FIX IT NOW! Red Bank Senior Center Rebuild Gets Green Light

February 10, 2022 – Three years of rallies, letters, lawn signs and council protests came to an end Wednesday night when the Red Bank Borough Council voted unanimously to finally restore and re-open the Red Bank Senior Center.

Councilman Michael Ballard, citing the allocation of Borough-held, unused funds from previous grants and accounts, announced that “the Borough has more than enough money on hand to begin the rebuilding process, and will require only a fraction of the total cost of renovation to be bonded.”

“It’s a great day for our Seniors and our citizens,” Ballard said. “After more than three years of neglect and misinformation about the fate of this beloved town asset, and the funds required to fix it,  we’re finally moving past the fighting to get the work of the people done.”

Councilman and Senior Center liaison Ed Zipprich celebrated the vote but noted that “this disruption to the lives of our most vulnerable senior citizens should not have occurred.”

“We could have repaired the center back in 2019 for a fraction of what we’re now going to spend,” Zipprich said.  “I’m delighted that we are finally correcting this wrong, and regret that our community was forced to endure a long wait for what should have been an immediate, emergency repair.”

Architectural designs and plans were created by DMR Architects of Hasbrouck Heights, NJ. They will put the project out to bid in the coming weeks.

Councilwoman Jacqueline Sturdivant, who ran on restoring the Senior Center as part of her ten-point campaign pledge, added her thanks to the community activists who kept the issue front and center for voters under what became known as the Fix It Now campaign.

“I’m very grateful for all the people who held rallies, knocked on doors, wrote letters and made sure this building wasn’t knocked down or sold,” Sturdivant said. “We have a fiduciary duty to maintain all our public buildings and I will continue to advocate for a new DPW building, a resolution to the problems with our Borough Hall and to make sure we are working on behalf of our Red Bank residents, not outside interests.”

West Lake Road resident Angela Mirandi was appointed to fill the remaining term of former Councilman Erik Yngstrom, who resigned last month. She will be sworn in a ceremony on Friday, February 11th at 5 PM at Borough Hall.

The next council meeting will be Wednesday, February 23, at 6:30 pm.

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