This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Politics & Government

A New Boathouse and Access Point for Rumson Crew Team in the Works

Borough unveils hopes for access to the Shrewsbury River and a new boathouse in Victory Park at the Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School Board of Education meeting on June 21.

The plans to unveil a new boathouse in Victory Park and an opportunity to access the Shrewsbury River were presented by both the Rumson and Fair Haven recreation committees and mayors at the Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) Board of Education Meeting last night in the high school library.

The Rumson Crew team, which is sponsored by Rumson Recreation department with shared-services and support from the Fair Haven Recreation Department. This new recreational crew team had a successful season and is now looking at the opportunity to grow and advance.

John Lembeck, Chair of the Rumson Recreation Committee, spoke about the recent crew-related advancements that are projected to occur within the next few months.

Find out what's happening in Rumson-Fair Havenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Currently the crew team docks off at the pier in Victory Park, which causes some concern in terms of weather-related threats, he said

The Navesink runs West to East which puts the teams at disadvantage when there is a strong West or East wind but with access to the Shrewsbury River the teams will have an alternative location when the conditions are less than ideal for the Navesink, Lembeck said.

Find out what's happening in Rumson-Fair Havenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“The Shrewsbury River runs from North to South, and in sailing terms I know the wind can’t blow North and East at the same time,” he said. Adding a new access point on the Shrewsbury will offer another option for the rowers if they face any problems due to wind and tides.

Rumson Mayor John Ekdahl said he is proud of the advancements the team has seen recently. In the first year, the crew team didn’t even have a property; now the town is looking to expand the program even larger by adding a new boathouse and adding access to the Shrewsbury.

The projected site for the new row house is still under consideration from the Department of Environmental Protection. There is currently an old home located at the desired site of the boathouse at Victory Park. “Demolishing the old house, we loose its [ecological] footprint [and construction would increase its environmental impact],” Ekdahl said.

The boroughs filed with the Department of Environmental Protection sixty days ago and are expected to have a reply within the next two weeks. 

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?