Brick Township, New Jersey

For the town otherwise known as "The Brick City", see Newark, New Jersey.

Brick Township, New Jersey
—  Township  —
Map of Brick Township in Ocean County. Inset: Location of Ocean County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Brick Township, New Jersey
Coordinates: 40°04′30″N 74°05′58″W / 40.075°N 74.09944°W / 40.075; -74.09944Coordinates: 40°04′30″N 74°05′58″W / 40.075°N 74.09944°W / 40.075; -74.09944
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Ocean
Incorporated	February 15, 1850
Government[1]
– Type	Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council)
– Mayor	Stephen C. Acropolis (2013)[2]
– Administrator	Scott M. Pezarras[3]
Area
– Total	32.3 sq mi (83.6 km2)
– Land	26.2 sq mi (67.9 km2)
– Water	6.0 sq mi (15.6 km2)  18.69%
Elevation[4]	23 ft (7 m)
Population (2010 Census)[5][6]
– Total	75,072
– Density	2,324.2/sq mi (898/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	08723-08724
Area code(s)	732
FIPS code	34-07420[7][8]
GNIS feature ID	0882075[9]
Website	http://www.twp.brick.nj.us/

Brick Township (also commonly known as Bricktown or Brick) is a Township in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township had a total population of 75,072,^[6] making it the third most populous municipality in Ocean County behind Lakewood Township and Toms River Township. The 2010 population represents a decline of 1,047 from the 76,119 residents enumerated during the 2000 Census, with the township ranking as the 13th largest municipality in the state in 2010 after having been ranked 12th in 2000.^[5]

While the majority of Brick Township is located on the mainland, Beaches I, II and III are situated on the Barnegat Peninsula, a long, narrow barrier peninsula that separates Barnegat Bay from the Atlantic Ocean. The mainland and beach area of the town are not geographically adjacent.

Brick Township was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 15, 1850, from portions of both Dover Township (now Toms River Township) and Howell Township. Portions of the township were taken to form Point Pleasant Beach (May 18, 1886), Bay Head (June 15, 1886), Lakewood (March 23, 1892), Mantoloking (April 10, 1911) and Point Pleasant (April 21, 1920).^[10]

After hovering for years in the top five, in 2006, the township earned the title of "America's Safest City", out of 371 cities included nationwide in the 13th annual Morgan Quitno survey.^[11] Since the year 2000, Brick Township has been the safest "city" (population over 75,000) in New Jersey. In 2003 and 2004, Brick Township was ranked as the second safest city in the United States after Newton, Massachusetts.^[12] In 2005, Brick Township had dropped down to the fifth safest "city" (population over 75,000) in the United States, before it rebounded to the top in 2006.^[13]

Brick Township has also been in the news for a claimed autism epidemic, in which 40 children out of over 6,000 surveyed were found to be autistic, though Brick's autism rate is statistically not far removed from national average. Many of the children found to be autistic were born in Northern New Jersey and other parts of the country. There is no evidence that the levels of autism are linked to any specific environmental factor in Brick.^[14]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 32.3 square miles (84 km²), of which, 26.2 square miles (68 km²) of it is land and 6.0 square miles (16 km²) of it (18.69%) is water.

Transportation

The major county routes that pass through are CR 528, and CR 549 (as well as its spur). Two state routes pass through: Route 70 and Route 88. The Garden State Parkway passes through the western part of the municipality with two interchanges: Exits 91 and 90.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1930	1,172		—
1940	1,376		17.4%
1950	4,319		213.9%
1960	16,299		277.4%
1970	35,057		115.1%
1980	63,629		81.5%
1990	66,473		4.5%
2000	76,119		14.5%
2010	75,072		−1.4%
Population sources: 1930-1990[15] 2000[16] 2010[5][6]

As of the census^[7] of 2000, there were 76,119 people, 29,511 households, and 20,775 families residing in the township. The population density was 2,901.5 people per square mile (1,120.5/km²). There were 32,689 housing units at an average density of 1,246.0 per square mile (481.2/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 95.81% White, 0.99% African American, 0.10% Native American, 1.19% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.85% from other races, and 1.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any nationality were 3.85% of the population.^[16]

There were 29,511 households out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.8% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.07.^[16]

In the township the population was spread out with 23.8% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 90.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.8 males.^[16]

The median income for a household in the township was $52,092, and the median income for a family was $61,446. Males had a median income of $44,981 versus $31,020 for females. The per capita income for the township was $24,462. About 3.1% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.8% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.^[16]

Laurelton Circle

The Laurelton Circle was located near the center of Brick Township. The traffic circle was at the junction of Route 70, Route 88, and Princeton Avenue. It was converted to a traffic light regulated intersection in 1986, due to an increase in traffic and accidents. To reduce the need for left turns, a short portion of eastbound Route 88 was re-routed onto Princeton Avenue. Some other movements are controlled by jughandles and a two-way connection in the northwest corner.

See also

• List of traffic circles in New Jersey

Government

Local government

The Township operates under a Mayor-Council form of government under the Faulkner Act.^[1] The Mayor is elected for a four year term without limitation as to the number of terms. In November 1988, the voters approved a referendum which returned the Township to the partisan system of government. As a result, Township elections, which had been held in May, are now held in November.

The Mayor is the chief executive and administrative officer in the Township and, as such, is responsible for administering local laws and policy development. The specific powers of the Mayor include various appointments, preparation of the Township's budget, and approval or veto (which may be overridden by a ⅔ vote of the Township Council) of the ordinances adopted by the Township Council. The Mayor appoints, with the advice and consent of the Township Council, the Business Administrator, the Township Attorney, and the Directors of the Departments of Public Safety, Engineering and Public Works.^[17]

Former Mayor Joseph C. Scarpelli resigned as of December 8, 2006 for personal reasons, amid a federal corruption probe into township government. On January 8, 2007, Scarpelli pleaded guilty to federal bribery charges for accepting money from developers in exchange for using his official position to obtain approval for development projects.^[18] Township Clerk Virginia Lampman was appointed to fill the role of mayor until the Township Council could select a replacement.^[19][20] On December 17, 2007, former Mayor Joseph C. Scarpelli was sentenced in Federal Court in Newark to serve 18 months in prison and was fined $5,000, after admitting that he had accepted bribes from 1998 to 2003.^[21]

On January 4, 2007, Daniel J. Kelly (D), the Township's Planning Board Chairman, was appointed the new mayor by a three-member township council subcommittee.^[22]

On November 6, 2007, Stephen C. Acropolis (R) defeated Kelly in a race to fill the remaining two years of Scarpelli's term. Acropolis' current term of office ends on December 31, 2013.

As of 2011^[update], members of the Brick Township Council are Council President Brian DeLuca (R, 2011), Vice President Dan Toth (R, 2013), Domenick Brando (R, 2013), Anthony Matthews (R, 2011), Joseph Sangiovanni (R, 2013), Ruthanne Scaturro (R, 2011) and Micheal Thulen, Sr. (R, 2011).^[23][24]

Federal, state, and county representation

Brick Township is in the 4th Congressional district and is part of New Jersey's 10th state legislative district.^[25] The legislative district was kept unchanged by the New Jersey Apportionment Commission based on the results of the 2010 Census.^[6]

New Jersey's Fourth Congressional District is represented by Christopher Smith (R). New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).

10th district of the New Jersey Legislature, which is represented in the New Jersey Senate by Andrew R. Ciesla (R, Brick Township) and in the New Jersey General Assembly by James W. Holzapfel (R, Toms River) and David W. Wolfe (R, Brick Township).^[26] The Governor of New Jersey is Chris Christie (R, Mendham).^[27] The Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey is Kim Guadagno (R, Monmouth Beach).^[28]

Ocean County is governed by a Board of Chosen Freeholders consisting of five members, elected at large in partisan elections and serving staggered three-year terms of office, with either one or two seats coming up for election each year. As of 2011, Ocean County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari (Toms River, term ends December 31, 2011), Freeholder Deputy Director Gerry P. Little (Surf City, 2012), John C. Bartlett, Jr. (Pine Beach, 2012), John P. Kelly (Eagleswood Township, 2010) and James F. Lacey (Brick Township, 2013).^[29][30]

Politics

On the national and state levels, Brick Township leans strongly toward the Republican Party. In the 2008 Presidential Election, Republican John McCain received 58% of the vote, defeating Democrat Barack Obama, who received around 40%. In the 2009 Gubernatorial Election, Republican Chris Christie received 67% of the vote, defeating Democrat Jon Corzine, who received around 25%.

Education

The Brick Public Schools serve students in prekindergarten through twelfth grade. Schools in the district (with 2009-10 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics^[31]) are Brick Primary Learning Center for prekindergarten and kindergarten (749 students), seven elementary schools serving grades 1-5 — Drum Point (535), Emma Havens Young (856), Herbertsville (251), Lanes Mill (529), Midstreams (546), Osborneville (290) and Veterans (656) — Lake Riviera Middle School (1,080) and Veterans Memorial Middle School (1,340) for grades 6-8, Brick Memorial High School (1,559) and Brick Township High School (1,889) for grades 9-12.

Nonsectarian private schools include Cuddle Care Early Childhood Center and Ocean Early Childhood Center. St. Thomas Christian Academy is a Evangelical Lutheran Church in America private school, St. Dominic Elementary School is a Roman Catholic private school, and St. Paul's Christian School, a Methodist private school, serve students in Pre-Kindergarten to 8th grade.

Media

WBGD, (Brick Green Dragons) went on the air in the 1970s and was originally located at Brick Township High School, but was later moved to broadcast from Brick Memorial High School. In 2007 during routine roof maintenance and repair work the broadcast tower was cut off the roof, and was never replaced or repaired. WBGD no longer broadcasts.

Sports

The Brick Pop Warner Little Scholars Mustangs finished the 2006 season with a perfect 9-0 record and won the Jersey Shore B Division.^[32]

Also in 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 the Pop Warner Brick Mustang cheerleaders went to compete against other teams from across the nation in Disney World. And in 2003, the jr. peewee mustang cheer squad was the first to win the national title in brick township history.^{[citation needed]}

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Brick Township include:

• Robert Auriemma, New Jersey's all time winningest high school ice hockey coach. He is also ranked fourth nationally for wins among high school ice hockey coaches, recently achieving his 600th on January 8, 2008.^[33]
• Harry Bernstein (1910–2011), author of The Invisible Wall.^[34]
• Hank Borowy (1916–2004), Major League Baseball All-Star pitcher who played for the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates and Detroit Tigers. He lived the majority of his life in Brick Township and died there at age 88.^[35]
• Mike Bucci (better known as Nova and later Simon Dean), former ECW and WWE professional wrestler, is originally from Brick Township. He now resides in Louisville, Kentucky.^{[citation needed]}
• Nick Catone (born 1981), mixed martial artist who participates in the Ultimate Fighting Championships.^[36]
• Jim Dowd, (born 1968), former player in the National Hockey League (NHL), won a Stanley Cup with the 1994-95 New Jersey Devils and last played for the Philadelphia Flyers.^[37]
• Kirsten Dunst (born 1982), actress, grew up in the township before relocating to California.^[38]
• Garrett Graham (born 1986), NFL tight end who plays for the Houston Texans.^[39]
• Jack Martin (1887–1980), Major League Baseball infielder who played for the 1912 New York Yankees (Highlanders), 1914 Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Braves, lived out his twilight years in Brick Township, passing in 1980. Jack Martin Boulevard is named after him.^[40]
• Tom McCarthy (born 1968), television announcer for the Philadelphia Phillies.^[41]
• Travis Spader, ATV motocross racer, lived in Brick when he won his GNC National Championship in 2000.^[42]
• Art Thoms, (born 1947), NFL defensive tackle for the Oakland Raiders (1969–1975) and Philadelphia Eagles (1977).^[43][44]
• Warren Wolf, New Jersey's all time winningest high school football coach.^[45]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} 2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2005, p. 53.
2. ^ 2011 New Jersey Mayors Directory, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. Accessed August 25, 2011.
3. ^ Administration, Township of Brick. Accessed June 7, 2011.
4. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Township of Brick, Geographic Names Information System, accessed January 4, 2008.
5. ^ ^{a b c} The Counties and Most Populous Cities and Townships in 2010 in New Jersey: 2000 and 2010, United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 26, 2011. HTML version of original Excel spreadsheet.
6. ^ ^{a b c d} 2011 Apportionment Redistricting: Municipalities sorted alphabetically, New Jersey Department of State, p.2. Accessed June 7, 2011.
7. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
8. ^ A Cure for the Common Codes: New Jersey, Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed July 14, 2008.
9. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
10. ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 201.
11. ^ 13th Annual Safest (and Most Dangerous) Cities: Top and Bottom 25 Cities Overall, accessed October 30, 2006.
12. ^ 11th Annual Safest (and Most Dangerous) Cities: Top and Bottom 25 Cities Overall, accessed June 4, 2006.
13. ^ 12th Annual Safest (and Most Dangerous) Cities: Top and Bottom 25 Cities Overall, accessed June 4, 2006.
14. ^ Prevalence of Autism in a United States Population: The Brick Township, New Jersey, Investigation Pediatrics Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, November 5, 2001.
15. ^ New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network, backed up by the Internet Archive as of May 2, 2009. Accessed August 11, 2011.
16. ^ ^{a b c d e} Census 2000 Demographic Profile Highlights: Brick township, Ocean County, New Jersey, United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 25, 2011.
17. ^ Mayor's Office, Brick Township. Accessed July 31, 2006.
18. ^ Restoring trust in government challenge for Brick officials, Asbury Park Press, January 10, 2007.
19. ^ Brick mayor resigns; township clerk to become new mayor, Asbury Park Press, December 6, 2006.
20. ^ New Jersey: Brick Township: Mayor Resigns, The New York Times, December 8, 2006.
21. ^ via The Associated Press. "Mayor sentenced for taking bribes", Courier-Post, December 17, 2007.
22. ^ Kelly is appointed as mayor in Brick, The Asbury Park Press, January 5, 2007.
23. ^ Brick Township Council, Brick Township. Accessed February 4, 2011.
24. ^ 2011 Elected Officials of Ocean County, Ocean County, New Jersey. p. 3. Accessed February 4, 2011.
25. ^ 2011 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 55. Accessed June 7, 2011.
26. ^ "Legislative Roster: 2010-2011 Session". New Jersey Legislature. http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/roster.asp. Retrieved 2010-02-08. 
27. ^ "About the Governor". New Jersey. http://www.nj.gov/governor/about/. Retrieved 2010-01-21. 
28. ^ "About the Lieutenant Governor". New Jersey. http://www.nj.gov/governor/lt/. Retrieved 2010-01-21. 
29. ^ Board of Chosen Freeholders, Ocean County, New Jersey. Accessed January 5, 2011.
30. ^ 2011 Organization Comments by Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari, Ocean County, New Jersey. Accessed January 5, 2011.
31. ^ Data for the Brick Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed August 25, 2011.
32. ^ Brick Dragon Pee Wee team wins division title, Brick Township Bulletin, October 26, 2006.
33. ^ Scrimenti, Amanda. "Some things never change: Robert Auriemma a steady presence at BTHS", Asbury Park Press, January 25, 2005. Accessed August 4, 2008.
34. ^ Rich, Motoko. "Successful at 96, Writer Has More to Say", The New York Times, April 7, 2007. Accessed June 22, 2008.
35. ^ Goldstein, Richard. "Hank Borowy, 88, Top Pitcher With Yankees and Cubs in 40's", The New York Times, August 26, 2004. Accessed April 1, 2008. "Hank Borowy, a right-handed pitcher who helped the Yankees capture pennants in 1942 and 1943, then starred for the last Chicago Cubs team to reach the World Series, died Monday at his home in Brick, N.J. He was 88.... Borowy, a native of Bloomfield, N.J., who pitched for Fordham University, was 15-4 as a rookie on the Yankees' 1942 pennant winners."
36. ^ Del Mastro, Rob. "Brick's Nick Catone a profile in courage", Asbury Park Press, May 19, 2004. Accessed January 6, 2011.
37. ^ Chere, Rich. "Former New Jersey Devils center Jim Dowd cut by Flyers", The Star-Ledger, October 4, 2008. Accessed November 11, 2008. "Jim Dowd, the Brick native who attended the Philadelphia Flyers' training camp on a tryout contract, was cut by the team Saturday morning."
38. ^ A waterfront haven named for iron works owner, Asbury Park Press, September 8, 2005.
39. ^ Garrett Graham, Houston Texans. Accessed January 6, 2011.
40. ^ Staff. "JACK MARTIN DEAD; OLDEST EX-YANKEE; Jerseyan, 93, Played at Shortstop for the Highlanders In 1912", The New York Times, July 6, 1980. Accessed December 2, 2008.
41. ^ Tom McCarthy, WFAN. Accessed August 26, 2007. "A 1986 graduate of Brick Memorial High School and a 1990 graduate of TCNJ, Tom and his wife Meg have four children: Patrick (10), Tommy (8), Maggie (5) and Kerri (3), and live in Allentown, NJ."
42. ^ Arritt, Dan. "Part-Timer Completes His Sweep of Series; Motor racing: Tustin's Dubach wins third in a row in Thunder Bikers at U.S. Off-Road Championship event in Anaheim.", Los Angeles Times, January 30, 2000.
43. ^ Art Thoms player profile, database Football. Accessed August 11, 2007.
44. ^ Art Thoms, Oakland Raiders. Accessed August 11, 2007. "I started playing football in high school. It was the freshman team at Wayne High School in Wayne, N.J. I played two years there and then my family moved to Brickjohn [sic], NJ. I played the last two years of high school ball there."
45. ^ Wall, Karen E. "The gray ghost wishes he could be invisible", Asbury Park Press, November 18, 1999. "He also served as mayor of Brick from 1971-75, was an Ocean County freeholder from 1975-81, a state Assemblyman from 1981-83, and served on the Brick Township Council from 1982 until his defeat in the mayoral race in 1993."

External links

• Brick Township website
• Brick Public Schools
• Brick Public Schools's 2009–10 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
• Data for the Brick Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics
• Brick Branch of Ocean County Library
• Bricktown Online - Community Information Portal