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Red Bank seeks Green Acres funds for Johnny Jazz Park upgrades including permanent stage and restroom
Summary
Borough engineers presented a $686,000 concept for Johnny Jazz Park — an 18×32-foot permanent stage, decorative seating, musical features, ADA access and a single-user Portland Loo restroom — and said the project is eligible for a 25% matching Green Acres grant; the council and public offered feedback and a local nonprofit suggested adding an outdoor piano.
Borough engineers presented a concept plan to secure Green Acres Park Development funding for Johnny Jazz Park, a roughly 7,800-square-foot site at Shrewsbury Avenue and Dr. James Parker Boulevard, highlighting new performance, accessibility and amenity upgrades.
Michael Riser of CM Associates, the borough’s engineering firm, told the council the proposed work would include an 18-by-32-foot permanent concrete stage with ADA access, continuous decorative benches, a stone-dust patio with decorative table games, outdoor musical instruments along a winding path, upgraded lighting and electrical service for future concerts, new landscaping and a new mural on the north façade. Riser said the design preserves the park’s three existing trees and existing water-refill station and electronic message board. The project cost is estimated at $686,000 and is eligible for a Green Acres matching grant that covers up to 25 percent of costs.
Council members asked practical questions about materials and maintenance: Riser said the stage and front walkway would be concrete, while surrounding pathways would use compacted stone dust considered ADA-accessible, and that the proposed Portland Loo single-user restroom is an anti-vandal, self-cleaning model sited near the refill station and to be screened by plantings. He also noted the application deadline is in two weeks and that the plan is still conceptual, allowing tweaks and further committee review prior to final design if the grant is awarded.
During public comment, Joe Muchi of Red Bank, who said he represents the Jazz Arts Project, suggested adding a commercial outdoor “Cadenza” piano to the site; council and staff responded that the piano could be added to the cost estimate or pursued through donors if the unit proved costly.
Next steps: staff will finalize the Green Acres application for submission and continue committee review of the concept plan; if funded, the design would be finalized with additional public input. No council vote on the grant application was recorded at the meeting.
