Renovated Red Bank Senior Center To Celebrate Reopening June 9

RED BANK, NJ — Red Bank's age 60-plus residents will soon be able to enjoy their own senior center again.

The long-anticipated reopening of the Red Bank Senior Center building at 80 Shrewsbury Ave. is June 9, the borough announced Tuesday.

A party from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the newly refurbished center will give residents a chance to see the upgraded facilities and get a feel for the new landscaping and hardscaping that opens to a beautiful view of the Swimming River behind the building.

And Director Jacqueline Reynolds is more than ready to bring services and programs back home to the center, which will happen as of June 12, she said.

"We're ready to get back," she said on a recent tour of the center.

And preparing for the opening has everyone excited, she said. "We're so happy to be getting a better atmosphere."

During the project, resident seniors age 60 and over in the borough have been able to use facilities at Trinity Episcopal Church, 65 W. Front St.

The senior center was damaged in 2019 when pipes in the fire suppression system froze in the main gathering area, Reynolds said. The Red Bank Borough Council voted unanimously on Feb. 9, 2022, to begin the $1.94 million restoration project, funded using previous grants and borough-held, unused funds.

And as helpful as it was to be able to continue services at Trinity Episcopal, the improved center will have lots of upgrades for the 200 or so seniors who use the center.

Information on programming at the new center can be accessed by mail, on the borough website or on the senior center Facebook page.

The return to the center will mean more room for programs and gatherings, Reynolds said. And seniors can connect with social services and medical screenings in dedicated spaces there.

When visitors enter the building, they will see a reminder of an important part of borough history: The lobby is dedicated to former longtime Borough Councilman Thomas Hintelmann, who died in December.

Reynolds said some of the big-ticket items for the renovation of the 1996 building included moving the HVAC system to the first floor. Also the fire suppression system was completely replaced and is a "dry" system, meaning there is no water held in the pipes unless fire is detected, she said. That should avoid the damage created by the frozen pipes in 2019.

The room that needed the most structural work after the damage was the main room where the south wall was severely affected, she said. In addition, new ceilings were installed because some had been damaged from leaking from the previous HVAC system, Reynolds said. All the rooms have been painted and cleaned and look brand new.

And she said the renovation work at the center was a joint effort, aided by staff, the borough Department of Public Works and volunteer Cindy Burnham. Burnham provided funds for landscape workers, vision for the backyard design and a lot of her own labor.

Here are some of the areas dedicated to indoor enjoyment:

• There is a main room that has tables and chairs and great views from windows and a windowed double door leading to the outside. There is a fireplace, as well as two televisions. There is also a pull-down projector screen for use over the fireplace.
• The large kitchen is off that main room and now has new lighting and painting and cleaning, but otherwise was unscathed by the water damage.
• There are cushioned chairs and a sofa in a space called the "relaxing room," located right before the main room.
• An exercise room that had a new set of weights donated by a member of the community will also have some exercise machines added.
• A computer room will have internet connections for visitors.
• A social services room and nurses' room will help with those needs.
• There is a private, handicapped-accessible shower created from a closet, adjoining an existing bathroom.
• The craft room will have equipment necessary for ceramics and other crafts, and lots of storage.
• A game room has an elegant pool table, but more cue sticks and billiard balls are being requested for donation, among other items. There are also felt card tables.

Outdoors adds another dimension to the services at the senior center.

And it's a particular interest of former Red Bank Councilwoman Cindy Burnham, who has donated lots of time and funds for landscape work.

The center has a flat, paved patio right outside the building for picnic tables Burnham refinished. There's a covered porch with rocking chairs that looks out over the Swimming River (before it joins the Navesink River).

Burnham and her crew have cleared lots of brush and debris from the embankment leading to the river and have created some slate stairways and terraces from old Red Bank sidewalks removed for other projects. Burnham said public works helped haul the stone for the stairs and terraces. The stairs will also get railings.

The borough expects to fence off the embankment area with a split rail fence shortly, Reynolds said.

Burham, who has grown up in Monmouth County "building forts with sticks," as she puts it, said that the north side of the senior center property abuts an area of open space that she hopes the Borough Council will formally designate as such.

That will give all residents the access to the river, she said, "so seniors and all the residents can enjoy it."