1. Fort Monmouth gates locked

A large crowd gathered around the flagpole at Cowan Park at Fort Monmouth on Sept. 15 to watch as the American flag was lowered for the final time before the fort’s gates were officially locked. The retreat ceremony marked the end of a daily tradition that had occurred at Fort Monmouth for the past 94 years. The flag was to be displayed at the base’s new location at the Aberdeen (Md.) Proving Grounds (Sept. 22, 15, July 28, June 30, 23, May 19). With the federal government’s approval of the fort redevelopment plan, the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority began seeking buyers for parcels of fort property, beginning with the Charles Woods area in Tinton Falls (Dec. 1, 15, Sept. 29, June 23).

2. Monmouth Park will have 2012 season

While the state prepares to seek new bids for a private operator for Monmouth Park, the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority will continue to operate the Oceanport racetrack in 2012. The bid process is being restarted after an agreement with businessman Morris Bailey for a five-year lease to operate the track fell apart in December when the state and the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association couldn’t find a middle ground on various issues (Dec. 29, 22, 15, 8, Nov. 3, July 7, May 19, 12, April 21, March 10, Feb. 10).

3. Mother Nature shows who’s boss

Mother Nature asserted herself throughout 2011, sending a blizzard, a hurricane and a rare East Coast earthquake. The effects of the Dec. 26, 2010, blizzard were felt well into 2011 as towns struggled to dig out and clean up after the snowfall that blanketed the area with up to 3 feet of snow and sent municipal budgets into red ink due to cleanup costs. Gov. Chris Christie declared a state of emergency while towns turned to social media to keep residents informed of the storm’s track and cleanup efforts. Next up was a 5.9 magnitude earthquake felt from its epicenter in Virginia throughout the Northeast as far as Maine. The trembler was followed by Hurricane Irene in late August, which, while downgraded to a tropical storm, sent 1 million New Jerseyans to shelters. Collateral damage included extensive power outages, widespread flooding, washouts and road collapses. (Sept. 29, 22, 15, 8, 1, Aug. 25, 11, July 28, March 24, Feb. 18, Jan. 20, 13, 6).

4. Murdered tot’s father charged

Arthur Morgan III was arraigned in state Superior Court in Freehold on Dec. 5, where he was charged with first-degree murder in the death of his daughter Tierra Morgan Glover. The 2-year-old had been missing since Nov. 21, when her father failed to return her to her mother pursuant to a court-approved visitation agreement. A group of teenagers discovered the body of a young child strapped in a car seat and partially submerged in a stream in the Wall section of Shark River Park. The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office charged Morgan, whose last known address was Eatontown, with Tierra’s murder on Nov. 23. Morgan fled to San Diego, Calif., where members of the U.S. Marshal’s Service arrested him Nov. 29. Morgan agreed to waive extradition and was returned to New Jersey (Dec. 1, 8).

5. Takanassee buildings deteriorate

The landmark Takanassee Lifesaving Station buildings on Ocean Avenue in Elberon have deteriorated so badly they would not survive relocation, a member of the city’s historic preservation community charged, as plans to move two of the buildings remained stalled. The three buildings, which date to the turn of the 20th century, are located at the former Takanassee Beach Club site, which was the original site of the historical U.S. Lifesaving Station. Takanassee Developers owns the property and received the approval of the state Department of Environmental Protection in 2008 to construct a luxury condominium project on the oceanfront site. A condition of the approval was that the buildings be preserved but discussions with takers for two of the buildings went nowhere and a fire plus the elements have taken their toll on the three structures (Nov. 3).

6. Long Branch Board of Ed. defends Ferraina

The Long Branch School District Board of Education defended former Superintendent of Schools Joseph M. Ferraina, who was named, along with the board, in a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a former district employee in May.

The six-count complaint claimed that former secretary Adele Russo sought medical treatment as a result of “the psychological and emotional damage” caused by sexual assaults by her former boss. The alleged assaults led to “chronic mental illness, including major depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder,” before she ultimately suffered a nervous breakdown, the complaint states. The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office was investigating. Ferraina retired on April 1 (May 19).

7. Foreclosures cloud future of redevelopment

Financial problems made the future of two of Long Branch’s six redevelopment zones uncertain. The owners of the Ocean Place Resort & Spa in Long Branch appeared in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Trenton on March 9 after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February. Judge Michael Kaplan gave Ocean Place Development LLC time to develop a plan for reorganization. The hotel is the centerpiece of the city’s oceanfront Hotel Campus Redevelopment Zone. Earlier in the year, a foreclosure proceeding was brought against the Broadway Arts Center (BAC) zone on lower Broadway. A notice of foreclosure was filed in state Superior Court on Jan. 6 by TICIC Inc., which holds the first mortgage on the Broadway Arts Center (Jan. 27, March 17, 3, April 14).

8. State ends UEZ program

The state cut off funding for Urban Enterprise Zone programs, including the UEZ in Long Branch, as of June 30. In 2010 the individual accounts that the 32 UEZ zones had set up were eliminated, and a $46 million cap was imposed on how much money the state would disburse to the zones during the year. The city’s UEZ had been singled out by Gov. Chris Christie who vetoed $45,000 of the city’s funding proposal. The UEZ program allows businesses that certify in the designated zones to charge a reduced sales tax rate, 3.5 percent rather than the statewide 7 percent. Long Branch UEZ Director Jacob Jones said the city would use remaining funds — $250,000 for administrative costs and approximately $1.5 million earmarked for projects — to keep the program running as long as possible (Oct. 27, April 21, 7, March 10).

9. GOP savors election victory

Despite a redistricting process weighted in favor of Democrats, Monmouth County Republicans had plenty of reason to celebrate as they swept the Nov. 8 elections for the Board of Chosen Freeholders and the state legislative delegations. GOP candidates bumped the lone Democrat freeholder and held on to Senate and Assembly seats. Sen. Jennifer Beck, formerly representing the 12th District, took home nearly 57 percent of the votes in the 11th District, which is now the state’s first all-female legislative district represented by Assembly members Mary PatAngelini and Caroline Casagrande serving along with Beck. Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon, also formerly representing the 12th District, was elected to a seat in the 13th District, where he joins Assemblywoman Amy Handlin and state Sen. Joseph Kyrillos (Nov. 17, April 14).

10. DEP rewrites beach access rules

An outcry from environmental groups and other stakeholders led to a revised set of beach access rules issued by the state Department of Environmental Protection that would give the state greater oversight over the way municipalities provide access to the waterfront. The revised draft regulations circulated by the DEP to environmental groups provide for greater public input, a priority for public access advocates. Under the proposed regulations, the DEP would oversee municipal public access plans and have the ability to revise or revoke plans (Nov. 10, March 17).