For
Immediate Release:
June 9,
2020
Freeholder
Deputy Director virtually meets with
pump
out boat essay contest finalists
Winning student
will help unveil the new boat
FREEHOLD, NJ – On behalf of the Monmouth County
Board of Chosen Freeholders, Freeholder Deputy Director Susan M. Kiley met
virtually with the top three finalists of the Monmouth County Pump Out Boat
Essay Contest to announce the winning name of the new pump out boat.
“Back in November, I reached out to
principals throughout Monmouth County to invite their sixth grade students to
participate in an essay contest to help name the new County pump out boat,
which reduces the amount of waste in County waterways,” said Freeholder Deputy
Director Kiley, liaison to the Monmouth County Health Department (MCHD). “The
Freeholders asked student participants to not only name this new boat, but also
write a 500-word or less essay explaining why the name was chosen and how this
boat will help the environment.”
The top three finalists were Alice Ann
of Highlands Elementary, Reagan Urban of Saint Catharine School in Spring Lake
and Andrew Vandenbrouck of Saint Jerome School in West Long Branch.
“We had hoped to bring all of the
finalists to a Freeholder meeting to be recognized in person. Unfortunately,
that had to be cancelled, but we wanted to make sure they still got the
recognition that they deserve,” said Freeholder Deputy Director Kiley. “I am so
glad I got to personally speak with each of the three finalists to thank them
for their outstanding essays. It was very hard to pick just one winner and they
all should be very proud of being the top three finalists out of hundreds of
essays submitted.”
Reagan Urban, of Wall Township, was
selected as the winner of the contest by the Board of Chosen Freeholders and
MCHD for her essay naming the pump out boat “Greener Blue.” Greener Blue, which
is owned and maintained by MCHD and operated by the NY/NJ Baykeeper
organization, is specially-equipped to empty on-board toilets and holding tanks
on recreational boats, so waste is not improperly disposed of in the Navesink
and Shrewsbury Rivers as well as the Raritan Bay.
Reagan will join the Monmouth County
Board of Chosen Freeholders and the MCHD as they unveil the new boat at a press
conference next week.
Pump out boat seasonal operations,
which typically operate on Fridays and Saturdays from May to October, were
delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The previous MCHD pump out boat, the
Royal Flush, had serviced over 16,400 boats and properly disposed of over 591,000
gallons of sewage since 2001.
For more information about pump out
boat operations in Monmouth County, go to www.visitmonmouth.com/health.
Click here to view the virtual
meeting.
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