Q&A Friday: The Future of Red Bank's West Side

Dear Assemblyman Panter,

I have lived on the West Side of Red Bank for the last 25 years, and I am very concerned about a proposal to expand Red Bank Recycling's operation. From what I hear, the company wants to bring in a lot more trucks every day, and even start running trash trains a few times a day. This sounds like a very bad idea to me.

Anyone who spends time in Red Bank knows that traffic is already bad enough without more trucks coming in and out of town, especially on the West Side. Right in that neighborhood there's a daycare center too. The parents who take their kids there shouldn't have to worry about dodging any more trucks than they already do with the current traffic on Drs. James Parker Boulevard.

I'm afraid that if Red Bank Recycling gets the approval to do this expansion, it will kill the chances of the West Side being fully revitalized as we're all hoping it will be. There has been a lot of progress here in the last couple years, and I would hate to see all that stop.

Can you tell me what's going on with this project and what you think about it?

Moira
Red Bank


Dear Moira,

Thanks for writing in about this. The good news, at least for now, is that the project you're referring to and its application to the Monmouth County Solid Waste Advisory Council are on hold. Red Bank Recycling withdrew it. Some are saying that this means the idea is dead, and some are saying that the company is just re-thinking its strategy.

I found out about the issue when Red Bank Councilman Pat Menna wrote to me a few weeks ago to let me know what was going on. He expressed a lot of the same concerns you did about this project affecting the quality of life in Red Bank, especially on the West Side. After I did some research on the project with my staff, I agreed that it was not a good plan.

According to the materials I reviewed, the expanded business would bring in upwards of 75 trucks on a daily basis to drop off bulk recycling materials. About 6 trains would run north of the facility every day.

Up until earlier this year, my legislative office was located at the Galleria in Red Bank, which is not too far from the Red Bank Recycling facility. I can tell you that there were several times when I waited in a long line of traffic for not just one, but two trains to go by in order to get to the office. Adding more trains to the mix would make the traffic worse, and subject residents to potentially dangerous situations.

Thinking about those 75 trucks coming in and out near Monmouth Day Care every day makes me very nervous. Again, there's the issue of traffic, but safety is a far greater concern.

A couple weeks ago, I wrote a letter to the Monmouth County Solid Waste Advisory Council expressing my opposition to this proposal, and I was very pleased to hear that Red Bank Recycling had withdrawn it. I am going to keep a close eye on this issue and I plan to stand with Councilman Menna in opposing it if it should come up again.