Mayor News

In July, Brick Township and Ocean County closed on their joint purchase of a 31-acre property in Breton Woods. The purchase prevents the development of the heavily wooded site formerly owned by the Church of the Visitation. Texas-based developer D.R. Horton has been seeking approval from the Brick Planning Board to build 59 single-family homes on the parcel. The majority of the $8.55 million purchase price was made by the Ocean County Lands Trust and a state grant, leaving just over $500,000 to be paid by Brick Township.

“We needed to stop this project and we did. Housing on this site would have brought more traffic and more development. Preserving these 31 acres stops this unwanted large-scale development,” said Mayor Lisa Crate.

At a meeting on July 11, Mayor Crate announced that the Township received a $1.2 million grant from the New Jersey Green Acres Program towards the purchase and preservation of the property.

“When we first looked into purchasing Breton Woods, I knew it wouldn’t be fair to make Brick taxpayers pay almost $10 million for this property. We are pleased that the Ocean County Commissioners and the state provided most of the funding. Brick taxpayers will pay only $500,000 and that’s a great deal,” said Mayor Crate.

As part of the agreement, the property will be subdivided between the county and Brick Township. The township plans on building a playground on its portion of the property.

“This is an investment in our community’s future,” said Mayor Crate. “We are saving one of the largest remaining pieces of land in Brick Township, preventing additional development and traffic, and building a playground that will be enjoyed by young people for years to come.”

The Brick Municipal Alliance Coalition (BMAC) is proud to once again offer the Sport Saturdays program for township boys and girls ages 9 through 12.  The program offers young athletes 90 minute training sessions designed to help them achieve their personal best physically, mentally and emotionally in both sports and life.

Sport Saturday sessions are available every Saturday from March 18 through June 17 at the Brick Civic Plaza.  Sessions are at either 8:30am or 10:30am.  The program is free for participants.  Parents can register their children for one or more sessions.  There is a limit of 30 children at each session.

Each Sport Saturday training session is 90 minutes. Sport Saturday provides enhancement of general fitness levels, sports specific training, and the importance of leadership qualities, problem solving and character development designed to help youth increase self-esteem, awareness and resiliency as substance use prevention strategies.

“This program has been an incredible asset to families throughout Brick,” said Mayor Lisa Crate.  “Hundreds of children have participated over the years and each child has come away with the skills that help them both on the field and in life. It’s fantastic that we’ve been able to continue to work with BMAC to bring this program to the youth of Brick Township.”

Trainers are provided by Mentor Academy of New Jersey and are certified physical education teachers as well as youth sports trainers.

Councilwoman Andrea Zapcic says programs like this are important in the effort to keep our youth healthy, safe and drug-free.  “The drive towards more professionalism in youth sports has caused an increase in over-use related orthopedic injuries in children ages 12 and up, for which an opioid pain reliever may be prescribed.”

Councilwoman Zapcic adds that “studies show youth exposed to prescribed opioids before high school graduation have a 33% increased risk of using opioids recreationally in the years after graduation, including those with a previous unfavorable attitude toward drug use.”

Sport Saturday is funded through the BMAC grant provided by the Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (GCADA).

Register for Sport Saturday in the Recreation Office, 270 Chambers Bridge Road, Monday through Friday, 7:30am – 4pm or online at register.communitypass.net/BrickTownship. Call 732-262-1053 for more information.

Lisa Crate was sworn in as the next Mayor of Brick Township at the February 28, 2023 Council Meeting. Mayor Crate was chosen by the Township Council to serve as Mayor following the resignation of John Ducey.

“I am grateful to have the opportunity and the privilege of serving as Mayor of Brick Township,” said Mayor Crate. “I would like to thank my colleagues on the Township Council for placing their faith in me and giving me this opportunity. I am looking forward to continue working with them to move our great community forward.”

“I know I have large shoes to fill. I would like the people of Brick Township to know that I am fully committed to continuing the work that was started by our previous Mayor and following the same guiding principle that he had – to always do what is best for Brick Township,” continued Mayor Crate.

Following Mayor Ducey’s resignation, the Brick Township Democratic Committee provided the Township Council with three names to consider for appointment to serve as Mayor. The Council unanimously chose Lisa Crate.

Mayor Crate has served on the Township Council since 2016. She was elected to the Council in 2015 and re-elected in 2019. She served as Council President in 2020 and 2021 and as Council Vice-President in 2018, 2019 and 2022.

Mayor Crate’s priorities for her term include continuing the conservative fiscal policies of the previous administration, providing the Brick Township Police Department and EMS with the resources they need to keep Brick Township safe and fostering a strong and united community.

As a member of the Council’s Business and Finance Committee, Mayor Crate worked with the administration and Council to implement conservative fiscal practices. Over her eight years on Council, municipal spending increased $13.9 million compared to an increase of over $29.6 million during the eight years prior to her time on Council. Additionally, tax levy growth was 55% lower during her time on Council than the previous eight years.

During her time on Council, Mayor Crate was integral to several projects that will have long-lasting impacts on the community. As a member of the Land Use Committee, she worked on Brick Township’s Community Rating System (CRS) application. The successful efforts will help Brick Township flood insurance policy holders realize savings on their policies. She was also instrumental in the creation of the Village Zone which was created to protect Brick Township from high-density residential development.

Mayor Crate has been a strong advocate for veterans. She served as the Council’s veteran liaison, worked with veterans to create Hometown Hero banners that honor Brick residents who have lost their lives defending our nation, advocated for free beach badges for veterans and helped Brick be recognized as a “We Value our Veterans” community. She also worked with local veterans to make much needed repairs and improvements to the Veteran’s Memorial at Town Hall.

Mayor Crate is also an animal lover. She strongly supports the Township’s ban on ‘puppy mills,’ has coordinated events to raise funds for K-9 Narcan and trauma units and is a volunteer Board member for Tooney’s Last Resort – a local animal rescue.

Mayor Crate is a 28-year resident of Brick Township. She and her husband, Will, have two children who attend Brick Township Public Schools. She has been an educator for over 30 years and currently serves as the President of the Jackson Education Association and is a member of the Ocean County Council of Educators. She has been recognized as the Teacher of the Year and the District Educational Services Professional of the Year.