Politics & Government
VIDEO: Residents React to Mural Paint-Over
Freehold Borough Arts Council invited residents to site on Saturday to discuss a business owner's decision to paint the newly completed mural gray.
Area residents and local officials gathered at 63 East Main Street in Downtown Freehold on Saturday, one day after the mural on the site was painted over.
The mural was commissioned by the Freehold Borough Arts Council (FBAC) and completed over six months.
The owner of the site, Rakesh Kumar of HRS Investments, has an application before the to open a 7-Eleven at the site. If the application is denied, he plans to open a gas station, according to his attorney, Mark Williams.
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Among the officials present at Saturday’s gathering were Mayor Nolan Higgins, Councilman John Newman, Councilwoman Sharon Shutzer, and Borough Attorney Kerry Higgins.
FBAC President Neal Girandola said Kumar offered to donate $10,000 to the arts council, contingent on the 7-Eleven application being approved, during a conversation he had with Kumar and Williams on Friday. Williams said he would not confirm or deny that Kumar offered a donation.
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