JCP&L Rate Hike Hearings Bring Criticism, Support

Final hearing on a 4.1 percent increase for state's second largest utility

The sixth and final hearing on a request for a rate increase by the state’s second largest utility company met with a mix of praise and criticism for Jersey Central Power & Light Wednesday at Freehold Township’s Town Hall. JCP&L, fresh off widespread criticism for its handling of Hurricane Sandy and the Nor’easter that followed, is seeking a 4.1 percent increase in the rates it charges its 1.1 million customers – many of whom were without power for up to two weeks after this winter’s storms. The Morristown-based company, the main power supplier in Monmouth, Ocean and Morris counties, is seeking to recoup the $630 million it spent on repairs following Sandy. It has petitioned the state regulatory board -- the Board of Public Utilities -- …

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Hurricane Sandy

Manasquan: Secure Your Hurricane-Devastated Home Or We'll Secure It For You

Seven houses near oceanfront remain exposed with heavy damage after Hurricane Sandy, and the borough contacted homeowners to secure the property

Manasquan's message to seven homeowners who've yet to secure their heavily damaged properties: act soon or have the borough secure it for you and send you a bill. Seven homes around the Manasquan oceanfront which saw walls and roofs collapse —their damaged interiors still flapping in the wind — have yet to secure the property since Hurricane Sandy. But the borough will require action from homeowners, on grounds these homes are so open and unsafe that they could cause someone harm. With the beachfront to open in less than a month and the tourist season behind it, there is concern that someone could wander near the heavily damaged and partially collapsed houses and be hurt, Borough Administrator Joe DeIorio said. While other properties have …

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Programmers Can Help Restore the Shore at Jersey Shore Comeback-a-thon

The hackathon event in Asbury Park comes with a $1,000 prize for the winning app developer.

Calling all app developers: your tech skills are needed to help restore the Shore business community. The Jersey Shore Comeback-a-thon will bring coders together at Cowerks in Asbury Park on Saturday for a 24-hour hackathon sponsored by Wall-based software company Marathon Data Systems. During a hackathon, developers have a set period of time to create a computer program or application that fits the event’s theme. With the Jersey Shore Comeback-a-thon, Marathon Data Systems wants to bring the area’s best tech minds together to build an app to support local businesses impacted by Superstorm Sandy. “When you get talented, creative people together, you never know what they’re going to come up with,” said Eric Farr, vice president of …

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Spring Lake Fashion Show This Weekend

Kicking off Friday April 26

Spring Lake’s Fashion Week-END Extravaganza kicks off at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 26 with a fashion-forward grand opening celebration at the Spring Lake Bath & Tennis Club hosted by More magazine’s fashion-features editor Susan Swimmer.   The style-inspired weekend will continue on Saturday, April 27 as the town’s premier boutiques, independent retailers, hair and beauty salons, and restaurants offer a full day of designer trunk shows, make-up demonstrations, salon specials, wine tastings, prix-fixe dinners and more.    “The Spring Lake Fashion Week-END Extravaganza is a wonderful celebration of all of the independent retailers located throughout Spring Lake’s beautiful downtown.  Our boutiques not only offer the latest designs, but unique …

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Hurricane Sandy

Home Collapses on Belmar Boulevard

South side, near Shark River

A home in the process of being raised after seeing widespread Hurricane Sandy flooding has collapsed. The Belmar Boulevard home's roof now sits asunder and its walls flattened after the home collapsed earlier this week. The house is on the south side of Route 35 near the Shark River Harbor in Wall Township. The ranch home was one of the first in the neighborhood to be raised. The street currently lies in a FEMA map flood zones affecting residents around the Shark River from Route 35 an reaching westward to Marconi Road. Property will be unable to receive flood insurance, or be unable to afford the premiums, unless they raise their homes above flood levels, according to newly adopted flood maps drawn by the Federal Emergency Management …

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Having a Yard Sale? Promote It on Wall Patch

Use our Wall community calendar to drive traffic to your driveway for your garage sales.

So you've cleaned out your garage, your attic, the back of your closet...but where do you put it all? Your driveway, of course. You dig out the price stickers and folding tables, and you wait for the weekend treasure hunters to flock. But, your neon poster on Allaire Road didn't exactly do the trick. Looking for some free publicity to promote your yard sale so you can fill your pockets instead of your closets? Use Patch! Post your garage sale in our Community Calendar. Let others know what you're selling, where you're selling it and when. You can even post pictures of your items with prices. Do as much or as little as you'd like, it's just that easy, and free! Click here.

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New Solar Company Officially Opens In Wall

Roof Diagnostics Solar opens new office on Route 34

The grand opening of Roof Diagnostics Solar, a solar integration company, was kicked off with a short ceremony on Thursday. Mayor Todd Luttman and Committeeman Jeff Foster cut a ceremonial ribbon, welcoming the business to its new East Coast headquarters at 2333 Route 34. The 8,600-square-foot facility, a 1981 building that underwent a $200,000 dollar renovation, will house the core of the company’s more than 300 employees, company officials said.  “I am pleased that Roof Diagnostics Solar has chosen to make Wall Township their home,’’ Luttman said. “Roof Diagnostics Solar is a growing company and will continue to grow with what Wall Township has to offer.” Kelcy Pegler Sr., owner, said the new office would allow the company to centralize …

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D'Jais Selling Old Dance Floor Pieces for Belmar Hurricane Efforts

Popular bar uprooted floor to repair damage from Hurricane Sandy, and is selling the pieces as a fundraiser

If the floor of D'Jais has sentimental meaning to you, now is your chance to own a piece while helping Belmar rebuilding efforts. For $25, you can buy a 10 or 12 inch piece of the old dance floor. Most are branded with D'Jais logo but a few are not. The fundraiser will help "Belmar Hurricane Sandy relief and recovery," according to D'Jais. The popular Ocean Avenue bar recently ripped up its old dance floor as part of Hurricane Sandy renovations shuttered D'Jais for the last few months, and partially reopened for St. Patrick's Day and the coming weekend hours. While plywood and plastic sheeting on windows and doors showed the signs of the bar's renovation, the dance floor tiles were replaced with new flooring, and the bar decided to put its…

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Warehouse Project Approved For Belmar Boulevard

Wall construction approved; neighboring Howell to provide water & sewer

A proposal to build seven warehouses on farmland on the western edge of town was approved by the Planning Board Monday, officials said. The pitch, which proposed to build an 80,000-square-foot warehouse building and six 15,000-square-foot buildings — a total of 170,000 square feet of buildings — along with associated parking, drainage and utility facilities on a tract at Belmar Boulevard and Birdsall Road, was approved by the board in a 7-1 vote, according to the Planning office. Board member Clinton Hoffman was absent. Board member Ralph Addonizio cast the sole vote against the project. The vote followed a hearing that lasted about 15 minutes, officials said. All construction for the project is within the boundaries of Wall, according to …

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Spotlight On Wall

New Owner For North Wall Mainstay

Stewart's Root Beer on the Collingswood Circle under new ownership

For this installment of Spotlight On Wall we've gone old and new. Stewart's Root Beer has sat at the top of the Collingswood Circle for more than 20 years. But new owner Stephanie Francolla has recently taken the reins of the North Wall Mainstay. We caught up with her for a short talk about burgers and root beer. Stewart’s Root Beer, as a franchise, has been around quite some time, right? People think of another drive-in restaurant in town as being the oldest, but hasn’t Stewart’s been around longer? Tell us about the history, if you could. Yes, Stewarts Root Beer was actually founded in 1924 in Mansfield, Ohio. You can check out all the cool franchise info at www.Stewartsrestaurantsinc.com * * * * * Business/Organization Name: Stewart’s …

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