CogniLocal Your Community, More Completely.
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CogniLocal

Eatontown

Your Community, More Completely.
Friday, October 23, 2026 · Permanent link to this edition
Edition archive
October 24 · Early voting begins (1 day)October 27 · Bikeway bids open (4 days)October 28 · Borough Council meeting (5 days)November 3 · Election Day (11 days)
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Today in Eatontown

The Eatontown Community Center is closed today, Friday, October 23, with no bingo.
A free flu clinic and the county caregiver retreat are both in Eatontown tomorrow, Saturday, October 24.
Early in-person voting starts Saturday, October 24, and runs through November 1; the November 3 ballot includes Eatontown mayor and two council seats.
Bids for the first segment of the borough's planned bike network open Tuesday, October 27.
Parker Road improvement bids and Wampum Lake Dam rehabilitation bids both open Thursday, November 5.
The Borough Council meets Wednesday, October 28, and property taxes are due Sunday, November 1.
Eatontown Public Schools parent-teacher conferences are November 2 and 3; sign up by Thursday, October 29.

NEW: newly reported developments or upcoming opportunities. UPDATE: later substantive information on a covered story. ONGOING: continuing useful information. RESOLVED: the reported issue has ended. BACKGROUND: dated historical context, not a new development or confirmation of current availability. UNCONFIRMED: a story, continuing story or detail that could not be confirmed against its cited source on the edition date; the note under the headline says what is not confirmed. Today and countdown lines carry "(unconfirmed)" for the same reason. All local times are Eastern Daylight Time.

Borough & Schools

ONGOING

Community Center closed today, Friday, October 23

The Eatontown Community Center, home of the borough's active-adult programs, is closed today, Friday, October 23, according to Eatontown Recreation. The adult-program schedule lists no bingo today.

Advance sign-up is required for all adult programs. The next listed trip is Thursday, October 29, to Hobby Lobby and Over Easy Kitchen in Holmdel, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Questions go to the Recreation office at 732-389-7607.

ONGOING

Borough Council meets October 28; November meetings fall on a Thursday and a Monday

The Eatontown Borough Council's next meeting is Wednesday, October 28, at 7 p.m. at Borough Hall, 47 Broad Street. The 2026 meeting schedule calls for a 7 p.m. workshop followed by the regular meeting at 7:30 p.m.

The council's October 14 agenda listed Ordinance 18-2026, which would amend certificate-of-occupancy fees, for introduction, with a public hearing set for October 28. Minutes of the October 14 meeting have not been posted.

The two November meetings are off the usual Wednesday pattern: Thursday, November 12, and Monday, November 23, with the November 23 meeting set for 4:15 p.m., according to the borough's published 2026 meeting schedule.

ONGOING

Bids for the first segment of the borough's planned bike network open October 27

Eatontown will open sealed bids for Eatontown Bikeways Phase 1 at 10 a.m. Tuesday, October 27, at Borough Hall, 47 Broad Street, according to the borough's notice to bidders.

The project adds striped bicycle lanes, bicycle symbols and signs on Industrial Way West (1.42 miles), Industrial Way East (0.58 miles), Old Deal Road (0.65 miles), Ash Street (0.16 miles) and Whalepond Road (0.20 miles). The notice describes it as the first constructed segment of the borough's planned five-mile bicycle network. The contract must be awarded, or all bids rejected, within 60 days of receiving bids.

ONGOING

Property taxes are due November 1

Eatontown's fourth-quarter property taxes are due Sunday, November 1. Payments received after the 10-day grace period are charged interest, at 8% on amounts up to $1,500 and 18% above that, according to the borough Tax Office.

The Tax Collector's office is at Borough Hall, 47 Broad Street, and can be reached at 732-720-2576. Bills can also be viewed and paid through the borough's online tax search system.

BACKGROUND

Meadowbrook School auxiliary parking lot has a right-turn-only exit

The auxiliary parking lot next to Meadowbrook School opened to families in September, Superintendent Scott McCue said in a September 21 letter. He credited a partnership between the Board of Education and the borough's mayor and council, and said a few steps remained before the project is finished.

Drivers enter through the existing entrance and leave through a new exit on the opposite side, where only right turns are allowed. Drivers are asked to follow the lines that have been installed and use designated spaces. The lot has two accessible spaces, and traffic is monitored by security camera by school and police officials.

ONGOING

Eatontown schools hold parent-teacher conferences November 2 and 3

Eatontown Public Schools will hold parent-teacher conferences Monday, November 2, and Tuesday, November 3, according to the district.

Families sign up through the Genesis Parent Portal by Thursday, October 29. The district's 2026-27 calendar is posted on its website.

NEW

Parker Road improvement bids open November 5

Eatontown will open bids for Parker Road Improvements, Phases I and II, at 11 a.m. Thursday, November 5, at Borough Hall, 47 Broad Street, according to a notice to bidders the borough posted October 22. That is an hour after the Wampum Lake Dam bids are opened the same day.

The work includes milling, pavement overlay and base repairs, drainage repairs and replacement where needed, new sidewalk, replacement of broken curb and sidewalk, and sinkhole repairs. The notice says the project uses New Jersey Department of Transportation Municipal Aid funding for fiscal 2025 and 2026, must be finished within 90 days of the notice to proceed, and cannot be approved until the state transportation department makes a favorable eligibility determination.

Parks, Housing & Jobs

BACKGROUND

County grant supports next arboretum phase

Monmouth County awarded Eatontown $65,000 for Phase II of the bridge replacement at the F. Bliss Price Arboretum and Wildlife Sanctuary. The money comes from the county's 2026 Municipal Open Space Grant program, which the Board of County Commissioners announced September 29 as $9.15 million in grants to 27 municipalities.

Patch reported September 30 that the borough also received $161,370 from the county in 2025 for the same bridge. The grant is a funding award. It does not show that the bridge has been built or that a construction contract has been awarded.

The council's October 14 agenda also listed a consent resolution authorizing Colliers Engineering to perform engineering services for the arboretum bridge replacement. Minutes of that meeting have not been posted.

ONGOING

Wampum Lake Dam rehabilitation bids open November 5

Eatontown will open bids for the Wampum Lake Dam Rehabilitation at 10 a.m. Thursday, November 5, in the Council Chambers at Borough Hall, according to a notice signed by Borough Administrator William P. Lucia III.

The work includes replacing the timber bulkhead with sheet piling, rebuilding the auxiliary spillway, building two timber fishing piers and a concrete sidewalk, and replacing a sanitary sewer line, to be finished within 270 days of the notice to proceed. The notice says the project is funded in whole or in part through the New Jersey Economic Development Authority and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

ONGOING

Borough technical assistant job closes November 7

Eatontown is taking applications for a full-time technical assistant in its Department of Construction/Building until 11:59 p.m. Saturday, November 7, according to the borough jobs page. The job works Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at an annual salary of $50,000.

The Police Department is also seeking substitute school crossing guards, who fill in as needed on school days, at a starting rate of $15 an hour; that posting is open until filled.

Community, Food & Recreation

ONGOING

Borough directory lists two local pantries and a regional food bank

Eatontown's food-resource directory lists the Eatontown Food Co-op at 15 Meridian Drive, off Industrial Way (732-547-8359), and Saint Dorothea's Pantry at 240 Broad Street (732-542-0148). It also points to Fulfill of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, whose Neptune facility can be reached at 732-918-2600.

The directory does not give distribution hours or eligibility details, so call ahead for the current schedule.

ONGOING

Youth Committee's next meeting is December 2

The Eatontown Youth Committee, open to students in grades 6 through 12, has its next meeting Wednesday, December 2, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Eatontown Community Center, 72 Broad Street. There is no November meeting on the schedule. Membership is free for residents, with registration through Eatontown Recreation.

The remaining 2026-27 meetings are January 6, February 3, March 3, April 7 and May 5, 2027.

ONGOING

Free walk-in flu clinic in Eatontown October 24

Riverview Medical Center is holding a free walk-in flu vaccination clinic tomorrow, Saturday, October 24, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hackensack Meridian Health & Wellness Center at Eatontown, 135 Route 35, according to its sponsored listing on Patch.

Anyone 6 months and older is eligible. Insurance is not required, but bring insurance cards if available; adults should bring a valid ID.

ONGOING

Winter recreation basketball registration closes November 25

Eatontown Recreation's winter basketball league has a November 25 registration deadline. Player evaluations are set for the week of December 1, practices start the week of December 7 and the seven-game season begins the week of January 11, 2027. The resident fee is $95.

Divisions run from a kindergarten and first-grade Bitty group through sixth- to eighth-grade boys and fifth- to eighth-grade girls, with games and practices at Memorial, Woodmere and Meadowbrook schools. Late registrations are handled case by case with a late fee, and the league is seeking volunteer coaches.

ONGOING

Caregiver retreat comes to Eatontown October 24

The Monmouth County Division on Aging, Disabilities & Veterans Services holds its 17th annual Caregiver Retreat tomorrow, Saturday, October 24, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Sheraton Eatontown Hotel, 6 Industrial Way East.

A September 30 Hazlet Township announcement says the retreat offers breakfast, vendors, prize draws and sessions on preventing burnout, mindfulness, healthcare advocacy and powers of attorney for unpaid caregivers. Seats are limited and first come, first served; register at 732-431-7450 or monmouthadvs.com.

ONGOING

Pre-K basketball clinic runs Saturdays starting January 9

Eatontown Recreation is taking registrations for a seven-week basketball clinic for 4- and 5-year-olds, held Saturdays from January 9 through February 20, 2027, from 9 to 9:45 a.m. at the Meadowbrook School gym, 65 Wyckoff Road. The resident fee is $75.

Children must be 4 by the start date and bring their own junior-size (size 4) basketball. Lowered baskets and smaller balls are used. Registration help is available at 732-389-7607.

ONGOING

Community Center offers free weekly fitness classes for adults

Eatontown Recreation runs weekly fitness classes for adults 18 and over in the Room With Stage at the Eatontown Community Center, 72 Broad Street. Most are free: Healthy Bones (Mondays and Wednesdays at 10 a.m., Fridays at 10 and 11:30 a.m.), Cardio Sculpt (Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m.), Chair Yoga (every other Tuesday at 10:45 a.m.) and Tai Chi (Thursdays at 10:30 a.m.).

Cardio, Core and More meets Fridays at 9 a.m. and is free for Eatontown residents and $10 for nonresidents. Zumba meets Tuesdays at 6 p.m. for $10 a session. The boxing classes listed on the page are not running at this time. Registration help is available at 732-389-7607.

Elections

ONGOING

Eatontown mayor and two council seats are on the November 3 ballot

Eatontown voters will choose a mayor and fill two Borough Council seats on Tuesday, November 3. Patch reported October 13 that Democratic Mayor Anthony Talerico is seeking re-election, with Councilwomen Danielle Jones and Candace Faust running for re-election alongside him. The Republican ticket is Councilwoman Maria Escalante for mayor, with former Councilman Kevin Gonzalez and first-time candidate Ali Mehdaoui for council.

In a second profile published October 16, Patch reported that Talerico is seeking a third term. In his statement to Patch, Talerico said his first term as mayor began in 2019, after he served on the Borough Council from 2010 to 2018.

In-person early voting begins tomorrow, Saturday, October 24, and runs through Sunday, November 1, at county-designated sites; Patch reported that none of Monmouth County's early-voting locations is in Eatontown. Voters who want a mail-in ballot sent to them must request it by Tuesday, October 27, and Election Day polls are open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., according to the New Jersey Division of Elections. The voter-registration deadline passed October 13.

AI in Your Community

BACKGROUND

Monmouth Regional handbook sets rules for classroom AI

Monmouth Regional's 2026-27 student handbook allows students to use AI, when teachers permit it, as an aid for brainstorming, clarifying concepts and improving understanding. Students are expected to cite AI-generated content and be open about using it, and teachers must clarify whether AI is barred on an assignment.

The handbook bars sharing confidential or personally identifiable information with AI tools and says AI detection results cannot be the sole basis for an academic-integrity finding. It directs the administration to inform families about AI use in the curriculum. It does not list specific AI products used in classrooms.

Still Developing

The latest confirmed movement, the open question and the next checkpoint.

OPEN

Police plate-reader record does not identify the current vendor

The Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Atlas of Surveillance lists an Eatontown Police automated license-plate-reader program, citing a New Jersey State Police audit released in July 2025. The inventory does not identify a vendor or establish current camera counts, retention or sharing settings. A borough policy, contract or accessible audit is still needed.

First covered October 1, 2026.

Source: EFF Atlas of Surveillance: Eatontown police technology records

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