Smodcastle, the First Avenue movie theater in Atlantic Highlands, was honored as the Business of the Month at last week’s meeting of the Mayor and Council.
Mayor Lori Hohenleitner presented the certificate of honor to partners Ernie O’Donnell of Highlands and Jeff Swanton of Atlantic Highlands, representing all partners including Kevin Smith, Ashley Genaro and Antony Zertuche in restoring and preserving the historic theater for both live entertainment and movies as well as private events and fundraising programs.
Both Swanton and O’Donnell thanked the governing body for the honor and Swanton said he was proud to be a part of preserving a childhood theater for the next generation.
O’Donnell noted he and Smodcastle partner Kevin Smith, both of Highlands, were regular moviegoers at the Atlantic highlands theater throughout their early and teen years and are proud and happy to be a part of it now.
Swanton pointed out the variety of events that take place at the theater, urging everyone to relive their own youthful times by re-engaging with theater films. Hohenleitner praised the partners for bringing business back to the theater and providing a new foundation for a popular borough attraction.
Appointments can be made at https://telegov.njportal.com/njmvcmobileunit for registration renewal, initial permit s, non-driver ID, and duplicate or replacement of title or registration.
No appointments are necessary to surrendering license plates or for handicapped, veterans or Purple Heart placards.
The mobile unit is wheelchair accessible and easy for all to use.
For further information, contact the Motor Vehicle Commission or Borough Hall, the host of the mobile unit visitation.
With final preparations underway for the commissioning of the USS New Jersey (SSN796) set for the Leonardo pier of Naval Weapons Station Earle Saturday, September 14, the submarine is meeting its next milestone, successfully completing a series of acoustic and weapons tests, essential for validating the submarine’s stealth capabilities and combat readiness before it joins the Navy fleet.
Acoustic testing is crucial for ensuring the submarine’s stealth, a defining characteristic of Virginia-class submarines. By minimizing noise emissions, these subs can operate undetected in hostile environments, providing a strategic advantage.
During testing, engineers measure and analyze the submarine’s acoustic signature, identifying and mitigating any noise sources. The process ensures the sub remains as silent as possible, enhancing its ability to evade detection by enemy forces.
The Navigation Department is responsible for maintaining charts and positions of the submarine both while she is on the surface and submerged.
That department is led by the Navigator who reports directly to the commanding officer, the Assistant Navigator and a team of Navigation Electronic Technicians.
They are also responsible for operating and maintaining the navigation equipment on board, using systems and methods including GOP, NAVSAT and Inertial Navigation systems together with traditional methods to establish the ship’s location and heading
L3Harris, Marotta Controls, DE Fabricators and Imperial Weld Ring are four of the many New Jersey manufacturers, suppliers and contractors who have been involved in building the USS New Jersey.
The USS New Jersey Commissioning Committee has partnered with them in the preparations and financing of the commission ceremonies.
Weapons testing is also underway evaluating the submarine’s ability to deploy its arsenal effectively. Recent tests demonstrated the submarine’s proficiency in launching torpedoes and cruise missiles with precision, vital exercises for confirming the submarine can execute its offensive capabilities reliably in real-world scenarios.
The successful completion of these tests validates the design and engineering of New Jersey affirming her role as a formidable force in modern naval warfare.
The current Submarine crew is new since the first crew visited the Monmouth County area last year, and this crew has also been introduced to the state, its culture, history and people as well as its links to national defense in a recent visit to the state.
The visits also enable state residents and public officials to gain an appreciation of the navy, submarines, and specifically this boat, the third Navy vessel to be named for the state.
For further information on the New Jersey Commissioning Committee or to purchase souvenirs of the new ship, visit the Commissioning committee’s site at https://ussnjcc.myshopify.com/
With nine board members to be elected to the Henry Hudson Regional K-12 Board of Education in November, both Highlands and Atlantic Highlands voters will each have contests in only two of the three term limits that are to be decided.
Since this is the start of a new board of education, five seats from Highlands and four from Atlantic Highlands will be decided. Terms are staggered so it will never be necessary to vote for all new members from either borough any year.
In the November election, Highlands will have two persons running for the full three-year term, and only one will be elected. Running for that term are Irene F. Campell and Suzanne Thomas.
Highlands will choose two residents to run for the two-year terms to be decided, and only two residents, Rebecca Wells, and Diane Knox, have applied for those seats. Barring a surprise win by any write-in candidate, both Wells and Knox will be elected to the board in November.
Four candidates have filed for the two one-year terms to be decided in November. Vying for the one-year terms are Donald M. Krueger, Allison Burel, Regina Melnyk and Kevin Ege.
In Atlantic Highlands, two three-year terms on the board will be decided in November, and since only two persons have filed, Cory Wingerter and Claire Kozic, both would be elected to the terms barring any write-in candidates.
There will be contests for the one two-year seat and the one one-year set for Atlantic Highlands residents, since several persons filed for election. For each of the term lengths.
Vying for the one two-year seat on the board are Noreen A. Higgins, Bonnie Knechtel and Justin Thomas.
Vying for the single one-year term for an Atlantic Highlands resident are Allison Jacobs, Chelsea Witkowski, and Richard Colangelo.
Mike Napolitano of Highlands might be stepping down after his two-year term as Grand Knight of the Reverend Joseph Donelly Knights of Columbus. But he’s not stepping away. Instead, he is eagerly looking forward to joining all the other Knights assisting his successor, Ian McGinnis and carrying on the important business the Knights do.
Napolitano, who with his wife Lili moved to Highlands from Bloomfield in March of 2020, has been an enthusiastic and hard-working Grand Knight of the men’s catholic organization that meets at both Our Lady of Perpetual Help and St Agnes churches since he moved to the Bayshore. The fact is, since he first joined the Knights long before moving to the Bayshore, Mike has always been active, energetic, and creative in ways to reach out to people in need, then finding ways to help them achieve.
He is an achiever himself. Not only did Napolitano achieve all three degrees of the international organization in his first year after joining, but he also went on to achieve the Fourth Degree as well, the highest degree in the Knights and the foundation organization for even more work, philanthropy, and religious support.
At the same time as he was earning each of the degrees, the new Knight also served his council as Warden, then Deputy Grand Knight and Program chairman, then Program Chairman followed by the next two years as Grand Knight and Raffle Chairman. Stepping down at the end of his term as the head of the council, he is now in a three-year Trustee term, as well as continuing as Program Chairman and Raffle Chairman.
All this in his spare time. Mike is a public entities Compliance Liaison for a development company in Bloomfield.
As hard as he works, and as much as he accomplishes, Mike always strives for a bit more., He said the hard part of being the Grand Knight was “completing a productive meeting in a one-hour window.” The other Knights will say he accomplished that as well.
It’s his own generous nature that draws Mike Napolitano to being a Knight. He looked at the Council and all its activities as a means of making a meaningful difference for those with whom he interacts. For the Knights that means parishioners, ministries in the church, as well as “the surrounding community.”
That’s probably what makes this resolute Knight the happiest.
In addition to supporting the pastor and every priest at the church, Mike likes to highlight the service and accomplishments of his Brother Knights, local veterans, scouts, first responders, Uniformed Services and basically organization or individuals who have helped the Knights accomplish their goals of helping others.
Having a vibrant council like the Reverend Joseph Donnelly Council has made all of that happen, Mike says happily.
Looking back at some of his accomplishments over the past two years, he likes to highlight the fact meeting attendance has tripled, because more men are joining the organization, more are happy to be of assistance to others,more like the activities that have now become annual events, as well as all the fundraising events and religious programs within the parish.
The Knights now have a monthly breakfast at Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish hall, not to raise funds but simply to provide an opportunity for friends and neighbors to spend some time together.
Their Italian comedy and music nights complete with an Italian dinner quickly became an annual highlight, and their assistance in every local event that helps others is simply routine now.
The Knights help plan, organize and participate in numerous religious activities including a May crowning, initiation sacraments, and an active parish religious education program.
For that, Mike is quick to point out, he is especially grateful to a generous member of the parish who pledged monthly donations to recognize, reward and underwrite the charitable efforts of the Council. Mike is proud of the Catholic Education Memorial Scholarship named in honor of the late Frank Rahm and the council’s work in sponsoring students in need.
While the monthly Sunday breakfast has gotten to be a popular event that draws many local residents who come to sample their outstanding cooking, then come back for more every month because of the camaraderie, Mike also is proud that during his tenure as Grand Knight, he was able to coordinate and finance the timely emergency repairs to the OLPH sound system.
He has also made others know the excellence of the local council through their reception of Winning Spirit Awards for attracting a younger demographic, and back-to-back Star Council awards for encouraging a “Winning Spirit” of Charity, Unity Fraternity & Patriotism for the first time.
“While strengthening our Council, we also took the opportunity to support and cooperate with our cherished Parish Ministries in a much more familiar and ultimately effective way,” he explained when asked how his accomplishments have helped others.
So now as a past Grand Knight, what is Sir Knight Napolitano looking forward to for the Council? “ More of what we started,” he smiles without hesitation.
But he’s quick to add, confidently, “ There is always so much more to be done, but Ian and Kevin (McKenna, the deputy Grand Knight) have pledged themselves to the continuity of our initiatives while making their own additional inroads and innovations. I know that’s going to happen.”
When 14 year old Ava Addotta climbed out of the Atlantic Ocean last month after her one mile ocean swim in the Andy Rooney Swim Meet, there was applause, happiness and a sense of pride. After all , the 14 year old Middletown High School student finished first among the females who competed in the meet. Miss Amy
But her pride and emotion ran even higher when she was presented with the Amy Lynn Gill trophy for her accomplishment in a meet that drew 103 competitors in male and female divisions…..the award was named in honor of her friend and swim coach, Amy Lynn Gill, also a neighbor in the Navesink section of Middletown where both the Gills and the Addottas live.
But it was almost too much to describe when the presentation was made by Gill’s daughter, Hayden, Ava’s close friend and fellow swimmer in this and other races.
Amy Lynn, who died Jan. 31, was not only a Special Education teacher in the Hazlet school system but also a swim coach for both Hayden and Ava, together with many other swimmers, and an avid supporter of the NJRC Swim Club where all her swimmers belong. Her relationship with her daughter Hayden’s friend was so close she wasn’t just a teacher, not just her friend’s mom…she was Miss Amy to a young woman who loved and respected her for so many different reasons.
For Ava, last week’s Andy Rooney Swim Meet is the second time she had competed in this annual event . But she has competed in many other meets, both in the ocean and in the pool during the years since she first learned to swim.
The daughter of Neil and Christi Addotta, Ava spoke about the Meet following her win and a celebration that afternoon at the Proving Ground in Highlands, where funds were raised for the Amy Gill Scholarship Award for a graduating senior and swimmer from Raritan High School.
The water temperature was probably in the 60s, and was “very cold,” during the mile swim, the mature young woman said. But if anything, the low temperatures made her swim even faster. “I just wanted to get out,” she said.
Swimming since she was eight years old, Ava said of the several sports in which she competes, it is her favorite because being in the water helps her relieve stress. Asked what type of stress a 14 year old faces, the swimmer said any variety of things, “like if I’m having a bad day at school or something like that. “ Enjoying both ocean and pool swims, she is partial to the breast stroke,, which is what she used in Saturday’s meet. Although loving the water from the first she first went in at three years of age, Ava said she learned swimming first at the Seashore Day Camp. “Miss Amy,” was always special to her, she said, and her latest victory, armed with the Amy Lynn Gillaward, is especially meaningful because she feels she did it for her.
Ava was not only happy to be in the meet, but even more happy that so many of her and Hayden’s friends also competed; for them, it was one more opportunity for all of the swimmers to enjoy their own friendship. She and Hayden live close enough they visit each other and often “hang out on the beach.”
The day of the interview, Ava and Hayden had just returned from Sandy Hook, where they had gone with their surfboards. “But there wasn’t enough surf, so we just hung out on the beach,” she explained. When she’s not in the water, Ava is also a member of a lacrosse team where she plays midfield.
But this coming weekend? There will always be the memory of receiving the Amy Lynn Gill Awardand having it presented to her by Miss Amy’s daughter, and her friend Hayden. Armed with those memories, the champion swimmer will be back in the water for another swim meet …
Miss Amy Miss Amy Miss Amy Miss Amy Miss Amy Miss Amy Miss Amy Miss Amy
More than a dozen young entrepreneurs are going to take their first official step into the business world Sunday, August 11, from noon to 4 p.m… when the Firsts Annual Children’s Business Fair takes place in front of Amici restaurant.
The young entrepreneurs have been invited by Amici Pizza, located in the Eastpointe Shopping Center on Route 36 in Navesink, to launch their products in a one day only marketplace.
Tables are set up in front of Amici’s, and each of the young entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to display their products, speak to customers, describe their creations and offer them for sale.
Included among the various businesses are jewelry and artwork among other creations. Prices have been set by each of the children at the Business Fair.
The children have worked hard to establish not only their creations but also their business strategies There will be judges at the Fair to rate each of the exhibits and the public is invited to stop, browse, buy and become participants in this first event of its kind.
Amici’s Pizza is located at 6437 Route 36, there Eastpointe Shopping Center where the Posts Office is located. There are signs at the Buttermilk Valley and Route 36 intersection to guide motorists to the site.
The outdoor event is a rain or shine affair, and cold be moved indoors should the outdoor awning not be sufficient for any downpours.
Whether it was the eagle who responded to his whistle, the osprey who swooped up his fish or the wrens and finches that gathered around his home doesn’t seem to matter.
The result is octogenarian of Brick,a talented artist, creative in both design and style, in recent years is now also a home manufacturer of both birdhouses and bird feeders that are selling like, well, nest eggs!
A salesman by profession when he was younger, Gordon and his first wife lived in the Lake Hopatcong area. When his wife grew very ill, Gordon was at her side, tending to all her needs and always remaining within hearing should she need him to be bedside.
So he spent quiet hours sitting outdoors enjoying the serenity and respite at the family’s lakefront home. That’s when Gordon first noticed an eagle ‘eying him,’ every day. It got to the point where Gordon could whistle, and the eagle would suddenly appear.
Then there was the time Gordon was fishing on the lake, caught one and was tossing it back in when an osprey swooped down and grabbed it in mid-air.
Couple those experiences with the myriads of finches of all colors that always seemed to be around, and Gordon was hooked on birds.
Artistry had always been his hobby since high school, and through the years he became proficient at it, with crowds gathering first to craft shows where they eagerly purchased his creations of historic hold homes, pastoral or country settings, and “anything natural. I took photos with my camera and did my art to be natural.” Although he start with watercolors, artists and professors suggested acrylics would be a better medium to enhance the fine work he does.
So he switched and found art lovers liked his natural settings, the snow owls he saw and painted in Alaska, the historic homes he visited on Cape Cod, the flowers , clouds and blue skies he painted everywhere. He accepted the challenge of painting people’s houses for framing in their living rooms, and even took up painting unique scenes on antique hand saws, once he had cleaned them, sanded down the handles, and stained them beautiful enough to display the natural pictures he painted on the blades.
So when a customer asked if he could make a birdhouse and paint it, it was an easy next step.
But perfectionist that he is, Gordon wanted his bird houses and art work to last and be able to withstand weather. So each one is made of a sturdy wood…redwood or cedar seem to be his favorite; they’re crafted into birdhouses of three different sizes to ensure comfort for different size birds, given two coats of marine varnish, before he painted his finch, or cardinal or sparrow as added decor and signed every piece of art.
So it was an easy next step when someone asked if he could make a bird feeder. Not feeling the affection for squirrels he feels for birds, Gordon was quick to agree, then designed a ‘squirrel proof feeder, made it, added a chain for hanging, double marine varnished it and now sells them as well. The bird houses he creates are either with or without a painting on the front, and the entry holes and the houses themselves vary in size to ensure easy access and protection for the size bid owners want to attract.
When Gordon’s next request came for a lighthouse,, the every talented artists came up with that as well, and now builds three foot tall lighthouses in a variety of colors and designs, including solar powered lights to they can light up front lawns or back patios nighttime.
Gordon’s website is custombirdhousesbygordy.com; he’s open to displaying at art shows and craft gatherings, and takes individual orders with guarantees of customer approval!.
Rick Hennessey, owner of Hennessy Auto Body, Inc., at 74 Avenue A, Atlantic Highlands, was cited as the Volunteer of the Month by Mayor Lori Hohenleitner as this month’s meeting of the Mayor and Council. Hennessey, whose business has been and continues to be a landmark in the borough, is known for his kindness, thoughtfulness and always willing to be of assistance attitude and was praised by the Mayor for “helping everyone in so many ways,” terming the business “a family institution.” Asked to comment at the meeting, Hennessey would only say, “Happy to do it……no problem.”
The approval of the purchase of EV Charging Stations for the borough, which was unanimous at this week’s meeting of the Atlantic Highlands Mayor and Council, was the culmination of a project more than two years old.
Council approved a contact totaling $136,807.33 with Bryan Electric, without competitive bidding, A $24,000 portion of that is financed through a grant and the award without bidding with an approved co-op authorized by the state Department of Treasury.
Councilman Brian Dougherty, who joined the process in January, 2022, explained the benefits of the purchase in detail at the meeting, separating the resolution from the consent agenda in order to detail the importance and advantages of the purchase.
The council president said he began working with Environmental Committee Chairman Blake Deakin shortly after starting his term on council in January, 2022, in order to bring EV charging service equipment to the borough at minimal cost.
He and Deakin applied for grants to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and were successful in being awarded grants from both applications. The pair than began the net process of negotiating with EVCS installation companies and considered several different locations.
Because of the Seastreak ferry terminal location at the municipal harbor area, that was considered the most desirable site for the first chargers, Dougherty explained. Such a location would seem to ensure use of the charges by ferry commuters during the work week, thus providing a revenue stream for the borough.
The marina is the recreational center of community as well, Dougherty continued, attracting boaters, fishermen, tennis and basketball players, and users of the Henry Hudson trail as well as others. In addition, the harbor is also a short walk to some of the borough’s most popular eateries, including On the Deck, Sissy’s, Harborside, Gaslight, Christine’s Italian, Hudson Café, as well as several shops and other businesses.
Both Dougherty and Deakin then worked with Bryan Electric, the top ChargePoint installer in the state, to design a detailed proposal for installation of three-dual, level two chargers, six stations in all. “We felt the proposal was reasonably priced, especially when incentive programs from JCP&L and the federal government added to our grant monies available,” the councilman explained.
With the unanimous approval of the station, Dougherty said “we are eligible to apply for and receive monies from their programs. Since we will own the charging stations, Atlantic Highlands will earn revenue as soon as the stations are operational.
Dougherty also cited other key personnel who have helped move the acquisition to the present, including the mayor, borough administrator, borough engineer, chief of police, DPW director, fire marshal, code enforcement officer, harbor master, and harbor commission chair. Officials then met with Seastreak personnel who he said are also enthusiastic about the project. “This was truly a collaborative effort. I can’t thank everyone enough for their great help,” Dougherty said.
After the unanimous vote, he added “I am thrilled to get this project approved. I think it will benefit commuters, our residents, and our businesses. Since these charging stations will be visible on the ChargePoint network, one of the largest providers in the country, it will attract visitors to our community.”
Neighboring Highlands has had a charging station in its municipal lot on Bay avenue since last November. They retained Livingston for the engineering, permits., purchase and installation of the DC Fast charging station at a cost of $165,400. A grant of $75,000 from the NJ Department of Tourism covered a portion of the overall bill
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