BERKELEY – For decades he kept us safe – in the military and at home. And now he’s going to be forever remembered as part of the town.
Charles Parker Sr. was known as “Pops” when he worked security for the Manitou Park basketball program. Before that, he worked security for the Toms River School District. Going back even further, he served in World War II.
He was honored recently with a “coming home” ceremony for him.
“He always did whatever he could to give back to the community,” his son Jeff Parker said.
He passed in 2020 at the age of 97. Raised in the area, he attended the Manitou Park school when Black students weren’t allowed in other schools.
This segregation needs to be put in the past, as local residents host an annual summer party named, simply, Unity Pride. It’s like an old fashioned neighborhood barbecue. The day involved food, games and giveaways. People still came out this year despite the rain.
Robert Taylor has run the neighborhood basketball program and Unity Pride for decades. Despite the racial tensions in the world today, he encouraged people to look around.
“This is the real world,” he said. “We had every nationality here. When you come in, we’re family.”
“We have differences but the solution is to come together,” he said.
As one of Parker’s son’s said, “Stay together and stay strong, as my father would have wanted.”
Parker called 3rd Avenue home. That road will be extended and new houses built. People moving into those homes will be living on “Charles Parker, Sr. Avenue.”
The new name was proclaimed during a ceremony by local officials attended by Mayor Carmen Amato and Council President John Bacchione from Berkeley and Councilman Samuel Fennell from South Toms River.
The road work will be done this year, said Glen McDonald, Executive Director of Homes For All. This is the company that is working with the town to revitalize this area.
The houses will be started in summer of 2024. There will be 51 homes on extended streets in the back of Manitou, and five in the front, on First Street, between 4th and 5th Avenue. There are four different models, all four or three bedroom.
“The town’s been fantastic to make sure the neighborhood has been affordable for all,” he said. “You can’t find a new house under $400,000 in Ocean County.”
The new Manitou homes will be in the high $100,000s to mid-$200,000s, he said. They will be called Autumn Ridge at Manitou.
Towns are required by law to have a certain amount of affordable housing set aside. Many towns have cases where they are fighting the court on that number.
Berkeley doesn’t currently have a court case, so they are able to invoke a preference for Berkeley residents, he said. The town gave five $100,000 grants to make five of the homes even more affordable.
“We bought some land from the town and that money is going to remediate the school,” McDonald said. The historic schoolhouse will be a community center.
Homes For All has a history working with the township. They built 80 homes over a decade ago. Some were on extended streets. Some were on lots that had abandoned homes that needed to be demolished. In paving the streets they also brought water and sewer into the community that was on wells and septic tanks.
The township provided money for them from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund which comes from a permit surcharge on all development – not taxes. When a developer comes in to build homes that are not deemed affordable housing, the town is able to give money to either Homes for All or Habitat for Humanity to help people with financial challenges get a new house.
