Freehold Borough Police Officer Salvages Mural Panels

Sgt. Michael Sweetman retrieved remaining artwork.

A Freehold Borough police officer’s swift action saved the 10 remaining panels of the town mural, Freehold Borough Arts Council (FBAC) President Neal Girandola said.

The panels had been removed from 63 East Main St. on Friday, Dec. 30 by a crew working for the building’s owner, Rakesh Kumar of HRS Investments. A painting crew covered the remaining artwork gray on Friday, Jan. 7, leading to an outcry from the FBAC and area residents.

Sgt. Michael Sweetman was on patrol Tuesday morning when he spotted the mural panels through the windows being installed on the building, Girandola said. Sweetman spoke to the project foreman, who received approval from Kumar to release the artwork to the police officer’s custody.

“We have a little bit of preservation of the artwork. We can't thank Sgt. Sweetman enough,” Girandola said. “For them to take the time to do that and care, it says a lot about our police department.”

Girandola retrieved the panels from the on Tuesday afternoon.

The artwork will be on display during a performance by Mission Dance at the on Saturday, Jan 14 from 9 p.m. to midnight, Girandola said.

What business will take root at 63 East Main St. is still undetermined. HRS Investments currently has an application pending with the Planning Board to develop a 7-Eleven on the property. The company also received an approval by the town code enforcement office to reopen the site as a gas station, should the 7-Eleven not be approved, Kumar’s attorney Mark Williams said. The building had been repainted to allow to gas station project to move forward, Williams said. The Planning Board will discuss the 7-Eleven application during a meeting at Borough Hall on Wednesday, Jan. 25 at 7 p.m.