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Eatontown

Your Community, More Completely.
Thursday, November 12, 2026 · Permanent link to this edition
Edition archive
November 13 · Memorial School food drive ends (1 day)November 17 · Historical Committee meets, 7 p.m. (5 days)November 20 · Wampum Lake Dam bids due (8 days)November 23 · Mayor and Council meeting, 4:15 p.m. (11 days)
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Today in Eatontown

The Community Center runs Pokeno and the last Columbus Farmer's Market trip of the year today, Thursday, November 12.
The council's November 10 agenda listed a tree-debris ordinance and a Parker Road bid award; the next meeting is Monday, November 23, at 4:15 p.m.
Students can use YouTube on district devices only from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays, the superintendent said.
Lennar broke ground October 21 on 275 homes at the former Howard Commons site, the Two River Times reported.
Memorial School's Thanksgiving food drive collects donations through tomorrow, Friday, November 13.
Wampum Lake Dam bids are due Friday, November 20, at 10 a.m.
The Christmas Tree Lighting is Friday, December 4, at 6:30 p.m. at Borough Hall.

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 lists November closures, trips and programs

The Eatontown Community Center was closed Wednesday, November 11, for Veterans Day. It closes again Wednesday, November 25, through Monday, November 30, for Thanksgiving and reopens Tuesday, December 1, according to Eatontown Recreation's adult-programs page.

Pokeno meets every Thursday, including today, November 12.

Remaining November trips are the Columbus Farmer's Market today, Thursday, November 12, which the page calls the last trip to Columbus for the year; bingo at the VFW in Port Monmouth on Monday, November 16; Delicious Orchard and lunch at Huddy's on Tuesday, November 17; and brunch at Amy's Omelette House in Long Branch on Tuesday, November 24.

The November 19 birthday lunch and November 23 wreath craft are full. Anyone who wants a waiting list spot can call the office; the page lists Sarah at 732-389-7666.

ONGOING

Council's November 10 agenda listed a tree-debris ordinance and a Parker Road bid award; next meeting November 23

The Mayor and Council's regular meeting was rescheduled to Tuesday, November 10, at 7 p.m. from the advertised Thursday, November 12, under a 48-hour notice from Borough Clerk Trina Lindsey. The notice canceled the workshop session and set the meeting at Borough Hall, 47 Broad Street.

The November 10 agenda listed Ordinance 18-2026 for introduction, with a public hearing on December 2. It would require commercial contractors who trim or remove trees to haul away the debris, and would bar Public Works from collecting it. The consent agenda listed a resolution awarding the bid for Parker Road Improvements Phases I and II, a county Community Development Block Grant agreement and support for a state Safe Routes to School application.

An agenda shows what was scheduled for consideration, not what the council decided. Minutes of the November 10 meeting are not posted on the borough's agendas page, and the October 28 minutes are still listed as pending. The council's next meeting is Monday, November 23, at 4:15 p.m.

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, the superintendent said in a September 21 letter. The letter credits the partnership between the Board of Education and the Eatontown Borough Mayor and Council, and says a few more steps remain 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 have a one-session day November 25 and close November 26 and 27 for Thanksgiving

Wednesday, November 25, is a one-session day for students and staff in Eatontown Public Schools, according to the district's 2026-27 calendar. Schools are closed Thursday, November 26, and Friday, November 27, for Thanksgiving recess.

Schools were closed Wednesday, November 11, for Veterans Day.

BACKGROUND

Eatontown schools post 2026 state test results presentation

Eatontown Public Schools has posted the 2026 state assessment presentation given at the Board of Education's Monday, October 26, meeting, the district said in an October 27 letter. It covers New Jersey Student Learning Assessment results, and the letter says results from the NJ DLM test and the ACCESS for ELLs test were presented as well.

Families with questions are asked to contact their child's school principal.

ONGOING

Eatontown district devices allow YouTube only on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Students can use YouTube on Eatontown Public Schools devices Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Superintendent Scott T. McCue said in a November 4 letter. Outside those hours, the district's web filter blocks YouTube on district-issued devices.

YouTube videos that staff post to Google Classroom and videos built into educational software remain available. The letter says the change follows feedback from school leaders and the school community.

Parks, Housing & Jobs

BACKGROUND

Monmouth County awards Eatontown $65,000 for arboretum bridge replacement

Monmouth County's 2026 Municipal Open Space Grant awards, announced September 29, include $65,000 for Eatontown for Phase II of the bridge replacement at the F. Bliss Price Arboretum and Wildlife Sanctuary. The county awarded grants totaling $9.15 million to 27 municipalities.

The grant is an early funding step, not a construction contract.

ONGOING

Wampum Lake Dam bid opening moves to November 20

Eatontown will open bids for the Wampum Lake Dam Rehabilitation at 10 a.m. Friday, November 20, in the Council Chambers at Borough Hall, 47 Broad Street, according to a revised notice to bidders on the borough's bids page. The notice lists Addendum No. 1, issued October 30, and Addendum No. 2, issued November 4.

An earlier revised notice had set the opening for November 13, and the first notice for November 5. The bids page lists the November 13 and November 20 notices side by side; the November 20 notice is the one that carries Addendum No. 2.

The notice gives contractors 360 calendar days from the notice to proceed. 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. 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

Lennar breaks ground on 275 homes at former Howard Commons site

Lennar and borough officials broke ground October 21 on The Premiere at Monmouth, a 275-unit development at the former Howard Commons site in the Eatontown section of Fort Monmouth, the Two River Times reported. Sales are expected to begin in late fall.

The plan includes 188 market-rate townhomes, 32 single-family homes and 55 affordable housing units, plus up to 40,000 square feet of commercial space on Hope Road. The nearly 60-acre parcel along Pinebrook and Hope roads once held housing for officers and senior noncommissioned officers and has been vacant since the base closed in 2011. Lennar closed on its purchase of the site from the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority in 2025.

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.

Call ahead for current distribution hours and eligibility.

ONGOING

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 the Eatontown Public Schools website. The drive began October 19.

Donations go in collection boxes in classrooms.

ONGOING

Eatontown Youth Committee meets monthly for students in grades 6 to 12

The Eatontown Youth Committee, open to students in grades 6 through 12, meets on the first Wednesday of the month from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Eatontown Community Center, 72 Broad Street. The fee is $0 for residents.

The program page lists no November meeting. The next listed meeting is Wednesday, December 2, followed by January 6, February 3, March 3, April 7 and May 5, 2027. Eatontown Recreation can be reached at 732-389-7607.

ONGOING

Winter recreation basketball registration closes November 25

Eatontown Recreation's winter basketball league has a November 25 registration deadline. Player evaluations are scheduled for the week of December 1, practices begin the week of December 7 and games begin the week of January 11, 2027. The resident fee is $95.

Divisions run from a kindergarten and first-grade Bitty group through boys and girls divisions up to eighth grade. Late registrations are handled case by case with a late fee, and the page says volunteer coaches are needed.

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, with no exceptions, according to the page. 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.

ONGOING

Eatontown Christmas Tree Lighting set for Friday, December 4

Eatontown's annual Christmas Tree Lighting is Friday, December 4, at 6:30 p.m. at Borough Hall, 47 Broad Street, according to Eatontown Recreation.

The program lists photos with Santa, winter activities, doughnuts and hot chocolate, and s'mores at fire pits. Registration is through Eatontown Recreation, which can be reached at 732-389-7607.

ONGOING

Historical Committee meets November 17; museum next opens December 6

The Eatontown Historical Committee meets at 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month at the Eatontown Museum, 75 Broad Street, which puts the next meeting on Tuesday, November 17. Meetings are open to the public, and the committee can be reached at 732-542-4026.

The museum, a house the borough bought in 1978 whose original section is believed to date to the mid-18th century, opens to the public on the first Sunday of each month from 1 to 4 p.m. The next open day is Sunday, December 6.

Elections

ONGOING

Talerico leads unofficial results in Eatontown mayor's race; Faust and Jones lead for council

Democratic Mayor Anthony Talerico Jr. led Republican Councilwoman Maria Grazia Escalante in Eatontown's November 3 mayoral race, 2,913 votes (67.03%) to 1,428 (32.86%), the Two River Times reported. The newspaper cited unofficial results on the Monmouth County Clerk's website as of press time Wednesday, November 4.

For the two full-term Borough Council seats, Democrats Candace M. Faust (2,736 votes) and Danielle M. Jones (2,659) led Republicans Kevin Gonzalez (1,623) and Ali Mehdaoui (1,516), according to the same report.

Mailed ballots had to be postmarked by Election Day and received by the Board of Elections within 144 hours (six days) after the polls closed, according to the Monmouth County Clerk. That deadline was Monday, November 9. The results above are the unofficial totals reported November 4.

AI in Your Community

BACKGROUND

Monmouth Regional handbook sets rules for classroom AI

Monmouth Regional's 2026-27 student handbook describes AI as a supplemental aid for brainstorming, clarifying concepts and improving understanding, and says any AI-generated content should be properly cited.

The policy also covers sharing confidential or personally identifiable information with AI technology. It permits AI detection tools as an aid to identify potential academic integrity issues but prohibits relying on them as the sole determination of academic integrity, and it directs the Chief School Administrator or designee to ensure parents and guardians are informed of AI use within the curriculum.

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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