'We're not getting answers': Four Keyport businesses forced out after wall collapse

KEYPORT - Three weeks after a construction mishap from the property next door caved in a wall of their building on West Front Street, four displaced Keyport businesses remain “in limbo,” as one tenant put it.

The April accident, caused by a construction crew pouring cement at 31 W. Front St., caused 29 W. Front St. to be condemned — sending a beauty salon, an eatery, a property management firm and a mortgage firm scrambling for answers.

Keyport administrator Kimberly Humphrey said permits for the construction work “were properly obtained” and beyond that, this is a private dispute between property owners.

“The responsibility for construction methods and materials lies with the private contractors and not with the municipal government,” she said.

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Mayor Rose Araneo said officials inspected the construction site at 31 W. Front St. and “have only found minor violations, but not anything that can shut down the work being performed, at this time, on this building.”

So construction of the new building there continues, although there is no return date in sight for the displaced businesses.

“It is certainly a distressing accident for everyone involved,” Araneo said. “Determining a timetable for when businesses can return to the building is a complex process, especially with the involvement of insurance companies and forensic engineers.”

'I'm sick over this'

The fates of the four displaced businesses have varied.

Regency Management Group caught the worst of the accident. The caved-in wall was theirs.

"We can’t get in and out; we’re working remotely, but everything is buried under the concrete," owner Rose Clayton said Thursday. "My employees don’t even want to go back there. They’re scared, they don’t trust the structural integrity of the building."

Clayton said the problem dates back to last year.

"This is not the first time this has happened; I reported (the construction company) last year because our walls were falling apart, and they supposedly came and fixed it," she said. "Nobody actually cared about us until I was on the news (News 12 New Jersey) last week."

Clayton said Regency Management Group ultimately will have to find a new home.

"Even if they open up that building, I still have no walls," she said. "If everybody else gets to go back to work, I’m buried under cement. And they’re still developing (next door), jackhammering, going up and up and up. I don’t know how they’re not shut down. And I do property management, so I know construction."

She added, "Now I’ve got filing cabinets cemented to desks. I can’t open those, and I’ve got clients who want answers. We do have the ability to work remote, but the way the server is going in and out, it’s not working properly."

Clayton said her own engineers showed up to inspect the damage, only to have the police called on them for trespassing. No one was charged once the engineers identified themselves, but the problem — an inability to fully assess the damage — remains.

"I’m under mental distress; I’m sick over this," Clayton said. "It’s horrible for everyone."

How the others are coping

Salon 29 has temporarily moved across the street into Hair Casino, a kind gesture of accommodation.

“We’re very fortunate that Hair Casino took us in,” Salon 29 manager Dana Keegan said. “We’re making do until we figure out what’s going on. We’re in limbo right now. It stinks for everybody.”

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Italian Gourmet Delights is closed for the time being.

“At that point, my business ceased,” owner Chad Simons said.

His ice cream-driven business is entirely walk-in, and its reputation has grown since opening in 2020.

“People in town love us,” Simons said. “We were really starting to shine a little bit.”

Simons said the construction next door, at 31 W. Front St., was for a five-story building with underground parking, a restaurant and four condos.

Like Salon 29’s Keegan, Simons said in the three weeks since the accident, he’s heard nothing about what went wrong or what’s next for the damaged building.

“It’s upsetting we’re not getting answers,” he said.

Jim Guerriero of First Lenders Mortgage is working remotely. His equipment was spared.

“We’re still open for business,” he said. “We don’t have any walk-in and can’t work anywhere as near as efficiently as when we’re in the office, but we’re able to get things done.”

Guerriero feels for his fellow tenants who have it worse.

“Rose got absolutely hammered — this is really hurting her a lot,” he said. “And Chad, this time of year to not have his doors open is absolutely devastating. When the weather is beautiful, he’s packed.”

Guerriero said the calamity did not surprise him.

“Common sense says if you start pouring concrete, especially from the height they were pouring, behind a cinderblock wall against an older wall that is essentially plywood and two by fours, something is going to give,” he said.

A Friday afternoon closed-door meeting is scheduled at borough hall between the tenants of 29 W. Front St. and Keyport officials, including its engineer and Humphrey.

"To just touch base with one another," Humphrey said.

Tenants see that as long overdue.

“There’s been no explanation for anything so far,” Guerriero said.

In the meantime, Araneo said Keyport Bayfront Business Cooperative board members plan to start a GoFundMe campaign to aid the displaced businesses.

“We are sure that with our community coming together, we may be able to support those affected by this unfortunate incident,” she said. “I am sure the funds raised will provide some relief during this challenging time. I would also like to say, from the bottom of my heart, that I truly feel sorry for what the business owner and the businesses are going through and hope the insurance companies are able to expeditiously resolve this.”

Jerry Carino is community columnist for the Asbury Park Press, focusing on the Jersey Shore’s interesting people, inspiring stories and pressing issues. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Keyport businesses in limbo after wall collapse kicks them out