Plan to house civilians at Naval Weapons Station Earle met with opposition

A plan to rent homes to civilians at Naval Weapons Station Earle in Colts Neck is being met with opposition from some county officials. Monmouth County Freeholder Lillian Burry says the plan poses

News 12 Staff

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Oct 18, 2016, 3:27 AM

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Updated 3,011 days ago

A plan to rent homes to civilians at Naval Weapons Station Earle in Colts Neck is being met with opposition from some county officials.

Monmouth County Freeholder Lillian Burry says the plan poses some safety issues. The station is used to store ammunition for Navy warships.

"My feelings are, how do you possibly vet these people properly?" asks Burry. "They have family members I'm sure that would visit. How do you do that?"

Special approval is usually needed to enter the base. Anyone who visits typically has their car searched and must present identification.

Station Earle Public Affairs Officer Bill Addison says the station's housing partner would conduct criminal background checks and credit reports on all tenants who would live at the base.

Addison says in a statement to News 12 New Jersey, "[Tenants] would then be subject to the Navy's background check, through the National Crime Information Center, prior to being granted access to the installation."

The statement continues, "At no time would they have access to any restricted areas on the installation."

Each home would cost about $2,400 a month in rent. Burry says the revenue the rent could bring in is not worth the risk.

Local and county officials have a meeting set with Station Earle representatives on the base Tuesday evening.