BASEMENT WATERPROOFING IN Sea Girt

Krista and Frank Speno love a party. More specifically, they love to host a party, which is why they went all out to create the ultimate party place in their Sea Girt backyard. “We built this so everyone would come,” says Frank. “It’s an open invitation.”

The Spenos bought their spacious but nondescript house on a corner lot in 2018. The location was perfect, a block from the beach and just down the street from where they lived. The interior of the 6,500-square-foot, seven-bedroom house “was fine, but it was plain,” says Krista. “It wasn’t decorated.” The couple called on interior designer Ann Terwilliger, a neighbor and friend, to take on the project. Terwilliger set out to blend two aesthetics. “Krista loves color and pattern and texture. She’s very traditional,” says Terwilliger. “Frank likes quiet and comfortable—a more casual beach vibe.”

The Spenos gave Terwilliger carte blanche. She sourced all the furniture, staying in a mostly blue colorway. “It’s timeless,” she says.

In the kitchen, which had been recently updated, Terwilliger changed the color scheme, removed a desk area and added decorative lighting. She found an “awesome” radial table that expanded outward like a blooming flower. “It can accommodate as many as 12,” she says, which is important since there’s no formal dining room in the house. A butler’s pantry/bar area was created in the hallway that connects the kitchen to the outdoors.

And it’s the outdoor space that make this the ultimate party house. The original yard had just a small pool and compact patio. “It was not built to entertain,” says Frank. “But we had a vision.”

The parents of three nearly grown daughters—one in college and two others in “various stages of getting married,” says Krista—the Spenos desired a house that the girls couldn’t resist coming back to. “We wanted to build a kiddie trap,” jokes Frank, “so they’d all come back, with husbands and grandkids and all their friends.” It’s not just the kids, though, the Spenos admit; they can often be found entertaining much of the neighborhood.

Frank and Krista wanted to create a space for everyone. Enter Sea Girt–based pool designer Adam Steele. “Frank was looking for something different,” says Steele. “And he wanted a firepit. This is precisely what I specialize in: water and fire.” Steele designed a large, rectangular pool with a ledge for sunbathing. The shallow end is more expansive than your average pool, Steele says, “so it’s perfect for hanging out.” Wide steps are another place to sit and cool off. The adjacent hot tub has 36 jets. “I use it every day,” says Frank.

The focal point of the yard is the dramatic fireplace wall. “It took us forever to build,” says Steele, but it was clearly worth the effort. “It throws off a ton of heat.”

For those who’d rather stay dry, the Spenos created an inviting dining area/family room/outdoor kitchen featuring a grill, wet bar, wine refrigerator, refrigerator drawers, ice maker, fireplace, television, cozy seating, a dining table, chaise lounges and a spacious bar. A custom wooden bench wraps around the perimeter of the house for overflow seating. “People can sit around the pool, around the bar, around the dining table, around the benches,” says Frank. “It’s never overly formal, and there’s room for everyone.”

Another unique feature is the Astroturf lawn, a clean yard solution that prevents dirt and grass from being tracked into the pool. “It’s fake grass that stays beautiful year-round,” says Frank. Still, the Spenos installed a sprinkler system—“it goes on for 10 minutes every day to clear away the dog’s mess,” says Krista.

With construction complete, the Spenos look forward to hosting a backyard wedding for one daughter, and most Thursdays, all summer long, they host Thirsty Thursdays. “It started with a dozen people, and it’s now up to about 35 people every week,” says Frank.

Terwilliger had a special party flag custom made for the couple as a housewarming gift of sorts. “We fly the flag just about every Thursday,” says Krista. “It’s our way of saying, It’s on.”

RESOURCES: Designer: Ann Terwilliger, A.T. Interiors, Sea Girt, 973-479-9412. Pool and fire wall design: Adam Steele, Steele’s Signature Pools, Medford and Sea Girt, 609-850-0111. Architect: Christopher Rice, Rice and Brown Architects, Sea Girt, 732-449-9055. Landscape design: Environmental Landscape Design, Wall Township, 732-974-7215. Builder: Kevin Casey, Kevin Casey Builder, Toms River, 732-415-2077. Custom woodwork: R2X Building Solutions, Waretown, 908-670-4570. Outdoor furnishings and pergola design: Bain’s Outdoor Living, Rumson, 732-530-3210. Fireplace and outdoor kitchen cabinets: East Coast Energy Products, West Long Branch, 732-870-8809. Caterer: Carol Ann McLaughlin Catering, Allenhurst, 732-239-7618.

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Boys Lacrosse: Manasquan vs. Wall, April 2, 2022

Manasquan’s Nick Bounassi (28) and Ryan Burns (16) celebrate after the Warriors won the boys lacrosse match between Manasquan and Wall at Sea Girt Armory in Sea Girt, NJ on Saturday, April 2, 2022. Get Photo

Boys Lacrosse: Manasquan vs. Wall, April 2, 2022

Charlie Sasso (5) of Wall defends against James Farinacci (19) of Manasquan during the boys lacrosse match between Manasquan and Wall at Sea Girt Armory in Sea Girt, NJ on Saturday, April 2, 2022. Get Photo

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SEA GIRT - After graduating from Villanova University in 2014, Frankie Kineavy figured he was ready to take on the world.

And why not? Born with cerebral palsy and nonverbal, the Sea Girt resident has been wowing people since childhood, communicating with candor and wit by pointing to letters on a printout affixed to his wheelchair.

Sadly, the world wasn’t ready for him.

“I really struggled to convince people to take a chance with me,” he said.

So last year, he took a step to address that problem — not for him, but in general. He launched an employment agency for people with disabilities. On Thursday, he explained his vision to a group of Philadelphia-area disability advocates.

“This is something that has affected my adult life,” Kineavy said in a speech delivered via Zoom. “The struggle of people with disabilities to find meaningful and fulfilling careers.”

In a nutshell, Kineavy wants to take his capacity to inspire to the next level. He wants to be a change agent.

'A role model for his generation'

Frankie Kineavy has spent all of his 31 years raising the bar. At Manasquan High School he helped the football, basketball and baseball coaches by scouting upcoming opponents. At Villanova University he posted a 3.2 GPA and worked as a men’s basketball manager under Hall of Fame coach Jay Wright. After college he coached youth sports, served an internship with the Lakewood BlueClaws and wrote features part-time for the Rutgers Athletics website.

“Frankie has been a role model for his generation, and for all of us, since he was a little boy,” said George D’Amico, president of the Greater Spring Lake Chamber of Commerce, which last month named Kineavy its Citizen of the Year. “He’s an amazing advocate for people with disabilities.”

Well, that advocate ran flush into a wall in 2019. Laid off from his full-time job as a writer with the data platform Diversity Inc., Kineavy finally had reached a door he couldn’t open. And he strongly suspected he wasn’t alone.

“There is a difference between giving someone a job and helping them start a career,” he said.

So he launched the employment agency Let’s Be Frank, and its first placement was a resounding success: He got a Villanova graduate who has autism an internship with the magazine Baseball America, which led to a position in the front office with the Philadelphia Phillies.

“That hit home because my dream in college was to be a general manager for Major League Baseball,” Kineavy said. “At 22 years old, I didn’t have a Let’s Be Frank. I had my dad and my uncle who were my advocates.”

His dad, Frank Kineavy Sr., is still in awe of Frankie’s drive.

“There’s a lot of things he can’t do that we can do, but there a few major things that he can do that I know I can’t do,” Frank Sr. said. “He has the ability to change people’s lives.”

That was Frankie’s pitch in Thursday’s speech.

It's not about the paycheck

To grow Let’s Be Frank, Kineavy needs two things: candidates for employment and corporate partners. He reached out to Philadelphia city officials, which led to Thursday’s meeting with Special Olympics administrators and other area advocacy leaders.

In a seven-minute speech, which was voiced by an automated reader, he laid out his vision to “build a bridge” between college grads with disabilities and businesses that want to do more than check a hiring box.

“Our goal is to build a bench of candidates so we can help them pursue careers they’re excited about,” he said in the speech. “Because the truth is, people with disabilities just want to have normal adult lives.”

It’s not just about earning a paycheck. It’s about fulfillment.

“Yes, people with disabilities can serve as inspiration, and should share their stories with other people, but we have career goals and things we want to achieve, just like everybody else,” Kineavy said. “You can see this at every Special Olympics site — people with disabilities capable of achieving way more than the limits society puts on us.

“Your athletes have shown their ability to raise the bar of expectations put on them athletically. Now it’s up to people, like the great people who make up this group, to give us a chance to set the bar on what corporate America should expect from us professionally.”

After the speech, Kineavy took questions from the group. He did so with the help of Andrew Schwaeber, a “scribe” who interprets and voices Kineavy’s rapid-fire finger-points at the letter board on his wheelchair.

Adults with autism:Wall job school plan aims to keep them from falling off 'the cliff'

Afterward, Kineavy was asked how he thought the presentation went.

“Very encouraged with the feedback,” he said. “Most meetings end with a pat on the back and very little action.”

His point is clear: We can do better.

Jerry Carino is community columnist for the Asbury Park Press, focusing on the Jersey Shore’s interesting people, inspiring stories and pressing issues. Contact him at [email protected].

By Dee-Ann Durbin and Anne D’Innocenzio | Associated Press

NEW YORK — When Daniella Malave started working for Chipotle at 17, the main benefit she was seeking was free food. As it turned out, she also got a free college education.

While working full time for the chain, Malave completed two years of community college with annual stipends of $5,250 from Chipotle. After that, she enrolled in the company’s free online college program, through which she earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Wilmington University in 2020.

“I didn’t have to pay for my education,” said Malave, 24, who now works as a recruiting analyst for Chipotle in New Jersey. “Every time I say it out loud, I’m like, ‘Is this real?'”

Chipotle is one of more than a dozen companies that have launched free or almost-free college programs for their front-line workers over the last decade. Since 2021 alone, Walmart, Amazon, Target, Macy’s, Citi and Lowe’s have made free college available to more than 3 million U.S. workers.

Companies see the programs as a way to recruit and retain workers in a tight labor market or train them for management positions. For hourly employees, the programs remove the financial barriers of obtaining a degree.

Thousands of people are now taking advantage of the benefits. Starbucks, which operates an online college program through Arizona State University, says 22,000 workers are currently enrolled in its program. Guild Education, which administers programs for Walmart, Hilton, Disney and others and offers online programs at more than 140 schools, says it worked with 130,000 students over the last year.

But some critics question whether the programs are papering over deeper problems, like pay so low that workers can’t afford college without them or hours so erratic that it’s too hard to go to school in person.

“I do think they are providing these programs to skirt around the issue of just paying people more, giving people more certainty, improving their quality of life,” said Stephanie Hall, a senior fellow at The Century Foundation, a nonpartisan think tank.

Hall said a lack of data also makes it difficult to judge the programs’ effectiveness. Chipotle, Walmart, Amazon and Starbucks, for example, don’t share graduation rates, in part because they’re hard to calculate because students often take a semester off or take more than four years to earn a degree. Rachel Carlson, CEO for Guild Education, which also doesn’t reveal graduation rates, says the more relevant data is whether college classes help employees get promotions or wage increases.

Others question the quality of the online programs and whether students’ degrees will be marketable or help them pursue other careers, especially since many companies limit what employees can study. Discover only fully funds 18 bachelor’s degrees at eight universities through Guild, for example.

“My sense is that most of these programs are hoping that employees would stay with the company,” said Katharine Meyer, a fellow in the governance studies program for the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution.

Amazon for its part touts college programs that offer opportunities outside the company, like nursing. But Walmart pared down the number of programs it offers to 60 from 100 because it wanted to focus on skills that would align with careers at the company.

More than 89,000 workers have participated in Walmart’s college program and more than 15,000 have graduated, said Lorraine Stomski, Walmart’s senior vice president of associate learning and leadership.

Tanner Humphreys is one of them. He started working at Walmart in 2016, bouncing around hourly jobs as he tried to accommodate his in-person class schedule at Idaho State University. But under the company’s online program, which it launched with Guild in 2018, he transferred his credits to Southern New Hampshire University and graduated in February with a bachelor’s degree in computer science. At 27, he now works at Walmart’s headquarters for its cybersecurity team as a salaried employee.

“I was working paycheck to paycheck, living with a whole bunch of friends to pay my rent and stuff,” he said. “The change from an hourly to salary is truly life-changing.”

Companies paying for college or graduate school isn’t new. But for decades, the benefit was mostly offered to salaried professionals. In many cases, workers were required to spend thousands of dollars for tuition up front and then get reimbursed by their company.

Starbucks’ program, which launched in 2014, was initially a tuition-reimbursement program, but in 2021, it began covering tuition costs upfront. Now, 85% of the company’s stores have at least one employee in the program, which will celebrate its 10,000th graduate in December.

Carlson said companies see an average return of $2 to $3 for every dollar they put into education because it saves recruitment and retention costs. Walmart said participants leave the company at a rate four times lower than non-participants and are twice as likely to be promoted.

“If I know it’s going to cost me $7,000 to have my cashier not show up tomorrow, I would rather spend our average of our partners today — $3,000 to $5000 — paying for her to go to college,” Carlson said.

Companies say the programs also give opportunities to minorities. Macy’s, which started its program with Guild earlier this year, said that half of the women enrolling are women of color.

Some companies, like Chipotle and JPMorgan Chase, offer online programs through Guild as well as stipends students can put toward in-person learning at local institutions. Amazon’s college programs offer a mixture of online and in-person learning at local community colleges or universities.

Hall said she would like to see more companies offer that kind of flexibility, since online learning isn’t ideal for everyone.

Zachary Hecker, 26, a Starbucks employee in New Braunfels, Texas, began working toward his bachelor’s in electrical engineering last summer through the company’s college program.

Hecker appreciates the free tuition, but he often wishes he could attend classes in person or have more choices beyond Arizona State. His classes are challenging, he said, and professors aren’t always able to meet and offer guidance.

But Carlson said online classes are ideal for the average Guild enrollee, who is a 33-year-old woman with children. Carlson said students in its programs often lack consistent access to a car and need to be able to study anytime, like after kids are in bed.

The chance to earn a free degree can be life-changing. Angela Batista was 16 and homeless when she started working for a Starbucks in New York.

“College was never in my dream,” Batista said, now 38. “I didn’t even have the audacity to fantasize about it.”

This December, she will graduate from Arizona State University with a degree in organizational leadership paid for by Starbucks. And now her son, who also works at Starbucks, is starting work toward his own degree.

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Advisories

--None at this time.

At the Shore

Current conditions and forecast as of Thu morning

Tide Times

Marine Forecast

From the National Weather Service, Mt. Holly

REST OF TONIGHT: NW winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 2 to 3 ft. Light swells.

THU: N winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 2 to 3 ft. Light swells.

THU NIGHT: N winds 5 to 10 kt. Seas around 2 ft. Light swells.

FRI: N winds 5 to 10 kt. Seas around 2 ft. Light swells.

FRI NIGHT: S winds 5 to 10 kt, becoming W after midnight. Seas 1 foot or less. Light swells.

SAT: SE winds around 5 kt, becoming S 10 to 15 kt with gusts up to 20 kt in the afternoon. Seas 1 foot or less, then around 2 ft in the afternoon. Light swells, becoming E around 2 ft at 5 seconds in the afternoon.

SAT NIGHT: SW winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas around 2 ft. E swell around 2 ft at 5 seconds in the evening.

SUN: SW winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 2 to 3 ft.

MON: SW winds 5 to 10 kt, becoming S 10 to 15 kt in the afternoon and evening, then diminishing to 5 to 10 kt after midnight. Seas 2 to 4 ft.

Plan Your Trip

Data on this page amalgamated from several sources, including the National Weather Service (weather), National Ocean Service (tides), U.S. Naval Observatory (sun), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (UV index).

Dan Zarrow is Chief Meteorologist for Townsquare Media New Jersey. The Shore Report is generated semi-automatically daily at 5 a.m. from mid-May to late September. Follow Dan's weather blog, Facebook page, and Twitter feed for your latest forecast and realtime weather updates.

The Sunflow Beach Chair Gets National Attention On ABC's Shark Tank

What is the Sunflow beach chair? How much does it cost? What is so special about it? Let's find out:

Gallery Credit: Nicole Murray

According to their website, "The SUNFLOW Chair is compact, comfortable, easy-to-carry, and expertly engineered for lounging, napping, reading and forgetting anything exists except your tan lines."

The Accessories

You can also get attaching accessories: sun shade, drink holder (fits all size drinks) and a dry bag for your valuables.

According to Greg & Leslie, the time spent with the Sharks was actually quite pleasant. They were friendly and engaged!

Color Choices

The materials used for the sun shade offer protection from the sun if you can't handle the rays for hours at a time.

Daniel Lubetzky, executive chairman of KIND, returns to the Tank and is closely analyzing one of the Sunflow beach chairs on display.

Greg & Leslie revealed they are working on a pillow accessory for the chair since napping on beaches is common.

They will also be looking into pop up shops - hopefully at the Jersey Shore - where their merchandise will be temporarily on sale.

The $1 Million Deal

Kevin O’Leary hugs Greg & Leslie after agreeing to invest $1,000,000 in Sunflow!

Great Jersey Shore Beaches Snubbed On The Top 50 Best Beach Towns List

ASBURY PARK

AVON-BY-THE SEA

BELMAR

POINT PLEASANT

SEASIDE HEIGHTS

SANDY HOOK

MANASQUAN

SEA GIRT

SPRING LAKE

BAY HEAD

Cliffwood Beach: New Jersey's lost and forgotten resort destination

Before being devastated by a hurricane in 1960, Cliffwood Beach, NJ was a hot vacation spot that drew comparisons to Brooklyn's Coney Island.

Up until the end of the summer in 1960, the area included a boardwalk with amusements, saltwater swimming pool, and sports recreation area.

Cliffwood Beach was a favorite for people of all ages in the tri-state area, as its location along the Raritan Bay required a shorter driving distance than other resort towns like Asbury Park and Atlantic City.

At night, of-age visitors let loose at a popular restaurant, cocktail bar and lounge called The Cat 'n Fiddle.

For decades people flocked to the Raritan Bay Shore destination, but it all came to a screeching halt on Sept. 12, 1960. That was the day Hurricane Donna crossed into New Jersey.

The National Hurricane Center calls Donna one of the all-time great hurricanes. The storm would alter the photogenic coast forever

Damage to Cliffwood Beach surpassed $150,000, and its resort industry couldn't recover.

Efforts have been made to revitalize the waterfront, but the vacation retreat was never to be heard from again.