TOMS RIVER, N.J. — The Ocean County Board of Commissioners is set to vote today on over $16 million in capital improvement ordinances, funding a range of infrastructure projects across the county. The proposed spending plan includes major investments in government buildings, parks, and airport upgrades — but allocates no money toward addressing the visible and growing homelessness crisis centered in Toms River.
Let’s face it. A significant amount of money is being awarded this week, but it does not address the homeless crisis created by the commissioners in downtown Toms River.
They are even putting a new air conditioning system into a hangar at the county airport. Why not shelter the homeless there temporarily? The bigwigs with he private jets can make do for now, surely.
Among the proposed expenditures is $3 million for the construction of a new county administration building on the Ocean County College campus and $2.8 million for upgrades to the existing administration building in downtown Toms River. The two projects alone account for more than one-third of the total proposed capital outlay.
Additional allocations include $2.5 million for Phase I of a living shoreline restoration at Cattus Island County Park, $2 million for site improvements at the Northern Recycling Center in Lakewood, and $800,000 for renovations across multiple branches of the Ocean County Library System.
Key Points
- Ocean County Commissioners to vote today on $16.1 million in capital improvements
- $5.8 million directed to administrative buildings; no funds set aside for homelessness
- Projects include parks, library upgrades, airport work, and trail development
Also on the agenda are several aviation-related projects at the Ocean County Airport in Berkeley Township, including $240,000 for HVAC system design for the terminal and $460,000 for design and permitting of two box hangars. A further $1.8 million is proposed for design and construction of a new trail head at the Hickory Lane section of the Barnegat Branch Trail.
The Commissioners are also considering $500,000 for the design of a Vehicle Services Building on Chestnut Street in Toms River and $2 million to convert the Russell Building at Ocean County College for use by the county’s vocational school programs.
Noticeably absent from the funding ordinances is any allocation toward addressing homelessness in Toms River, where dozens of unhoused residents have been displaced following recent enforcement actions and shelter closures.
The ordinances will be considered for adoption at today’s scheduled public meeting.
