MIDDLETOWN, NJ — On Tuesday night, the Middletown school board passed a $181-million budget for next year's school year — but not without some controversy, and two board members voting against it.

The two board members who did not vote to approve the budget were Harmony Heffernan and Joe Fitzgerald.

"I'm on the finance committee, so I was being updated on the budget as it went along and I was happy with it until I wasn't," said Heffernan Wednesday. "I just feel like Middletown is a little top heavy with administration and I want my vote to reflect what I think."

The 2023-'24 budget will come with a two-percent property tax increase for all Middletown homeowners, which will bring in an additional $3 million for the school district. You can see an entire breakdown of the 2023-'24 budget here, provided by Middletown school district business administrator Amy Doherty. It is the job of a business administrator to prepare the budget.

School budgets are usually a big deal in New Jersey, especially in large, wealthy suburban districts such as Middletown. That's because schools have hundreds of millions of dollars to work with, largely funded by local taxpayers.

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

Included in that budget is the hiring of three new "academic interventionists" — a controversial decision met with pushback from some parents.

Two Middletown fathers stood up and directly questioned the district for creating these three new positions.

"Why are we giving more supervisor positions? We can't give kids transportation, but we can give new jobs?" said Middletown father Alan Burns. (He is referring to the hot-button issue of whether or not the district will continue to provide a school bus for Port Monmouth kids. More on that below.)

As to why he voted no, Fitzgerald touched on the Port Monmouth busing situation, too:

"As a member of this district's Board, I cannot in good conscience approve a two percent budget raise for our hardworking taxpayers when we are still struggling to meet the core functions of our district, such as busing," said Fitzgerald. "While I believe that our administration has done an excellent job in putting this budget together, we must face some tough decisions in the coming years, such as redistricting some schools to alleviate the strain on resources and busing."

"Although I initially agreed to the tentative budget, I had hoped that these issues would have been addressed," he added. "We must prioritize the needs of our students and ensure that they have access to safe and reliable transportation to and from school."

Similar to Heffernan, Board member Joan Minnuies also criticized the district for having too many of what she called "supervisors."

"As I said in the last meeting, I am not supporting needing more supervisors. I don't think we need two more supervisors. I want my comments on the record," she said Tuesday night.

Minnuies voted to approve the budget, but her comments are an echo of what she said last month, when she said Middletown schools need to cut administrative positions — not create new ones.

"Our teachers need more hands-on help in the classroom. I don't think they need more people to supervise them," Minnuies said at the March meeting.

School board vice president Jacqueline Tobacco, who voted to approve the budget, stressed that these three new hires are not administration positions; they are "interventionist positions for students who are struggling" and will work directly with students.

Two interventionists will be at the high school level; the third will be at the elementary level.

The district will use $217,769 in rollover Supplemental Stabilization Aid it received last year to pay for the three new positions.

"The district is not adding new administrator positions," superintendent Mary Ellen Walker told Patch Wednesday, the day after the meeting. "We are using the (Supplemental Stabilization Aid) funds for three interventionists, which are teachers who work directly with students in one-on-one or small group settings. They provide personalized instruction to students who need additional support."

Board president Frank Capone, who also voted to approve the budget, then released these fighting words against his fellow board members:

"We are very proud to present a budget that invests in our students as they continue to deal with the learning loss due to COVID-19 closures as well as mental health support for children most in need, and state-of-the-art recreational facilities. This is all being done while ensuring we put forth a fiscally responsible budget. Every member is entitled to an equal vote, but it’s unfortunate to see some members who did not take part in any budget conversations cast doubt on a plan they never read."

The Port Monmouth busing issue

The Middletown school district intends to keep providing a bus for the children who live in Port Monmouth. The district was only supposed to provide the bus for three years after it closed Port Monmouth Elementary.

Tobacco said the Port Monmouth bus will be on the voting agenda at the next BOE meeting on May 15; both Capone and Tobacco said they want to keep the Port Monmouth bus route for next year.

"The Port Monmouth bus route has been reinstated and will be on next month's agenda for the '23/'24 school year, along with the rest of the routes for the district," said Capone.

The next Middletown school board meeting is May 15 (the rehire meeting), followed by a meeting May 23 (workshop/voting meeting). Patch will report on both meetings.

You can watch the April 25 Middletown school board meeting here:

OCEANPORT, NJ — Baseline Social, the new upscale sports bar/restaurant with virtual golf on the grounds of Fort Monmouth, will open this Thursday, Sept. 28.

Baseline Social is located inside what's called The Commissary at Baseline, which used to be the old grocery store when Fort Monmouth was an active U.S. Army base.

The Commissary is located at 675 Oceanport Way in Oceanport.

Baseline Social is located right next to Birdsmouth Beer, the first-ever craft brewery on Fort Monmouth that opened last October.

Baseline Social will have five virtual golf bays with full-swing technology; the golf bays start at $70 per hour, according to the Asbury Park Press. You can also play football, bocce and something called Zombie dodge ball.

Find out what's happening in Little Silver-Oceanportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Baseline Social also sells virtual golf memberships ranging from $100-$275 a month; check their website.

One of Baseline Social's owners is a Middletown man

Baseline Social is owned by BarCo Brands, the same company that owns Deal Lake Bar + Co in Loch Harbor. Last winter, BarCo Brands took over ownership of Langosta Lounge and Asbury Park Yacht Club, two very well-known bar/restaurants on the Asbury Park boardwalk that used to be owned by Marilyn Schlossbach.

BarCo Brands also took over ownership of Salt Water Market and Pop's Garage.

BarCo Brands is a partnership between Middletown resident Tim McMahon, Andrea Pappas, Greg Bartz and Phil Villapiano.

They say they plan to take Baseline Social’s model nationally.

BarCo Brands are "taking over the world one restaurant and bar at a time," McMahon told the Asbury Park Press this week. “There isn’t a major city or suburb that Baseline Social wouldn’t work in. This is our prototype, and we’ve spared no expense.”

Fort Monmouth redevelopment boom: Grocery Store, Gas Station, More Townhomes Proposed For Ft. Monmouth

BELFORD, NJ — Middletown is a town that like its beer.

But nothing could prepare John Cocozza when he saw people lining up at 9 a.m. this morning for the opening of his business, Ross Brewing, in Port Monmouth.

"I said, 'We don't even open until noon!'" said Cocozza Friday afternoon, grand opening day, and seeming like he'd imbibed more coffee than beer. "People have been coming by all week asking if we are open. First of all, I'm so grateful to the Middletown community because, as a business owner, you work and you work and you work to open a business and sometimes you don't know if people will come. So to see this many people is amazing. Thank you to Middletown."

So far, the top two questions he's been asked are: "Can I bring kids? Can I bring dogs? Yes and yes!"

The line of cars went past The Dunes condo Friday afternoon, as hundreds of Middletown residents lined up to check out the new brewery.

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

"It's just nice to have a new place nearby, a nice place to sit outside and have a beer," said Craig Sanford, 48, a Port Monmouth resident who lives close enough to walk. "It's nice to have any new business in Port Monmouth and Middletown."

Blame the lines on the 90-degree day. Or well, it is beer. Or maybe it's just Middletown's eagerness — and happiness — to see someone putting money into its Belford section, a part of town that was devastated by Superstorm Sandy.

No matter the reason, Ross Brewing is the place to be Friday night and all weekend long in Middletown. They have two food trucks outside — tacos and lobster rolls — and will have live music on the dock from 7-10 p.m. Friday, 1-3 Saturday and 2-5 p.m. Sunday. They open tomorrow at 12 noon and same time Sunday. Due to New Jersey's strict brewery laws, they are not allowed to serve food. You can bring food with you, order and have anything delivered or use UberEats or DoorDash. Ross Brewing has many local menus on hand.

Of course there's the existing Belford Brewing right around the corner on Leonardville Road, which first opened in 2014. It was Belford Brewing that first brought the craft beer industry to Middletown.

But Cocozza said Mike and Kevin Enny, the brothers who own Belford Brewing, welcomed him and a new brewery to the area. The two breweries have even shared hops when one runs out.

Cocozza bought the building from Shoal Harbor Lobster Co. in 2020 and spent the past two years gut renovating it — which including removing three large pools for the lobsters. He donated them to the seafood co-op.

The brewery will have 15 different beers on tap — Cocozza got his start brewing beer out of his garage in Little Silver — and has outdoor seating in the front and a lovely waterfront area in the back. There are future plans to open a tasting room and an event space overlooking Belford Seafood Co-op, but beyond that Raritan Bay.

He said a Middletown-based florist, Full Sun Floral, already contacted him about taking promotional photos at his waterside dock.

"She said you're definitely going to have engagement parties here and maybe even weddings," he said. "When the sun starts to set and it's all pink and orange over Raritan Bay, you just have no idea how beautiful it is."

The brewery is called Ross Brewing Co. and they are located at 909 Main St. in Port Monmouth.

New Middletown bars popping up all over: Yet Another New Bar Opens In Middletown Area; This One On Sandy Hook

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — After more than four years in the making, the area's newest brewery will open this Friday in the Port Monmouth/Belford section of Middletown.

The brewery is called Ross Brewing Co. and they are located at 909 Main St. in Port Monmouth

Patch first wrote about them two years ago, when construction first started at the waterfront brewery located right next to the Belford Seafood Co-op.

Ross Brewing is New Jersey's first and only waterfront brewery — you can pull your boat up to the dock, says owner John Ross Cocozza. They have an outdoor beer garden overlooking the water and views of the NYC skyline.

"We really feel like we've discovered an undiscovered gem in Belford," said Cocozza. "We want the rest of the world to see what an amazing waterfront area this is."

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

Their grand opening will be 1 p.m. this Friday, April 14 and they will have a celebration party all weekend long through Sunday. Come by for live music, 12 beers on tap plus two new ones being unveiled Friday and celebrity bartenders pouring suds — "These will be local celebrity bartenders from movies filmed in this area," said Cocozza. "I can't say who exactly, but the movie 'Clerks' was filmed right now the road in Leonardo."

Ross Brewing originally planned to open more than four years ago in Red Bank. But they decided to switch to Middletown after permit delays.

They found "the Middletown community and Township have bent over backwards to welcome us," said Cocozza. "All of the bars and stores in town have graciously already started carrying our beers — MJ's, Applebee's, Bottle King, etc. It was a night and day difference working with Middletown and deciding to open here.

The brewery is also steps from the Belford ferry terminal, which offers morning and afternoon boat service to and from New York City.

Ross beers are handcrafted and whenever possible, made with locally-grown Monmouth County ingredients, such as berries, honey, pumpkins and more. Try their Shrewsbury lager, Navesink IPA, Manasquan Wit, Shark River Pils and two new brews unveiled this Friday.

By law, Ross Brewing cannot serve food.

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — The Middletown Township Committee held their most recent meeting Dec. 5.

At the meeting, the Township Committee made two big decisions to advance two ongoing projects in town: Affordable veterans'-only housing on Leonardville Road and the ongoing Port Monmouth Flood Control Project.

The Township Committee unanimously decided to sell multiple lots at 37-45 Leonardville Road to the Middletown Redevelopment Corporation. This is a non-profit set up within Middletown town government to convert the property into veterans' apartments.

Last year, Middletown Twp. announced it had purchased a former tool rental property on at 37-45 Leonardville Road, and will be turning the site into rental affordable housing for U.S. veterans.

The plan is to build 12 rental apartment units, all at affordable housing prices, for any man or woman who served in the U.S. armed forces. Rental amounts have not been determined yet

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The property was formerly owned by EZ Quick Food Stores Inc., and Middletown paid $335,000 to purchase the land. That money came out of Middletown's Affordable Housing Trust Fund, which is funded by fees developers pay to build market-rate housing in Middletown.

More property purchased for Port Monmouth Flood Control

Also at that Dec. 5 meeting, the Middletown Township Committee unanimously decided to spend $850,000 in a bond to purchase a total of three lots, at 95 Main Street and Church Street, to advance the Port Monmouth Flood Control Project.

The Twp. Committee unanimously approved the Township to go into contract for those three properties. The land will be used for Port Monmouth Flood Control.

Middletown Mayor Tony Perry said there will be no cost to Middletown taxpayers for either land purchase.

"These are all funds that are going to be reimbursed 100 percent by the state of New Jersey," said Perry at the meeting. "So while it is an up front cost, these are all reimbursed to the township."

This was only the first reading. There will be a public hearing on both Dec. 19.

Initial Patch report: Middletown To Build 12 Veterans' Apartments on Leonardville Road (June 2021)