When you step in the door on West Garfield Avenue with coffee on your mind, you get more than the most delicious brew ever. But that isn’t all. You get an education in geography, history and agriculture, Perhaps even a little bit of art. You get a comfortable seat in a chair upholstered with burlap bags from fresh coffee beans. And you get conversations with others that make you feel happier, smarter, and more relaxed. Plus you can still purchase pound or half pound bags of a variety of freshly roasted organic coffee to keep the excellence going back home.

There’s no doubt Fair Mountain Coffee Roasters shop is an experience.

Steven Almante is the genial owner of the shop, located at 171 First Avenue, Atlantic Highlands, with an entrance on West Garfield ave. He has been delighting customers for the past four years, after approaching owners Greg Lewis and Barb DiBenedetto who had opened the shop few years previous. Greg and Barb wanted to be certain, when they were ready to retire, that the excellence and pride they took in the business would continue. Steven worked with him, learning their procedures, processes before taking over the popular business and adding his own. He’s a native of the Dominican Republican and now also owns a second location for Fair Mountain in Peapack.

But Steven hasn’t always been in the coffee business. In fact, there were years here that he didn’t even drink it. He was in the pharmaceutical business and chemicals for 13 years and was fascinated by the intricacy of the process that ensures organic coffee is truly organic coffee That means the coffee bean and its production cannot be contaminated any step along the way from seed in the ground to finished roasted beans in the bag on the shelf.

It was going back to his native country for a visit and having coffee with family there, that Steven remembered all the fond memories he has … the time he spent with his great grandmother, his cousins, and the joy they all shared over coffee. He came back and began drinking coffee again, and wanted to be involved in producing a high quality of the brew for others.

Steven is quick to admit the perfection he demands means a higher cost and an incredible about of paperwork. It’s for these reasons that he also believes he owes the customer perfection … both the customer who can easily afford the $21 a pound or so some bags cost as well as the one making a purchase even though it might be pushing the limit of his budget but worth the extra dollars.

Fair Mountain gets its coffee beans from 40 different farms in several countries in South and Central America, Indonesia. Latin America and more. He has 11 employees, all trained in each of the processes of taking the green bean through the roasting process to its brown finish.

The shop is open seven days a week, opening the doors for the early morning customers at 8 a. m., and selling coffee until 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, 4 p.m. every other day of the week. In addition to purchasing individual cups of any of the varieties of coffees and flavors, or attractive white bags of freshly roasted beans, Steven is generally on the scene himself and delighted to talk about the importance of certification to ensure it is organic.

He explains that while stiff rules and regulations from all countries demand a close watch to ensure the bean is organic and absent of any synthetics, and inspectors visit each of the sites from farm to shop on a regular basis, it is up to each shop to produce its own system for proving excellence. For Steven, this includes a stack of ordinary composition books, one for each farm where purchases are made. In carefully written, precise handwriting and columns depicting times, dates, locations, amounts, and other details, this shop owner is able to pull up the individual record of every bag of coffee in the shop, including the date it was roasted. The paperwork is time consuming, he admits, “but necessary to ensure that every customer receives what he expects and deserves.” Inspectors visit the shop unannounced, and the fastidiously kept records are ready to present on any given moment.

At Fair Mountain, it’s more than simply enjoying a great cup of coffee. Steven said in many ways, coffee drinkers are similar to wine drinkers, where taste, color, and temperature are important, and where the type of coffee changes with the menu with which it’s served. He laughs when he admits he calls his wife to see what’s for dinner so he is sure to bring home the proper coffee for the meal.

Since he only sells high-quality coffee for adults, and Steven doesn’t think youngsters enjoy an espresso or strong coffee, his shop also includes high quality chocolate from farmers in the Dominican Republic for cocoa for youngsters. “When parents want the best for themselves, they also want it for their children,” he smiled. But because making it is time consuming, he declines to make it for adults, preserving the high-quality chocolate simply for the youngsters.

There is more than simply perfect coffee at Fair Mountain. Ordering a cappuccino at the store means also seeing the excellence of Chris, who designs latte art in the steamed milk. Cappuccino is an expresso-based coffee made with high quality steamed milk which leaves a layer of milk foam on top, the easel for spectacular artistic designs. Chris, who makes the designs at Fair Mountain, is also involved in a national competition for latte art in Los Angeles later this month.

Nor does Steven waste anything at Fair Mountain. The coffee waste after roasting is delivered to the farm at Oasis, the vocational working farm for adults with autism that produces fertilizer and top soil for home gardens among a variety of other products.

Since he is an Artist himself, Steven has also designed tee shirts with some of his coffee designs that are also available for sale at Fair Mountain

Fair Mountain offers more than simply the purchase of a cup or pound of coffee. It’s an education in learning more about the health reasons for drinking organic coffee, a geographical lesson on the wall that depicts all the nations from where the coffee beans come, and perhaps the purchase of a unique tee shirt, a cappuccino with a floral design or a pound or two of coffee to take home and brew for the aroma and taste.

Whatever your reason, it is well worth a visit.

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Lately, I’ve been noticing how my sentences have a tendency to keep going when I write them onscreen. This goes for concentrated writing as well as correspondence. (Twain probably believed that correspondence, in an ideal world, also demands concentration. But he never used email.) Last week I caught myself packing four conjunctions into a three-line sentence in an email. That’s inexcusable. Since then, I have tried to eschew conjunctions whenever possible. Gone are the commas, the and’s, but’s, and so’s; in are staccato declaratives. Better to read like bad Hemingway than bad Faulkner.Length–as we all know, and for lack of a more original or effective way of saying it–matters. But (ahem), it’s also a matter of how you use it. Style and length are technically two different things.Try putting some prose onscreen, though, and they mix themselves up pretty quickly. This has much to do with the time constraints we claim to feel in the digital age. We don’t have time to compose letters and post them anymore–much less pay postage, what with all the banks kinda-sorta losing our money these days–so we blast a few emails. We don’t have time to talk, so we text. We don’t have time to text to specific people, so we update our Facebook status. We don’t have time to write essays, so we blog.I’m less interested by the superficial reduction of words–i.e. the always charming imho or c u l8r–than the genres in which those communications occur: blogs, texts, tweets, emails. All these interstitial communiques, do they really reflect super brevity that would make Twain proud? Or do they just reflect poorly stylized writing that desperately seeks a clearer form?

After a more than three-hour presentation lasting to 11 p.m., the Atlantic Highlands Planning Board continued the Carton Brewery application for a variety of changes and variances until its next meeting September 3. At that time, more information will be given on the proposals, a traffic survey will be submitted, and both board members and the general public will have the opportunity for more questions and comments before action by the planning board for approval of the variance application.

Prior to the start of the Carton Brewing application, the board did grant a bulk variance for the Domanski property at 102 Center Avenue to allow for creating a third floor, and reducing the bedroom from five to four. The change does not change the surface size of the building nor were there any objections from neighbors for the construction for the family. The owners requested the variance to enlarge individual space as their children grew older.

The planners also gave final approval to three previously approved variances, one at 342 Ocean Boulevard, one at 24 Harborview Drive and one at 95 East Garfield Avenue.

The board dismissed without prejudice the continuation of a subdivision application sought for the Paris property at 22 Prospect Place after the owner withdrew his request for a continuation of that hearing which began last month.

When the Carton Brewery application got underway at 7:25 p.m., Dante Alfieri, attorney for the applicant, noted the purpose for the variances requested was to beautify the building and reconfigure it for additional uses, including both a restaurant and three two-bedroom apartments. The application also includes moving the tasting room to the larger building and reserving the smaller building for storage alone.

Engineer James Watt said plans call for changes to the two buildings on the property owned by Carton Brewing LLC by eliminating any use of the small building other than for storage.

The building facing First Avenue, across the street from the Borough Hall, would be changed to replace the first-floor exterior wall with glass to make it more attractive, continue the brewery at a smaller work load, and include a restaurant which would be leased to another person for its use. The second floor would be space for private parties. A mezzanine would be added with bathrooms, and the third floor would be an office for the Brewery as well as three two-bedroom apartments. The roof top would be restricted for use by the apartment leasees alone, with fences separating each of their three sections.

Although application submitted for the hearing included an elevator at the roof level, extending the height of the building, Alfieri and Watt both indicated that it is now changed, and there would be no elevator to the roof, with access by stairs alone from each of the three apartments, and a fourth from the elevator on the third floor to the roof.

Local interested resident Mark Fisher, known by the planning board members for his in depth research and pointed questions in many hearings, noted that as a volunteer fireman and emergency team member, he has serious concerns, asking questions on access to the roof in the event of emergencies or fires on the roof, access for tenants to their apartments if by accident they locked themselves out while on the roof, and access for necessary repairs or upkeep to the roof area. Fisher pointed out the change in design of the building which was originally planned built by Carton Brewery is a good thing, and questioned why the third-floor office is equipped with a tub in the bathroom. He did not receive a response to his question on whether there is a future plan to convert the office to an apartment.

While the drawings submitted with the application appear to show trees on the roof, in his presentation following Watt, architect and planner Andrew Stockton said there are no plans to plant any trees other than possibly shrubs or trees in planters at other locations.

Board member Martin Hawley, who noted he has been resident and served on the planning board long enough to be present for each of the other four applications Carton Brewery has had approved since 2010 for the premises, pointed out that approvals at other hearings were never fulfilled for other uses and questioned several items, noting “we’ve been through this before.”

Watt said the restaurant, which would be leased to someone else, would probably have a capacity of no more than 15 people.

Stockton. during his presentation, fielded a number of questions concerning parking, noting several times there is ample parking in the surrounding area to accommodate the new businesses. While the planning board had not required a traffic survey in preparation for this meeting, Board Chairman John McGoldrick directed the applicant to submit a traffic survey at the next meeting.

Stockton, who said he believed from his studies that the uses for the building only require approximately 50 parking places, Board engineer Doug Rohmeyer made it clear his studies show 81 parking places, possibly 82, are needed to meet borough regulations. Rohmeyer also noted each of the residential parking places must be identified and stipulated for their use only.

Board member Lynette Ruffo Deepika also questioned the lack of parking places, noting that even two spaces per unit might create a burden in view of today’s standards where many two-bedroom residences have “two cars and a truck.” She said the application presented a problem, creating a burden on residents and termed this part of the application “a big issue.”

Several residents in the Carton Brewery neighborhood, both on line and in person at the meeting, questioned the parking, the proximity and appearance of rear windows on their properties to the rear of the First Avenue building, the movement of vehicles for deliveries, and the hours and use of the tasting room for more than tastings and tours.

While Stockton indicted there was “easily parking along First avenue” in the area, as opposed to space near the harbor at the other end of First avenue, and the fact that the Carton Brewery hours of highest parking use would not be during school hours at the nearby elementary school nor when many other businesses are open, he said he could identify 105 off street parking spaces that could be available. It was these questions that prompted the Chairman at the close of the meeting to call for a traffic survey for the continued hearing on Sept

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Teeple They say that once you get the sand between your toes, you simply can’t leave!

Or maybe it’s because education and teaching others has always been a part of his life growing up.

Or it could that even if he is ‘officially’ retired, he knew he can play an important temporary role to ensure the permanent principal expected to be retained within a year or two will live up to the high standards already set.

Whatever the reason, Andrew Teeple is back in town, this time as interim principal at the Atlantic Highlands Elementary School.

Teeple is one of the new staff created by the Henry Hudson Regional school district with the recent naming of Dr. William Jacoutut as Director of Curriculum and Instruction for the preK-12 year regional school district. As principal of Atlantic Highlands Elementary, Teeple will also be working with Eric Pritchard, new principal at the Highlands school, Malissa Garcia, in her new position as superintendent working with Jacoutot as superintendent, and Thomas Lynch as the new Henry Hudson Regional School Vice Principal/Athletic Director. Garcia has served the district for the last 15 years as a teacher and instructional coach.

“What makes this transition truly special is that all of these administrative advancements come from within our own talented team,” said School superintendent Dr. Tara Beams. “These proven leaders already know our students, staff, and community so we are ensuring both continuity and a fresh, enthusiastic energy for the upcoming school year.” The superintendent also said the internal growth reflects the strength of the district’s professional culture and shared commitment to excellence.

Teeple coming into the regional district as principal of one of its three school years comes after he has already served a couple of years in the district in an interim capacity. But that was also preceded by his own graduation from Henry Hudson High School in 1988, after his elementary school years at Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Highlands.

But even that background in education is preceded by the fact Andy’s father, the late Frank Teeple of Highlands, was a long-time beloved teacher at Henry Hudson and later served the district once again as a member of the Board of Education. And before the new principal was born, his mother, the late Judy Teeple, worked in the office of Henry Hudson Regional.

Frank Teeple, who died last January 5, was a history teacher at Henry Hudson for ten years before he became a guidance counselor at Red Bank Regional High School until he retired in 2002.

The new principal who lived in Highlands until he was 24 year old, now lives with his wife, Angela in Howell.

Teeple attended Rutgers University where he earned a degree in mathematics, then went to Kean University to earn his masters in Educational administration.  He worked in the field of education for 31 years, the last 20 years before his retirement, first as a Principal for 12 years and then Superintendent for eight years. After retirement, apparently still hungry to be involved in education and helping others at least on a temporary basis, he started to work as an interim administrator and as such has served in in four different districts and six different schools.

But even with all this Teeple thinks it was his background and home that started it all. “You can say that education is in my blood.  With my father an educator and Board member for as long as I can remember and he and my mom raising four of us children, the odds were pretty good that one of his kids would end up in education.”

Even with that, Teeple wasn’t positive he wanted to be an educator when he first started college. But when it had an opportunity to help another student, and did it successfully, it was like icing on the care of decision making and choosing education as his lifetime field. “  I have always liked to help people but was not sure what I really wanted to pursue as a career.,” he recalls. But during the summer after his sophomore year, at a time he was working at a law firm there was by a fellow worker who was taking a summer college course and Teeple agreed to help him with Calculus.  So it was that during their lunch break, the law firm employee would tutor another employee. And “it was those sessions that sparked the interest,” Teeple said.

It has been a rewarding and highly satisfying labor of love since then, Teeple continued. He candidly admits that while the most difficult part of his work has been learning and acclimating to each school’s culture , it has also helped him build up a background that now enables him to bring experience, leadership and “an unrelenting commitment to supporting and empowering teachers and students to be the best version of themselves “ in his new role working with Dr. Jacoutot and his team.

The new principal agreed to take on the interim position for a year, possibly two, ensuring ample time for the Board of Education to select a full-time principal for the Atlantic Highlands school . That will give the board ample time, he believes,,to secure a full time principal while at the same time continuing to provide consistency, support and leadership while administration conducts a comprehensive and thorough search for the permanent position.  During this time, the new principal said, “ I will assess programs and procedures and provide any recommendations to Dr. Beams.”

Sure there will be challenges, he said. “ Education and leadership bring a host of challenges on a daily basis.  It’s impossible to prepare for the unknown.  However, my experience has taught me the importance of being patient, reflective and empathetic in so many avenues in life.  The biggest challenge is remembering that before reacting.”

But at the same time, there is lots of fun in the work, he continued, especially “interacting with the students and teachers as they embark (or continue) on their educational journey.”

Even after his retirement, or perhaps especially since his retirement, Teeple said he has also learned a lot because of his work at both the elementary and high school level.

“Since retiring, I have had the opportunity to work in a few elementary schools.  I find that at the elementary level, most students still possess a pure love of learning and school.  I also find that elementary school teachers have more opportunities to address the social and emotional needs of the students.  There is so much more occurring within the walls of the classroom than just academics,” he said.

Taking the helm at the K-6 grade school in Atlantic Highlands July 1, Teeple said that since he’s been in the district before, “nothing truly surprised me.  I had already come to appreciate the teamwork and work ethic of everyone, regardless of their position or title.” He is slowly getting settled in, he said, recognizing every school is different, but in many ways “ every school is the same,” so it shouldn’t take much time to latch on to the procedures and programs at Atlantic Highlands.

Teeple

Carton Brewing is presenting its proposal to add a restaurant, three apartments, a third floor, and tasting room while also continuing its office space and brewery operations at the Carton Brewery location on First Avenue, Thursday night at 7 p.m. for a series of approvals for each of the variances required to carry out the plan.

The variance application also includes changes to its second two story building at 6 E Washington Ave to limit its use to a storage facility and eliminate the current tasting room approval.

In a nine page letter to the planning board, borough planning consultant Doug Rohmeyer outlined all the facts of the application, along with the series of more information he is expecting the applicant to explain during the meeting and public hearing.

Included in the variances needed for approval are how the firm will accommodate the borough ordinance which would require 80 parking spaces for all the mixed uses where 20 are currently provided at the site.

Carton Brewing has appeared before the planning board and received a number of variance approvals since its first application in 2010, seeking a use variance for the facility. Other variances were requested in 2012, 2014,and 2016, all approved.

The roof top deck would have a wall parapet and elevator towers to accommodate each of the uses.

Rohmeyer’s complete assessment of the application for Thursday’s meeting, together with his series of notices for areas where more information is needed, and the application for the changes requested for both the Carton Brewing building on First Avenue and the E Washington ave. facility are on the borough page at ahnj.com under Planning Board agenda and information for the meeting.

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Rainy day is loved by almost everyone I know. I especially am fond of rainy days. While I hold several special memories of rainy days and rainy season, there is one such memory that is very close to my heart. My Experience of a Rainy Day It was a cloudy morning. We could hear the sound of thunder and lightning since mid night and heavy rain was expected during the day. It was the kind of day we all long for and going to school is the last thing we would like to do on such a day. Playing in the rain with my siblings and friends from neighbours, rowing boats and eating yummy pakodas made by my mother is what I love to do on such a day. However, it was a week day and we had to go to the school. So, despite the beautiful cloudy sky and the cool breeze, we did what we did on a usual week day. We got ready, packed our school bags, had our breakfast and headed to the car with our mother who drops us to school every day. We witnessed slight drizzle from the car window. I so wanted to open the window but did not for the fear it would wet my uniform and school bag. As we drove, I noticed my mother taking a different route. It was not the one we usually took. I thought she may have taken this route to avoid water clogging or road block.However, I soon saw that we were going in a completely different direction and before I could ask my mother about it, I saw her parking the car near our preferred picnic spot. I looked at her and my siblings sitting at the back seat and a wide smile lit on our faces. We were super thrilled. This was the best thing to have happened to me in a long while.We got drenched in the rain, rowed boats and played football. When it began to rain heavily, we took shelter in the beautiful gazebo located at the picnic spot. We also had delicious foods that were being sold there. The view from the gazebo was simply awesome. We sat there looking at the rain-drenched flowers and trees as we sipped hot coffee and ate delicious foods. Conclusion It was one of the best days of my life. I thank my mom for giving us such a wonderful rainy day memory to cherish forever Rainy day is loved by almost everyone I know. I especially am fond of rainy days. While I hold several special memories of rainy days and rainy season, there is one such memory that is very close to my heart. My Experience of a Rainy Day It was a cloudy morning. We could hear the sound of thunder and lightning since mid night and heavy rain was expected during the day. It was the kind of day we all long for and going to school is the last thing we would like to do on such a day. Playing in the rain with my siblings and friends from neighbours, rowing boats and eating yummy pakodas made by my mother is what I love to do on such a day. However, it was a week day and we had to go to the school. So, despite the beautiful cloudy sky and the cool breeze, we did what we did on a usual week day. We got ready, packed our school bags, had our breakfast and headed to the car with our mother who drops us to school every day. We witnessed slight drizzle from the car window. I so wanted to open the window but did not for the fear it would wet my uniform and school bag. As we drove, I noticed my mother taking a different route. It was not the one we usually took. I thought she may have taken this route to avoid water clogging or road block.However, I soon saw that we were going in a completely different direction and before I could ask my mother about it, I saw her parking the car near our preferred picnic spot. I looked at her and my siblings sitting at the back seat and a wide smile lit on our faces. We were super thrilled. This was the best thing to have happened to me in a long while.We got drenched in the rain, rowed boats and played football. When it began to rain heavily, we took shelter in the beautiful gazebo located at the picnic spot. We also had delicious foods that were being sold there. The view from the gazebo was simply awesome. We sat there looking at the rain-drenched flowers and trees as we sipped hot coffee and ate delicious foods. Conclusion It was one of the best days of my life. I thank my mom for giving us such a wonderful rainy day memory to cherish forever