BRICK – The council passed a resolution to authorize the receipt of bids for Laurelhurst Phase 1 and 2 road improvements, which was approved in the 2020 Capital Budget, the mayor said.
The overall project consists of milling, overlay, curb/ramp upgrades, drainage improvements and other associated work to the following roads:
Phase 1 includes Salem Road, Laurelhurst Drive, Laurelwood Road, Forest Drive, Glenmere Drive and Sunnycrest Drive.
Phase 2 includes Robbins Court, Robbins Street, Diane Drive, and Edgewood Drive.
Food Banks See Increased Need
Some 215,000 individuals in Ocean and Monmouth Counties – or one in six people – are “food insecure” and have been relying on food banks since March of this year, said Mayor John G. Ducey during the most recent virtual council meeting.
The mayor said that Brick Township is committed to working with FulFill (formerly the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties) and other food banks and soup kitchens to raise awareness and educate residents about the importance of food banks and the need to devote more attention and resources to hunger issues.
Former Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno was in attendance during the Zoom council meeting in her role as the Executive Director of Fulfill NJ.
Fulfill NJ and other food banks across the country will host numerous events throughout the month to bring attention to and encourage involvement in an effort to end hunger in the communities they serve, the mayor said.
“I call upon all citizens to join in the fight against hunger and food insecurity by supporting organizations such as Fulfill and other local food pantries by donating food, supplies, or volunteering to assist in their mission,” said Mayor Ducey as he proclaimed September as “Hunger Action Month.”
Guadagno said that due to the pandemic, this year has been worse for those who are food insecure than any year in the past.
“This is [Superstorm] Sandy on steroids,” she said. “There has been a 446 percent increase in the amount of food distributed at the Jersey shore because we rely on hospitality, and that’s gone, and it’s going to be gone for a while.”
She said it is important to support Fulfill and other food banks, and for food banks to support their communities.
“If you need any food in your town, for any reason, just simply pick up the phone and call me,” Guadagno said. Fulfill NJ would deliver boxes of food for the governing body to distribute. The organization has distributed hundreds of thousands of food boxes since March, she said.
Fallen Soldier
And finally, Mayor Ducey asked everybody to keep the family of Vincent P. Marketta in their prayers.
Marketta, 33, a 2005 graduate of Brick Township High School, died in a Black Hawk helicopter crash while training with the Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) on Thursday, August 27 in Southern California.
“It’s a loss to not only Brick Township but the entire country, but obviously we feel it the most here in Brick Township,” Mayor Ducey said.
