Fort Monmouth Running Track and Field Still on Eatontown's Radar

By Christopher Sheldon

Eatontown is still looking to use the running track and field at Fort Monmouth, but there is now a chance it will not be purchasing it.

Mayor Gerald Tarantolo said a "private enterprise" is looking to purchase it and the surrounding fields and make them available to the borough and Eatontown School District on a "scheduled basis."

"The reaction of the board (of education) and (Superintendent Scott) McCue was that this might be a win-win arrangement," Tarantolo said. "We don't have to purchase the property but we would still have access and use of the property."

The council expressed its interest in acquiring the property in February, agreeing that students could use the track and field for sports. The track is bordered by Park Avenue and other borough street ends such as Lake Avenue.

Councilwoman Janice Kroposky said she would not be happy if a private enterprise purchases the property.

"I'm very disappointed to hear that, we went over a long list of benefits that the acquisition of the track area would have not only for the borough of Eatontown, but for the board of education as a mutually shared arrangement," Kroposky said.

"I assume if they intend to allow the board of education to use it there would be a deed restriction imposed on the sale of the property that would say that the board of education and the borough would be able to use it at no cost to the taxpayers," Borough Attorney Gene Anthony said.

Councilman Anthony Talerico and Councilman Dennis Connelly said they were upset that Tarantolo that he was just hearing about the news of the potential purchaser of the property now.

Tarantolo said the borough and board would still look at purchasing the property if the private entity did not choose to share the property.

"It's not a dead issue we still may follow through with our notice of intent to acquire it if that doesn't materialize, but let's see how the process proceeds," Tarantolo said.