Students, Rain and Awe-Inspiring Flags

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May 31, 2023

Flags

American Legion Post 141 of Atlantic Highlands, its Commander, Peter Doyle, students from MAST, the Marine Academy of Science and Technology at Sandy Hook, and Rumson Fair Haven High School’s Veterans Appreciation Club together with other volunteer replaced more than 700 flags on the graves of military veterans last week, in preparation for Memorial Day. All the flags were placed Saturday, May 20, despite a torrential downpour and cold temperatures.

Doyle heads up the annual event each year, assuring that flags placed in the past and now faded are removed, disposed of properly and replaced with new flags as positive signs the veterans buried at Bayview Cemetery from the time of the revolution to the present are always remembered.

Students from both high schools set up routines where they removed the old flags and replaced them; when that part of their community service was completed, they then separated the flags from the poles, and brought the faded flags to the Flag Disposal Box at the Public Works Yard in Atlantic Highlands.

Jocelyn Velasquez, who has been volunteering for the pre-Memorial Day event for more than 20 years, brought her two year old daughter, Nevaeh along, introducing her daughter to the importance of remembering the fallen. The two placed the flag at the burial site of Jocelyn’s grandfather, Bernard Frotton, a Marine Corps veteran who earned two purple hearts while serving and was a former councilman in the borough.

Post Commander Doyle and his wife-to-be also showed the importance they place on remembering those who served the country and are buried at Bayview Cemetery. The couple were at the cemetery for the two hour duty Saturday morning, and Doyle oversaw the completion of the flag replacements before the couple left to prepare for their wedding. Doyle and the former Barbara Bateman were married at St. Agnes Church later that afternoon.

Also volunteering for the morning were former Atlantic Highlands Councilwoman Jane Frotton, widow of Bernard Frotton, and a supporter of the Legion program since its inception, Deborah Appello, a member of the Atlantic Highlands Board of Education, Legion vice commander and former Army Capt. Ellen O’Dwyer, JJ O’Shaughnessy and Lenny Izzo, post members, and CDR Tracie-Smith Yeoman USN (ret) senior Naval Instructor at MAST.

As has been their tradition since starting to volunteer for the Bayview flag exchange program, the MAST cadets stopped to pay honor at the tombstone of Sgt. Fred Hay, who received a Congressional Medal of Honor for service during the Indian Campaigns of 1874 and died in Highlands in 1914.

The post provided lunch and beverages for the MAST and Rumson Fair Haven students at the Senior Center at the Yacht Harbor after the event.

John Valente – 1 Teacher, 1000’s of Lives

By

Muriel J. Smith

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May 31, 2023

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John Valente

A teacher at MAST, the Marine Academy of Science and Technology at Sandy Hook, for 35 years, formally announced his retirement at the end of this school year at the annual Pass in Review ceremonies honoring him and the Class of 2023. The ceremony was held on Pershing Field May 25.

Valente, a native of Florida where his father was a mounted policeman in Coral Gables, grew up in New York, his parents’ native city, when the family moved there when he was seven years of age.

He attended school in New York before moving to New Jersey after graduating from Queens College. He completed a Master of Physics Science degree from the College of New Jersey and taught science at several different schools in the state before starting at MAST 35 years ago.

Valente is a vice president of the NJ Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers and has served for 20 years as chair of the NJ Physics Olympics Committee.

He and his wife Valerie, an artist and chair of the Red Bank Catholic High School art department whom he met when he taught there, have been married 32 years and have one daughter.

Commander Tracie Smith-Yeoman Senior Instructor of the NJROTC program at MAST, was principal speaker at Valente’s retirement ceremony, and led the crowd of parents, faculty and cadets in applauding Valente for all he has done for MAST and the NJROTC during his three and a half decades of service at the school.

She told him “We cannot count the number of lives you have touched by your love of and passion for teaching.” She told stories she has heard over the ten years she has been at MAST from graduates who told her how easy physics in college was because of their education at MAST under Valente’s tutorship.

The retired officer added that Valente’s impact “has been immense, and you are one of the kindest, most caring people I have ever met,” feelings she said, which are shared by the Naval Senior Chief and Chief who also teach at MAST.

In his talk, Valente told the students it is they who are making his retirement so bittersweet since he has enjoyed teaching them for so many years and is reluctant to say goodbye to MAST and all it has meant to him.

Following his thanks and a standing ovation from the crowd, the entire MAST NJROTC honored Valente with their Pass in Review march.

Samuel Streit Coursen … Hero

By

Muriel J. Smith

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May 30, 2023

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Samuel Streit Coursen

It was just five years after his graduation from the West Point Military Academy that First Lieutenant Samuel Streit Coursen was killed in action at Kaesong Korea while saving the life of another soldier who was in mortal danger.

Coursen, the son of Wallace Melville Coursen, a principal in the New York accounting firm of Haskins & Sells, and Kathleen Howell Coursen, was born in Madison, NJ Aug. 4, 1926, after graduating from the Newark Academy, where he was known for his athletic accomplishments.

Coursen received an appointment to the Military Academy and was commissioned there in June, 1949. Shortly after, he married Evangeline Joy Sprague, the daughter of Naval Captain Albert Sprague who was the commanding officer at Naval Ammunition Depot at Lake Denmark, part of Picatinny Arsenel.

Coursen then underwent further schooling at Fort Riley, Kansas and Fort Benning, Georgia,before earning a promotion and deploying to the Far East Command, taking command of a platoon in Company C, 5th Cavalry Regiment of the First Calvary Division. The Regiment had been transferred from the Pacific theater to Korea four months earlier following the North Korean invasion that set off the Korean War.

Lieutenant Coursen and his unit were part of the UN offensive into North Korea, and was crossing the 38th parallel into North Korea two days before his heroic actions and his death.

The Korean War took the lives of 30 officers from the West Point Class of 1949, many of whom, like Coursen, were newly commissioned lieutenants serving as platoon commanders.

Lieutenant Coursen’s Medal of Honor was presented to his 14-month old son, Samuel, Jr. on June 21, 1951, with the presentation made at the Pentagon by Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman and General of the Army Omar Bradley.

Last week, Lieutenant Coursen was honored by the Battleship New Jersey Museum in Camden, when his banner was raised and joined the Museum’s Index of America’s Heroes during the celebration of the 80th date of commissioning of the battleship.

A ferry, the Lieutenant Samuel S. Coursen, was christened in 1956 honoring the hero, and is a 172 foot long passenger and vehicle ferry operating between Manhattan and the former US Army headquarters at Fort Jay on Governors Island.

That boat has carried heads of state including Queen Elizabeth II, the King of Norway, Mikhail Gorbachev and President George H.W.Bush and carries thousands of visitors each year to Governor’s Island.

The Newark Academy where he attended high school, renamed its athletic ground the Coursen Memorial Field and kept the same name for its field when the school moved to Livingston in 1964.

Lieutenant Coursen’s name is on a bronze plaque at the Military Academy’s listing of West Point graduates who have been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
He is buried at the US Military Academy cemetery at West Point.

Lieutenant Coursesn’s citation reads:

First Lieutenant Coursen distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action.

While Company C was attacking Hill 174 under heavy enemy small-arms fire, his platoon received enemy fire from close-range. The platoon returned the fire and continued to advance.

During this phase, one of his men moved into a well-camouflaged emplacement, which was thought to be unoccupied, and was wounded by the enemy who were hidden within the emplacement.

Seeing the soldier in difficulty, he rushed to the man’s aid and, without regard for his personal safety, engaged the enemy in hand-to-hand combat in an effort to protect his wounded comrade until he himself was killed.

When his body was recovered after the battle, seven enemy dead were found in the emplacement. As the result of 1st Lieutenant. Coursen’s violent struggle several of the enemies’ heads had been crushed with his rifle.

His aggressive and intrepid actions saved the life of the wounded man, eliminated the main position of the enemy roadblock, and greatly inspired the men in his command.

First Lieutenant Coursen’s extraordinary heroism and intrepidity reflect the highest credit on himself and are in keeping with the honored traditions of the military service.

Interested in additional Medal of Honor Recipients from New Jersey? Try these links

Brant

Watters

Hay

Benfold

Blume

Connor

BB-62 The Big J

By

Muriel J. Smith

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May 30, 2023

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BB-62

Today on board the BB-62, the USS New Jersey, you can sit in the seat where Admiral Bull Halsey commanded the 5^th fleet. Or you can have a birthday party in the same mess hall where sailors fighting in wars had their meals. You can even bring your family and spend a night on the ship, sleeping in the same bunks where Sailors have slept for 80 years as they defended America. Or you can climb into one of the 16” gun turrets that helped make this ship so amazing.

Monmouth County residents can see one of those gun turrets up close at Hartshorne Woods in Highlands, where it was preserved as part of another exhibit and is now part of the Monmouth County historic exhibitions there.

Because of the outstanding work of the staff and Board of Trustees as well as the Military Affairs Committee all of the Battleship USS New Jersey Museum and Memorial, you can learn the history of the nation’s largest and most decorated ship with her 19 awards on visits to what has been recognized as one of the most interactive battleship museums across the nation.

The New Jersey (BB-62) was the second of four Iowa-class battleships built in 1940 during World War II. Built at the Philadelphia Naval Ship Yard and launched on Dec. 7, one year after the attack on Pearl Harbor, she was commissioned six months later on May 3, 1943.

The battleship New Jersey (BB-62) was the flagship of Admiral Raymond Spruance’s 5^th fleet in 1944 when she sank a Japanese destroyer; she was Admiral William “Bull” Halsey’s flagship when he led the 3^rd fleet in 1944 during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. She was the first ship on which Admiral Chester Nimitz flew his five-star flag as Admiral of the fleet.

The New Jersey fought in the two largest naval battles of the Pacific War, first in the Battle of the Philippine Sea the largest carrier battle in history, and in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the largest sea battle of all time. She also served through the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

Put into mothballs after the war, the New Jersey BB-62, fondly known as the Big J, was reactivated to serve in the Korean War when she was the flagship of Admiral Joseph Clark’s 7^th fleet. Following that war, she served as a training ship for midshipmen and was the flagship for Admiral Charles Welborn’s second Fleet.

The New Jersey was re-activated a second time to serve as the world’s only operating battleship during the Vietnam War, and once more to resolve conflicts in the Middle East during the Cold War and put an end to Soviet expansionism.

The ship was the first of the four battleships which include the Iowa, Arizona and Missouri, to add cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles and anti-missile weapons to the powerful 16-inch guns, making her the most formidable surface ship ever put to sea. The four battleships were the only ships for which nuclear projectiles were designed.

President Ronald Reagan described the New Jersey as being “still in the prime of life, a Gallant Lady,” when he became the only President to recommission a battleship during his term.

In total, the battleship was in active service for 21 and a half years and was decommissioned for the last time in February 1991. She was then towed from her resting place in Washington State through the Panama Canal amid great ceremonies attended by Governor Christine Whitman, Monmouth County Senator the late State Senator S. Thomas Gagliano and former state Assemblyman and also Navy Captain Joseph Azzolina. Azzolina, a Highlands native, had served aboard the New Jersey and was instrumental in securing her a permanent home in New Jersey.

Captain Joe Azzolina Captain, USNR (ret)

In 2002, the ship was opened as the Naval Museum and Memorial it is today, under Executive Director and CEO Philip P. Rowan, and the Board of Trustee Officers under Chairman Dennis Levitt. Capt. Azzolina was a member of the Board of Trustees until his death, and his son, Joseph Azzolina,Jr. of Red Bank, is carrying on his father’s legacy as a member of the Board.

During her years of service, the Battleship New Jersey played a role in every major amphibious invasion since 1943; she served at the Marshall Islands, the Caroline Islands, the Marianas, New Guinea, Palau, the Philippines, Iwo Jima and Okinawa, earning her 19 battle and campaign stars, the most decorated battleship in history and the second-most decorated ship in American history. She has also received a Naval Unit Commendation for Vietnam service and Presidential United citations from the Republic of the Philippines and the Republic of Korea.

Visit the Battleship Museum’s website for information on visits or special events at BattleshipNewJersey.org or email for information to info@BattleshipNewJersey.org.

PBA Ball

By

Muriel J. Smith

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May 30, 2023

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PBA Ball

The 34^th annual PBA Ball sponsored by the Atlantic Highlands Local 242 was as spectacular and terrific as all the events the PBA sponsors, and it’s wonderful to see the funds raised for that outstanding Police Explorer post the local department has.

Congratulations to PBA President Travis Morgan who also served as ball chairman for taking care of even the smallest details to see that the entire evening was sensational.

Congrats also to all those wonderful police wives and others who put together the magnificent array of gifts auctioned for even more funds for the Police Explorers.

Casino Goes On

And so happy to see how smoothly Kathleen Sweeney could glide into keeping the Shore Casino festive dinner so outstanding and above excellent as always. This is the first year Kathleen has run it without either Bernie or Jay there beside her, and in spite of the sadness I’m sure it caused her, the number of folks who just wanted to thank her, talk to her and tell her how great everything was touching and meaningful. It had to be a very bittersweet evening for her, but she knew and felt she was surrounded by the love of all the folks who were there.

In addition to the dinner, the music and dancing, the huge auction and the organization of everything that kept running so smoothly, take the time to look through that huge program book which proved to be another great fund raiser for the event.

In addition to the local businesses who supported the booklet, some great Highlands businesses did as well, as well as some businesses from other nearby towns. It’s important to support all these businesses as well and be sure to let them know you saw their ad in the PBA Journal.

It’s no surprise that so many local businesses and families support this police department. On a daily basis, they get commended and thanked for their outstanding service and the courtesy and professionalism of every member of the department. As well they should.

Showing up at the PBA Ball is just one more way to show thanks for such a great group of men and women. Professional, yes, but still appreciating small town America and the family atmosphere in Atlantic Highlands.

It was so great to see everyone put politics aside and remember that while we may differ in thoughts on how to do some things, we do still have to listen to each other and maybe even compromise on matters that impact the town, just to get and keep the best ideas alive.

The Maître d‘

Did not hear it personally, and I don’t know the councilwoman’s husband, but one of the stories from the event I heard second hand is sheer downright funny. If it’s true the way I heard it, it shows the quick thinking of Councilman Jim Murphy when confronted by someone who, most likely in jest, chatted with him briefly.

Jim looked wonderful in his neat-looking dark trousers and white dinner jacket and certainly was smiling as he went around the room meeting and greeting folks. The story goes that his opponent’s husband stopped him and asked where his table was. Jim, not sure why he was being asked, asked the gentleman why he was asking him. To which the gentleman replied, looking at Jim’s attire, that he thought Jim was the maître d‘.

Without batting an eye or it sounds like even taking a breath, Jim responded, “oh, no, you heard that wrong. I’m not the maître d’…I’m the Mayor to Be!”

Good clean fun at the PBA Ball … and Jim proved himself quick on the response!

Awesome Parade & Placemats

By

Muriel J. Smith

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May 29, 2023

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Parade

The Atlantic Highlands Parade was spectacular, between the music of the Admirals from Henry Hudson and the Atlantic Highlands elementary school to those visiting USS Oregon submariners who certainly enjoyed talking to the local people, with not one of them from New Jersey but all happy to be visiting here.

The MAST cadets were as spectacular as ever, and Cadet/LCDR Sam Puleo’s address during the ceremonies after the parade was outstanding. Cadet Puleo is the MAST NJROTC Battalion for the next school year and has already proven he’s certainly up to the job. As have all of them, but locals can take some price in Atlantic Highlands own C/LTJG Abigail Hesterhagen who is the training officer for the cadets for next year.

Great also to see that Public Works Director Jim Phillips and Councilman Jim Murphy were so attentive to the American flags and know the proper protocol for Memorial Day. All the borough flags were at half staff until noon, then, as per proper procedures, they were raised to full staff for the rest of the day. The two Jims..PWS Director and Councilman.. made sure it was done.

It’s too bad once again that neither the bank at the park nor the post office across the street bothered to have anyone come in to have the flags lowered until noon. Not very respectful of either the flag protocol or the military members who were honored on this special day.

Loved seeing the Little League and Scouts in the parade and feel pretty secure every day seeing all the emergency equipment from Highlands and Navesink, in addition to Atlantic Highlands. The volunteers for each of these communities are more than outstanding!

It was heartwarming to see the parade through the eyes of someone from Georgia, a country that a few days ago celebrated its own celebration of independence from Russia. Having a friend who has been here in this country for less than a year and working hard every day to save enough to continue her own career classes in medicine, it was exciting to see her view her first hometown parade. And what is even better, the Atlantic Highlands Memorial Day Parade was viewed in the country of Georgia! That’s because Elena was so excited to see it all, she called her mom in Georgia and gave her a view and audio from First Avenue.

Placemats

Not only Memorial Day, but every day Bahrs Restaurant in Highlands always celebrates the Navy and all military. Even if you don’t have little ones, ask to see the special placements and menus they have for the younger sets. The placemats contain each of the signal flags for the Navy, complete with their audio names… Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, etc., as well as the signal each individual flag means…the blue and white Alpha, for instance, also means “I have a diver down, keep well clear at slow speed,” and the checkered November flag means “No or Negative.”

The placemats come complete with crayons and blank boxes so kids can color their own flags and spell out their own names. Their menu sounds pretty good too!

USS New Jersey (BB-62) Celebrates

By

Muriel J. Smith

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May 29, 2023

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USS New Jersey Celebrates!

It was May 23, 1943 when the USS New Jersey was commissioned into the United States Navy, and that event was celebrated 80 years later with the same pomp and circumstance that honored its entry into service in the first of all the wars in which the ship has been involved. The ship is now decommissioned and served as a Museum and Memorial on the Delaware River waterfront in Camden.

Nor did the USS New Jersey Battleship Museum and Memorial forget all those who manned the ship and fought the wars through those eight decades.

At the ceremonies celebrating eight decades of the USS New Jersey, one sailor from each one of those decades spoke and told of some of his experiences while sailing aboard the largest battleship ever built, and the only one which has served in every war since…. World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Lebanon Crisis and the Persian Gulf War. She earned 19stars during those wars and is the most decorated ship in the United States Navy.

As a guest of Joseph Azzolina, Jr., a member of the USS New Jersey Battleship Museum’s Board of Trustees, I was on the fantail of the battleship for the celebrations last week and was both inspired and entertained by the memories and feelings of each of the speakers from former enlisted sailors to Admirals.

At 99 years of age, FC2 Bill Ryan, spoke to the crowd on the fantail of the ship, telling of his experiences during World War II when he enlisted in the Navy before being drafted, and served from 1943 through 1945. He was 18 when he first went aboard, he said, and still deems it an honor to have been among the crew.

Capt. Louis A. Ivey, MD graduated from Penn State in 1954 and served aboard BB62 during the 1950s. A cardiac surgeon, Capt. Ivey is retired from the Navy and was the first black officer to serve aboard the ship. He spoke about the friends he made during his military service and the memories they share on a regular basis.

Historian Paul Stillwell was a 1969 veteran of the battleship and a career officer in the Navy. He spoke on the central figures in his life during his years. The retired officer worked for more than 30 years at the U.S. Naval Institute as an oral historian and editor of Naval History magazine. He is the author or editor of thirteen books, including four on battleships and an award-winning volume on the Navy’s first African American officers, The Golden Thirteen.

Vice Admiral Douglas J. Katz was commanding officer of the USS New Jersey from 1987 through 1989 and served 32 years in the Navy. A graduate of the US Naval Academy, Admiral Katz noted last week that while both he and the battleship are more than 80 years old, “she’s younger.”

Capt. Mark E. Eaton is also a retired naval veteran, and served aboard the battleship in the early 1990s and thanked the museum and memorial for all the work they do to keep the ship “looking great.”

Rear ADMIRAL Samuel J. Cox is Director of the Navy History and Heritage Command, the “curator” for the Navy. A graduate of the Naval Academy, he earned the Trident Scholarship and history awards and holds a master’s degree from the US Army Command and General Staff College.

In addition to his duty aboard the USS New Jersey, he also served as Director of Intelligence for the U.S. Cyber Command, was Director of National Maritime Intelligence Center; head of the Multi-national Intelligence Task Force investigating the sinking of South Korea’s warship Cheonan, a senior member of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Hands program, and director of Plans and Policy and Fleet Intelligence for Naval Network Warfare Command. He also served for three years as commander of the U.S. Central Command Joint Intelligence Center.

RADM Cox graduated with honors from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1980, winning the Trident Scholar and History Department Awards. He holds a master’s degree from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. He also served on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower off Libya and Lebanon, and on the USS Blue Ridge during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

Ignore This! (The Board of Education Does)

By

Muriel J. Smith

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May 29, 2023

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Board of Education

Securing a copy of the letter a former Board of Education member sent to the Henry Hudson Regional Board of Education last January makes me wonder whether elected officials do listen to residents who do speak or write their opinions of the current Henry Hudson Tri-District Superintendent.

Tracy Abby-White is a long time resident of Atlantic Highlands, served on the Henry Hudson board of education for seven years when the late Robert Dziadosz was superintendent of the 7-12 school.

She was concerned about what she perceived as unprofessionalism on the part of the present Superintendent when she attended a board of education meeting in January, and wrote a letter to Michael Gannon, Board President of the 7-12 school district offering a suggestion to eliminate the problem she encountered. At the same time, she sent copies of the letter to each of the members of the Henry Hudson Regional Board of Education.

To ensure board members would know something about her own experience and background, Abby-White included that in her letter before describing the problem in great detail. She noted her criticism was about a specific incident she observed, not about the superintendent’s competence . But it was enough to outrage and embarrass her as a resident, Abby-White said, prompting the letter and suggestion.

The letter was received in January.

Abby-White has yet to hear a solution, a study, or whether her own suggestion was used.

The following is the resident and former Council member and Board of Education member’s letter.

Dear President Gannon and members of the Tri-District Board of Education,

I am a long-time resident of Atlantic Highlands who served on the Board of Education for seven years with the late Superintendent, Robert Dziadosz. My daughters graduated from HHRS, and I have been a vocal supporter of our schools for over four decades. I was elected to Atlantic Highlands Council for one term and have continued to serve on the Brookdale Board of Trustees since my appointment in 2013. I share my background to give you a glimpse into my commitment to education and public service. I have the utmost respect for the servant work each of you does to provide the level of education required for our children to compete in a global economy.

I was part of the regionalization discussions in the late 1980s and became involved with the current regionalization proposal at the request of Mayor Loretta Gluckstein approximately two years ago. Since then, I have met and respectfully listened to all members of the BoE and Dr. Tara Beams. They extended the invitation to attend the Tri-District BoE meetings on numerous occasions. Like you, I juggle multiple responsibilities, making this a challenge, and on Wednesday night, I attended my first BoE meeting since my daughters graduated from HHRS in 2004.

My purpose was to understand the status of the proposed regionalization between Atlantic Highlands, Highlands & Sea Bright. This email will not comment on the meeting content. This email concerns the delivery of the responses to the public I have witnessed consistently since my introduction to the Superintendent on February 7, 2021.

When the public comment portion began, Dr. Tara Beams, the highest-paid professional representing the Tri-District, began rolling her eyes and sighing, visibly signaling boredom for the tax-paying public seeking information. When it was my turn, I asked a question. I wanted to understand why the BoE appeared out of alignment with the findings of the two feasibility studies.

After noticeable physical movement, Dr. Beams launched into a loud and lengthy monologue. The theatrics of grabbing the microphone and yelling a personal opinion was shocking and vulgar. Her acute talent in circumlocution and condescending tone is appalling and insulting. Someone with this degree of visibility representing all three Boards of Education should be at the pinnacle of professionalism.

I want to be clear that I am not criticizing her abilities as a hands-on contributor or competence to introduce a vital data-led strategy, as noted by Board Member Claire Kozic. I am outraged and embarrassed by her lack of executive gravitas.

I only approach a problem if I offer a solution, so I encourage the Tri-District Board to retain the services of an executive coach for our Superintendent. Introducing professional development could help align the face of our educational institutions with a positive image and reflect the caliber of the education you strive to deliver. Condoning this behavior diminishes the collective hard work and accomplishments. Our community and students deserve better.

Respectfully,

Tracey Abby-White

1 Meeting 2 Confusing Abstentions

By

Muriel J. Smith

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May 27, 2023

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Meeting

After an approximate hour-long public hearing in which several people urged that final action be held for another meeting, the governing body approved the ordinance which sets rules, regulations and fees to the borough for film and television producers wanting to use municipal streets, parks, harbor and other locations for filming.

For a scant minute, it looked like the governing body would delay final action on the ordinance and weigh some of the points residents brought up at the meeting. Councilman James Murphy had indicated at the beginning of the public hearing he still had questions and concerns and did not think the ordinance should go further. His opinions were reiterated by several speakers during the meeting.

When at the end of the public hearing, Murphy made a motion to delay the final vote, his motion was seconded by Councilwoman Eileen Cusick who also said she wanted to delay final action because “clearly the community is concerned.”

However, that motion failed to get a majority vote, and the motion to approve the controversial ordinance and make it into law was approved.

1st Abstention

Despite her earlier second of the motion to delay, Councilwoman Cusick voted for approval. Also voting with her were Councilwoman Lori Hohenleitner, Brian Dougherty and Vito Colasurdo. Councilman Jon Crowley who had led most of the support for the ordinance and provided information from personal experience to encourage adoption of it, abstained.

No Abstention

Had Mrs. Cusick also abstained following her early action when she wanted it delayed because of apparent community concern, the three votes in favor, Hohenleitner, Colasurdo and Dougherty, would not have been enough to have the ordinance passed. Ms. Hohenleitner said she was “struggling with the issue” moving forward when she voted for it.

The councilwoman said after the meeting she voted in favor of it since she felt it was better to have the ordinance in place rather than have no regulation, and amendments could be made in the future.

Crowley did not give his reason for abstaining.

2nd Abstention

On the issue of school regionalization brought up during the public portion at the end of the meeting, when Crowley was asked his reason for abstaining from voting on the school regionalization issue unanimously approved by the three affected boroughs to put it on the ballot, borough attorney Margaret Schaffer advised that the council members do not have to give their reasons for their vote on any issue. She explained Crowley could cite his reason if he chose, but under the law, he nor any other council member would not have to explain their vote to the citizenry.

The film ordinance, which appears in full on the borough’s official page, requires special event permits be obtained through the Special Events six-member committee, and mandates the film maker provide insurance, minimize impact on adjacent property owners and establishments procedures for appeals, waivers, and fee schedules. It also exempts from the ordinance private parties, student films, instant news coverage by newspaper and other media, and realty TV under certain specifications.

Think Traffic is Bad Now? Wait

By

Muriel J. Smith

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May 26, 2023

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Motorists and residents alike are being urged to pay attention to the Traffic detour signs when traveling in Highlands over the next several weeks, as sewer improvement work continues to progress but causes disruption on both local and county roads.

Roman E&G Corporation, the firm doing all the sewer work, is trying to do its best to keep people informed of the several detours all are experiencing around the borough as the sewers installed in 1900 when the borough was first created, are being renewed and repaired to ensure continued service to the borough.

But starting Tuesday, May 30, even with all their advance notice to residents, visitors are going to have to use caution and heed all the detour plans and updates on access to certain areas.

Letters went out to residents of Linden Avenue informing them of inconveniences they will be facing and urging their cooperation. The letter also thanked residents for their patience and assured them they are working on schedule to get the work completed.

Work had been planned for earlier in the year, Mayor Carolyn Broullon has explained to residents, but none could be done on Linden Avenue, since it is a Monmouth County Road. The County prohibits work on its roads until spring or summer, making it especially difficult for a community like Highlands whose population and activities increase during the spring and summer months.

Beginning Tuesday, the sewer improvements will be taking place both at the intersection of Linden and Waterwitch Avenue, one block up the hill from Shore Drive, as well as Beach Blvd work continuing.

Workers will be on site from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Linden Avenue and from 7 am to 5:30 on Beach Blvd.

A traffic detour plan will be in place starting Tuesday closing the Linden Avenue entry to the borough. Instead, traffic traveling east on Route 36 will continue along Route 36 to the Portland Road entrance to town at Capt. Joseph Azzolina Bridge. Motorists can then travel along Bay or Shrewsbury avenues to their destinations below the hill. The left turn entry to the borough’s business district at Miller St. will continue to be closed as required by the state Department of Transportation.

During weeknights, only one lane of traffic will be maintained on Linden Avenue, traveling up the hill from Waterwitch Avenue to Route 36.

The firm is requesting Linden Avenue residents to keep on-street parking at a minimum during construction hours to help ease the traffic situation.

The company reiterated to Linden Avenue residents that they will have access to their homes during working hours from Route 36 and apologized that at some points during the workday there is a possibility where access to some driveways may be blocked. However, access even to these areas will always be accessible at the end of each workday.

Work on Bay Avenue is continuing after Memorial Day, with no road closure; however, caution is urged because of the work on the side of the road.

The Beach Blvd. sewer improvements will continue, with limited access during working hours. Residents are encouraged to park their cars in the municipal lot at the corner of B ay and Central avenues overnight or on the side streets of Central and Ocean.

The traffic detour plan that will be in place will make both Ocean and Central Avenues two-way streets to accommodate the road closure. As on Linden Avenue, Roman requests residents of Ocean and Central Avenues to keep street parking at a minimum during the Beach Boulevard closure to accommodate the two-way traffic.

Parking is available in the municipal parking lot overnight during this time.

Residents and motorists are urged to be on the lookout for future updates and detour plans as work progress continues over the upcoming weeks. There will be no sewer improvement work on Monday, Memorial Day.

Visit the official Highlands borough page for continued updates when available.

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