Published in the Star Ledger:

Brick Township

Thursday, April 28, 2005

By Andrea Adams

Marketing Staff

New-home seekers in search of a safe, family-friendly, suburban town to call "home" might consider Ocean County 's Brick Township .

"We're the second safest city in America ," boasts Bryan Dickerson, public information officer for Brick Township . Morgan Quinto, an independent research firm in Kansas , based its ranking on six categories of crime statistics. Newton , Mass. , was No. 1 on the list.

"The minimum population requirement (to be included in the study) is 75,000, and we're at around 79,000 right now," Dickerson says. "We only became eligible as a result of the 2000 Census. Since we've been eligible, we have never been ranked lower than fifth in the survey."

Once a sleepy community of Shore-front bungalows, Brick Township is now a thriving, year-round residential community. Fishing, boating, kayaking and other water sports are popular Summertime activities. At Brick's ocean and riverfront beaches, children can play in the sand at the water's edge while parents enjoy gentle breezes.

"For many years, Brick was a commuter town--a bedroom community," says Dickerson. "We're now getting away from that. With the influx of national chains, businesses and stores of all kinds, there are a lot more economic opportunities. Even though a lot of people do (commute), now there's a lot of places they can work in town.

"We've become a shopping magnate for northern Ocean County because of all the commercial development we've had in the last 10 years," he continues. The Route 70 corridor and Brick Plaza, in particular, are host to a variety of popular chain stores and family restaurants, including Best Buy, CompUSA, Circuit City, Target and Barnes & Noble, plus Outback Steakhouse, T.G.I. Friday's and Applebee's. South of town, in Dover Township , the Ocean County Mall is anchored by Boscov's, Macy's, JCPenney and Sears.

Brick Township spans about 32 square miles in northern Ocean County . Its neighbors are Dover Township ( Toms River ), Lakewood , Point Pleasant , and Monmouth County 's Wall and Howell townships. Waterways are an important part of Brick's landscape. The Manasquan River trails along the township's northern border, the Manasquan River runs through its center and Kettle Creek defines Brick's southern border. Shoreline homes with private lagoons for docking boats dot the Barnegat Bay side of Brick to the east.

Brick's northern Ocean County location is advantageous for those who do commute for work.

"We're right on the Garden State Parkway ," says Dickerson, "so there's easy access to northern New Jersey and New York . Interstate 195 is about 15 minutes from our north border, which means we've got easy access to the west. Atlantic City is a little over an hour to our south."

There are several transportation routes available to New York City . Commuters can take the Parkway to the New Jersey Turnpike; go to Atlantic Highlands and hop on the Sea Streak ferry; or catch a train from NJ Transit's Point Pleasant station. NJ Transit also runs busses through Brick.

"Of course, you've got all the ocean beaches-- Point Pleasant , Seaside , etc.--within a half-hour drive, depending on traffic," Dickerson adds.

Beaches and other recreational opportunities are certainly a highlight of living in Brick Township . "The township's got a couple dozen parks and one of the largest youth sports complexes in the county," notes Dickerson.

Drum Point Sports Complex, which the town operates jointly with the Board of Education, has baseball diamonds and tennis courts, plus a skate park for skateboarders. A planned expansion in the near future will add soccer fields, according to Dickerson.

Brick Beach I, II, and III all front the Atlantic Ocean , while several other Brick beaches front rivers. Winward Beach Park on the Metedeconk River provides opportunities for swimming, fishing, crabbing, volleyball, soccer and more. It's also the site of Brick's Summerfest--an annual event that is entering its 11th season.

"It's corporate-funded so that town participants don't have to pay to go, and it minimizes the impact on the municipal budget by off-setting our operating costs," explains Dickerson.

About seven Summerfests are planned this season, the first scheduled for July 5. The park's great green lawn will be dotted with lawn chairs and blankets as people gather in front of the band shell to enjoy live music, a food court and shimmering water views. This year's band scheduled has not been released yet, but Dickerson notes that past performers have included the Duprees and Little Anthony and the Imperials--popular oldies bands from the '50s and’

0s. He adds that the July 5 event will feature a traveling Army band, as well as a fireworks display.

"Typically, we get about 4,000 to 5,000 people. It gets pretty crowded, especially when we have fireworks," Dickerson says. "Not only do we have people on shore watching, but then we have a large boat contingent offshore of people watching from the river."

The July 5 Summerfest also will include a Support the Troops Rally, he adds. People are asked to bring items that can be shipped to Iraq for service men and women. Dickerson says that Brick has been working with the National Guard Armory in Dover Township to periodically send things to military personnel. "At Christmastime, we sent holiday greeting cards from residents and students to the guards people and other units." The township overwhelmed the Armory with 3,800 cards and letters, he says.

Another element of the Brick Township lifestyle is the quality educational system.

The Brick Township School District includes eight elementary schools, two middle schools and two high schools.

Brick Township High School has a student enrollment of about 1,900. One of the goals of the school is to create well-rounded students. Advanced Placement courses provide the opportunity to earn college credits. Clubs and interscholastic teams promote healthy competition and social awareness. Programs are in place to help smooth the transition for eighth-graders from middle school to high school. Career awareness is an important component of the School to Work Standard. In addition to career-related courses, the high school has a Career Education Committee, which presents speakers who discuss various career and employment opportunities.

During the 2003-04 school years, the average class size at Brick Township High School was 22.8, and the student-to-teacher ratio was 12.5-to-1. Students who took the SAT earned an average score of 1,004. About 78 percent of students planned to continue their education at two- and four-year colleges and universities.

Brick Township Memorial High School educates approximately 2,000 students. The increase in enrollment over the years has necessitated modifications and additions with classrooms, laboratories and an additional dining hall.

To complement standard academic courses, the school offers practical applications involving computer-assisted drafting; journalism classes publishing school newspapers; computer labs; culinary arts experiences; science labs; dance and television studios; wood, metal and auto mechanics shops; and an early childhood development center.

During the 2003-04 school years, the average class size at Brick Township Memorial High School was 27, and the student-to-teacher ratio was 13.8-to-1. Students who took the SAT earned an average score of 974. Eighty-four percent of graduating seniors planned to continue their education at two- and four-year colleges and universities.

For higher education, Ocean County College is located in neighboring Dover Township .

Brick's location convenient to major roadways, growing shopping opportunities and plenty of Shore-area recreation are all positive attributes drawing new residents to town.

"And if we don't have it, its close by," Dickerson concludes. "We've got the Lakewood Blue Claws in the next town over; New York and Philly within an hour-and-a-half driving distance; Atlantic City within one-hour's driving distance; and the PNC Bank Arts Center is up the Parkway about a half hour to the north."

What more could anyone ask for?