The Public Library (MTPL) will host “Reducing Anxiety for Teens” Wednesday, May 25 at 7 p.m.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and MTPL is featuring Megan Callus, a Z-Health Applied Neuroanatomy Specialist from Reactive – Neuro-Physical Advancement Center for a mental wellness program geared toward helping teens combat and reduce anxiety through breathing techniques.
All tweens and teens between grades 5-12 are welcome to join this in-person wellness program in the library’s community room.
Registration is required and further information is available on the library’s calendar page at mtpl.org. or contact Jenna O’Donnell at jodonnell@mplmain.mtpl.org.
The Middletown Township Public Library is located at 55 New Monmouth Rd.
It was Commissioning Day at the University of South Carolina last week and a proud day for Monmouth County. From left, Ocean County’s Ensign Angus Yeoman and Middletown’s Ensign Eric DeWaters, together with Marine 2Lt. Ryan Cronin, (second from right) and Marine 2Lt. Jimmy McNamara of Freehold, celebrate with Capt. John Compton, USN, Professor of Naval Science at the University of South Carolina, and Cdr. Tracie Smith-Yeoman, USN (Retired), Senior Naval Science Instructor at MAST on Sandy Hook, a USC NROTC alumna herself and the mother of Ensign Yeoman. DeWaters and Cronin are both graduates of MAST and its NJROTC program and McNamara is a graduate of Colts Neck High School and its NJROTC program
Thursday night, May 12, at 7 p.m. is the Atlantic Highlands Council meeting and there’s nothing on the agenda about acting on a resolution to let the people vote.
It’s hard to believe, but a question as vital and necessary as whether the town wants to save money on educating its next generation and do it to the best of their ability with the best possible use of funds to accomplish this still has not been answered by the Mayor and Council…make that Council, since the Mayor has already asked for it to be put to the vote of the people.
What, people of Atlantic Highlands, are you so frightened of? Why, governing body, do you not want the people to decide what’s best for their town? Why can’t the public have the right to vote on what is best both for the folks paying the bills and the folks being educated?
That study by the boards of education of Highlands and Atlantic Highlands that was supposed to be done in March, then April, then May, still has not surfaced. Has it been finished, released to the boards of education and still not released to the people? Cynic though I am….and 65 years as a reporter does tend to make one cynical……might the report from the tri-district be back, be read, and whoa…maybe not be as great, beneficial, pro-better education or not economically feasible than some people have been hoping for? Might it not missing some positive features like better education at a cheaper price? Might it show the only answer for regionalization is to join with Sea Bright? Or did it not even consider joining with Sea Bright? Or joining with Middletown and becoming Middletown East at Henry Hudson? These are just questions, in the absence of seeing any report, we simply don’t know what it shows.
Yet we wait. We wait for a report that’s already been promised and delayed twice. We wait to see whether this report really contacted outside sources to get complete results.
And while we wait, the clock keeps ticking. The state still requires any questions for the November ballot be intact, approved, and on their official plate by Aug. 15. Delays mean this might not happen. And wouldn’t that be ironic? We all agree the questions of education and cost should be in the hands of the people. But whoops, we made that decision too late, and missed the opportunity. So don’t worry, folks at the state level, where they don’t even know the charm, the beauty, the camaraderie, the smart kids, the cost of living or anything else about our great little corner of Monmouth County, will be the ones making the ultimate decision.
I don’t really know Tracy Abby-White. I remember writing a feature story on her and her husband decades ago when they adopted not one, but three infants and we were all thrilled, not only for the new family, but for these precious babies who found a new life. Bit I’ve read up on her in recent years. Now I know how brilliant she is, how open-minded she is, how reasonable, intelligent, and far-reaching she is in her thinking and ideas. I know she is a strong and active member of the Brookdale Board of Education, I know she’s successful in her professional life, and I know she’s been both a member of a governing body and a board of education. She doesn’t seem like a lady with any personal axes to grind, but rather, someone who loves her family, her town, her county and her country. She isn’t a quitter, she doesn’t walk about from tough decisions, nor does she linger in the background and let others speak or vote for her.
So maybe people should listen to Tracy Abby-White. Maybe people should delve deeper into why she is her urging people to attend council meetings, speak up, suggest, ask, demand, that they be given the right to express their own opinions.
Everyone cannot speak out with such conviction and powerful voice to make something better. But everyone can use that conviction and power inside a ballot box. Trace is simply asking people to let the governing body know they want that right to express their opinions in the privacy and assurance of the ballot box. It doesn’t appear the governing body is going to take any action at Thursday’s meeting to get the question on the ballot. But with some urging from residents, from questioning by voters who are up on timelines and deadlines, perhaps convincing Council at Thursday’s meeting they really want to be heard in the ballot box is enough to get action at the final May meeting to get all the “i’s” dotted and “t’s” crossed in time to make it to the November ballot.
Listen to Tracy Abby-White. Tell the Council. Then learn more about the options. And in November, feel good about yourself as you go into the ballot box and in the privacy and security of your secret ballot, do whatever you think is right for the future of education in the Bayshore.
But it still requires that first step of getting the question on the ballot. Before Aug. 15. Time’s a’wastin.
Here’s a nice, easy, refreshing and absolutely great-for-the-eyes Spring or Summer Supper for two very hungry adults or four who want to add a tuna or chicken salad alongside.. Have it with a loaf of French bread and dip the slices in olive oil, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. It just might call for a cooling Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio and perhaps a lemon sorbet for dessert.
Mango and Feta Cheese Salad
2 tsp. Balsamic vinegar
1 Tbls. Olive Oil (EVOO)
1 Cup sliced red onion
2 Cups cubed mango
1 Cup cubed avocado
1 Cup cubed cucumber
1 Cup tomato, cubed or pieces
½ Cup sliced radishes
½ Cup feta cheese, cubed
4 Cups lettuce, shredded into small pieces.
Salt and pepper to taste, but I never think either is necessary.
Blend vinegar and olive oil and whisk in a large bowl. Add onion, mango, avocado, cucumber, tomato and radishes and toss well to coat all ingredients .
Divide lettuce between two dinner plates, spoon salad on top and divide feta over each plate.
In addition to all the Vitamin A and C, there’s plenty of protein in this dish, and about 600 calories.
Local chef, restaurant owner and author Dan Richer will speak on his newest book, The Joy of Pizza, at the Monmouth County Library Monday, May 16, at 7 p.m.
The presentation will be in the library’s community room and all are invited to attend. Advance registration is recommended but not required.
Richer, who owns Razza in Jersey City, has devoted his professional career to discovering “the holy grail of pizza.” With his New Jersey-based pizza named best in New York by The New York Times, Richer will visit the library to talk about his career, the creation of his book and will also be available to answer questions.
For further information, and to register, visit the calendar page at mtpl.org. or contact Jenna O’Donnell at jodonnell@mplmain.mtpl.org .
Noted speaker and historian Mary Rasa will present “Thunder on the Beach: Sandy Hook Proving Ground” on Tuesday, May 24 at the Public Library, 55 New Monmouth Rd.
The program will begin at 7 p.m. and will be offered online.
Rasa, a museum curator and park ranger for the National Park Service for 16 years, holds an undergraduate degree in historic preservation and a master’s degree in library science. She has conducted more than a 1000 program for audiences throughout the area, and has made presentations on such diverse issues as the NIKE missile system and female lighthouse keepers.
Founded in 1874, the Sandy Hook Proving Ground was the US Army’s first official testing site. Located at Sandy Hook, it operated until 1919. The history of the site will be the topic of discussion for the May 24 event.
The Jewish Heritage Museum of Monmouth County presents “Aging/Schmaging: A Celebration of the Ages,” with singer/songwriter Naomi Miller, Sunday, May 22, at 2:00 PM. Admission for this hybrid concert is $8 for members and $10 for non-members.
For more information or to make a reservation for the in person concert or ZOOM information call the Museum at 732-252-6990 or visit the website at http://www.jhmomc.org.
Like Dolly Parton, Chita Rivera, Carole King, Bette Midler, Tina Turner, and Gloria Estefan, a few performers celebrated in her brand-new show, nothing keeps Naomi Miller down!
Naomi has invented the word “schmaging” to define performers who are 60 years old and above and who are still going strong, still hot, and still got what it takes.
In addition to the divas, Naomi also sings the songs of divos—Tony Bennett, Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, and Neil Sedaka. She celebrates schmaging with some original and Broadway tunes.
Miller has been performing since grade school, when she was discovered while singing in the acoustically tiled walls of the mikveh run by her parents for Paterson’s Jewish community. Born in Landsburg, Germany, in a displaced persons camp after the War, Naomi’s first language and first love was Yiddish. As she grew up to the sounds of the Jewish shows on WEVD radio, Naomi dreamed that one day she, too, would be on radio.
The songs from her first hit recordings, Yiddish is in My Genes, Keeping Our Dreams Alive, From Klezmer to Broadway, and From Broadway to Klezmer, are played on Jewish radio shows daily throughout the country.
The Museum is delighted to host her marvelous performance in person and via Zoom for our members to enjoy! Funding is made possible in part by a general operating support grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a Division of the Department of State, through grant funds administered by the Monmouth County Historical Commission.
The Jewish Heritage Museum is located in the Mounts Corner Shopping Center, at 310 Mounts Corner Drive, at the corner of Route 537 and Wemrock Road (between the
CentraState Medical Center and Freehold Raceway Mall).
It is on the second floor of the historic Levi Solomon Barn.
The JHMOMC is a tax-exempt organization under Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Now open to visitors by appointment, the Museum is handicapped and assistive-listening accessible. Masks and vaccinations are required.
The public does not have the right to know what business is going on with the planning board.”
“Individual residents should have the right to privacy when they are making applications to the planning board.”
“Opening a meeting to the public virtually is “like a zoo.””
“Residents making applications for changes to their property don’t deserve to have people from the other side of town know what they are doing with their property.”
These were some of the opinions expressed by at least one planner at a recent meeting of the municipally appointed board last week
Instead, the planning board feels, things will be much better and people will understand a lot more if they knew exactly what the planning board does. So toward the end of the last meeting there was general agreement, though no formal vote taken, that board attorney Michael Steib write up a “lesson plan” that will be available at borough hall so all residents can, “at their leisure” come in and read the duties, obligations and rights of the planning board and its members.
It would seem the “lesson plan” should instead be one for the Planning Board on their responsibility to strictly adhere to the Open Public Meetings Act Law; the NJ Legislature declared the right of the public to be present at all meetings of public bodies. Some planning board members think opening these meetings to enable all residents to participate using 21st century technology will cause problems, and have the potential of enabling people to file suit against the borough for a violation of their due process rights.
Joseph Caccamo, a resident appointed to the planning board and currently serving until December 2024, led the discussion on whether the planning board should open their meetings to a hybrid format to enable residents to not only see all applications submitted during public meetings, but also have input into conversation or questions during the proper parts of the meeting.
Caccamo said he felt it is enough to enable people to see what is going on at a meeting, but felt strongly they should have no right to participate unless they are personally present at the meeting.
In contrast to this board, whose members are all appointed to their positions, the Mayor and Council recently spent several thousands of dollars to improve the broadcasting equipment they have had in place since mandated by Governor Murphy during the Covid closedowns. When specifying the new installation, careful consideration was given to the multiple end-users to make broadcasting of Council and Planning Board meetings as simple as possible, as well as municipal court being able to interface with the state prison system to efficiently process cases virtually instead of transporting those incarcerated to the borough for in-person court hearings.
Once training is complete on the new equipment, all meetings of the governing body will be hybrid meetings, with residents having equal opportunity to either attend and participate in-person or attend virtually and be able to participate.
Virtual attendees will also get a general view of people in the meeting chamber. But some planners were adamant, therefore denying persons with disabilities, persons with no access to getting to meetings, or persons with other obligations that prevent them from attending meetings in person any right to participate, ask questions or give input.
And there’s that “secrecy” thing; “Some people might not want their stuff broadcast,” Caccamo said, in opposing any virtual attendance at meetings. “If someone cares enough”, he said, “they would be at the meeting in person. The meetings should not be broadcast,” Caccamo continued, “an applicant’s intentions should be kept private.”
Caccamo continued to defend what he apparently feels is the planning board’s obligation to protect the privacy of applicants who “follow the rules” over the public’s right to know what‘s going on in their community, reiterating “everyone should not know everyone else’s business”, and “why should someone on the other side of town have a say on someone’s application?”
Because that is the law. That should be reason enough.
Planning Board Chairman Douglas Pepe opened the discussion at the beginning of the meeting which is open to matters not involved with specific applications. Members spoke on the number who have attended virtual meetings, at least only three at one meeting, prompting Councilman Brian Dougherty to suggest the board keep track of utilization of the virtual service, as if to indicate it should not be necessary to provide access to all if only a few take advantage of it.
Sorry, that is not for the Planning Board to decide; 100 people, or just one person, is entitled to hear and see the applicant/Planning Board deliberation, then contribute prior to the final decisions.
Another Board appointee, Katrina Majewski, said she is in favor of virtual meetings because they provide an opportunity for persons not able to attend in person and it is good to embrace 21st century technology. But, she added, it should be necessary for them to attend in person if they want to participate in the proceedings.
In an effort to reach some conclusive action, Pepe offered several possible actions for board members, including asking applicants if they mind if their applications are presented virtually. His suggestions brought more negative responses from Caccomo who said he feels the board and the applicants have “met their obligation” and there is no need for any further action.
However, the Open Public Meetings Act (“OPMA”), aka the “Sunshine Law” precludes any “offer” of keeping a planning board application hearing “private” at an applicant’s request.
As a quasi-judicial body and a functioning municipal board, all planning board business must be held in public so that the public can see and hear how and why application decisions are made. And at every board meeting, the public, by law, must be given ample opportunity to both ask questions of the presenters and provide final comments on each application before the Board.
The question comes down to this: will the Planning Board of Atlantic Highlands finally bring itself into the 21st century for good? Broadcasting meetings is not rocket-science; every corporation and most municipalities have been doing it for well over two years. Or will the Planning Board not give any choice to the residents that they serve other than to show up in-person to speak? If they choose the latter, it is akin to denying residents fully willing to participate virtually their First Amendment Right to free speech.
Holding hybrid meetings is something that the Mayor and Council have deemed essential to the business of the Borough, hence the expenditure of the thousands of dollars in new broadcast equipment. It would seem that the business of the Planning Board is as essential as the Borough Council.
Board attorney Steib stated that if meetings were hybrid, “a tech would have to be hired” to run the broadcasting piece. Currently, and since the beginning of this year, the Borough Engineer employed by CME controls the Zoom app broadcast for the Council meetings; they are already on the clock in the Chamber and provide a neutral approach to the responsibility.
The Borough Engineer is already required to be at all Planning Board meetings, therefore no one else would need to be hired and that person would already be familiar with the new system just installed.
Matters discussed as public business as defined under the state OPMA law, are “matters which relate, in any way, directly or indirectly, to the performance of the public body’s functions, or the conduct of its business.” The fact that planning board members discussed keeping public meeting proceedings “private” for over 15-minutes gives some idea of the authority the planning board thinks it has.
Similar opinion is probably why the “Sunshine Law” was created decades ago: to keep all public business public.
In the end, the planning board put off until next month any possible action on whether they will follow the state law to ensure that all residents have the right to participate in all meetings open to the general public, regardless of how a meeting participant attends; either in-person or virtually.
After 61 years of providing academic excellence to Monmouth County and the Diocese of Trenton, Mater Dei Prep High School will be closing its doors at the completion of the academic year in June 2022. All classes, athletic team schedules, guidance and extracurricular activities will continue in full force through the end of the current academic year.
The Board of Trustees made the decision to close after deep deliberation and amid continued support for Mater Dei Prep. Kathryn A. McLaughlin, the Board Chair stated, “Mater Dei Prep is a wonderful high school and a close-knit family. We have cherished the many years of excellent education led by our dedicated administration, faculty, staff and coaches, and we are grateful for the extraordinary efforts by the Mater Dei Prep School Board of Trustees, Alumni, Donors, and families who supported our mission. The fact is that we simply do not have the funds to continue school operations after this academic year.”
Since 2014, enrollment at Mater Dei Prep has declined by more than half. Fewer students and the resulting loss in revenue through the years has created an operational deficit that depleted the school’s reserve despite aggressive fundraising efforts. In February 2015, the pastor of St. Mary’s Parish announced that the school would be closing at the end of the 2014-15 school year, in the wake of chronic fiscal deficits. A dedicated group of alumni and parents stepped up and successfully lobbied the Diocese of Trenton and Bishop David M. O’Connell to spin off the former Mater Dei High School into an independent 501c non-profit corporation. An ambitious and successful campaign raised over $1.5 million dollars to ensure continue operations.
Since that time, the funds were fully leveraged to maintain continuity and create new sports and high-quality academic programs. However, the subsequent years saw further declines in applications and enrollment. Those factors and declines in fundraising were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Mater Dei Prep proudly stepped up and met those challenges, but the combination of higher costs, fewer students and demographic trends created structural operating losses.
This most recent development caps a decade-long, nationwide decline in Catholic education. According to the National Catholic Educational Association, almost 1,000 elementary and secondary schools have closed since 2009. In New Jersey alone, there have been over 100 closings in the past two decades. Notable recent closings include Mother Seton Academy in Howell, Holy Innocents School in Neptune and Saint Joseph High School in Hammonton, a South Jersey football powerhouse. All of them resulting from similar enrollment and revenue challenges faced by Mater Dei Prep.
According to Ms. McLaughlin, “Mater Dei Prep is proud of its service to the community through six decades, maintaining the highest standards of Catholic education. This has been a painful and difficult decision for everyone involved. We are heartened knowing the positive impact Mater Dei Prep has made in the lives of our current and former students, their families and alumni who have been so supportive of our efforts through this challenging period.”
Mater Dei Prep’s current enrollment of 220 students represents a dramatic decline from over 300 students as recently as 2018. “Despite our best efforts, we cannot bridge the annual operational gap of over $1 million. We concluded that further cuts would only compromise the quality of education for which Mater Dei Prep is known. The steady decline in enrollment, along with increasing expenses and the ongoing financial assistance we provide to our families has made this closure unavoidable.”
Since first opening its doors in 1961, Mater Dei Prep has been guided and directed by the principles of the Catholic Church. Mater Dei Prep has been a catalyst for advancement, awarding over 8,000 diplomas to the sons and daughters of Monmouth County and beyond. Some of the distinctive programs that thrived at Mater Dei Prep included; an award-winning Performing Arts department, a renowned Global Leaders Program, and most recently a state-wide recognized Robotics team.
School administration, faculty, guidance counselors, staff and coaches will continue their commitment to the community of enrolled students, parents and guardians, and will focus their efforts on assisting families to make the necessary arrangements for transfers to other regional Catholic high schools.
The local Board of Education is looking for a qualified candidate to fill a vacancy on the Board of Education.
Board member Erin Dougherty, who is in her second term serving on the board, confirmed today she submitted her resignation at the board meeting Tuesday and anticipates it will be formally accepted at the regular board meeting April 26.
Although the board member confirmed her resignation requires “an involved answer” , it has to do with the regionalization question that is currently a major issue in this borough as well as Highlands and neighboring Sea Bright for both the three boards of education in Highlands and Atlantic Highlands as well as the governing bodies of both towns and Sea Bright.
Mrs. Dougherty said she will issue a prepared statement tomorrow.
The board member, who lives on Center Ave, is married to Councilman Brian Dougherty and the couple have three children in the local school system. The question of regionalization with the borough of Sea Bright in a preK-12 school district is currently under discussion by both Sea Bright and Highlands Borough councils.
Molly Murphy, who is also a member of the local Board of Education, is wife of Atlantic Highlands Council president James Murphy. Her term expires next year, but there has not been any indication whether she, too, will resign from her position because of any possible conflicts with her husband’s position on the governing body.
Councils in both those towns have already passed resolutions requesting the state Department of Education Commissioner to permit placing the question of a preK-12 regional district involving the three towns on the November ballot. In Highlands, where Councilman Don Melnyk’s wife is a member of the Highlands Board of Education, Councilman Melnyk declined to vote on the question because of a conflict of issue. The resolution was approved by unanimous vote of the remaining council members.
The Atlantic Highlands Mayor and Council indicated it will not make a decision on the ballot question until after a second feasibility study now underway is completed by the tri-district. That was first anticipated to be released in early April and has since been reported to be released sometime in either late April or May. The question on the November ballot must be written and approved by the Commissioner prior to Aug. 15.
At a recent informational meeting held by the Highlands mayor and council, there was an indication by the attorney who completed the study the towns had requested that should Atlantic Highlands not approve the question on the ballot, Highlands and Sea Bright might consider another option whereby Sea Bright would join Highlands and could possibly bring additional funds to that borough with Atlantic Highlands not receiving any of those benefits and possibly becoming a sending district toa new Henry Hudson Regional High school..
The Sea Bright Mayor and Council is holding an informational session similar to the one in Highlands last week and an explanation of that possibility may be discussed at that meeting.
The meeting is planned for 7 p.m. Monday, April 11 and will be held at the Beach Pavilion office on the ocean side of Ocean Ave. The meeting is open to interested persons in all three towns.
In the meantime, the local board of education lost no time in eliminating Mrs. Dougherty’s photo and name from its webpage on board business, and advertised the opening effective April 26. The appointment would run from that date until Dec. 31 of this year. It will be on the November ballot to fill the remaining one year of the current three year term.
Candidates interested in in filing letters of application must have them completed no later than 4 p.m. April 25.
Candidates must be at least 18 year old US citizens, able to read and write, a resident of the borough for at least a year this April, a registered voter in the district, and not directly or indirectly interested in a contact with a claim against the board. Applicants cannot be disqualified as a voter pursuant to state law.
Letters of interest should be sent to Janet Sherlock, School Business Administrator/Board Secretary, 140 First Ave., Atlantic Highlands, NJ 07716.
The board of education will review all qualified applicants.
