wellness Garden

Category: Creativity and Innovation

The Boys and Girls Club of Monmouth County, in partnership with landscape architect Eleanor James of Sparrow and Bramble, developed a wellness garden across from the Asbury Park location.

The land was donated by long-time supporter Vince Gifford and is planned to be a community space for Asbury Park and the Boys and Girls Club.

Douglas Eagles, CEO of the Boys and Girls Club, describes the garden as “an extension of the trauma-informed support we provide to our club kids, their families and the community as a whole.”

The garden is planned to be used for displaying local artists’ work, a place for community events and the center for mental and physical wellness programs.

Neptune Township – Shark River Living Shoreline

Category: Environmental, Resilience, Sustainability and Regeneration

With funding and/or in-kind services provided by the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency and Neptune Township, Neptune with the American Littoral Society and a suite of partners (Avakian Engineering, Albert Marine and Stockton University) worked together to restore 2,050 linear feet of shoreline at the Shark River Inlet, creating beach, reef sill, marsh and berm habitat that provides improved resiliency for the natural and human-built communities.

In addition, stormwater outfalls were replaced and affixed with tide valves to reduce periodicity of flooding and better treat stormwater runoff.

SFC Enterprises Inc. – Marlboro Medical Arts Building

Category: Development and Redevelopment

The Marlboro Medical Arts Building C is part of a medical development project in Monmouth County developed by SFC Enterprises Inc. This construction project, consisting of 5 acres, is a state-of-the-art medical complex which includes three buildings.

The planning objective was to develop a necessary missing need in the community to deliver quality medical care with a convenient stop for all medical needs. The complex consists of urgent care, physical therapy, dermatology, neurology and a pharmacy. Building C, which was completed in September 2023, was phase three of the project.

The Rail at Red Bank

Category: Development and Redevelopment

The Rail at Red Bank demonstrates imaginative planning in Monmouth County. The central idea is to provide the ultimate experience of live, work and play with the convenience of restaurants, boutiques, night life and the Red Bank train station all within walking distance.

The Rail at Red Bank brings 57 luxury apartments and more than 6,500 square feet of retail space to the corner of Chestnut Street and Bridge Avenue.

Community amenities include fireplaces with seating areas, outdoor televisions and grills, a state-of-the-art fitness center, a yoga studio, a club room with desks and a kitchen area, a game room, a community dog wash and storage units.

Suneagles Golf Club – Historic Preservation and Construction of New Community

Category: Historic Preservation and Restoration

Suneagles, which opened in 1926, is a historic golf course designed by A.W. Tillinghast. In 1942, the U.S. Army purchased the golf course and incorporated it into Fort Monmouth.

Following the closure of Fort Monmouth, the Martelli Development Group purchased the golf course and the clubhouse. The firm demolished the former officer housing buildings and received approval from the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority and the Borough of Eatontown to construct 75 residential units, with renovation and restoration of the clubhouse to its former glory. All new roads, utilities and significant golf course upgrades were constructed.

Honorable Mention:

Sea Girt Conservancy’s Edgemere Park Pollinator Garden and Revitalization

Category: Environmental, Resilience, Sustainability and Regeneration

The Monmouth Conservation Foundation nominated the Sea Girt Conservancy for its work to establish a pollinator garden as part of its efforts to revitalize Edgemere Park in Sea Girt.

Sea Girt Conservancy will be primarily responsible for maintaining the pollinator garden and park. The smart design of the garden is sustainable in and of itself, with emphasis on native plants that should thrive in their environment here and require minimal maintenance.

The Planning Board established the Merit Awards Program in 1984 to recognize those plans, projects, programs, individuals, municipalities, businesses, community leaders and stakeholder organizations that have made a significant contribution to the advancement of planning and planning outcomes in Monmouth County.

For more information, go to www.visitmonmouth.com or call the Monmouth County Division of Planning at 732-431-7460.