Full-size kitchen trailer already under construction
for operation expected to increase waterfront appeal as a destination
CARTERET, NJ – In the wake of the state Department of Environmental Protection approving permits, Mayor Daniel J. Reiman recently announced that the Borough soon will accept bids for the construction of a restaurant pavilion on the waterfront.
NJDEP approved a Water Framework Directive In-Water Permit and a Water Quality Certificate authorizing a 70 by 46-foot, 3,220-square foot seasonal pavilion that will operate from spring through fall, as well as a 6 by 25-foot access gangway on Veteran’s Pier in Waterfront Park.
“We want to thank NJDEP and Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette for the approval to move forward with our waterfront restaurant pavilion,” Mayor Reiman said. “Great things continue to happen for our wonderful waterfront increasing its appeal as a destination for residents and visitors. The approval of this restaurant pavilion follows the receipt of our first ferry boat, the Theodore Roosevelt, which soon will offer recreational opportunities, as well as ferry service. The pavilion will be a welcomed addition to the many popular waterfront events the Borough frequently presents, including our Independence Day Festival, Latin Fest, and weekly summer concert series.”
The pavilion will be connected to Veteran’s Pier, Mayor Reiman said.
Coinciding with the pavilion is a 25-foot cooking trailer under construction by Maryland-based Mobile Kitchens USA. The mobile kitchen will be based in Carteret Park near the gazebo.
Recreational features within Waterfront Park also include a marina, a mini golf course, a putting green, a volleyball court, an exercise trail, and a bocce court. Current waterfront construction includes an expansion of the northern and southern pier extension. Future plans include a movie studio and hotel with rooftop amenities, restaurants and retail adjacent to the forthcoming Carteret Intermodal Transportation Building that also will feature rooftop amenities, restaurants and retail, as well as office space, a bar lounge, training center, and banquet facility.
More than a century ago, Carteret’s waterfront was residential and public, but in the 1890s, chemical companies acquired the properties, took down the colonial mansions along the waterfront and created a “chemical coastline,” Mayor Reiman said.
Throughout its 21-year tenure, the Reiman administration has been taking back these properties.
“We’ve gone after DuPont Chemical, U.S. Metals,” Mayor Reiman said. “We’ve sued and won natural resource damages cases against all of these polluters requiring that they provide public space, open space, access to the waterfront. Taking back these properties, requiring them to clean up the properties, to pay civil penalties to the Borough that we’re using to provide these public amenities.”
Updates about the Carteret Waterfront Pavilion will be available at Carteret.net or by following @MyCarteret on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
