Painting the beachfront
Volunteers spruce up beach badge stations, recycle bins, lifeguard lockers and volleyball posts
Volunteers answered the call this weekend to come out and help enhance the look of the boardwalk.
Twenty-seven people on Saturday and twelve on Sunday showed up to paint various elements of the boardwalk in a new color scheme meant to evoke the architectural history of the waterfront, according to event organizer Jana Manning, an Asbury Park resident and interior designer.
Manning, who is a trustee of the Asbury-based Shore Institute of Contemporary Arts (SICA), said that she, SICA executive director Doug Ferrari and John Vigg of the Arts Coalition of Asbury Park, joined with boardwalk restaurant owners Richard and Marilyn Schlossbach and Watermark Lounge owner Russell Lewis to develop the color scheme. A representative of boardwalk redeveloper Madison Marquette also participated.
The group chose paint colors meant to evoke the Paramount Theater and the natural scene of the beach, Manning said. The colors were presented to city manager Terry Reidy who approved the project after briefing the city council.
“The objective was to make a better connection between the boardwalk and the important architectural buildings that are so special to Asbury Park and the beachfront,” Manning said. “It’s to make a unique beachfront environment that represents the spirit of the history of Asbury Park.”
Volunteers painted beach badge booths, lifeguard lockers, volleyball net posts and recycle bins, Manning said. Almost all the work was completed this weekend, and a few volunteers are returning on Monday to finish the job, she said.
The city provided the paint and tools to the volunteers, while later this month the city’s Youth Corps will be painting the lifeguard stands and city employees will paint the trash cans to complete the new color scheme project.
Manning said that city beach manager Joseph Bongiovanni and Garrett Giberson of the department of public works were on hand all weekend “providing invaluable logistical support and building access to make sure everything went smoothly.”
(Pictured at top are volunteers Alana Edery and Tito Ruiz painting a beach volleyball net post.)
