BASEMENT WATERPROOFING IN Oceanport

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia director of track and field and cross country, Vin Lananna, announced Friday (Dec. 9) 10 new signees that will join the team for the 2023-2024 season.

“I am excited to announce an impressive group of men and women who will join the University of Virginia in 2023,” said Lananna. “Each of these student athletes will make an immediate impact as the UVA men’s and women’s track and field teams continue to develop into a championship program. We are thrilled to welcome them to Charlottesville.”

Tatum DavidComing to Virginia from Richland County High School in Olney, Ill., Tatum David qualified for both the NXN and Champs Championships in the 2022 cross country season. David took first place at the Midwest Champs Regional last season.

Gillian BusheeAnother cross country runner from Reston, Va., Gillian Bushee comes to UVA out of Herndon High School. Bushee was a VHSL Class 6 State Champion and qualified for the Champs Sports Cross Country Championships.

Cate DeSousa A native of Oceanport, N.J., Cate DeSousa competed for Red Bank Catholic High School and comes to Virginia following a cross country season in which she qualified for the NXN Championships.

Aidan CoxAnother distance runner, Aidan Cox is a native of Northwood, N.H. and competed for Coe-Brown Academy. Cox finished seventh at the nationally competitive Running Lane Cross Country Championship in his junior season. Cox will join his sister Addison, who transferred to Virginia in 2022.

Alex LeathA native of Vestavia Hills, Ala., Alex Leath will head to Charlottesville after an impressive career running for Vestavia Hills High School. Leath is a six-time Alabama state champion with three individual titles and three relays. Leath led his team to a cross country championship in 2022.

Ariel FletcherA native of the Commonwealth, Ariel Fletcher is from Virginia Beach and competed as a sprinter at Tallwood High School. Fletcher is an AAU Indoor national champion in the 400 meters.

Brooke’Lyn DrakefordBrooke’Lyn Drakeford comes to Virginia from Piscataway, N.J. after competing for Piscataway High School. Drakeford was the NJSIAA Champion in the 400-meter hurdles in 2022.

Tori DanielsA native of Valley Stream, N.Y., Tori Daniels comes to UVA as a sprinter out of Valley Stream South High School. Danials is a USATF indoor champion in the 200-meter dash.

Lola KolawoleLola Kolawole comes to UVA from Whitefish Bay High School in Whitefish Bay, Wis. As a short sprinter, Kolawole was a Wisconsin state runner-up in both the 100 and 200-meter dash.

Elsa SpoorAs a high jumper for Chatham High School in New Vernon, N.J., Elsa Spoor projects to be a heptathlete for the Cavaliers upon her arrival in Charlottesville.

By Stephen Appezzato

OCEANPORT – Renovations to the Maria Gatta Community Park in the borough will soon be finalized, offering locals and visiting teams a brand-new multiuse sports park.

The borough began renovations on the park, which had been in decline for years, earlier this summer. The popular field complex located across from Monmouth Park Racetrack will be the new location for three artificial turf fields lined for soccer, field hockey and lacrosse matches. Work on the project is expected to be completed by the end of September.

“Those fields were really nothing more than an old, macadam parking lot with three of four inches of dirt, small rocks, bottle caps and shards of glass on top of it,” said Oceanport Mayor Jay Coffey. “Oceanport Recreation hadn’t used them for soccer since 2006 because of how bad they were and the Peninsula Soccer Club stopped playing games there several years ago because visiting teams refused to play there.”

In addition to the artificial turf fields, the park will have a new entrance, new parking and walkways in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. In total, the project is expected to cost up to $2.95 million.

Coffey said the council and recreation committee “crunched the numbers” and decided turf fields would be the best option for a number of reasons. Turf fields can be easily marked for multiple sports and “provide a level playing surface for the first time in the park’s history,” he said. Artificial turf also means no mowing and less maintenance for the borough’s Department of Public Works. With the renovation, an access road that bisected the field will be removed, maximizing playing area, Coffey noted.

The addition of the three fields will complement the borough’s other sports areas at the Community Center Park (also currently being renovated) and BlackBerry Bay Park, allowing for more activities, Coffey said.

“I think it’s going to pay immediate dividends because people will want to play there,” Coffey said.

Part of the renovation expense – $150,000 – will be funded through sports betting tax revenue from Monmouth Park Racetrack $150,000. According to Coffey, a large portion of the remaining cost will be covered by usage fees paid by “travel teams, nonrecreational leagues and tournaments.” He expects those funds to be substantial enough to offset the greater portion of the debt service associated with this park improvement project.”

“We take great pride in our parks, and we want people in town playing on our courts, fields and playgrounds and enjoying all of our recreational facilities. We kept our parks open and operational even at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and Oceanport’s governing body has prioritized both infrastructure improvement and annual maintenance of our entire park system,” he noted.

Ongoing refurbishment of other municipal parks includes the reconstruction of the baseball field at Community Center Park, as well as new backstop and safety fencing, team benches, ADA-accessible bleachers, tennis court fencing and benches, and other facility amenities. The project is partially funded by a $150,000 grant from the Monmouth County Municipal Open Space grant program. Community Center Park is expected to reopen in mid-October.

The article originally appeared in the September 8 – 14, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.

The next step is an agreed sale price. If the deal goes through, this would be one of Netflix's biggest film studios in the world.

OCEANPORT, NJ — Netflix has been selected to open a massive film production studio at Fort Monmouth, if a price can be agreed upon between the streaming giant and the government authority that owns all the land on the former military base.

Fort Monmouth is the former U.S. Army base in Monmouth County that was shut down by the federal government in 2011, and decommissioned. The fort property is 1,127 acres in total.

If the deal goes through, Netflix will purchase 298 acres on the base and open TV/movie production studios that will span blocks. It would be Netflix's second biggest film studio in the world, rivaling their existing New Mexico film studios, which sit on 300 acres outside Albuquerque.

The news was confirmed by Netflix Wednesday morning. Netflix said they plan to build "across" the entire 298 acres, but not at the fort's parade grounds.

"While there is still work to be done with the Economic Development Authority to finalize the deal, we are thrilled that FMERA's preferred choice is our proposal for a state-of-the-art production complex," said a Netflix spokesperson. "If our plans are approved, we hope to build a facility that will create significant economic impact and job growth for New Jersey."

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In June of this year, Netflix placed a bid to purchase the land from the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority (FMERA), the government entity that owns all the land on the base.

Three other companies, all of them real estate development firms, also placed bids to buy or lease that parcel of land.

Until today, FMERA has not made a decision on which bidder they selected for the property. But it was widely assumed Netflix would be chosen as the top bidder, as Gov. Phil Murphy strongly backs Netflix coming to New Jersey.

However, Netflix and FMERA have not yet agreed on a sale price for the 298 acres, and there is no signed agreement of sale between the company and the government. Over the next few months, FMERA and Netflix still need to "finalize economic terms of the deal," said the Netflix spokesperson Wednesday.

FMERA's executive director Kara Kopach made it clear they have not agreed on a sale price with Netflix.

"FMERA will make no further representations to the potential purchase of property until the staff is prepared to recommend the approval of a fully negotiated purchase and sale agreement and redevelopment agreement to the FMERA board," she told the Asbury Park Press Wednesday, the day Netflix announced they had been selected.

The board of the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority includes Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, NJ DEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette, Dept. of Transportation Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti and the mayors of Eatontown, Oceanport and Tinton Falls.

It was Murphy who initially wooed Netflix to come to New Jersey: In April of 2021 he sent a letter to the studio heads at Netflix, Disney and Warner Bros. trying to lure them with tax breaks to make movies and TV shows in the Garden State.

In that letter, Murphy specifically criticized Georgia's voter ID laws and said voter ID should factor into their decision to leave Georgia and come to New Jersey.

“I’ve watched the recent decisions coming from the Georgia State House with disappointment. Restricting the right to vote is more than just wrong, it’s un-American,” Murphy wrote in his letter, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. "Our new $14.5 billion economic incentive package makes the Garden State just as competitive as Georgia to attract film and television production businesses. One thing is clear: when it comes to social policies, corporate responsibility, and — not to be overlooked — economic opportunity, New Jersey is now a top contender for your business.”

Murphy offered the film studios tax credits equal to what Georgia currently offers: Tax credits up to 30 percent of production costs and a 40-percent tax credit for any studio that opens brick-and-mortar offices, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Murphy said if Netflix opens the film production studio, it will bring "high-quality, good-paying jobs to our state." Netflix said they want to come to New Jersey because "the state is loaded with creative talent and technical expertise.”

A small group of Monmouth County residents say they are skeptical Netflix will bring permanent jobs (they say Netflix will pick up and relocate if and when another state offers them more lucrative tax incentives), and they criticized the tax breaks from the Murphy administration. They formed the website No2Netflix.

Fort Monmouth straddles the towns of Tinton Falls, Oceanport and Eatontown. Huge swaths of the base have sat empty and abandoned for more than a decade now.

But Fort Monmouth is currently witnessing an unprecedented redevelopment boom: There are now luxury townhouses for rent and for sale on the property, a high-end gym called the Fort Athletic Club, and a brewery will open in the old Army grocery store this weekend.

Development boom at Fort Monmouth: Part Of Fort Monmouth Converted To Private Homes, Rentals (March 2021)

Ft. Monmouth Building Boom: Townhomes, Waterfront Walkway Coming (March 2021)

Like beer? Birdsmouth Beer, the new craft brewery located in the Oceanport section of Fort Monmouth, will have their grand opening Oct. 15.

OCEANPORT, NJ — Birdsmouth Beer, the brand-new craft brewery at the Fort Monmouth Army base, announced they will have their official grand opening this Saturday, Oct. 15.

The brewery is located at 675 Oceanport Way in Oceanport, in what was known as the Commissary, or the former on-base grocery store for soldiers and their families. They will be open from 12 noon to 9 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday.

Birdsmouth only brews lager beer, and is headed by co-founder Andrew Gioia, the former head brewer at Kane Brewing in Ocean Township, and real estate executive Rocco Laginestra.

All the lagers are brewed on site, and they also have a tasting room. There are plans for an outdoor beer garden in the future. Birdsmouth also hopes to sell their beer to Monmouth County restaurants and bars, and up and down the Jersey Shore.

Fort Monmouth is a sprawling 1,127-acre former U.S. Army base that straddles the towns of Tinton Falls, Oceanport and Eatontown. The U.S. Army opened Fort Monmouth in 1917 and the base was actually home to the first radar system to bounce signals off the moon.

However, the U.S. Army closed the base in 2011, and its acres and acres of land have sat empty ever since.

But these days, Fort Monmouth is witnessing an unprecedented building boom. The new craft brewery is only one of the new businesses located on site.

There's also:

Red Bank-based developer Denholtz Properties actually owns the Commissary building where the new brewery will be located. Denholtz and its leasing agent, Pierson, are still looking for more tenants to rent out the Commissary. The Commissary is a very big, sprawling building, as it used to be a grocery store.

Master brewer Gioia and partner Laginestra had been searching for the right location for their brewery and tasting-room startup, according to Gary Krauss, director at commercial real estate broker Pierson Commercial, which arranged the lease.

“They had been looking for the most-suitable spot within the Jersey Shore submarket, where they could achieve that local feel and be in close and easy proximity to the major arteries of distribution throughout the state,” Krauss said. “The Commissary checked all of their boxes as an exciting new development in an up-and-coming part of affluent Monmouth County. It is close to the beach and offers almost-immediate connectivity to the Garden State Parkway as well as Routes 18, 35 and 36.”

OCEANPORT - Netflix has bid on Fort Monmouth's Mega Parcel, putting an end to nearly a year of speculation that the streaming giant wanted to set up a production studio in New Jersey.

The Mega Parcel, a large 292-acre parcel located in parts of Eatontown and Oceanport at the former U.S. Army base, was put out to bid in March by the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority, the state agency redeveloping the fort with mostly private investors.

Netflix made headlines last October when it announced that it wanted the site for a production studio, after Gov. Phil Murphy made an incentive-filled pitch with tax breaks to lure major production companies, including Walt Disney Co., Warner Bros. and Netflix, to New Jersey.

FMERA opened the bids at 12:30 p.m. Monday, 90 days after it put the site up for sale. The agency didn't say what was the amount of Netflix's bid, listed as Netflix Studio Fort Monmouth.

Netflix's spokespeople declined to comment on the bid.

There was some concern that Netflix might drop out of the Mega Parcel bidding after the company reported it lost 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter resulting in a large drop in the value of its stock. However, the company still reported a 10% increase in earnings in the first quarter over last year as it raked in $1.6 billion in profit.

Three other investors also bid on the property. FMERA did not reveal any details about these bids either in order to protect the integrity of the bid process.

The first bid was from Extell Acquisitions, an affiliate of Extell Development, which built the luxury condominiums The Lofts at Pier Village.

The second bid was from RDR Partners, which is made up of Russo Development, Dinallo Construction Co. and River Development — the latter is based in Red Bank. The three have combined on previous projects redeveloping industrial and commercial sites, such as a former flag factory in Verona which was turned into apartment lofts.

A final bid was made by Mega Parcel Development LLC. The principal is Joseph Saadia, who works out of New Brunswick and Manhattan and invests in former industrial sites.

It will be several more weeks or even months before the public finds out if Netflix actually gets the site, as FMERA will take that time to evaluate and score each bid. After that it will set the draft terms for a contract, known as a purchase and sale agreement and redevelopment agreement, or PSARA, with the selected bidder.

"We're ecstatic that we have several bids for the property. It's never bad to have multiple options. It will be up to the finer points of the submissions to see whose bid gets awarded," said Oceanport Mayor Jay Coffey, who along with the the mayors of Eatontown and Tinton Falls, sits on FMERA's executive board.

Coffey could not comment on the bids specifically due to him having a vote on the final selection as part of the board.

The parcel is the largest FMERA has offered for sale since it began the process over a decade ago when the fort closed in 2011. It envisioned the Mega Parcel as serving as a regional hub for one or more high-wage, high-growth sectors, including film and digital media, life sciences, information and high tech, clean energy and food and beverage as well as residential homes.

The property, which consists of several redevelopment districts in Eatontown and Oceanport, was appraised at $55.4 million. The site also has many defunct buildings that will have to be demolished.

The winning bidder will most likely propose investing hundreds of millions of dollars, considering that previous developers who bid for the smaller 89-acre Parcel B proposed investing well over $100 million before backing out.

Parcel B, which failed to sell multiple times, was placed into the Mega Parcel.

"They're all quality developers, that's the good news. We'll have to wait and see whose hands it ends up in but it should be good for the area and Monmouth County," said Peter Reinhart, the former director of the Kislak Real Estate Institute at Monmouth University, who's now retired.

When Jersey Shore native Dan Radel is not reporting the news, you can find him in a college classroom where he is a history professor. Reach him @danielradelapp; 732-643-4072; [email protected].