By a show of hands, waterfront park stays Residents were divided if park or parking lot should replace road BY KAREN E. BOWES Staff Writer PHOTOSBY KAREN BOWES American Legion Drive is currently the site of construction equipment as the new bulkhead begins to take shape. Given the choice, most Keyport residents want a park, not a parking lot, bordering their waterfront. At least that's how they felt on Saturday. Back in November, it was a different story. On Saturday morning, over 200 Keyport residents voiced their opinion on the topic during a public meeting at the Central School, Broad Street. To the protest of quite a few, Mayor Robert Bergen asked for a show of hands to determine the future of American Legion Drive, or Ring Road as locals call it, the waterfront roadway that currently borders a large gravel parking lot. In the fall, residents packed borough hall for the same reason. At that time, the consensus was completely opposite, most stating they preferred to keep the roadway where it was and simply pave the gravel parking lot. But either way, time is running out for American Legion Drive. According to Bergen, in terms of funding, it's now or never. "Green Acres is writing us letters," Bergen said at the meeting. "Do you want this money or not?" With $750,000 worth of state Green Acres funding already earmarked for a waterfront park, Harbor Commission President John Olsen fought a losing battle in trying to convince the crowd it was parking, not green space, that the borough needed the most. If the town was ever to attract a ferry or water taxi service, a large parking lot would be necessary to sustain the operation, Olsen said. "I think this might be the most economical plan for the cost," Olsen said. A computer rendering of what the area would look like if it were completely covered in asphalt did not help Olsen's cause, with many showing shock and disapproval at the image of 158 parking spots. A computer rendering of what American Legion Drive would look like if it were removed and turned into a grassy garden with gazebos, restrooms and benches may also have been a factor in the vote. Welder Bob Sommers, Waretown, works on the bulkhead replacement project currently under way. In the end, even Olsen did not vote for his own plan. Only two people did, raising their hands for the option, but then quickly withdrawing them. Residents Patricia Knudsen, Robert Aumack and Roy Cadoo all suggested the matter should be placed on the November ballot as a referendum question. "Put it on the ballot," Aumack said. "A show of hands? You've got to be kidding me. This ain't the Boy Scouts. This is a $4 million project and you're going to do a show of hands?" Bergen said there wasn't enough time for a ballot question. The money needs to be spent as soon as possible. Councilwoman Christian Bolte spoke favorably of the park option, which actually includes a parking lot where the old recycling center is. This lot would have 105 spaces. "In my opinion, I think a parking problem is a good thing," Bolte said. "It means people are coming here." Bergen followed up by saying more parking can be found at Firemen's Park, private property and a nearby bank. "Maybe we can work something out with the bank," Bergen said. "We assume on Saturday and Sunday the bank parking lot is empty." Or the borough could purchase the property on the corner of Beers and West Front streets, where Apollo Sewer is currently located, the mayor suggested. This property, slated for a Kara Homes condo development, is up for discussion again since the developer declared bankruptcy. Andy Willner, a resident and the executive director of the NY/NJ Baykeeper, earned a round of applause for his comments regarding a parking lot's effect on the environment and the expensive nature of meeting the stormwater runoff regulations. "The more paving, the more expensive," Willner said. Aumack continued to question Bergen throughout the meeting, asking if ongoing litigation with property owner Ed Burlew would affect plans to build a park. "Are we going to put a [park] on somebody's private property or is he just going to put up telephone poles to block it again?" Aumack asked the mayor. "Do we have the right to put it up or not?" asked resident Sam Minor. No definitive answer was given at the time. Burlew, who owns the West Front Street building that houses the Bulkhead Bar & Grille, has been fighting for several years with the borough concerning rights to land between the back of the building and the waterfront. "The lawsuit with the borough, they don't really own it yet " Burlew said on Monday. Burlew confirmed that about three years ago he did, in fact, use telephone poles to block the borough from accessing the property. "Yes, I did that," Burlew said. "That was me. I had it all blocked off until they agreed to something." "I can't remember what the issue was," he added. "I unblocked it to let the firemen through and other people to get to their property." Will he do it again? "Probably not," Burlew said. "When the people of this town find out how much it costs to have their dogs [relieve themselves] in the park, they won't do it." Burlew said he prefers to keep the space a parking lot. "Without the parking in this town you have no town," Burlew said. "This is only common sense." At the meeting, borough historian Jack Jeandron spoke about the need to incorporate environmentalism with reality. "Everybody wants to see green," Jeandron said. "Everybody wants to see a park. But we also need parking because everyone cannot walk to this. ... Parking can also be on gravel. I think wherever we have a parking lot, it should be impervious." Many residents spoke about the importance of preserving as much open space as possible. "We can always pave over it later," joked resident Jon Barone after the meeting.