Unsung Hero Awards

The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Unsung Hero Award was presented January 28 to five recipients—a student, Erin Wheeler, majoring in social work, faculty member Hettie V. Williams, and three nominees from the surrounding community. Community members honored in 2009 were Richard Brugger, director of the Bradley Food Pantry, Dianna Harris, president of Midtown Urban Renaissance Corporation (MURC), and the Rev. David Stout, rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Asbury Park.

The Award recognizes people from Monmouth University and the surrounding community who represent the ideals embodied by Dr. King and who are sometimes not recognized for their effort in keeping “the dream alive.”

Erin Wheeler, an undergraduate student in the School of Social Work, visits local schools to speak with the children about the dangers of drunk driving. She has already spoken with over 500 students at many schools, including at eight elementary schools in Middletown. Heather Kelly, assistant director of student activities said, “Erin has the dedication, commitment and enthusiasm it takes to make a difference in the lives of others.”

Hettie Williams ’99M, and an Instructor in the History department, received six separate nominations for the 2009 Unsung Hero Award. Professor Williams, with co-chair Dr. Julius Adekunle, spent a year fundraising, organizing, and ultimately hosting a 3-day academic conference on race in November 2008. Titled, “Future of an Illusion, Future of the Past,” the meeting brought scholars from all over the United States, Europe, Latin America, and South America, as well as local high school students, to the University campus. One nominator described Williams as “a role model and mentor—a concerned and committed student advisor. Her work is marked by her passion and commitment to diversity within the university community.”

The Rev. David Stout, rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Asbury Park, was nominated for his efforts to provide outreach programs for the poor and for children. One effort, the Choristers program, provides instruction in music at no cost for children and adolescents. Students in the program learn to read music, to sing and may also learn piano. Participating students are also mentored and given a supervised environment in which to complete homework.

Dianna Harris is president of MURC, a community-based nonprofit organization located in Neptune Township’s midtown area. Harris was recognized for her work helping a local nonprofit redeveloper to win an $18.5 million award from the state to revitalize the economic district with a mixed-use project spanning three and a half blocks. She also helped create Neptune Township’s annual “National Night Out,” a community block party. More recently she chaired MURC’s annual Holiday Toy Drive, which distributed hundreds of toys to the children of local families in need each year.

Richard Brugger, volunteer director of the Bradley Food Pantry in Bradley Beach, was honored for his decade-long efforts coordinating 100 volunteers, drawn from four area churches, and providing emergency food supplies to members of surrounding communities in need of assistance. Over the past seven years the Pantry has served more than 120,000 clients with dignity and respect in the face of demand increasing almost 50% since 2000. Brugger continues to find resources to feed the hungry without complaint, even with reduced resources and increased redtape.

Master of ceremonies for the awards, Heather Kelly, said, “We are truly lucky to have these individuals in our community. The work that they have done, and are doing, is essential to keeping Dr. King’s Dream alive.” Quoting Dr. King she observed, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?”

NEPTUNE — For Gail Oliver, the end of the beginning came on Nov. 5 when she watched heavy equipment as it tore through and tore down the house she grew up in, the one her parents purchased in 1942.

Oliver’s efforts to save her community, which she ultimately knew would end in the demolition of her family home, began after she lived through “the scariest time I have ever experienced,” the July nights in 1970 when neighboring Asbury Park burned.

When the July 4 riots took down Springwood Avenue next door, it also impacted the neighborhood where Oliver had spent a happy childhood. Before 1970, Springwood Avenue was the economic anchor in the heart of Midtown, surrounded by moderate homes, houses of worship, schools and small parks.

After 1970, it was a mess, the kind of street people used but didn’t really see. Oliver remembered Springwood Avenue as a “once-famous street, up in smoke, all hope gone.”

In 1996, Oliver called newly installed Neptune Mayor Patricia Monroe, and stayed vocal over the decades. In 1998, Neptune was inducted into the state’s Neighborhood Empowerment Program. Soon, Concerned Midtown residents formed the Midtown Neighborhood Empowerment Council.

At the first meeting, which Oliver missed, she was elected president. The group morphed into the Midtown Urban Renaissance Corporation, a nonprofit agency that helped Neptune officials attract partners to redevelop the community.

Tuesday, the diverse group held a symbolic groundbreaking to celebrate the beginning of construction of Midtown Commons. The $18.75 million project is being undertaken by CityWorks, a nonprofit corporation created in 2004 to build projects in the state’s economically distressed neighborhoods.

CityWorks will build a series of commercial and residential buildings, including a family health center, retail stores, office space, senior housing, off-street parking and a park. State aid included a New Markets Tax Credits allocation, $2 million loan through the Local Development Financing Fund, a $1 million Economic Development Authority guarantee of a $10.7 million senior leveraged loan from TD Bank, and a $250,000 direct loan to bridge environmental funding resources.

The project is expected to create more than 370 construction jobs and nearly 100 new, full-time jobs upon completion.

For Oliver, watching her house demolished so the community could begin to prosper filled her with mixed emotions. “It’s about change for improvement,” she said. She also noted she cried when the house came down.

She credited Monroe, former Mayor Tom Catley and other officials who continued to push through the project, even when administrations changed. Mayor Randy Bishop is the latest cheerleader.

“It is hard to describe the feeling when I drove down West Lake Avenue and saw all the trucks and activity, a thrill ran down my spine,” said Catley. “In a much larger sense, the joy I feel was for a community that once again has opportunity and hope after decades of self destruction and neglect.”

Bishop expressed gratitude for the project partners, which include Jersey Shore University Medical Center, which will relocate its family health center to the commons. He praised TD Bank and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority as well as CityWorks, whose officials said they came to Monmouth County looking to do a project in Asbury Park and instead found Neptune.

“No journey that is worthwhile is undertaken alone,” said Bishop. “We have been together through tough times and we will all be together for the elation. . . . This township is about tomorrow. This township is about Midtown Commons.”

Christina Foglio, who is the head of CityWorks, presented city officials with an old paper cup, which had been fashioned into a work of art. She said it was for CityWorks Executive Director Tom Clark as he brings the project to completion.

“A cup of coffee gives some satisfaction and warmth,” she said of the remade symbol. “What redevelopment does is warm the heart . . . The cup” is for Clark “so he keeps getting up and looking at the cup differently and keeps the caffeine going and never throws the cup away.”

The project, completed without the use of eminent domain, is noteworthy, particularly during a challenging economy, said EDA Chief Executive Officer Caren S. Franzini.

“Neptune is such a jewel of a city,” she said at the ceremony at the Midtown Community Elementary School. “. . . The redevelopment of West Lake Avenue, particularly during these tough economic times, will serve to strengthen the Neptune community by providing residents with a neighborhood center and by stimulating economic growth in the city.”‘

A landmark groundbreaking for redevelopment along West Lake Avenue in Neptune’s Midtown area was celebrated as an important milestone for the community at a special ceremony on Tuesday.

Mayor Randy Bishop referred to the groundbreaking as “an incredible occasion.”

“This is one of the most momentous and happy days in Neptune Township. We are on our way to making the dream a reality,” he said.

Construction of a two-story office building on the southern side of the street to house various medical services for the Jersey Shore University Medical Center and other independent operations is now underway.

Township, county and state dignitaries attended the groundbreaking with a larger ceremony taking place at the new Midtown Community Elementary School on Route 33 later in the morning.

The project, through efforts of the Midtown Urban Renaissance Corporation and CityWorks Inc., received $20 million in state funding from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority for the project.

Bishop praised MURC as “the backbone of community support.”

More commercial buildings, a park, and a senior citizens residence is planned for the area.

“This is about change and it’s about history. Today does mark a milestone,” said MURC’s vice president, Gail Oliver.

Oliver was one of the original founders of MURC and her family’s home was razed last month to make way for the current redevelopment project. She recalled her happy days living in her family house on what was then Springwood Avenue but she also spoke about her despair and fear when riots occurred in the area in 1970.

“My community and my street were ripped apart,” she said.

Oliver also recalled how she and then Mayor Patricia Monroe sat down for the first time about a decade ago to discuss redevelopment of the area and having the 3.5-block area declared an area in need of redevelopment by the state.

Monroe said the enthusiasm of residents and township officials were important factors in making the redevelopment happen.

“This is a glorious day for Neptune,” she said.

Committeeman Thomas J. Catley said the community now has hope and opportunity in the wake of 40 years of neglect.

“This is the story of a community that embraced change. We did not let redevelopment become a political football,” he said.

Nat Cave, who lives on Myrtle Avenue in the middle of the redevelopment area, said he sees the improvements as very good but a longtime coming,

“It’s time to rebuild the community and establish it once again. It’s a great improvement to revitalize the area,” he said.

Dennis Davis, who lives on the other side of Route 35 at West Lake and Taylor avenues, said he wants to know when redevelopment will cross over the highway to his neighborhood.

He said his neighborhood needs curbs, sidewalks, parking, housing and other improvements,

“It goes from a neighborhood to the hood. The community just ran down and there are a lot of transients. They keep telling me we will be the next project,” he said.

Both men said they favor renaming West Lake Ave. back to Springwood Avenue, noting the street’s rich business and cultural history.

Several local residents will be honored at the 3rd Annual Harvest Moon Ball sponsored by the Midtown Urban Renaissance Corporation of Neptune on Fri., Oct. 24 from 7:30 p.m. to midnight at the Jumping Brook Country Club in Neptune.

This year those attending will be able to dance to the oldies with host Dr. Bob Lee from WBLS Radio and “DJ Faze” from Faze Flow Entertainment.

Tickets are $60 for this fund-raiser and advance reservation is needed. The proceeds from this event will go toward the administration of community programs, events and workshops that MURC provides for the Community.

This year’s honorees are MURC’s senior Trustees (present, past and honorary); Nate Cave, Edythe Douglass, Yvonne Earley-Proute, Josefine McElrath, Patricia A. Monroe, James and Brenda Terrell, Deacon Irvin Webb, June E. West and Charles Mal Woolfolk.

A special award will be presented to the former MNEC Community Director, Gwendolyn O. Love. It is their conviction to the mission of MURC that has helped to sustain the organization since 1999.

For the Annual Beautification Day in May, Asbury Park residents and officials worked with the organization to clean the entire street of West Lake/ Springwood Avenue. NPP Coordinator, Rosetta Johnson, and Councilman Ed Johnson helped coordinate the first “United Community Clean Up”.

The year progressed with the cooperation of Lt. Drew LaFrance, Community Liaison from the Neptune Police Department and members of the Neptune Housing Authority Tenants’ Patrol. They helped the organization generate interest in a “Neighborhood Block Watch.”

Police Commissioner Mary Beth Jahn and Chief Howard O’Neil were instrumental for their leadership and attention to the concerns of the residents.

First Pentecostal and Mt. Olive Baptist Churches, opened their doors to MURC this year to hold community meetings. Members of First Pentecostal have participated in the Annual Beautification Day, and National Night Out, by organizing their own events at Liberty Park. They were recognized with a township proclamation as having adopted this park.

MURC is currently sponsoring a “Candidates Forum” for the local election of the Neptune Township Committee. This year’s candidates are Eileen Kean® and Kevin McMillan (D). It will be held on Thurs., Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. at the Mt. Olive Educational Building, 1718 West Lake Avenue, Neptune. For further information call the MURC Office at 732 775-1110.

Those who cannot attend the Harvest Moon Ball may send a donation to MURC at 57 So. Main Street #270, Neptune, NJ 07753. MURC is a NJ 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization and all donations are tax deductible.

NEPTUNE — For the first time in decades, live music was once again playing Wednesday at the Carver Inn on Myrtle Avenue.

This time, though, the music wasn’t accompaniment to a party, but a prelude to a celebration.

Local, county and state officials were on hand to mark the opening of the Carver Inn Apartments, a 14-unit apartment building geared for low- and moderate-income active adults aged 55 and older.

The building was constructed on the site of the old Carver Hotel. The hotel, which opened in the early 1900s, was where African-American entertainers stayed when they performed in the Shore area.

Among the luminaries who stayed and performed at the hotel were Count Basie, Harry Belafonte, Lena Horne and Duke Ellington.

About half of the building’s one-bedroom and efficiency apartments — with monthly rents ranging from $650 to $797 — have been taken, said Mariann C. McDaniel, director of resident services for the building’s owner, the Affordable Housing Alliance.

The building has a live-in superintendent and features a community room, laundry room and extra storage space for the efficiency apartments.

McDaniel said about 30 applications were given out during a two-hour open house Wednesday, and there were 32 other people on a waiting list.

“We never turn down anyone who wants to apply,” she said. Not all applicants meet age and income requirements, she said.

The $2.4 million project was several years in the making, said Donna Rose Blaze, the Eatontown-based alliance’s chief executive officer.

“This was very unique in that we took this historic structure that we intended to rebuild and ended up having to recreate it,” she said.

That’s because a 1999 fire destroyed part of the hotel, and some of it collapsed while the group was before the township Planning Board seeking approval for its plans.

The building had to be razed, but it was rebuilt to look as much as possible as the original.

That suited Karen Pugh Lascaris just fine.

Lascaris’ father, the jazz organist and pianist Sam Pugh, played at the Carver often, she said.

The band played in the hotel’s bar, which was located in the basement, she said.

“Everyone always dressed up to come,” she said.

It was Pugh’s book, “In Our Own Image . . . Treasured African-American Traditions, Journeys and Icons,” that inspired Blaze to renovate the building, she said. The book includes a picture of people socializing at the hotel in the 1950s.

“It really made us feel proud to have an impact on the neighborhood,” Lascaris said.

Lascaris, who was born and raised in Neptune, now lives in Los Angeles.

“I had to come back for this,” she said. “I had to see it.”

Lascaris was also a founding member of what has become the Midtown Urban Renaissance Corp., which is partnering with Trenton-based CityWorks to redevelop the West Lake Avenue area.

Gail Oliver, MURC’s vice president, said the Carver “compliments what West Lake Avenue is going to become. This is another kickoff for Midtown.”

The building’s front walkways are comprised of brick pavers which can be engraved. Three lines of 13 characters each cost $100, while two lines cost $50.

For more information about the brick engraving, call the alliance at (732) 389-2958 and ask for Gwen Love.

Bill Bowman: (732) 643-4212 or bbowman@app.com

The site of the old Carver Hotel in Neptune now has 14 apartments for low-income adults and seniors while still preserving the history of one of the most famous structures in the area’s African-American Community.

Opening in the early 1900s, the Carver Hotel, located on the Asbury Park and Neptune border, served as a premiere accommodation for black visitors to the area during the 20th century.

Many famous performers stayed at the Carver Hotel as it was one of the only hotels catering to the black community. Famous people staying at the Carver include Ray Charles, Fats Domino, Harry Belafonte, Ozzie Davis, Thurgood Marshall, Walter Fry, Lena Horne, Count Basie, Cab Calloway and Lionel Hampton.

Now converted into the Carver Inn Apartments, at 312 Myrtle Avenue, the new structure has tried to preserve the façade and history of the hotel, which was razed several years ago after a fire and a long period of neglect.

“(The new structure) maintains the history of the old hotel and allows us an opportunity to move forward but still raise awareness about the building and that era of elegance and musical history,” said Gwendolyn Love, director of administration with the Affordable Housing Alliance, which oversaw the project.

“The new exterior very much replicates the old hotel,” she said.

Neptune resident Virginia Brown said she remembers going to the Carver frequently during the late 1950s and early 1960s.

“It was known for its bar and dining area and it had wonderful steaks. The atmosphere was beautiful and elegant with fine linens and china. There used to be tea parties and fashion shows on the lawn,” she said.

Brown, who is 72, said she thinks it’s wonderful that the history of the hotel is being preserved.

“This is the Carver. This was the place to be. At least they didn’t turn it into a parking lot and restored it back to a useful purpose. I’m glad to see its memory live on,” she said.

Hortense Knuckle Reed, whose father William Knuckle was co-owner of the hotel, said the hotel was one of the only ones in the area where African-Americans could stay.

“They came from out of town. They came from all over the place to stay here. My father would be very pleased about this project,” she said.

NEPTUNE — Live music, dancing, casino games and more are on tap at the annual Midtown Urban Renaissance Corp.’s fundraiser, set for 8 p.m. Friday until midnight.

The event, to be held at the Jumping Brook Country Club, 210 Jumping Brook Road, also will feature a gift auction, a 50/50 raffle and a book signing by Madonna Carter-Jackson, author of “Asbury Park: A West Side Story.”

Tickets are $65 and include hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar.

For more information, to advertise in the journal or to buy tickets, visit www.neptunemurc.com or call (732) 775-1110.

BY BILL BOWMAN
COASTAL MONMOUTH BUREAU
Story Chat Post Comment

NEPTUNE — Gail Oliver peeked out from under her umbrella with a look somewhere between expectation and trepidation Monday as she watched a backhoe rip through the first of two empty West Lake Avenue homes.

“This does represent hope,” Oliver said as she watched the demolition.

As the founder of the Midtown Urban Renaissance Corporation, the group spearheading the revitalization of the Midtown section, Oliver has been waiting for this day for years.

But she also knows that part of that progress means that one day her West Lake Avenue home — the house in which she grew up — will also fall victim to the wrecker’s ball.

The buildings taken down Monday — two shotgun homes next to each other that neighbors dated as either 60 or 70 years old — were razed to make way for a playground that is being relocated from across the street. An office building is planned for the area now used by the playground.

The demolition was the first physical step in more than a year in the West Lake Avenue redevelopment project, which will result in the part of the street between Route 35 and the Asbury Park boundary converted into more than 120,000 square feet or residential, retail and office space.

MURC and the township’s Economic Development Council are working together with Trenton-based CityWorks, the project’s redeveloper.

Monday’s demolition “represents another step toward the future of the new West Lake Avenue,” Oliver said. “It also resurrects some very bad memories dating back to the 1970s, which caused all this, not just here, but in other urban towns as well.”

Deputy Mayor Randy Bishop was also on hand to witness the demolition.

Bishop said that “after many delays, it’s good to see something taking place for the rehabilitation of West Lake Avenue.”

“Everybody’s anticipating this,” Bishop said. “It will be nice to have something to show that it is moving forward.”

Bishop said the two homes had been rental units for years. He said the township bought the homes and the residents were relocated.

Area businesses also are looking forward to the revitalization, said Bob Jameson, owner of Jameson’s Restaurant on Route 35. “It’s definitely positive,” he said, adding that it symbolizes “a new beginning for West Lake Avenue.”

Tuesday, August 7th will mark the 24th annual “National Night Out (NNO) – America’s Night Out Against Crime”.

The public is invited to an evening designed to promote and build positive police/community relationships through messages for safer neighborhoods, alcohol and drug prevention, and community spirit. Every year, towns across the United States plan huge celebrations the first Tuesday of August providing fun and togetherness for families and youth of all ages.

Neptune will hold an event at the site of the former Ridge Avenue School (between Ridge, Heck, and Myrtle Avenues), from 5:00 to 8:00 pm. The Neptune Township Police Department is the sponsor of this event, and will be joined by the Midtown Urban Renaissance Corporation (MURC) the Neptune Township Municipal Alliance to Prevent Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, and the Neptune Housing Residents Patrol.

Neptune Township Mayor James W. Manning stated, “I and the Neptune Township Committee thank MURC for their sponsorship and support of National Night Out. The event is a great way to promote neighborhood spirit and the great community-police partnership that we have throughout the entire Township. I ask all residents to come out and join us for a night of fun!”

Randy Bishop, Neptune Deputy Mayor and Police Commissioner added, “Any event which helps to educate and raise awareness concerning drug and crime prevention is such an asset to our residents. As always I applaud the work of our Police Department, MURC, and the Drug Alliance for their tireless efforts and creativity in bringing the message of prevention to our neighborhoods, especially the youngest among us and making it fun. I am looking forward to another great year, another great event and another proud moment for Neptune Township”.

Neptune’s activities include speakers, teambuilding games & contests, bicycle safety, face painting, safety vehicles, musical chairs, double-dutch, youngest and oldest resident, rock climbing wall, and much, much more. Refreshments will be provided and are free of charge.

T-shirts for most will be provided thanks to the sponsorship of local businesses.

Neptune residents are asked to show support and solidarity for this event by turning on your front porch lights at dusk.

Adult volunteers are still needed – please call (732) 775-1110 or Lt. Drew LaFrance at (732) 988-8000 x453. To learn more about National Night Out events, log onto www.nationalnightout.org

Gail Oliver, Vice President of MURC, contributed to this article.

BY CAROL GORGA WILLIAMS
STAFF WRITER

Gail Oliver had seen the best and worst that Neptune’s former Springwood Avenue, now West Lake Avenue, had to offer.

She watched from her Midtown section home on July 4, 1970, when rioters took over the street, once a thriving business district. The National Guard was called in after civil unrest spilled over from Asbury Park.

“It ripped through the entire street, right near my house, burnings and (buildings) being torn down” Oliver said. “It was a very, very scary time. The National Guard was standing right at the corner of (Route) 35 and Springwood (Avenue) at the time and not letting anyone out or in.”

For years afterward, she watched parcel after parcel become fallow. Finally, in the mid-1990s, she reached out to then-Mayor Patricia Monroe. Oliver showed her a junk yard across from her childhood home that had been abandoned by its owner and urged her to help.

“Almost 30 years had passed before I said anything about cleaning up and rebuilding,” she said.

Monroe responded quickly, saying that a state program to help distressed cities might be available. Oliver prevailed upon her neighbors to get involved. At a meeting at which she was not present, the group elected her president, and the Midtown Neighborhood Empowerment Council in 1998 was officially included in the state’s Urban Coordinating Council. Oliver served as president until 2003.

“It is hard to believe — I certainly never expected all of this to blossom the way it did,” Oliver said. “Everything happens the way it is supposed to. I’m just so happy so many people are involved and care. . . . It is rebuilding a community and it takes all of us to do. It is not just what Gail wants to do. We take input from everybody. . . . It takes a while for people to reconnect to their community.”

From her activism came the Midtown Urban Renaissance Corp., now the liaison between the developer and town.

“She is the glue that has held this project together for more than 10 years, through various political administrations, through disappointments,” Monroe said. “She’s had a lot of patience and she has endured through a lot of ups and downs the project has gone through.”

Oliver said she couldn’t give up and neither could the other members.

“We needed to see this project through,” said Oliver, a former 30-year AT&T employee and lifelong township resident devoted to her Jack Russell terriers, Angel and Chanel.

“We are the recognized organization in the township working on rebuilding in the Midtown area. We work out of a trailer almost at the corner of Drummond and West Lake. . . . We are the organization along with the residents that gives the feedback as to how we want to see our community rebuilt,” she said.

The $100 million redevelopment proposal by the nonprofit Cityworks calls for commercial and residential units on West Lake Avenue, from Route 35 to the Asbury Park border.

Monroe said it has helped that Oliver has had a personal stake in the outcome of the project.

“Gail has basically held together the Midtown group of people,” Monroe said. “She’s been the driving force of keeping the group together and keeping the focus . . . on making Midtown a viable place to live, providing what it used to have in terms of shopping and businesses on West Lake Avenue.”

Oliver said the group does a lot of community outreach, conducting workshops on first-time home buyers and landscaping, sponsoring a community beautification day, candidates forums, holiday toy drive and holiday tree lighting.

Together with the police, it conducted an August event for National Night Out activities on West Lake Avenue. The street was blocked off and 500 people came for an evening of socializing with a public-safety theme.

“We just had a block party with a prevention message,” said Oliver, noting there were games and rides and community enthusiasm was present, despite 100-degree heat.

“We have a lot of history now,” she said of the group’s 11 years together. It now tries to partner with other organizations and sponsors fundraisers, such as the Harvest Moon Ball.

“We’re trying to bring our communities — not just Midtown — back together,” said Oliver, 55. “We’re trying to take these ideas, things that worked for the community and reinstitute them back into the community so people will take pride in where they live. . . . We all have a common interest in where we live. We want to keep building and improving on where we live.”

Carol Gorga Williams: (732) 643-4202; carolg@app.com