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Eatontown

Your Community, More Completely.
Wednesday, October 28, 2026 · Permanent link to this edition
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October 30 · Community Center bingo; school one-session day (2 days)November 1 · Early voting ends; property taxes due; museum open (4 days)November 3 · Election Day (6 days)November 5 · Wampum Lake Dam and Parker Road bids open (8 days)
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Today in Eatontown

The Borough Council meets tonight, Wednesday, October 28, with a 7 p.m. workshop that includes Student Government Day and a 7:30 p.m. regular meeting.
Early in-person voting runs through Sunday, November 1, at 10 Monmouth County sites, none in Eatontown; Election Day is Tuesday, November 3.
Fourth-quarter property taxes are due Sunday, November 1.
The Eatontown Historical Museum, 75 Broad Street, is open Sunday, November 1, from 1 to 4 p.m.
Parent-teacher conferences are Monday, November 2, and Tuesday, November 3, both one-session days for students.
Memorial School's Thanksgiving food drive collects nonperishable food through Friday, November 13.

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 bingo returns Friday, October 30; Holmdel trip is Thursday

Bingo returns to the Eatontown Community Center on Friday, October 30, from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., the last date on Eatontown Recreation's October bingo schedule. There was no bingo October 23, when the center was closed.

The next adult-program trip is Thursday, October 29, to Hobby Lobby and Over Easy Kitchen in Holmdel, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Space is limited and participants pay for their own meals. Advance sign-up is required for all adult programs; questions go to the Recreation office at 732-389-7607.

ONGOING

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

The Eatontown Borough Council meets tonight, Wednesday, October 28, at Borough Hall, 47 Broad Street, with a 7 p.m. workshop followed by the regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. The workshop agenda includes a proclamation for 2026 Eatontown Student Government Day, with students seated as youth council members, and a best-practices inventory discussion led by Borough Administrator William P. Lucia III.

Resolutions listed for consideration include a $57,400 proposal from Brothers Eosso Paving/America Sports Construction to replace the basketball court at Maxwell Park, a shared-services agreement to keep using the Tinton Falls municipal court from January 1, 2027, through December 31, 2031, support for Amendment No. 23 to the Fort Monmouth Reuse and Redevelopment Plan, and designation of Sligo Bay, LLC as redeveloper of 29 Main Street for a financial services business. None has been voted on yet.

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. Tonight's agenda does not list that hearing. Minutes of the October 14 meeting have not been posted; their approval is on tonight's agenda.

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

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 holds parent-teacher conferences in the afternoons of Monday, November 2, and Tuesday, November 3, according to the district's 2026-27 calendar. Both are one-session days for students.

Friday, October 30, is also a one-session day for students, with an afternoon in-service for staff. Wednesday, November 4, is a one-session day, and schools are closed Thursday, November 5, and Friday, November 6, for the NJEA Convention.

ONGOING

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.

ONGOING

Borough takes proposals for 2027 professional appointments until November 10

Eatontown is accepting proposals for its 2027 professional appointments until 10 a.m. Tuesday, November 10, at Borough Hall, 47 Broad Street, according to a request for proposals signed by Borough Clerk Trina Lindsey.

The 26 positions include borough attorney, borough engineer, auditor, bond attorney, prosecutor, public defender, planner, grant writer and affordable housing agent, along with attorneys, engineers and planners for the Planning Board and Zoning Board, which those boards appoint themselves.

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.

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.

NEW

Eatontown Historical Museum opens Sunday, November 1

The Eatontown Historical Museum, 75 Broad Street, is open to the public on the first Sunday of each month from 1 to 4 p.m., according to the borough's Historical Committee page. The next first Sunday is November 1.

The borough bought the house in 1978. Its original one-room structure is believed to date to the mid-18th century, and visitors can tour a dining room, parlor, kitchen and bedroom furnished with artifacts donated by Eatontown residents. The Historical Committee meets at the museum at 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month and can be reached at 732-542-4026.

NEW

Memorial School Thanksgiving food drive runs through November 13

Memorial School's CSA is collecting nonperishable food and canned goods for families in need through Friday, November 13, according to an October 22 post on the Eatontown Public Schools website. The drive began October 19.

Donations go in collection boxes in classrooms.

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

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

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 basketball. Shorter 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 full-term Borough Council seats on Tuesday, November 3. The Monmouth County Clerk's official candidate list shows Democratic Mayor Anthony Talerico Jr. facing Republican Councilwoman Maria Grazia Escalante for mayor.

For council, the Democratic candidates are Councilwomen Danielle M. Jones and Candace M. Faust, and the Republican candidates are Kevin Gonzalez and Ali Mehdaoui, according to the county list. The borough's website lists Talerico as mayor and Jones, Faust and Escalante among the current council members.

In-person early voting runs through Sunday, November 1; Monmouth County says the 10 sites are open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, and residents of any Monmouth County town may use any site. None of the locations on the county Board of Elections' early-voting list is in Eatontown; listed sites include the Long Branch Senior Center, 85 Second Avenue.

The deadline for mail-in ballot applications sent by mail passed Tuesday, October 27, seven days before the election; hand-delivered applications are accepted until 3 p.m. Monday, November 2, according to the county's vote-by-mail page. Mailed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day. 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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