Critical and comprehensive infrastructure projects and humanitarian initiatives serving Ocean and Monmouth counties were included in the recently approved consolidated budget and will receive more than $23.8 million in federal funding, thanks to earmarks submitted by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ).
“The nearly $24 million in federal funding, which I secured, will go towards vital projects and initiatives that will greatly improve the safety, health, and quality of life of Ocean and Monmouth County residents,” said Smith.
“These funds will go towards critical law enforcement equipment and technology upgrades; significant improvements to water quality and wastewater treatment; enhanced stormwater management and flood mitigation efforts; expanded services for victims of domestic violence; and the implementation of informative human trafficking prevention programs in New Jersey schools,” continued Smith.
“These critical projects will bring innumerable benefits and improvements to the people of Ocean and Monmouth counties, and I am honored to have played a role in securing the funding they need to bring these important initiatives to life.”
The federal funds, which Smith personally secured through congressional earmarks, include:
$1,750,000 for Manchester Township to construct a state-of-the-art permanent water treatment facility to improve drinking water quality and mitigate PFOS contamination;
$2,000,000 for the Ocean County Utilities Authority to help replace aging isolation valves, check valves, slide gates, and channel covers at several pump stations throughout Ocean County to improve wastewater treatment;
$480,000 for the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office to augment its vehicle fleet to meet the growing law enforcement demands of Ocean County and the greater region;
$540,000 for the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office to acquire upgraded communications equipment that provides for interoperability between the Sherriff’s Office and the County’s Emergency Management Agency and the multiple law enforcement and emergency services providers throughout the county;
$2,000,000 to address safety and congestion issues along a section of the heavily traveled County Road (CR) 537 corridor from CR 526/571 to Gravel Hill Rd.;
$5,640,000 for Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst to facilitate the construction of a critically needed Secure Test Aviation Research Hangar, which would include enhanced physical and cyber security features necessary for integration of advanced technology systems needed to enact the Navy’s Air Wing of the Future Program;
$1,490,000 to restore, renovate, and revitalize the historic Manitou Park School House, which served only African American students and is the only remaining building in Berkeley Township, NJ with ties to the civil rights movement;
$275,000 to upgrade the radio communication infrastructure for the Lakewood Shomrim, a vital volunteer organization that works hand-in-hand with the Lakewood Township Police, Ocean County Sheriff's Office and Ocean County Prosecutors Office, in a commitment to law and public safety;
$271,498 for Dottie’s House, a domestic violence shelter in Brick, NJ, to address a short-term gap for professional clinical casework and support staff and to restore and replace major aged systems in order provide better housing for transitioning families, as well as conserve energy and water and reduce costs;
$3,200,000 for the construction of a new Air Traffic Control Tower at Lakehurst NAS, replacing the current tower constructed in the 1970s, which is now in a state of disrepair;
$1,000,000 for the Borough of Belmar to address critical water quality issues at Silver Lake, a coastal lake located approximately 750 feet west of the Atlantic Ocean, by installing a sustainable and resilient living shoreline to improve water quality; restoring native pollinators, plants, and wildlife, as well as the estuary; and efficiently filtering and managing stormwater;
$247,000 for the Covenant House New Jersey (CHNJ) to launch a comprehensive, statewide human trafficking prevention initiative for schools aimed at reducing exploitation through education, early intervention, and expanded access to services;
$2,000,000 to restore and improve the health, structure, and stormwater management abilities of Shadow Lake, an 80-acre, man-made flood mitigation and stormwater collection pond within the Navesink River system, located between Middletown and Red Bank, NJ;
$2,000,000 for Lakewood Township to provide roadway, drainage, and sewer infrastructure improvements to Maplehurst Avenue, Newport Avenue, Franklin Boulevard, and Faraday Avenue along the Cross Street Corridor; and
$1,000,000 for Eatontown Township to conduct infrastructure repairs and improvements around Wampum Lake to lower its water level in advance of a storm event and bring the road infrastructure up to modern compliance standards to prevent cyclical damage to housing, businesses, roads, transportation and recreational greenspace.
