Winners announced in Freehold Borough beautification contest

You can view the original article, published by Centraljersey.com, here.

FREEHOLD – The winners of the Freehold Borough Human Relations Committee’s 2019 Beautification Contest have been recognized for their efforts to improve the exterior of their properties.

Winners

Lori Annetta won first place. Anthony Postiglione and Jeannine Grillo were given second place. Zach and Chelsea Patberg won third place in the competition.

The Freehold Medical Arts Building won the commercial division of the contest.

The winners earned recognition at a Borough Council meeting on June 17. Home Depot, 618 Restaurant, and Elite Taxi Service sponsored the contest.

Contest Details

Projects consisted of activities such as repairs to a structure, landscaping, property cleanup and/or painting the property’s exterior and had to have been started and completed between January 2018 and May 31, 2019.

Entries were judged on the contrast of before and after photos, the overall look of the completed project, the improved curb appeal of the property upon completion, and enhancement of the overall appearance to the business district.

Individual Project Results

Annetta restored the original structure to a cottage-style home to include the addition of a front porch. She repainted the house, garage, and shutters, and landscaped the property.

The Human Relations Committee determined she restored the property beyond its “original charm.”

Annetta dedicated more than 1,500 hours to the project, which cost $47,500. For her efforts, she received a Dyna-Glo gas grill from Home Depot.

Postiglione and Grillo repainted their home and garage, which had peeling lead-based paint. The project took a total of 60 hours to finish, which cost $10,000. Postiglione and Grillo received a $100 gift certificate to 618 Restaurant.

The Patbergs replaced a boarded-up attic window facing the street with a hand-crafted stained glass window designed and created by the owners’ father. The project took 20 hours to complete and cost $250.

Committee members said the improvement brightened the entire facade. For their efforts, the Patbergs received a $50 gift certificate to the Cheesecake Factory, courtesy of Elite Taxi Service.

A vacant building on Park Avenue became the site of the Freehold Medical Arts Building (aka the Freehold Family Health Center). The $3.5 million project took 13,000 hours to finish.

A partnership with CentraState Healthcare System, Visiting Nurse Association Health Group, VNACJ Community Health Center, and the Robert Wood Johnson Medical Schoool of Rutgers University resulted in the creation of a new Federally Qualified Health Center, which will be accessible to all members of the community.

Honorable Recognition

A certificate of appreciation acknowledged all partners: Dr. Steve Landers, CEO of Visiting Nurse Association Health Group; John Gribbin, CEO of CentraState Healthcare System; Dr. Maria Ciminelli, director of the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Family Medical Residency at CentraState; and Sal Cannizzaro, vice president of construction at SFC Enterprises.

The Maietta family and Ashish and Meghna Gajjar earned certificates of honorable mention.

“The Freehold Borough Human Relations Committee would like to extend its sincere thanks to all the contestants in this year’s contest,” said Gianna Dell’Omo, vice chair of the committee.

“Taking pride in your home is the finest compliment any resident can give to the borough. When we take pride in our home, we take pride in our town. Congratulations to this year’s winners. Our sincere thanks to Home Depot, 618 Restaurant and Elite Taxi Service for their generous prize donations,” Dell’Omo said.