Finally the Atlantic Highlands Harbor Commission has made some headway in correcting some of the wrongs that leasee Capt. Harold Smith and his TowBoat/US has had to endure for the past two years.

Since the new $1.5 million dollar was built 22 months ago at the Harbor, and been leased to both the NJ State Police and TowBOAT/US, Capt. Smith has complained about the improper, unsafe, or inadequate construction problems that were apparently overlooked when Kappa Construction built the facility and walked away from the job as complete.

Since then, Smith has pleaded with the Harbor Commission, then when nothing was done, appealed to the governing body as the borough is building owner. He asked that he be released from his lease that he has been paying without any discounts for the incomplete or incorrect work and continued to ask that it be corrected. Council referred the matter back to the Harbor Commission saying it was their facility, and the Commission has been working with an attorney since then.

Last month, the Commission made some corrections and promised more, and Smith reported this week they have kept their promise. Borough council, however, had not yet taken any action on releasing  Smith from his lease.

The businessman reported this week that the shut off valves for the gas have now been properly put in and his PTAC unit installed. He’s now waiting for a heavy rainfall to see if it’s been successful.  He also indicated nobody has shared the results of the water test they conducted nor released any results of the survey they did.

But things are looking up, Smith said, as he continues operating the business he has had at the harbor for more than a decade.

Kappa Construction, meantime, is keeping on schedule at its $10-plus million dollar construction of the Highlands Borough Hall on Route 36 in Highlands. Most  of the exterior initial siding and roof construction is in place and expected to be completed before colder weather sets in so work can continue inside during the winter months. A portion of the parking area on the west side of the building has been paved, and Kappa employees, after Police Chief Rob Burton reminded the firm parking on the state highway is illegal, are now parking within the property fencing and keeping both the highway lane and the sidewalk open for motorists and pedestrians.

While each of the Atlantic Highlands council members gives extraordinary reports at council meetings of all that’s been going on within their respective committees each month, it’s Councilman James Murphy’s reports that are most in depth and in detail, actually keeping the public informed of all that is going on in the departments which he oversees.

As an example, at the other night’s meeting of the governing body, Council members Lori Hohenleitner and Brian Dougherty had nothing to report, Councilman Brian Boms said he had nothing to report, but did mention the planning board had cancelled its scheduled meeting last week because a lack of completed applications, and a about the upcoming fund raiser. Jon Crowley reported briefly, though enthusiastically, about the EM radio site soon to be a realty, Steve Boracchia give a brief report on the Harbor Commission and the impact of the high gas prices there, but nonetheless the harbor should fare better this year than last.

But Councilman Murphy had a page full of details on the first aid, recreation committee and the Public Works Department, keeping the public well informed of how busy all were this month as well as reporting on the success of events including the Halloween house decorating contest and parade. He said he was leaving updates on the police and fire departments to the other council members to report.

So Murphy reported and it was nice for the public to know the first aid responded to 20 calls during October, and another 12 already in November. It’s important for people to know the squad has answered 234 calls this year, a fact that might stimulate more interest in someone becoming a squad volunteer or perhaps contributing funds to help them.  He urged residents to “give a smile and a handshake”  to Tim Farkas, Mike Berth, Ann Schoeller, Amanda Stolte, John Wilson and Chief Lance Hubeny for being the call leaders for the month.

He reported on the success of the community CPR training class and cited the annual food drive and the Santa Runs which will run from Dec. 5 through Dec.8, directing residents to the squad’s Facebook page for information and how to make donations.  He put out the e-mail address, info@ahfirstaid.org for anyone who wants membership information.

Murphy addressed the recreation activities by summing up the success of the Halloween events, as well as reminding parents  recreation basketball signups are open until Dec. 4, giving prices, and once again, urging residents to visit www.ahnj.com  and check out all information and registration for recreational activities.  He announced the annual tree lighting ceremony Dec. 3 and deferred to Mayor Loretta Gluckstein for the most recent update on activities planned for the event.

When it came to the Public Works Department, Murphy reiterated their busy schedule, announced leaf pick-up, organized by zone, is on schedule, and there will be no more brush pick-up for the year, but announcing when the yard is open for drop-offs. He cautioned everyone to be aware of the heavy rain event predicted for this week.  He reminded residents that DPW Director Jimmy Phillips is always ready, willing and capable in answering any questions concerning the department, its schedules, and the work it does.

A lengthy, thorough report. A lot to absorb in a single meeting but all information the public has a right to know.  Perhaps council members should consider putting their monthly reports on the borough page so residents can read what they want, absorb what they need to, and have the opportunity to be kept informed about events, people and places going on in town.

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PLANNING BOARD NOTICE OF MEETING CANCELLATION-Notice is hereby given that the Special Meeting of the Atlantic Highlands Planning Board to be held on November 14, 2022 at 7:00pm at the Borough Hall of Atlantic Highlands, 100 First Avenue, Atlantic Highlands, NJ 07716 has been cancelled. Any matters scheduled will be carried to the Regular Meeting on December 1, 2022 at 7:00pm at the Borough Hall of Atlantic Highlands, 100 First Ave, Atlantic Highlands, NJ 07716.

The good news is this is the notice that was posted on the borough’s webpage, AHNJ  shortly after 8 a.m. this morning.

There will be no planning board meeting tonight to review or even talk about that Redevelopment Plan the borough council introduced at Thursday’s meeting., the one that is proposing a major change to the Mother Theresa school property totally unknown to the public but was not identified as such in the Council meeting agenda.

The bad news is the public is still kept unaware of the reason for it.

The planning board meeting scheduled for tonight was so important Thursday night during the Council meeting that the chairman of the board could not even be called during the meeting to see if he would adjourn the meeting.

So now we know the Mother Theresa Redevelopment Plan that was going to be before the planners tonight is on the agenda for the regular planning board meeting on Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. at Borough Hall and presumably on ZOOM.

But there is still so much the public does not know.

That planning board meeting scheduled for tonight and now cancelled was so important that even when the attorney on ZOOM, representing the owners of the Mother Theresa property to be discussed as this all important meeting,  could not even get a yes to his request that the meeting be cancelled, adjourned or postponed.

It was this attorney for the Mother Theresa school property owners who, in conjunction with the borough administrator, said he would contact the planning board’s attorney to get it resolved by this morning.

Read that again carefully.

It was not the borough  who offered to get it adjourned; it was  the attorney for the property owners saying he had never heard of this idea for the Mother Teresa Redevelopment Plan who said he knew the other attorneys and made suggestions, along with the administrator, of how it could be handled. Council had said they couldn’t simply call the planning board chairman right then and have it done.  Of course, that begs another question

Who called that planning board meeting in the first place? It could not have been the planning board. They did not have a meeting in which they voted on the meeting. Does someone else besides the Chairman call meetings without anyone else knowing about them? Surely the secretary who advertised the meeting didn’t call it without being told.

Really. Isn’t it about time to stop all the secrecy and let the public know the whole story about what’s going on?

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Ronnie Adams is an unusual, kind and generous woman. For more than 20 years, she has been holding garage sales, yard sales and doing fund raisers, all to raise funds so Calvary Chapel on Route 36 in Atlantic Highlands can continue its good work of providing whatever is needed for the less fortunate in the community.

And now Ronnie has opened yet another another shop in the amazing Renaissance boutique on First Avenue that is open seven days a week with an almost rock solid guarantee of having something for everyone.

The new shop in the group of neat and individual shops inside the red door offers a combination of old, new, antique, and quirky items for sale, ranging in price from fifty cents to  $300, all to benefit all the community causes the Church sponsors and includes for their donations.

There is one more item in the shop, a signed  soapstone sculpture of a mother and child that goes for considerably higher, but for now is simply a talking piece in the display. The $300 item is a fascinating antique wooden dough table, complete with the top board for rolling out dough, the storage drawer for allowing the dough to rise, and a couple of smaller drawers for tools of the trade.

But in between that 50 cents, for little ornaments, and the dough table, there are shelves and tables  of cards, books, newspapers, statues, holiday items, and religious items for a variety of religions, from menorah to crosses.  “Every religion is important,” said Ronnie ,”so we are happy to have items for each to respect and have.”

There are the unusual as well. Including the ottoman fit for a living room or bedroom, complete with storage space within and a hidden mirror in the cover. There are kitchen appliances from antique potato mashers and wooden rolling pins to graters and sieves and dishes and pots to use with all of them. There are horseshoes for good luck, and elephants of all sizes for bookends or décor. The new ideas include jewelry and candles, and with the Christmas season just beginning, there is an accent on Santa and mangers as well.

“We all have to give back,” the philosophical Ms. Adams says, “and we all have to help one another and do for one another. Running this shop for Calvary Chapel and all it does, its wonderful pastor, and the joy it spreads, is just one small thing I can do to practice what the Bible preaches we should be about.”

Renaissance is open seven days a week from 11 a. to 5 p.m. The Calvary Chapel booth is just one of the more than dozen shops where dreams and memories can be found and purchased at bargain prices

A collaboration between the Atlantic Highlands Arts Council  and Wild About Atlantic Highlands  non-profit group aiming to continue the natural beautification of the borough resulted in a standing room only crowd at the Art Councils gallery on First Avenue Saturday to view Sarah Galloway’s Wild in the Garden State film. Guests also received tips, information and seed for sowing milk pods that continue to save the endangered Monarch butterfly population.

Galloway’s awarding winning film produced by herself and her husband Dave Cumins at their own home in Wanamassa, depicted  how homeowners can replace typical suburban lawns into native plant gardens for unusual landscaping and natural attractions for a variety of wildlife from bees and birds to  small mammals also necessary in the natural life of plants.

Galloway showed what happened after she and Cumins moved from a New York city apartment to the Jersey shore and a 130-foot span of lawn. The video they produced included her expertise as a video producer for the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and blended with Cumins’ expertise as a retired architect in showing how to create an eco-friendly garden.

In a question and answer period that followed the showing and light refreshments, the couple also gave further information on the variety of sources available for both information and native plants to create gardens in any ground surface in any area. She recommended sand-loving plants for this area because of the natural existence of sandy soil in the area, but also cited sources for pre-planned and native pollinator gardens. Local resident Ken Grasso donated scores of envelopes and directions for cold-stratifying milk pod seeds for spring planting.

Native plants are those that have evolved over thousands of years and adapt to the conditions in a particular area as well as to the other plants and animals around them. Many of the plants are necessary for the migratory bird population that passes through the area, and all native plants thrive in their specific local climate and soil, as well as their defense against disease, harmful insects and other pests. Native plants are easier to care for as a general rule, since they require less water and fertilizer and show no need for pesticides, as well as providing the food, shelter and nesting sites necessary to ensure a healthy bird population.

Proiceeds from the day’s event will go toward the Wild in Atlantic Highlands “A Garden State exhibition and programs beginning in March 2023.

The Atlantic Highlands Arts Council (AHAC) is designed to enable visitors to experience classes, workshops and exhibitions and programs that highlight the diversity of talents, abilities and needs in the local community, strengthening the community through the arts. It is a 501 3 c nonprofit organization that uses arts to transform and enrich communities and to develop and execute events and art related activities.

The program was made possible in part by funds from Monmouth Arts, a partner of the NJ State Council on the Arts, the Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners, and Wild about Atlantic Highlands.

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