The Matawan Borough Council has introduced a $2.065 million bond ordinance to help provide funding for road improvements as part of the municipality’s 2020 Road Program.
The ordinance was introduced on Dec. 1 and may be adopted when the council meets on Dec. 15.
The total cost of the planned improvements is $2.63 million. The work will be financed through the bonds; two grants that are expected to be received from the New Jersey Department of Transportation ($460,000); and a $105,000 down payment.
Work is expected to be completed on Overhill Road, Overbrook Lane, Edgemere Drive, Sapphire Lane and at other locations throughout the borough.
Holmdel residents Eileen Briamonte, Peter Reddy and Linda Zhang have been elected to three-year terms on the Holmdel Township Schools Board of Education.
Briamonte, Reddy, Zhang and Irfan Lateef were the four residents who sought three terms in the Nov. 3 school board election.
According to results posted online by the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office, Zhang received 6,590 votes, Briamonte received 5,962 votes and Reddy received 5,529 votes to win the seats. Lateef received 4,846 votes in his bid for a seat on the board.
“I am excited and thrilled to be elected,” Zhang said. “I am also humbled by the fact that I received the most votes among all the candidates. It is gratifying to see that our platform for academic excellence resonated with many residents.
“I am grateful and I want to thank the many voters for their vote and for their support of us. I look forward to serving on the board and working with the other board members to best represent the students and parents of Holmdel,” Zhang said.
Briamonte and Reddy could not be reached for comment. Briamonte won her second term on the board and Reddy won his third term on the board.
Congregation B’nai Israel, Rumson, has announced that Abby Chava Stein, the author of “Becoming Eve: My Journey from Ultra-Orthodox Rabbi to Transgender Woman,” will be speaking about herself and her book on Zoom on Jan. 10 at 11 a.m.
“Becoming Eve” is the story of an ultra-Orthodox Jewish child who was born to become a rabbinic leader and instead became a woman. Stein, 28, is the first openly transgender woman who was raised Hasidic, according to a press release from the synagogue.
This event, which is sponsored by Cultural Programming Committee, is free and open to the public. Advanced registration is required for this program in order to receive the Zoom link. Register at the event page at cbirumson.org
The Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has received a $25,000 grant to fund trap, neuter, return (TNR) efforts in local communities. This marks the second time the organization has received the grant, according to a press release.
The MCSPCA thanked state Sen. Vin Gopal (D-Monmouth) for his efforts and said Gopal recognizes the value of the shelter’s community programs.
Executive Director Ross Licitra said, “I am thrilled that our organization, with the help of Sen. Gopal, has forged this road in regard to the community cat issue. Government partnerships with animal welfare organizations like the MCSPCA are the right formula to effectively and humanely bring community cats under control. The public and the cats will benefit from such an alliance.”
The Monmouth County SPCA works to address the feral cat population through TNR and can continue to grow the program with donations and grants. The grant has already funded the TNR of 229 outdoor cats, preventing thousands of new cats from being born in the wild over the next several years, according to the press release.
180 Turning Lives Around, a private nonprofit organization in Monmouth County, continues to provide support and advocacy for victims of sexual violence in the aftermath of a highly emotional and traumatic experience with the assistance of its Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) volunteers.
The trained volunteers provide emotional support and assistance to victims and their significant others during accompaniments for timely and sensitive hospital medical examinations, and police and grand jury procedures, among other support, according to a press release.
A 40-hour SART training course for new volunteers will be held from Feb. 2-25 (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) from 6-9:30 p.m. via Zoom. Volunteers must be 18 years of age or older, have access to reliable transportation, possess a valid driver’s license, be willing to serve on an on-call shift basis, participate in an interview process, and submit to fingerprinting and background checks.
To obtain an application, contact Kate Gerahty at kateg@180nj.org or call 732 264-4360, ext. 3308. The deadline to apply is Jan. 22.
