POINT PLEASANT BEACH — In an impromptu motion Tuesday, the borough council voted 3-2 to put the $2.9 million acquisition of the property at 113-115 Channel Drive to voters via a nonbinding November referendum.
The purchase would create public access to the riverfront and help fulfill the borough’s Open Space and Recreation Plan. The money would come from a combination of sources, including a state grant and bonding.
Councilman Andy Cortes made the motion to schedule the referendum, which was followed later in the meeting by another motion to table the purchase ordinances that were on the agenda.
Both motions passed along the same 3-2 line, with Cortes, Councilwoman Caryn Byrnes and Councilwoman Arlene Testa voting “yes” and Council President Mike Ramos and Councilman David Betten voting “no.” Councilman Art Gant was not present at Tuesday’s meeting, when the public hearing on the ordinances was held.
At the direction of the council, a ballot question as to whether the borough should acquire 113-115 Channel Drive will be drafted for voting in the November general election.
Prior to the council’s split comments on the matter, Mayor Doug Vitale went through several ostensible plans for the property.
“We were notified that we will receive $1,000,000 in funding from Green Acres (a state open space preservation program),” said the mayor. “We have done our due diligence by authorizing two phases of environmental testing on the property, both of which came back as having isolated hotspots but no major issues. The cost to remediate is approximately $40,000, which we used to negotiate a reduction of the original selling price. The cost to replace the existing bulkhead is in the area of $600,000. The cost to demolish the current structures is in the area of $30,000.”
The bond ordinance of $2,764,500 was introduced, along with an ordinance to acquire the property, at the April 15 council meeting. The period of usefulness of the project would have been 40 years, according to Borough Administrator Christine Riehl.
“After adoption of the ordinance, and the statutory 20-day estoppel period, I can issue a note for the financing,” she told The Ocean Star last month. “The only payment that will be made would be interest at maturity, as a note is temporary financing, which said amount will not be known until the bids come in.”
On Wednesday, she said, “I would have gone out for bond anticipation notes for the purchase, which roll over every year for three years in which you only have an interest payment. So, in the current market, my last (bond anticipation note) sale had an interest rate of 4%. Based off that, the interest payment in 2026 would have been $116,000.”
Because the ordinances were tabled, they will not be voted upon for adoption at the next council meeting.
“We currently have a Schedule C agreement in place for 2025 in the county which provides for materials and labor at a reduced rate, which will save money on the demolition and clearing costs,” Vitale said. “Our initial idea is to make this a passive recreation site — park, benches, picnic tables — so people can go and enjoy watching the commercial fishing and recreational boats going by. We’re also considering a kayak launch, with permanent kayak storage onsite.”
The mayor also said that there is also $600,000 earmarked for improvements to the old Coast Guard station that was to be reappropriated to the Channel Drive cost prior to the ordinances being tabled.
The 88-year-old station, located at 24 Inlet Drive, was closed by the Coast Guard in 2017, when it was replaced by a new station across the street. In 2021, the original building was named to the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service. It was purchased by the Borough of Point Pleasant Beach for $1.05 million in 2023.
This is an excerpt of the print article. For more on this story, read The Ocean Star—on newsstands Friday or online in our e-Edition.
Check out our other Point Pleasant Beach stories, updated daily. And remember to pick up a copy of The Ocean Star—on newsstands Friday or online in our e-Edition.
Subscribe today! If you're not already an annual subscriber to The Ocean Star, get your subscription today! For just $38 per year, you will receive local mail delivery weekly, with pages and pages of local news and online access to our e-edition on Starnewsgroup.com.
 6x10 4c.jpg)
