Everyone is invited to meet in the church parking lot for a monthly get together of residents and friends from all faiths. It’s an opportunity to share informal prayer, meet neighbors, join in prayers for the specific challenges or requests of others and spend a half hour in peace, quiet, and friendship.
The monthly Prayers on the Porch meets at different front yards and porches of residents, businesses and churches each month. This month’ s meeting at St. Paul’s gives everyone the opportunity to meet and welcome the new pastor who recently assumed the leadership of the parish.
There were a lot of steps and a lot of time involved in the late 1950s and early 1960s when Highlands and Atlantic Highlands first started plans of regionalization for the 7th through 12th school grades and Henry Hudson Regional was born.
Nor did it always run smoothly, but through it, not only was the newly formed board of education involved, but so were the members of the two local boards and the governing bodies in both towns.
At the time, Highlands students went to Atlantic Highlands High School on First Avenue. Regionalization was proposed to avoid overcrowding at the high school, as well as because of the fear of future overcrowding at the Highlands Elementary School.
Once voters approved a district, and a temporary board was named, the first action was to approve $10,000 to establish a temporary budget for the new board.
The first regional school board was selected, not voted on, by Earl Garrison, Superintendent of Schools for Monmouth County. The board was selected after both boroughs narrowly approved regionalization at all, with Highlands approving it by 20 votes and Atlantic Highlands by 87 votes. In both cases, it was the downtown residential districts who cast the most votes against a merger of the two towns in education.
The first Board of Education for Henry Hudson included C. Allan Reed, Atlantic Highlands, who was elected president, George Lahey of Highlands, vice-president. Highlands residents Doris Finlay, Alexander Bahrs, and William Feste, and Atlantic Highlands members Sam Brown, D. Adolph Bush, Dr. Thomas Ahern and Anna Van Note.
The new board wanted a name for the new district and left it to students. Of 135 names submitted, seven students suggested Henry Hudson. So, their names were drawn from a hat to see who would win the prize for naming the school. The honor went to Thomas Hart, a fifth-grade student in Atlantic Highlands.
Next on the agenda was where to build the new school. Highlands local school board member Florence Adair was against construction of a new school; she wanted an addition on the Atlantic Highlands High School. Atlantic Highlands board member George Oberlander didn’t want to build the school either. He wanted the money to be spent either for a separate elementary school or enlarging the current high school.
The regional board, after its first election and some changed members, then named a professional group to seek out sizes and asked local realtors for information on tracts with 10 to 15 acres of land. Several local realtors, Harvey Bowtell, E.A.Gelhaus and Earl Snyder, suggested tracts of up to 33 acres, all along Route 36. Two of them were in Middletown, the third split between the two boroughs.
Then another piece of land came up, which became known as the Claridge tract since no one knew the names of all the members of the group who had recently purchased the property. The board finally went to Secretary of Stated Edward Patten who gave them the names of all the firm that bought the land, including an Atlantic Highlands resident and at least one from Middletown. They were offering the property they had purchased a few months before for $10,000 at $20,000 to the district. Patten told the board when he gave them the names of all the owns, that they were not a secret, it’s just that no one had ever asked for them before.
It was after this that Benjamin Trask offered 32 acres adjacent to his home at the top of S. Peak St. in Highlands. He had 28 acres he would sell to the district for $31,000. Kathleen Mendes, who had replaced Ms. Finlay on board, who lived almost adjacent to the property and new Trask was named to investigate the matter further. Although a couple of Atlantic Highlands residents then offered other sites in Atlantic Highlands rather than the Trask property, the board retained its option on the Highlands site and voters approved it in the following November’s election.
It was also determined that the cost of the school and its operation would be based on municipal value for construction, and on the proportionate number of students for its operation.
It’s Always The Questions That Complicate Things …
“It’s frustrating,” resident Mark Fisher told the Harbor Commission at its meeting Tuesday, pointing out that as a resident his questions should not be ignored.
Fisher, during the public portion of the meeting, reminded the Commission that questions he has been asking since last year have not been answered or even referred to or reported on at any meeting since. “You’ve considered, discussed, but not acknowledged or answered,” Fisher said.
The resident, regarded by many as the most accurate recorder of almost every municipal public meeting and a frequent speaker at public sessions during meetings, also stays on track with all his concerns. If he doesn’t get a response to a question at one meeting, he brings it up at the next. And next. He makes it clear to every elected and appointed council or commission member that just because they don’t answer or even acknowledge he is waiting for information, he won’t forget. And he won’t go away.
Commission Chairman Tom Wall and all the harbor commissioners listened attentively to Fisher’s list of questions he has not had answered, some dating back to September of last year.
He cited four specific questions at the meeting, and received assurances from Wall that not only did he believe Fisher has the right to the responses, but they would be provided to him both personally and at the May 7 meeting.
The resident asked the commission to consider individual votes on correspondence and agenda items, rather than grouping all the items into a single vote. He asked that the Harbormaster’s monthly report be read in its entirety at every meeting. This month’s report was three sentences long, and only read after Fisher requested it. He asked that the commission include on the agenda an opportunity for the public to speak or ask questions on agenda items before any action is taken, as is done at borough council meetings. And he asked that in the rare cases that the commission takes action after an executive session, usually the last business of any meeting, that the agenda includes an opportunity to be heard before that action is taken as well.
Wall assured Fisher he would have a committee discuss each of the suggestions and would bring their recommendations up for public discussion at the May 7 meeting. Wall indicated to the resident that he understood his frustration and conceded that he himself should have been more thorough.
When asked later in the meeting why the recommendations Fisher brought up could not be discussed at the present meeting, Wall indicated he was not prepared to respond and would prefer to have a committee of commissioners make a recommendation for discussion before taking any action.
The Mayor and Council as well as officials and employees of other organizations and committees will meet and greet borough residents and other interested guests Monday, April 8 at 6:30 p.m. at the Highlands Borough Hall on Navesink Avenue.
Mayor Carolyn Broullon plans this second annual event to give residents an opportunity to know borough employees in an informal session. Since last year’s event was so well received, it was planned once again, and this year gives residents an opportunity to visit the new borough hall as well.
Present with the Highlands mayor and council will be the administrative staff and department supervisors, along with representatives of local organizations and businesses.
“We encourage everyone to come and meet their neighbors and the people who work for them,” the mayor said, noting it is also an opportunity to visit the new borough hall and become more familiar with the offices and where to go for assistance for specific needs.
All ages are invited to attend the April 8 get together. Following the format, which was popular last year, each entity will have a ‘station’ for the evening in borough hall, with information on their specific duties or missions.
Refreshments will also be served to continue the casual atmosphere of a get-together evening. “It’s a great way to have more interaction with all involved in making Highlands a special place,” the Mayor said.
A United States Service Academy Information Nightwill be held on Thursday, April 18, from 5:30 to 7:00pm at Naval Weapons Station Earle, 201 Highway 34 in Colts Neck announced Rep. Chris Smith.
The Service Academy event will provide important information for high school and college students—and their parents, counselors or teachers—residing in the Fourth Congressional District who are interested in competing for a congressional nomination to one of the United States Service Academies. A nomination is required for acceptance into four of the five US Service Academies (the Coast Guard Academy does not require a congressional nomination).
Each Service Academy plays an integral role in training young men and women to become tomorrow’s military leaders and affords them a collegiate education opportunity of the highest quality that is free of financial obligation, provided the student graduates and fulfills his or her service obligation. The Service Academies are the US Military Academy at West Point, the US Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland; the US Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, Colorado, the US Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York; and the US Coast Guard Academy at New London, Connecticut. The Costs Guard Academy does not require a Congressional nomination.
Due to security restrictions on the Navy base, advance registration and completion of a base access pass registration is required.All attendees under 18 must be accompanied by an adult, and all adults 18 and over must present photo ID. All drivers must also present auto insurance and registration.
Residents of New Jersey’s Fourth Congressional District between the ages of 17 and 22 (17-25 for the Merchant Marine Academy), who are US citizens and are single with no dependents, can seek a nomination to one or more Service Academy through Smith’s office. Interested candidates can start the application process as early as the spring of their junior year in high school.
“The qualifications and dedication of the student applicants who have stepped forward over the years is impressive and inspiring,” said Rep. Smith, who has nominated over 1,000 students for the prestigious service academies.
Nominations are available to those who reside in the Fourth Congressional District regardless of where they attend high school or college. The Fourth Congressional District encompasses 21 municipalities in Ocean County and 19 municipalities in Monmouth County, including Avon-By-The-Sea Borough, Belmar Borough, Brielle Borough, Colts Neck Township, Eatontown Borough, Farmingdale Borough, Freehold Township (part), Howell Township, Lake Como Borough, Manasquan Borough, Middletown Township (part), Ocean Township, Sea Girt Borough, Shrewsbury Borough, Shrewsbury Township, Spring Lake Borough, Spring Lake Heights Borough, Tinton Falls Borough, Wall Township.
For more information, please contact Congressman Smith’s Toms River Office at 732-504-0567
There are still some tickets available for the Frank Sinatra and Comedy night set for Saturday, April 20 at the Charles Hesse Gym at St. Agnes Church.
Stars Eric DeLauro, renowned for his Sinatra tribute, and Robert Anthony, aka Broccoli Rob, a popular and highly favored standup comedian will be featured in a night of music and comedy that also includes a full Italian dinner from Taliercio’s Gourmet Deli.
The evening is sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, Reverend. Joseph J. Donnelly Council 11660 who have long since gained their reputation for providing family entertainment and presentation, with all proceeds going to the numerous local charities the Knights council sponsors.
General admission for the night is $40, which includes all entertainment and the dinner, including soft beverages and soft beverages. Families are also invited to bring their own libations.
Tickets also include a ticket in a drawing for a flat screen TV.
Reservations, which re highly recommended, can be made by calling 862-368-0801 or e-mailing mikenap1962@gmail.com, Checks can be made payable to K of C #11660 and mailed to 180 Navesink Avenue, Highlands, NJ 07732.
Doors to the event open at 5:30 and dinner will be served beginning at 6 p.m..
There is nothing in the law that says an official of any board or governing body must be present at a meeting in order to vote for approval of the minutes of that meeting, Harbor Commission attorney Gregory Cannon said at this month’s meeting of the Commission.
“Voting to approve the minutes is not as a witness to the meeting,” the attorney said, “it is a vote to accept it as an accurate record of the meeting.” He added that Roberts Rules of Order do not require that an official be present at a meeting to vote to accept the minutes of that meeting, and indicated there is no state law on the issue.
The affirmative vote is not a vote as a witness that it happened, it is a vote that the minutes are accepted by the body as an accurate record” the attorney explained.
The question came up at the April Commission meeting when Mark Fisher, a local resident and frequent presence at municipal meetings of several boards, pointed out that both last year and this year, at different meetings, a member of council or the commission voted to approve minutes although they were not in attendance. In one case this year, the council-member voted to approve the minutes of the regular meeting but abstained from voting on the minutes of the executive meeting that same night, neither of which she had attended. Another council member who did not attend the meeting abstained. Cannon explained these are personal choices and not governed by any law that prohibits a vote to approve the minutes.
Fisher pointed out that in one case, it was the minutes that were actually in error as well, saying a member was present when she was not. That, Cannon said, would be different and he agreed to look into that
In other business at the meeting, Atlantic Highlands Yacht Club Commodore Joseph Patsco expressed his personal thanks and that of the Yacht Club for the swift and efficient response to the small kitchen fire at the Club last month. The swift action of both the fire department and Harbor personnel along with their cooperative efforts prevented a serious accident and enabled the Yacht Club to repair any damages and get back to normal operations within 24 hours. Commissioner Chairman Thomas Wall thanked Patsco and expressed the commissioner thanks for the cooperative efforts of the Yacht Club staff and members so the incident was handled with the cooperative attention the Yacht Club always has shown with the Harbor.
The Commission also noted the Yacht Club is hosting its 20th annual MS Race on Saturday, August 17, Tom Caiazza, on behalf of the Sandy Hook Little League was approved for use of the Senior building to offer a Rutgers safety course for coaches last month, and Betty VanDeventer on behalf of the Atlantic Highlands Historical Society received permission to use the Senior Center and surrounding parking lot on Sept. 14 for the Society’s annual outdoor Flea Market fundraiser. Rain date for the Sept. 14 event would be Saturday, Sept. 21.
The commission went into executive session to continue discussion on its litigation against Kappa Construction Co. the firm that built the Sea Tow Building several years ago which was approved for use by its tenants by the Harbor Commission.
Harbor Commission revenues are up seven per cent compared to the same time last year, commissioners learned at their meeting Tuesday.
Besides that, reported finance chairman Jim Krauss, more than 90 per cent of all slips are already leased for the upcoming season, and both the Harbormaster and the harbor employees deserve praise for keeping the town’s greatest and most used asset at the high standards that encourage such use.
Krauss outlined the leases pier by pier, noting that piers 2 3 and 7 are at 100 per cent capacity rental, while piers 4 and 5 only have two slips left, and piers 8 and 9 only have 3 slips left. Pier one has two slips still available, he said, meaning each slip is filled to no less than 91 per cent capacity.
On the two fixed piers, Frank’s has 22 slips available and Pier 6 has 14 vacancies. That also means, he told the commission, that there are only ten slips vacant of the harbor’s 366 slips for lease. However, the vacancies at the fixed docks will be leased to transient boaters, he said.
In addition the 171 mooring sites available are already leased to 91 per cent capacity, and the 130 land storage sites are also leased to capacity.
“This is a good indication of a successful season once again,” Strauss said, praising the harbor employees for “making the Atlantic Highlands harbor the place they want to be.”
Strauss noted there are some less positive news as well, noting that the harbor is only home to three head boats now, with the possibility of a fourth head boat arriving in the next few weeks. While the party boats that have been here for years will be missed, some of the vacant spots will be used by firms doing construction in the area, he said. But more good news indicates a 55 foot charter boat is also expected to be arriving on pier 1, the commissioner continued, indicating it appears that will be welcomed as a long time tenant
The decrease in the number of popular day and half day fishing boats is evident of what is happening across the state, he explained, noting that state fishing regulations are making it more difficult to entice recreational fishermen, citing the differences in the seasonal dates as well as the increase in the minimum size of fish anglers can take. The only good news on that front is the dates of this year’s seasons mean there are only five days between the striped bass and fluke seasons, a time when fishermen can only hook porgies.
Atlantic Highlands First Aid – Do You Have What it Takes?
Councilman James Murphy highlighted some of the reasons why Mayor Lori Hohenleitner and council, together with borough residents, are so high on praise for the volunteer efforts of the Atlantic Highlands First Aid Squad.
Murphy also encouraged and invited residents to show their pride and support of the volunteer unit, through donations, membership, or support in any way possible.
The Atlantic Highlands PBA Local 242, in holding their 35th annual ball on Friday, May 24, is sponsoring the First Aid Squad this year in its annual fundraising activity for local groups and also inviting residents to purchase tickets or offer items for their annual Charity Auction also included in the event at the Shore Casino. Persons can contact the police at pba242tickets@gmail.com for tickets to the gala, which includes dinner, open bar, music by DJ Greg Nice and more.
So what does it take to be an EMT on any first aid squad in the state of New Jersey? Although it is a volunteer unit, as is the fire department in this and many other communities, the certification to participate in the lifesaving measures means many more hours than the volunteer hours every volunteer for the squad puts in to help others.
First Aid Squad Chief Lance Hubeny, Captain Ann Schoeller, Lt Tim Farkas and Lt. Brian Boms head up the local squad in offering ways everyone can help the squad, regardless of serving as an EMT or several other capacities. For further information on all these ways, contact members at info@ahfirstaid.org.
Because of the efforts of the leadership and the generosity of residents, the squad now has approximately 20 members responding to calls, a significant increase in participation over the past. By comparison, prior to July, 2022, when Hubeny and the team took over leadership, only eight members were responding to calls on a regular basis. Since July, 2022, these 20 volunteers have responded to 743 calls.
Currently, five volunteers are attending EMT schooling, due to graduate in six weeks. Another two members have also joined the squad, both already certified as EMTs. Another two volunteers are taking the exam for recertification this month.
In his report to the governing body as liaison to the first aid squad, Murphy pointed out this totals nine new EMTs on the volunteer squad in the first three months of this year, an impressive statistic on its own.
Murphy also pointed out the statistic is even more astonishing and admirable because of the regulations that mandate so much more education in order to be certified.
To be certified as an EMT, a volunteer must undergo 253 hours of course work, and have it completed in five months. The commitment requires attendance at three and a half hour sessions every Monday and Wednesday, as well as every other Saturday during that time. That is in addition to another 100 hours of homework and clinical study.
Atlantic Highlands is grateful and appreciative of its residents who support and enable these EMTs, First Aid members, and every volunteer who gives so much to the community.
While voters throughout Monmouth County await the decision of Superior Court Judge Zazzali Hogan on whether Lori Hohenleitner was properly elected Atlantic Highlands mayor or Councilman James Murphy garnered more votes, both continue in their elected posts sitting at the same table and conducting the routine business of the borough.
Hohenleitner was legally sworn in as Mayor Jan. 1 after the Monmouth County Board of Elections determined she had a handful more votes than Murphy, and a recount confirmed that to be true. Both were sitting council members in 2023, Hohenleitner in her last year of a three year term, Murphy with one year to go.
Since the swearing in of Hohenleitner as mayor, Murphy continues to fill out his term on council. After the recount, Murphy filed a court action challenging whether every voter who cast ballots in Atlantic Highlands last November actually had the right to vote. It is that decision the Superior Court Judge is weighing after hearing testimony from both sides.
In the meantime, Hohenleitner is handling the mayoral duties with swift action and professionalism, as well as the unanimous votes of all six council members on every issue that has come before the governing body since January.
But the hostile feelings between the two officials and others on council is evident, as rarely do any of the other council members share jokes, smiles or laughter with Murphy as they do with each other, few exchange any words with him, and he sits quietly and with little interaction among the other officials.
Yet Murphy is doing his job as Councilman and doing it with the same enthusiasm and effort he has done throughout his years on the governing body.
There is no doubt, he, like all others on the governing body and throughout town, is high on praise for the police, the fire department, and the First Aid. Murphy’s detailed report was long, thorough, full of congratulations and praise, and delivered without a comment from any of the rest of the governing body. When he spoke on the commitment of the volunteer organization, Councilwoman Eileen Cusack was the first to stand and applaud.
However, at the end of Murphy’s report, without another word, Hohenleitner immediately acknowledges a borough resident for a memorial program she helped organize in Highlands. The Mayor reported on that, offering reasons why members of this council did not attend the memorial for a Vietnam war casualty from Highlands, saying it was mentioned at the Highlands Housing Authority meeting earlier in the week. The Atlantic Highlands Mayor is a member of the Highlands Housing Authority.
Murphy continued to sit silent for the remainder of the meeting.
