Residents want to pave parking lot, keep road DEP wants a waterfront park included as part of Keyport bulkhead project BY KAREN E. BOWES Staff Writer "An 18-foot-high bulkhead would be so high no one could see the waterfront. Sure, it would protect us from hurricanes but... ." - Robert Bergen councilman KEYPORT - A recent Q&A session regarding the upcoming bulkhead replacement project resulted in more Qs than As. Held Nov. 6, the meeting was well attended by residents, many of whom questioned if ripping out American Legion Drive to make room for a waterfront park was truly necessary. The council's answer, simply put, was yes. According to Mayor John Merla and Councilman Robert Bergen, the land under American Legion Drive and the large adjacent parking lot is now under state jurisdiction. This came as a result of the borough's acceptance of an agreement with the DEP's Green Acres program. Under the agreement, the Green Acres program has final say over what is built on the waterfront property. Resident Jason Underhill made his opinion known. "Get rid of Green Acres," he said. "It's just stupid," Underhill said. "It makes no sense. Green Acres - there's nothing green down there." Underhill said there are already enough parks in Keyport. American Legion Drive should be kept for fishing, and was an area currently used only to "cut fish heads off." "I would just hate to go through Keyport and see a park," Underhill said. "Why can't they just blacktop that, put some nice yellow lines in?" Underhill said, referring to the large parking lot. "Put meters in, if you want to." Resident Roy Cadoo also said he was concerned about the number of parking spots that would be lost. Merla said he would like to pave the parking lot, but Green Acres will not allow it. "We offered many times to blacktop that parking lot," Merla said. Resident Tim Telemonde tried to look on the bright side. "Worst-case scenario is that the park is gorgeous and floods the town with parking problems," said Telemonde. "What do people want now?" asked business property owner Ruben Bea. "The road to stay?" "A lot of people want the road to stay," Merla replied. "I don't know," Bergen said. "We haven't talked to everyone yet." Cadoo was also critical of the height of the new bulkhead, saying the new one will allow for continued flooding. Bergen responded, saying, "An 18-foot-high bulkhead would be so high no one could see the waterfront. Sure, it would protect us from hurricanes but ... ." Resident Sam Minor said he was concerned about the new municipal pier design. "So it's going to be the same elevation then?" Minor said. "God help us." Bergen and Merla explained that the new pier must be exactly like the old one in order for the DEP to allow it to be rebuilt. Boatyard owner and Harbor Commission Chairman John Olsen asked for a timetable in order to plan "when the road will be closed and how our summer will be affected." According to Jim Hannon, president of Bird Construction, the company chosen for the job, the state has issued the company a 300-day work schedule for the project. However, the schedule began in October and no work has been done yet. Merla said it was important to be realistic. "I mean, let's be honest with people," Merla said. "They have construction right up to July. So let's not mislead anyone." Pete Valesi, the borough administrator, said it's important to remember that this is a state program, not a local one. The timetable, as it stands now, is subject to change. Olsen pressed the need for some sort of timetable, noting the summer months are critical for many water reliant businesses. "I just want to get a feel for it," Olsen said. But the mayor, like everybody else, had no definitive answer. "He ain't going to tell you because he doesn't know," Minor interjected.