The BRICK Times Vol. 24 - No. 10
MICROMEDIA PUBLICATIONS
JERSEYSHOREONLINE.COM
Hankins Island Mansion Demolished
In This Week’s Edition
BREAKING NEWS @
jerseyshoreonline.com
Government Page 7
Community News Page 9-12
Dr. Izzy’s Sound News Page 14
Inside The Law Page 13
Photo by Judy Smestad-Nunn The house on Hankins Island was demolished recently. By Judy Smestad-Nunn BRICK - The “House on the Island” is no more. A once-grand home on Middle Sedge Island, located between the Mantoloking Bridge and the bridge to Seaside, was demolished in June, and the only remaini ng evidence that there’d
ever been a structure there is the capped gas, sewer and electric lines. Also k now n as H a n k i n s I sla nd by locals - named after Charles Hankins, who built the first house there in the 1960s - the 14.46 -acre body of land sits off Chadwick Beach Island in Toms River. He purchased
Middle Sedge Island and the most westerly residential lot on the mai n la nd where he could park his car. Hankins was a boat builder from Lavallette who built all the lifeguard boats along the Jersey Shore. Two of his boats are on permanent display at the Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut.
He and his wife Anna Ohlau Hankins spent weekends on the isolated island. T hose who r e me mb e r t he childless couple said they had dug a well and used the engine of a Volkswagen Beetle as a generator. Eventually, Hankins sold the property and the new owners had the two-story colonial moved dow nbay by barge. A new complex and elaborate nearly 5,000-square foot home was built there in 1991 by Dell Construction. The new home included a built-in pool and a helicopter landing pad. Utilities were run out 3,000 feet to the island f rom the e n d of S t r i c k l a n d St reet in Chadwick Beach. According to public records, Anthony and (Hankins Island See Page 4)
July 13, 2024
Farrell Named OC Superintendent Of The Year
Photo courtesy Brick Schools Thomas G. Farrell, Brick Schools Superintendent. By Alyssa Riccardi BR ICK – Br ick Tow n sh ip Super i ntendent T homas G. Fa r r el l h a s b e e n named Ocean County Superintendent of the Year, the Ocean County Association of School Administrators (OCASA) announced. Farrell joined Brick Schools in March of 2020, diving head fi rst into heavy challenges such as leading the district through the
COVID-19 pandemic and the negative effects of the S-2 state funding cuts. Farrell is currently in his fifth year as Superintendent of Brick Schools and twelfth year as a superintendent in New Jersey. He is also the Vice P r e side nt & P r e sident-Elect of the OCASA. “Over the past five years, Dr. Farrell has (Farrell - See Page 5)
County Allocates $12.5M To Address Homelessness By Stephanie Faughnan TOMS RIVER - Ocean County has faced longstanding criticism for the absence of a homeless shelter. Recent contract awards indicate the county’s approach to tackling homelessness will be to fund external entities rather than running a shelter itself. “The funds we have allocated support our strategy to entrust the development of transitional housing for the homeless to
nonprofits equipped to provide these services,” said Commissioner Director Barbara “Bobbi” Jo Crea. “These initiatives, combined with establishing our Homelessness Task Force and the Homelessness Trust Fund, represent Ocean County’s commitment to preventing homelessness and implementing effective solutions.” This article is the first in a series examining how the Ocean County Board of Commissioners is uti-
lizing $12.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to prevent homelessness and assist the unhoused. The funds were awarded at a recent Commissioners’ meeting following a competitive bidding process. Dr. Tracy Maksel, Director of Human Services, said that the focus was on four goals in coming up with ARPA projects to address homelessness within the county. “One was to build capacity to
cover that gap that was identified and then to target individuals that would be otherwise ineligible for the existing public service delivery system,” said Maksel. “Third was definitely to incorporate partners that had the infrastructure and the foresight to be innovative with these projects. And then the fourth was reducing stigma and incorrect assumptions around homelessness.” Maksel credited Rose Bulbach of
her office in managing contracts that have to do with housing, homelessness, food insecurity, and overall human service programs that are not aligned with other units like behavioral health, workforce development, and children. The $12.5 million fund was awarded for two distinct projects. The first involves a $5 million (Homeless Funding See Page 5)
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