RED BANK, NJ: On a biting cold and windy day, over 50 people, primarily seniors, turned out at noon on Saturday for a rally to “Repair the Senior Center for Our Seniors.”
The rally took place at the Red Bank Senior Center’s location, 80 Shrewsbury Avenue.
Organized and led by former Outreach Worker for the Center Tiffany Harris, several speakers were brought to the podium to vocalize their displeasure that the riverfront Senior Citizen Center has been closed since February 2019 when the fire suppression system froze and bursting pipes led to significant damage.
Several seniors braved the cold to voice their opinion;
“I’ve enjoyed the Center. Since it’s been closed, we’ve got nothing to do. We don’t have a TV; we could meet to eat and drink dance and do whatever. And they took all that away from us, just as they’re going to take this place away from us. That’s just what they’re doing,” said Dot Davis
“We need to keep the Senior Center open because for a lot of us, it’s the only way to meet other seniors. A lot of the activities we had we can’t do anymore. They also had weekly grocery shopping trips which everyone depends on,” said Ellen Payne.
“Our message today to the mayor and council, borough administrator and the Redevelopment Agency is; the Red Bank Senior Center does not want to be reconfigured, be relocated, combined elsewhere or moved. What we want is for the mayor and council to do the right thing and fix it,” said former councilwoman and former council liaison to the Senior Center Cindy Burnham.
Former Senior Center Director Freda Terry who managed the Center for ten years and traveled from North Carolina for the rally said, “I had the opportunity to help so many senior citizens at this beautiful facility. Anyone who came in here was happy; they had a beautiful place to come. Hopefully we can still have it if we all work together.”
Noted for lack of attendance was Center Director Jacqueline Reynolds and councilwoman Kate Triggiano, who is the council liaison to the Center.
When someone in the crowd shouted out, “Why isn’t she here?,” the crowd responded, “Vote her out, Vote her out!”
TAPinto Red Bank emailed a request for comment to Triggiano. In response a Red Bank DEMS Press Release was provided under the subject line: Statement from Mayor and Council Majority.
Absent on the release were the names of councilman Michael Ballard and Ed Zipprich.
In part, the press release stated, “…Councilman Zipprich and Ballard have chosen to drag Red Bank backwards into alarmist politics instead of reasoned solutions.”
To read the entire Press Release, click HERE.
Councilman Michael Ballard was the only public official to attend commenting, “As I’ve always said at the council meetings for the last year, year and a half, we need to save this building, it’s a treasure in Red Bank and the cost to repair it is minimal compared to the cost of building a completely new center.”
Ashas Clark, granddaughter of a former member of the Center, William “Shipwreck” Clark, sang some beautiful and spiritual songs to the pleasure of the crowd.
To watch a video of the rally, courtesy of Suzanne Viscomi, click HERE.
To read a previous TAPinto Red Bank article on the borough’s rejection of bids for a new fire suppression system and Mayor Pat Menna’s statement at the January 1 Reorganization meeting, click HERE.
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The Link LonkJanuary 10, 2021 at 02:00PM
https://www.tapinto.net/towns/red-bank/sections/government/articles/resident-s-demand-action-on-senior-citizen-center-red-bank-dem-s-organization-slam-ballard-and-zipprich
Resident's Demand Action on Senior Citizen Center, Red Bank DEM's Organization Slam Ballard and Zipprich - TAPinto.net
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