December 9, 2020
Township Weekly Update 

Dear Resident,

As the first snow flurries fall and we near the holidays, we look forward to our winter events. We are pleased to announce our first Decorated Holiday House Tour and contest. Register your home to be included in our interactive map. Our Christmas Tree and Menorah lighting will be virtual this year, so please join us on our Facebook live event.   Dreidel talents, a letter to Santa, toy donations for those in need are how we will get through Holiday season 2020 together.  Details on these programs are below.  

If your family did not receive a Thanksgiving Food Basket and are in need of one delivered for the Christmas/Winter Holiday, please send a confidential email with your name, address, and number of household residents to (if you received a basket for Thanksgiving, you will remain on the distribution list).

HOLIDAY EVENTS:

  • Holiday House Decorating Contest and Tour – Do you decorate your house for the winter holidays? Simple or over-the-top, elegant or funny. One light strand or decorations visible from space, we love them all! Share your holiday spirit by registering your house on community pass or sending an email to as soon as possible.  Participating houses’ addresses will be on an interactive map so all can drive by and enjoy your inspiration. Judging will take place from December 14 to 17 from 5pm-7pm (lights on, please) and is based on creativity, details and holiday spirit. See FLYER for details. 
  • Santa Letter Box – Send a letter to the North Pole.  Deposit your wish list in our Santa letter Box outside the Recreation Center. To receive a reply, please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Deposit your letter by December 14 to ensure Santa has time to write back.  See FLYER for more. 
  • Hanukkah Dreidel Challenge –Show off your Dreidel talents!Send a photo or video of your favorite Dreidel, your longest spin or the most creative spinning location. Email your submission to by December 18.  FLYER
  • Holiday Toy Drive – We are pleased to again partner with Charity Kings for our annual toy drive.  Toy bins are in the recreation center and Town Hall lobby.  Please place new, unwrapped toys in the bins no later than December 14. 
  • Holiday Lighting (Virtual) –We are pleased to announce that our annual holiday Christmas Tree and Menorah lighting will be held on Monday, December 14 at 6:00pm.  The event will be livestreamed on the Township Facebook page and shortly after uploaded to Channel 77.  Please grab a cup of hot cocoa and join us virtually as we celebrate the season.   FLYER

ROAD UPDATES:

  • Harbor Road CLOSED - Thursday and Friday. This is a full 24 hour road closure. All access to Harbor Road will be from the Tennent Road side. The area will be barricaded. Police Officers will be on site from 7am to 4pm. Sign boards and detours posted at location and along Route 79. Please obey all detours and road blocks in place. Direct questions to Traffic and Safety at 732-536-0304.  Thank you for your cooperation and patience.

VOLUNTEER:

  • Volunteers Needed to Support Victims of Sexual Violence –Virtual training begins in February. Please read the press release HERE. 

COVID-19 UPDATE:

Testing: Testing is available at more than 400 locations throughout the state.

  • Visit the NJ COVID hub for a complete list https://covid19.nj.gov/pages/testing
  • Monmouth County provides testing locations for residents throughout the County. The test is free and you do not have to be symptomatic.  Please complete the Testing Requisition Form ahead of your visit. Locations and times are subject to change so please check the website at visitmonmouth.com. This week:
    • Thursday, December 10 – Free County testing for residents in Asbury Park from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Asbury Park Transportation Center, 1 Municipal Plaza. The clinic has 200 tests and once those are administered, the clinic will close for the day.
    • Testing for Healthcare Workers and First Responders - Thursday, Dec. 10 in Wall Township from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Camp Evans, 800 Monmouth Road. There will be 100 tests available at this site.

COVID-19 Testing and Stats - As of this afternoon:

  • New Jersey reported that today there were 4,665 new positive cases and 381,486 cumulative total.  
  • Monmouth County reports 340 new positive cases today and 23,867 total cumulative cases.   
  • Marlboro Township today reports 21 new cases and 1,333 total cumulative cases. This is an increase of 154 positive tests since the December 1 email update, 8 days ago.  As of this past Sunday, we had 371 currently positive, the highest number of active cases we have reported at any single time.

As the number of cases continues to rise, please do your part to slow the spread by practicing social distancing, wearing a face covering when social distancing is not possible, not gathering in large crowds, washing their hands and staying home when sick. While I am very optimistic that with the release of vaccines we will ultimately move on from this crisis, we still need to get through the next few months until the vaccine is put into effect in our community.

Thank you and be safe,
Mayor Jon Hornik

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