Randy Gabrielan-“Jersey City, A Monumental History”

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June 5, 2022

There are lots of local historians who love our Bayshore towns and have authored books about so many of the people places and things we all love. Randy Gabrielan is one of that group, and probably the most prolific, judging from the dozens of books on local history he has written or shown in photographs. He’s been the Monmouth County historian and continues to serve on the Monmouth County Historical Commission.

But way back in 2007, Randy, who used to be an insurance broker, wrote and pictured a book about his own native city, Jersey City. Titled “Jersey City, A Monumental History,” the book is chock full of photos of some of the magnificent architecture that made Jersey City a standout community for decades. He’s divided the book into chapters highlighting each of the individual communities or sections of the city, including Journal Square and The Heights, Greenville, the waterfront, downtown and Communipaw.

Although mostly an illustrated book, Gabrielan doesn’t mince words when he addresses some of the problems the city faced during growth, blaming it on the state’s poor mechanism for forming municipalities. He also talks about some of the other growing pains Jersey City has suffered, as well as the impact of the railroad as it tunneled through Bergen Hill, the oldest settlement from which the whole city has grown.

He writes about how street names have changed, and whether the Statue of Liberty is legally in New Jersey or New York. He’s got some photos of Snyder High School , many of whose graduates now live in the Bayshore, and he included a great photo of the Romanesque Revival building of the 19^th century that was the Jersey City Police headquarters and only lasted about half a century.

The book is also full of photos of churches in Jersey City, and gives a striking picture of how many there are, or were, and how many denominations they represent. There are catholic churches in Jersey City now on the National Registry, and the Jersey City Ukrainian Catholic Church of St.s Peter and Paul. That was first founded in 1887, the second Ukrainian catholic church in the United States and since demolished after its purchase by Colgate. But another building incorporating traditional Ukrainian motifs including five onion-shaped domes, replaced it in the late 20th century, when it was declared a tribute to all of the churches in Ukraine.

The many catholic churches in the city met the spiritual needs of the many immigrant catholic who worked the factories there.

The Dutch Reformed Church built in 1857 in Gothic Revival style, the Episcopalian Church of St. Matthew was built in 1881 and later became a catholic church to meet the needs of the growing Irish catholic community who worked in the local factories. St. Bridget’s rose from a small fame structure on Brunswick and Mercer streets to become another Gothic style church on Montgomery st, designed by Patrick Keeley in 1886. This church underwent preservation in 2006 after it was consolidated into the Parish of the Resurrection.

The Centenary Methodist Episcopal Church on Pavonia Avenue was built in 1882, and in the 20^th century became home to the Central Missionary Baptist Church. And the list goes on.

The book was published by Schiffer Books, is well researched and certainly draws one’s attention to the many reasons Jersey City natives are so proud of their birth place, regardless of where they live today.

For more information on this, or any of Randy’s books, message Randall Gabrielan on Facebook.

Paprika!

By

Muriel J. Smith

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June 5, 2022

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You have to love paprika!

It’s one of those unusual spices that was actually grown in North America, central Mexico to be precise, and cultivated here before spreading to the old world back in the 1500s. That’s when Spain discovered it and used it to add color and a distinct flavor to all kinds of wonderful dishes made even better with the taste and color of this little red, yellow or orange pepper product.

From Spain, paprika spread throughout Europe, and when it got to Hungary, it was kind of adopted by that nation’s cuisine to the point today Hungary is a major source of paprika and is the nation most often associated with it.

It’s because it has been so popular there since the 19^th century that its name comes from the Hungarian, paprika.

As a spice, it is considered sweet as compared to its cousin, the hot pepper. The powder is generally made from dried and ground red peppers, but the kind with the milder and thinner flesh than their spicy cousins. The powder can be made, however, in any range from mild to hot, but it is most recognized as a sweet spice made from the pericarp, the outer skin with most of the seeds, which are the really spicy apart, removed and reserved for those hot pepper sauces..

The spice can be used in a diverse variety of culinary delights, from meat stews and soups to cream sauces, egg dishes and casseroles. Try sprinkling some on mac and cheese! Or on any finished dish to bring out a bit more flavor. Heat it with oil to bring out even more flavor, or use it in hummus.

Paprika is loaded with vitamin A, the vitamin that provides so much nutrient for the eyes, and is also recognized by many physicians as a cancer preventive. A teaspoon of paprika…easy to take in a day simply by all that sprinkling, accounts for more than 20 percent of what everyone should have of Vitamin A in a day.

As a beauty accent in presentations, it’s the bright red color that makes deviled eggs so much more attractive; it’s all those carotenoids that do that; for taste, it adds a bit of sweetness to rice or soups. It can be mixed with cayenne pepper to add more spice to a dish, and it can be blended with numerous other spices for blends and rubs for marinades or sauces.

It’s a main ingredient in chicken paprikash, the Hungarian national favorite Goulash, and paella. There’s more flavor to paprika if you add it near the end of cooking, rather than dulling the flavor by too much heat.

If there is any one disadvantage of paprika, it is that its flavor will dull, and in some cases actually spoil with age. So it’s better to buy it in small quantities and skip that savings on a large jar. Store it in a cool dark place with a tight fitting lid.

Try this recipe for Chicken Paprikash

3 or 4 lbs. chicken thighs and drumsticks

1 tablespoon oil

1 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, peeled and diced

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons flour

1 large ripe tomato, chopped

1 cup chicken broth,

¾ cup sour cream (optional)

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper. In a Dutch over or oven-safe sauté pan, heat oil and butter over high flame, until butter foams. Sear chicken in batches, skin-side down, about 5 to 7 minutes, until crispy; turn and repeat another 5 to 7 minutes. Remove chicken.

Pour off most of the fat , return to medium heat, and add onion. Cook, stirring frequently along with any leftover bits of chicken skin, until the onion has softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, and stir again, cooking it until it has softened, another 3 minutes. Combine paprika with flour and add to mixture, appreciate the fragrance of the spice, as you cook for about five minutes.

Add tomatoes and broth, whisk until smooth; put chicken, skin side up back in the pot, cooking another 25 to 30 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

To complete the dish, cook egg noodles, drain and toss in a bowl with butter. Serve with chicken on top, and if desired, add 1 Cup sour cream to sauce before pouring over finished dish.

New VA Clinic

By

Muriel J. Smith

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June 5, 2022

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Congressman Chris Smith praised Mayor Maurice Hill as well as local veterans organizations and Veterans Administration officials for their dedication to the needs of veterans at groundbreaking ceremonies for a new VA clinic to be located on land off Hooper Avenue near the Seacourt Pavilion in Toms River.

Smith praised the mayor’s more than 35 years in the US Navy, retiring at the rank of admiral as well as his “long and distinguished career as a dentist.”

“No one understands the needs of our men and women in uniform better than you and the absolute necessity of a seamless transition from service member to veteran—especially in the provision of health care,” the Congressman said at the ceremony last week.

Smith also praised Commander Mike Schaeffer of American Legion Post 129 on the post’s 100th anniversary three years ago, and Commander Mike Passeri of Berkeley VFW for their tireless advocacy on behalf of veterans and “for being the eyes and ears in the community to ensure that policymakers at all levels get it right.”

The Congressman also thanked VA Secretary McDonough,, and other VA physicians and directors for their leadership of the VA. He noted the new Clinic is designed to improve healthcare needs for the ever-growing veterans population of Ocean County, the largest of any county in New Jersey.

“By providing world-class comprehensive medical care including primary health care, dental care, women’s health care, mental health counseling, and physical therapy, the new clinic will help fulfill the solemn promise made by President Lincoln that we must “care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan…” Smith said, adding “ A grateful nation must put veterans first and ensure that their sacrifice is tangibly recognized in both word and deed.”

The congressman has been an active supporter of outpatient clinics for veterans since first elected in 1982 when he pushed for an Ocean County clinic, later adding amendments which led to the establishment of the Brick facility. That clinic opened in May 1991, but need has outpaced capacity since. The new 68,000 square foot clinic is almost double the size of the original and will provide a venue for more medical and support staff, enabling veterans to experience shorter wait times in receiving care and attention. There will also be 480 parking spaces.

The VA awarded a 20-year lease for the clinic to FDS Toms River, builder of the almost $61 million facility. It is adjacent to another new three story building which will house Ocean County’s Board of Social Services as well as the Veterans Service Bureau.

Jersey to Louisiana … By Train!

By

Muriel J. Smith

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June 4, 2022

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So how does one get from Monmouth County, NJ, to New Orleans, Louisiana? This traveler wanted to add another dimension to the fun, so I opted out of the flight and airport hassle syndrome, and instead, added another 30 hours of relaxation, great scenery, and excellent food. I traveled the distance by Amtrak.

All of which means, by taking the train, you get to see the beauty and wonder of America through 11 states and Washington, D.C. There simply isn’t anything that can compare!

Boarding in New York…Amtrak’s Crescent is one of the few long distance East Coast trains that doesn’t stop at Metro Park…you whizz through New Jersey, Philadelphia, Delaware and Maryland before stopping for a few minutes in Washington, D.C where dozens more board for the trip South through Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and final stop, New Orleans.

Rather than the straight line south leaving the nation’s Capitol, the Crescent travels west through Virginia, giving riders the opportunity to ride through the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, smack through the middle of towns like Manassas and Culpeper, Jefferson’s Charlottesville, before moving on through High Point and Charlotte in North Carolina, touching on Spartanburg and Clemson in South Carolina, and on to the beautiful city of Atlanta, Georgia.

Alabama’s small towns along the route include Anniston, where Anniston Army Depot, a huge Army installation with dozens of tanks lining a perimeter near the railroad, Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, home of the University of Alabama, then on to Meridian, Picayune and more in Mississippi before pulling into the Festival City of the World, New Orleans.

The Crescent is the only Amtrak train that makes this route, and timing of the trains going north and south makes it possible to see different towns by night and day. Heading south, you’re just about entering Virginia at dusk, and sleeping your way through the Carolinas, with the sun rising over Georgia and an evening arrival New Orleans. On the return trip, it’s daylight from New Orleans through Georgia, then sleeping once again through the Carolinas, and daylight through the beautiful western side of Virginia and the upper Southern states for a noon-time or so arrival in New York.

Accommodations aboard Amtrak are delightful, whether you opt for coach, sleeping cars, or, in between, business class accommodations which mean more space, quiet and comfort than the more popular coaches, and lower cost and privacy than the private miniature cabins for two. All classes of travel on the Crescent enjoy the same dining room and lounge cars, and seats in both coach and business allow plenty of room for stretching out and lying flat.

Once in New Orleans, there are accommodations of all price ranges from which to choose, and activities, entertainment and just plain fun regardless of personal taste, age, budget or time.

For openers, visiting a cemetery in New Orleans is a must.

Cemeteries in New Orleans are truly cities of the dead, with their vast above ground tombs lined up on either side of the streets, the vaults holding the remains of everyone from Voodoo priestess Marie Leveau to long ago mayors and a pioneer in the sugar industry, Etienne de Bore.

Clearly the most popular one is St. Louis No. 1 (there are 3) which has been actively accepting the remains of Louisianans since 1789. It’s a complete city block in size, with more than 700 tombs and more than 100,000 bodies in them. Listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, St. Louis #1 is reportedly haunted…no surprise there….and a popular tourist attraction with guides who spiel out delightfully entertaining stories as they weave among the vaults and point out famous family names.

A block away from the famed French Quarter of this exciting, colorful and in many ways deviant city that firmly believes in letting the good times roll, St. Louis #1 cemetery tour guides will show you the sealed vaults, the smaller sealed vault tucked away in a corner of the big monument and how each can be opened and re-sealed again to prevent flood waters from getting inside. The smaller doors to a corner of the vault serve another purpose. Each vault only holds one or two bodies, so when the next family member dies, the vault is opened, the remains of the last entombed which by now have turned to dust, are packed away carefully in a small container and reinterred in the little vault in the corner of the bigger one. Kind of an early version of cremation, but explains how more than 100,000 bodies can be buried in a sacred place the size of a city block. If two or three family members die before the first deceased’s body has disintegrated, families simply ask a neighbor if they can borrow their vault for a year or so.

Benjamin Latrobe, architect of the US Capitol, also designed a part of St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans’s Jackson Square and was working on the engineering design for a new waterworks project in New Orleans when he died of yellow fever. His son had died of the same disease three years earlier, and both are entombed in the cemetery. The burial ground is owned by the Catholic diocese and entry is limited to tour groups with storytellers who have been approved by the Bishop. Family members or genealogists can get special permits to enter and walk through the cemetery unattended.

Award Winner

By

Muriel J. Smith

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June 3, 2022

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The Middletown Public Library (MTPL) announces library staff placed third in the nation-wide 2022 @ the Table Pitch Competition conducted by the Entrepreneurship and Libraries Conference this month.

Their idea, “MAKERS MAKE BUSINESS: Supporting Our Community Crafter Entrepreneurs”, was developed and presented by MTPL librarians Katie Jeleniewski and Kate Hammond, earning the award by a panel of judges along with a second award, the Audience Choice Award, and receiving a total of $1,250 in prizes for implementing the proposed project.

“We are so proud of our staff for representing this library at a national level with fresh new ideas that will further enrich, empower and educate our community,” said MTPL Director Heather Andolsen. “We are also grateful to the Entrepreneurship and Libraries Conference for this opportunity and honor.”

The competition focused on how a library can support local economic development, job creation, workforce development, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, small businesses, or innovation in general. Jeleniewski and Hammond proposed the creation of a maker’s crafting center at the library that would provide community entrepreneurs with necessary equipment, crafting supplies, shared workspace, services and support to help their small businesses succeed.

For further information on this or any library information, contact Jenna O’Donnell at jodonnell@mplmain.mtpl.org.

The Library is located at 55 New Monmouth Road

God Bless the Fleet

By

Muriel J. Smith

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June 3, 2022

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The Rev. Jill Hubbard Smith, pastor of the Atlantic Highlands United Methodist Church, will join Atlantic Highlands Yacht Club chaplains Peter and Carol Andrews of Middletown for the Yacht Club’s annual Blessing of the Fleet.

The event will take place Saturday, June 4 and boaters as well as spectators are invited to join the Yacht Club and participate in the traditional ceremony.

“This is both a somber and joyous event,” said Rear Commodore Joseph Patsco. “ It is a ceremony that begins with a remembrance of all club members who passed during the year, the sounding of eight bells, then floating a wreath on the water together with blessings from the chaplains. The US Navy Hymn; “Eternal Father, Strong To Save” is played at this point in the ceremony , because it is a prayer for all those “in peril upon the sea.”

That part of the ceremony leads to the boats parade, the rear commodore said, with many displaying flags running fore and aft up the mast, and crew members participating in special garb as well. There is a formal salute, the sound of the cannon wishing safe passage to all and thus officially marking the beginning of another boating system.

All of this activity takes place at the Harbor Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. and all boats and boaters are invited to participate without a need to sign up in advance. “Spectators are always welcomed as well,” said Patsco.

Following the waterside events and the gala parade of boats, Yacht Club members return to the Yacht Club at the Harbor to host a thank you reception for the dignitaries who attend, as well as to present prizes for the best dressed boat and crew in the parade.

Among the dignitaries invited to the ceremony, in addition to all the officers of the Yacht Club and past commodores and board members, are the Atlantic Highlands Mayor and Council, Police and Fire departments, the EMT unit and First Aid as well as commercial captains of the fishing, ferry, towing and charter vessels at the harbor. Also invited are other local club Commodores, the Chamber of Commerce and the Atlantic Highlands Harbor Commission. Officials from the US Navy, Coast Guard, US Power Squadrons, and NJ Police are also often included among the dignitaries who attend and participate in the ceremonies.

Saturday’s ceremonies will follow a ceremony which has been a tradition at the Atlantic Highlands Yacht Club for decades, beginning in the 20^th century. The custom has been observed in fishing and boating communities around the world, where bountiful harvests and the safety of the men at sea are always the focal site for both the somber and celebratory rituals.

Patsco expressed once again an invitation to for vessels and their crews to join the parade of boats, joining the procession and be blessed for the coming season. Boaters can assemble outside the east end of the breakwater at the harbor prior to the 1p.m. start of the program, and a launch boat will be there to direct traffic, space out the procession and relay boat names for the onshore reviewing party.

For more information on the Blessing of the Fleet and all other Atlantic Highlands Yacht Club activities, visit their Facebook site at www.facebook.com/AHyachtclub or online @ www.AHYC.net.

Atlantic Highlands Regionalization- Censorship & the F-Bomb

By

Muriel J. Smith

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May 27, 2022

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At last nights council meeting in Atlantic Highlands, Jim Smith of Holly Springs, Mississippi, a Marine veteran, former Highlands resident and former borough official there, was the second to last to speak during the public portion of the meeting.

His comments, a defense of his mother and an urgent plea for council to recognize and do something about equalizing treatment for people with disabilities, left those in attendance, as well as council, in stunned silence… until they silenced him with the mute button

He was the next to last to be recognized to talk during the public portion, and once again he spoke on lack of attention paid to the needs of the disabled by pointing out that a councilman could attend the meeting by phone, yet no accommodation was made for his mother, a person with disabilities to attend a meeting.

He criticized the fact that the Boroughs Planning Board at their last meeting inferred that the residents of the Borough were stupid and needed classes on what the Planning Board does, and limiting who can, and cannot speak at meetings. He suggested that the Mayor hold classes for the members of the Planning Board on the New Jersey Open Public Meetings Act.

He was muted, not permitted to be heard anymore, after he criticized a councilwoman for using a word at the public meeting most parents would punish their kids for using, then questioned the mayor for talking to the attorney while he had been recognized and was talking, then criticized the attorney, himself a councilman in another community, for suggesting that a disabled blind person should walk to a meeting or get a ride as the attorney indeed did suggest when first apprised of the disability.

After he was muted and unable to continue his reason for attending the meeting virtually, another virtual attendee, a former council candidate was recognized and chastised him for criticizing an elected official for using a federally banned offensive word as an elected official at a public meeting that is spread via zoom, recorded, and part of official minutes of the municipality. She was not muted and was permitted to address comments critical of that citizen during the meeting.

Earlier in the meeting, it was announced that a committee chair had called a meeting of her committee. After considerable talk, discussion of facts and some non-facts, it appeared to be ..not sure of this, but it appeared to be….that she should not have the meeting she called as a committee chair, she should not have called the meeting in the first place, and she should modify what she wanted so as to accommodate what some at the council meeting want.

Indeed, she should have the Mayor and Council run her committee meeting.

What in God’s name is going on in Atlantic Highlands? Council members talk over each other all the time, raising their voices as well, a resident who asks questions at one meeting consistently has to ask for the response to those questions at the next meeting simply because he is never advised that anything has happened…if indeed anything has happened from the previous meeting…

The Mayor called off action on a resolution she had assured residents at the last meeting would definitely have at this meeting, namely, the all-important adoption of a resolution to let the Commissioner of Education know this town wants to put a very important question on the November ballot. Her reason for putting it off? She wanted Councilmen Crowley and Borracchia to be present at the meeting.

But Crowley was! He was present on the telephone, a special accommodation made for him, but not one given to the disabled. The councilman was present for votes, for input, for suggestions, for response to questions. So why was he not considered present for this one single resolution? And if a councilman cannot make the next meeting, is action delayed again? No one said. Such power for one person. Such risk for losing so much money for the taxpayers. Such a violation of the reasons why someone is elected to council. Such lack of fortitude on the part of elected officials. Such lack of concern for costs to the taxpayer.

Then it was strongly advised that that June 6 committee meeting called by it a chairman should include reports from the two regionalization reports, not just one. Why, a very wise and reasonable councilman from Sea Bright asked. No one objected, nor should they, to the school district only bringing up one report. Why should anyone object to a chairman named to a committee to review another subject not be able to do so? For that matter, why should she be deprived of equal time to explain a second report?

Indeed, the praise for public works employees, the adoption of a salary code with no objections or comments employees don’t deserve it, the appreciation for all the wonderful things that do happen in this town are all indicative of how wonderful a place it really is.

But the contrast between how the one regionalization report was presented in Sea Bright and Highlands, and the necessary resolutions unanimously approved by both governing bodies shortly after, coupled with how the Kean University report was presented at Henry Hudson with class, confidence and professionalism, garnering such praise for everything about it, should give a strong message to the governing body of Atlantic Highlands that it’s time to put all your political agenda aside, both for elected or appointed officials, and make attention to what is important: the mandate of your job you chose to take.

Jim Smith of Holly Springs Miss. Is primarily fixed on the needs of the disabled, because of the impact a disability has created for his mother. So he’s ready to stand up, be noticed, and do whatever he can to ensure these needs are met and will accommodate the disabled.

Would that the governing body would have that same strength, that same determination, that same lack of fear, and that same ability to stand up to criticism or be prevented from representation to ensure Highlands Sea Bright and this borough can be shining example for the state of New Jersey in the best education plans for the future of New Jersey’s young.

Let it start here.

Regionalization: Save Time … Save Money

By

Muriel J. Smith

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May 27, 2022

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More than 100 residents from Highlands, Sea Bright and Atlantic Highlands including members of all three boards of education in the tri-district, together with officials from Sea Bright, heard professionals from the Tri District report say several times there should be no delay in making a decision on regionalizing the tri-district schools, education and municipal taxes, after explaining the comprehensive study completed at the request of the tri-district.. Further, the study showed district financial advantages when including Sea Bright in a new K-12 school district for the education of children in all three towns.

Professionals in the fields of education, legal ramifications and financial analyses who conducted the Kean University Study of the “Consolidation of the Henry Hudson Regional District with Atlantic Highlands and Highlands school Districts as well as other districts in the area” outlined and highlighted the 104 page report released the day before to the public giving the result of their study. The report and their explanations at the meeting also indicated the only municipality with which the study benefits the tri-district towns in any financial or educational gains or other advantages is Sea Bright. The report does not give any indication of any other municipality considered viable for a regionalization plan.

The informational meeting was called by the Henry Hudson Board of Education and Schools Superintendent Dr. Tara Beams led the team in presenting their findings in each area of expertise, encouraging questions and comments from the public. Team members of the feasibility study group also offered to remain after the approximate two hour meeting to continue to explain their report and findings.

Under LEAP, (the Local Efficiency Achievement Program) formed by the Department of Community Affairs under Governor Murphy, the tri district received a $65,000 state grant to have the study. It retained The Busch Law Group to complete the study as to the benefits of consolidating school districts.

The study appears to come to many of the same conclusions as the Porzio Report commissioned by the boroughs of Atlantic Highlands and Highlands which has been available for several months. Another workshop to explain that report is set for June 6 at 7 p.m. in Atlantic Highlands. Similar meetings have already been held in Highlands and Sea Bright in anticipation of all three boroughs approving resolutions asking the Commissioner of Education to enable a question on the November ballot. The Commission’s approval, agreement by the towns and wording of the referendum questions, must be completed by Aug. 15 in order to be voted on in the regular November election.

In the LEAP grant study, the Busch Law Group completed the legal analysis areas, Ross Haber Associates, the demographics study, SSP Architects, the Facilities and physical plant analysis, and Kean University an educational assessment and educational finance analysis of changes.

At last night’s meeting at Henry Hudson, addressing the financial analysis, professionals from Kean University stressed the important of completing regionalization in order to start to maximize savings and to ensure state aid in the new all-purpose regional school district for 2023, approvals must be completed by fiscal year 2022.

The financial analysis report also concluded the inclusion of Sea Bright in the regionalization of the Tri-District would indeed provide immediate benefit to taxpayers in Atlantic Highlands and Highlands Borough in many of the apportionment methods studied, as well as providing a delayed benefit to Sea Bright.

If regionalization cannot begin until fiscal year 2024, tax savings would still, according to the report, but would be reduced by comparison

In the report, the recommendation for quick action also points out the new regional district will receive cumulative total state-aid of all constituent districts in the year prior to regionalization. Since Hudson and Highlands are losing state-aid annually, to maximize benefits defined in the law which went into effect in January., regionalization must be in effect for fiscal year 2023 or the districts would see an additional $172,225 in state-aid removed.

The recommendation is also that the tri-district consider incorporation of the 6th grade into the 7-12 Henry Hudson district to avoid the costs of dissolving the current district required otherwise. That cost was estimated at $200,000.

While all scenarios would mean increased costs for Atlantic Highlands residents due to regionalization, all savings generated and identified in their study would apply to Highlands, based on the current apportionment of 100 per cent equalized valuation, the method most favorable to Atlantic Highlands and least favorable to Highlands. For these reasons, the study recommends a cost savings sharing agreement between the two districts that would allow each district to share equitably in the total net savings, something permitted under the new law and a compromise that would ensure both districts equitably benefit from regionalization.

“It is in the best interest of the voters of Highlands Borough and Atlantic Highlands to come to an agreement to share tax savings across both districts,” the report said. Once again, the professional pointed out, if regionalization is delayed and FY23, FY24, or FY25 state-aid figures are locked in, “the regionalization of the Tri-District would produce significantly less savings.”

Comparing a new district with or without Sea Bright, the report makes clear inclusion of Sea Bright will produce the greatest near-term and long-term savings to the largest number of communities. “ Without Sea Bright, Highlands and Atlantic Highlands could experience “modest savings by 2023,and growing for the next two years But once again, the report said if including Sea Bright is favored, “it should be advanced as soon as possible.”

In the educational programming area, the Kean University professionals recommended restructuring the current district shifting to a limited all-purpose PK-12 district for a more efficient operation within, something the report said, could be accomplished by tightening the central office administration and replacing the three boards with one nine member Board of Education.

The report also recommended the neighborhood school setup continue as is, with both elementary schools operating as K-6 buildings, a recommendation some citizens questioned as opposed to creating a K-3 and a 4-6 school, one of two elementary schools for each. The professionals did not address which school Sea Bright children would attend under their recommendation, but appeared to discourage changing the grade levels at the schools to cut down on bussing costs and to maintain the ‘neighborhood school’ while maintaining a principal in each of the schools. Such minimal changes, in conjunction with the shared services the schools practice at this time, will present little impact from change for students, staff, and families. The report does not show studies on any educational or sociological impact of creating the three different grade levels in the three schools.

In the legal, John Busch pointed out that in addition to understanding all applications are subject to approval by the Commissioner of Education, all must also be consistent with the recommendations contained in the studies. Where there may be competing studies and conflicting conclusions it would be best to attempt to work together to reconcile any differences before seeking approval, he said.

The only recommendation for enlarging the district outside these two communities is the inclusion of Sea Bright with no information presented about any benefits or costs of other options. Busch indicated three options, the three schools, or adding Sea Bright either now or later, or dissolving the existing region and creating a new all-purpose PK-12 regional district including Atlantic, Highlands, Sea Bright and possibly other school districts, now or later. The first is the easiest to follow, he said, from a legal perspective, and indicated it would be prudent to delay a final determination about that until the educational, logistical, demographic and financial advantages and disadvantages associated with each alternative are fully presented. The question of litigation by the districts in which Sea Bright is currently involved has been minimized by the law which went into effect in January, he said, but “lawyers are lawyers.: recommending a hold harmless agreement that would enable the two towns to continue immediately with the inclusion of Sea Bright should any entanglement hinder their coming aboard at the very start.

With comparatively few questions raised among attendees at the meeting, the professionals failed to respond definitively to Highlands Board member Gena Melnyk’s question on whether transportation costs were included in recommending against the P-3 and 4-6 possibility or whether the academic benefits of a change were explored. “We’re all neighborhood schools, “: she said, “they kids all know each other,” noting their older siblings attend Henry Hudson jointly.

Busch explained that if the question is not on the ballot in the November election, the towns will have the opportunity in January and March to hold special elections and still have a response in time to reap the greatest benefit. However, he did not cite the additional costs to each municipality of having special elections rather than including the question on the state wide ballot in November. Nor did former Atlantic Highlands board member Erin Dougherty get a response to studies done including regionalization with other towns than Sea Bright, since the current schools do not have sufficient room to accommodate students from any other municipality but Sea Bright.

Easy Peasy Salad for the Eyes

By

Muriel J. Smith

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May 26, 2022

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Chef Rob, who is frequently seen on Monmouth County Library’s virtual programs, is a terrific cook and baker who freely shares his recipes and his special style of preparing something different, tasty, and good for you. Check him out at www.MonmouthCountyLib.org if you want to see more. But in the meantime, enjoy this salad loaded with pears, greens, cherries and walnuts, all great for the eyes as well as heart and general good health.

Green pears are the best for eye health, and contain, in addition to Vitamins A, C and K, copper and potassium. Be sure to eat the skin as well, since most of the minerals are located there.

Candied Walnuts for the Salad:

Heat oven to 350 degrees and add

1 Cup walnuts on a parchment lined sheet, toasting for 7 minutes

Remove from oven, and add

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 Tbls sugar

2 teaspoons maple syrup.

1 pinch cinnamon, ground

Pinch of pepper and salt if desired.

Toss it all together and put back in the over for another 4-6 minutes until golden brown and fragrant. Let cool.

Dressing:

Whisk together:

¼ Cup balsamic vinegar

¼ Cup EVOO

1 medium shallot, minced

Pinch of salt and pepper.

Salad

1 6 ounce bag mixed greens

1 ripe green pear

¼ Cup dried cherries (or try cranberries!)

Mix greens, half of sliced pear, cherries and half of walnuts in a bowl, drizzle with some dressing and toss.

Plate, and garnish with rest of sliced pears and walnuts and serve with remaining dressing.

Any leftover walnuts can be sealed well and kept at room temperature.

Serves 2 or 3.

Save the Sandlass at Sandy Hook

By

Muriel J. Smith

-

May 26, 2022

0

With the inclusion of the Sandlass House by Preservation New Jersey as one of the ten most endangered historic places in New Jersey, property owner descendant and author Susan Sandlass Gardiner is more determined than ever to preserve the historic recreational area of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

“It adds more credence and credibility to our case, certainly,” Sandlass Gardiner said. “It gives it more significance, but it can’t make a decision.”

Preservation New Jersey is a non-profit organization which operates with a support grant from the NJ Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State. Its members work to promote the economic vitality, sustainability, and heritage of New Jersey’s diverse communities through advocacy and education. The group has been releasing a list of the state’s most endangered sites since 1995, and has named more than 200 sites in that time.

For Sandlass Gardiner, it’s a personal cause as well as a strong attempt to preserve the story of a way of life in earlier decades.

The author grew up in the Sandlass House, located on the Shrewsbury River just across from the Highlands Sea Bright Bridge. Her family moved out of the two-story structure in 1963; however, its current ownership seems to be in question as well.

Sandlass Gardiner would like the park service to include the facility in its leasing program as a means of securing interest in its reconstruction. Currently, the NPS issues long term leases for reconstruction and rehabilitation of buildings on Fort Hancock, at the opposite end of the Sandy Hook peninsula. Additionally the Monmouth County Board of Education is financing the reconstruction of a former barracks and ancillary building in the Fort Hancock area for inclusion in MAST, the Marine Academy of Science and Technology, where every student is a member of the NJROTC program.

More than 1,000 residents from throughout New Jersey have signed petitions urging the Park Service to include the Sandlass House in the leasing program.

However, according to Sandlass Gardiner, “The National Park Service sent us title documents saying NPS owns the house and property in a transfer in 1981,” she said. “The public records have discrepancies. Some public records say the state of New Jersey still owns it. That affects the pathway for preserving the house. If in fact NPS is the owner of the property and house, they require it to have national historic recognition to preserve it.”

To have the Sandlass House named to National Register of Historic Place would require a professional historian to move the application forward

The history of the property and house dates to 1888 when the Highland Beach Resort was built by William Sandlass Jr. on leased land. The Highland Beach Gravity Railroad, one of the first roller coasters on the East Coast, was the initial attraction. The two story house was built five years latter from the frame of the roller coaster, which had been disassembled. By 1910, a merry-go-round, pavilions, restaurants, bars and storefronts were part of the development, attracting as many as 20,000 people per day at its peak.

In 1962, New Jersey designated the land south of Fort Hancock as a state park and seized the resort through eminent domain, paying the Sandlass family $350,000 for the land and buildings. In 1979 Fort Hancock, which had been decommissioned as an active military installation, and the entire peninsula was acquired by the National Park Service and became the Sandy Hook portion of the Gateway National Recreation Area. The Sandlass House served as a base for park rangers who worked as caretakers until 2012, when the last ranger -tenant moved out. Four months later, the Sandlass House became a victim of Super Storm Sandy, which worsened problems with an already leaky roof.

Preservation New Jersey supports these actions which would allow an interested entrepreneur to evaluate the house, make a roof repair, and renovate the building,” the nonprofit said in its announcement of the endangered list.

“We treasure our National coastline, the rich and diverse history created by opening its beaches to the everyday families who find pleasure in sharing these natural and cultural resources every year,” said Sandlass Gardiner . “The 1893 Sandlass House at Sandy Hook played a keystone role in this legacy reaching back 129 years ago when it was built by resort entrepreneur William Sandlass. Now the home is the last remaining vestige of the iconic Highland Beach Resort once serving hundreds of thousands of visitors in the Golden Age at the Gateway to the Jersey Shore.”

She pointed out that Preservation New Jersey’s recognition of the Sandlass house “validates the importance of the home’s historic role on the Sandy Hook peninsula. This recognition and public awareness acts as a catalyst to engage the National Park Service in a larger conversation to find ways to partner in a common goal for the home’s preservation in a timely manner.”

Sandlass Gardiner added that “as community advocates, we will seek a trained historical specialist to pursue writing a National Register application in a context that meets NPS requirements for recognition of this home beyond the local level.

For next steps to assist in this preservation effort, interested historians and others interested in preservation are invited to contact Susan Sandlass Gardiner at: susangardiner813@me.com.

Veni Vidi Scripto

Veni Vidi Scripto

Veni Vidi Scripto

Veni Vidi Scripto

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