Hearing on the charge of violating the municipal code on grounds maintenance lodged against Zack Brown was postponed until the September court docket.
The Code Enforcement officer was present in Municipal Court for hearings on summons issued to several residents who were cited for violating the code which covers exterior yard maintenance.
Most of the complaints, including the one against Brown, were issued on June 16, the day after the deadline for having lawns cut after the borough’s No Mow May policy. Most of those cited pleaded guilty and paid fines rather than plead not guilty and stay for court hearings.
Both Brown and his wife Morgan Spicer met with Municipal Prosecutor James Butler, but then pled not guilty to the summons complaint.
Municipal Court Judge Richard Leahy noted the summons was issued under a municipal code and the prosecutor had indicated Brown brought up an interesting issue.
The Judge indicated he wanted to read the ordinance further and perhaps converse with the borough attorney before hearing the matter before postponing the hearing.
Emily Smith The Ms Race set for August 17 from the Atlantic Highlands Yacht Harbor is a leading event of the sailing season for many reasons including the thousands of dollars the race has raised for 180 Turning Lives Round since it started.
The women racing in this highly regarded competition do it for many reasons in addition to supporting the organization that aids abused and women, men and children.
Take Emily Smith for instance.
The co-chair of this year’s event has been sailing for 52 years. For her, the competition of the Ms Race is a highlight of her sailing season, not she is quick to point out it is also the feelings of peace and friendship this competition brings. Add to that the tens of thousands of dollars the Atlantic Highlands Yacht Club raises through the Ms Race and it’s easy to see why it is a popular event throughout the sailing community.
“It’s the camaraderie, achieving goals, just plain having fun,” Smith said enthusiastically. “Getting the hang of it is just the beginning of new adventures and a lot more fun.”
Smith has sailed on four different boats in competitions, serving as caption and owner of two of them. She also was the strategist for her Sabre 40, named Vici, and is looking forward to getting a new boat this month.
Even with the new boat, however, Emily is choosing to stay with her Vici, the Sabre 40, for this year’s competition. In addition to co-chairing the popular seasonal event. Emily will be the strategist on Vici. continuing her love for being out on the water.
Candidly admitting she spends “as much time as possible” sailing, Smith said it is also exciting finding new boats and teams each year to enter the Ms Race competition and continue to help 180 Turning Lives Round.
“At first, it was the glamour of sailing,” she admits, “that was followed by achieving new skills, then the competition.” In the end, however, she sighed, “it’s the peace and friendship that come along with it that count the most.”
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the annul Ms racewhich was inaugurated by a group of female sailors who regularly participate in the Yacht Club’s racing events and always designed to help 180 Turning Lives round. For the past three years, the Race has also made record-breaking contributions to the nonprofit charity, 180 Turning Lives Around, and anticipates another record-breaking year on the 20th anniversary.
The organization aids women, men and children who are affected by domestic violence and sexual assault.
RumrunnersThe annual Historical Society History Cruise on a vintage paddle wheel boat enabling an interactive tour of the waterfront along Raritan Bay and the Shrewsbury River is just one of the advantages of supporting the Atlantic Highlands Historical Society and one of the Society’s unique ways to raise funds for maintenance of their historic beloved Strauss Mansion, Society President Lynne Petillo said, in announcing the August 11 three hour cruise..
Now serving her second term as president of the Society, Petillo thinks the three hour cruise aboard the Navesink Queen gives guests the opportunity to see how the area surrounding Atlantic Highlands has been important and a true part of history in many eras, from when the Leni Lenape first settled there, through Henry Hudson landing here with the Half Moon and every important era of history after that from the Revolution to the present.
The Strauss House itself holds stories of interest about the borough, its founders, and the people who lived here, from the hardworking seamen to the famous, including Robert Mantell, the most famous Shakespearean actor of his time.
The Society has preserved the Strauss House which is its meeting place as well as a museum highlighting life in the Bayshore in the 19th century. The Strauss House is the site for outdoor teas, cocktail parties, as well as historic talks, music and numerous cultural events.
“The paddle wheel boat cruises simply add to the entire experience,’ the president said, “while at the same time enabling us to raise funds to continue to preserve the Strauss Mansion and keep it in excellent condition and repair.”
Since the Society was founded in 1973, and incorporated three years later as a non-profit organization, it has played an important role in the borough. It was a key factor in the area’s bicentennial program including the Tall Ships during the Bicentennial of the country and is planning programs and activities to celebrate the 250th anniversary in 2026.
Through the years the Society focused attention on the history and restoration of homes in the borough through 25 town-wide house tours, hosted over 200 expert speakers, helped to define the historic district, published several books, and reprinted “From Indian Trail to Electric Rail”,.
Making their restored Strauss House their headquarters, the Society keeps alive the memory of millionaire importer and businessman Adolf Strauss who constructed the mansion as a “summer cottage” for him and his family. The Strauss Mansion is listed on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places and has the support of the New Jersey Historic Trust and the 1772 Foundation, whose matching grants have enabled the Society to replace several deteriorating features over the years.
Cruises aboard the Navesink Queen raise funds to continue that work, the president said.
Local historian and author Muriel J. Smith will be the speaker on the next Society cruise aboard the paddle-wheeler, set for Sunday, Aug. 11, leaving the Atlantic Highlands Yacht Harbor at noon for a cruise and luncheon down the Shrewsbury River and Sandy Hook Bay.
With each of the speakers on Society trips accenting a different era in which the town gained fame, Smith will speak on Prohibition, how and by whom the law was created, and how the hard working but quick thinking local seamen turned it into a profitable side business at the onset of the 14 years the “social experiment “ was in effect.
Smith will highlight famed names of the era, from Bill McCoy at the onset of Prohibition to the gangsters that later turned it into a lucrative illegal business that included murder, theft, and brawls. Smith will talk about the 20th century Mayor who found a sophisticated still in the basement of his own home, the mayor whose auto shop was a storehouse for illegal booze and how he got away with it under the eye of the police.
She will define the difference between a rumrunner and a Bootlegger, a Blind Pig and a speakeasy, and cite many other words that came into the language because of the Social Experiment. She will speak on the boat works that made the sea skiffs right alongside the Coast Guard vessels that chased them during the Prohibition era. Many of the names in Prohibition history are still well known and respected names in the borough today.
Tickets are still available for the cruise, and reservations can be purchased at www.ahhistory.org/gift-shop
Thirteen cadets from MAST, the Marine Academy of Science and Technology recently returned from the two-week NJROTC Northeast Leadership Academy/Sail Training onboard Naval Station Newport in Rhode Island. They had been selected from more than 7700 cadets from nine states in the northeastern United States who applied in March and underwent rigorous tests and physical requirements before being chosen.
“Being accepted for this program is difficult from the start,” said Commander Tracie Smith Yeoman, USN (ret), Senior Naval Science Instructor at MAST. “In order to be selected to attend N2LAST, a cadet must secure the recommendation of their Senior Naval Science Instructor who certifies the cadet will be capable of upholding the standards and requirements of the two-week program. They then must pass a physical fitness test and a medical screening, and must complete a lengthy application. Schools can impose additional requirements. At MAST our cadets are also required to write an essay answering questions about their leadership experience, how both they and their unit at MAST would benefit from the program and how they plan on using their leadership abilities in high school, college and later in life in their chosen career field.”
Of the 144 cadets in this year’s program, 128 were cadets-in-training, their first time attending, and 16 were cadet aides, students who had attended last year and were handpicked to come back this year to support staff because of their own outstanding past performance.
For the two weeks of training at N2LAST, cadets live in Ripley Hall, the barracks that houses the US Naval Academy Preparatory School (NAPS) students throughout the school year. They eat all meals in the Ney Hall Galley, alongside active duty Sailors attending the Officer Candidate and Officer Development Schools.
Cadets in training are divided into four platoons of 32 cadets each, males and females together. The platoons are named Gold, Black, Blue and Green and cadets are issued tee shirts the platoon color as a daily uniform. Staff and cadet aides wear red tee shirts.
Each platoon is headed by a retired Navy or Marine Corps senior enlisted who works as a Naval Science Instructor at one of the NJROTC programs in the northeast. For the past nine years, MAST instructor Senior Chief Mike Vaccarella has been the Gold Platoon leader.
Each platoon also has two cadet aides whose job is to ensure the cadets-in-training are where they need to be for each evolution, prepared and motivated.
“The daily routine is not easy for teenagers,” Smith-Yeoman continued. “Each day starts with reveille at 0500 and formal physical training that includes stretching, calisthenics, and a formation run before breakfast. All meals are eaten in silence and the cadets must sit at a modified position of attention while eating. Cadets then return to the barracks for showering and a fresh PT uniform, platoon tee shirts and Navy running shorts. They then march to either Perry Hall for academic classes or the marina onboard the base for sailing training. “They are expected to have their rooms squared away as well, since they are also inspected and graded daily,” Smith-Yeoman said.
The academics course includes classes on self-discipline, integrity, setting goals, issuing orders, decision making, delegation, and teamwork, among other topics. The cadets also get the chance to operate small drones and learn about the FAA licensing process.
At the marina, cadets learn to sail 19-foot Rhodes sailboats, which emphasizes teamwork and patience, and possibly overcoming fear as some cadets have never been on a boat before. Breaking into crews of four with one instructor, they learn from the ground up — safety, terminology, weather, and how to rig a sailboat. After some landside training, they take the boats out. “Even a cadet who has never been on a boat before learns to sail,” the MAST instructor said, “All of this normally culminates in a regatta at the end of the course. This year the weather just wouldn’t cooperate,” she said, “so we’ll never know which platoon had the fastest boat.”
Sprinkled between the academics and the sailing, the cadets practice marching skills and take turns commanding their platoons in close order drill. They also undergo two personnel inspections while wearing their Naval Service Uniform and take one official physical training test consisting of two minutes of pushups, two minutes of sit-ups, and a one-mile run.
Lights out is at 9 pm, “but at that point, the cadets are ready for sleep!” Smith-Yeoman continued. “Still, as at any military installation in the world, cadets take turns standing fire watch, one hour each in which each must patrol the barracks to ensure its security.”
Midway through the course, the cadets are given one day of liberty. That includes a tour of historic Fort Adams, an Army post established in 1799 similar to Fort Hancock. They visit the Cliff Walk with the ocean on one side and the historic Newport “cottages” on the other. They can then spend several hours in downtown Newport and have a quick visit to Easton Beach.
“To MAST cadets,” Smith-Yeoman noted, “a visit to a beach isn’t that big of a deal. But some cadets have never seen the ocean or been to a beach before, so it’s very exciting for them. But what all of the cadets like most about this day is that for those precious hours, they get their phones back!”
The MAST rising seniors who attended this year include Cadet Thomas Clark of Little Silver, Gold Platoon Cadet Aide and Battalion Commander of MAST for the 2024-2025 school year; Cadet Carter Braun of Middletown, Black Platoon Cadet Aide and Deputy Battalion Commander of MAST for the 2024-2025 school year; Cadet Charlotte McKeon of Manasquan, Admin Cadet Aide and Command Master Chief of MAST for the 2024-2025 school year; and CadetNathanOlmeda of Red Bank,Bravo Company Commander for the 2024-2025 school year. Rising juniors who attended are Cadet Nicholas Billows of Oakhurst, Blue Color Guard Commander of MAST for the 2024-2025 school year; Cadet Jacob Booth of Tinton Falls, Delta 1 Platoon Guide for the 2024-2025 school year; Cadet Jack Cohen of Middletown, Battalion Ordnance Petty Officer for the 2024-2025 school year; Cadet Nico Cordova of Middletown, Assistant Athletics Officer for the 2024-2025 school year; Cadet Samantha Foret of Middletown, Alpha 2 Platoon Commander for the 2024-2025 school year; Cadet Argie Loucopoulos of Middletown, Gold Color Guard Commander of MAST for the 2024-2025 school year; Cadet Kevin Madeira of Howell, Battalion Ordnance Chief Petty Officer for the 2024-2025 school year; Cadet Donovan Post of Oceanport, Charlie 2 Platoon Commander for the 2024-2025 school year; and Cadet Zijie Ye of Highlands, Assistant Operations Officer for the 2024-2025 school year.
Many of the MAST students came home with additional honors besides the graduation honors all received. Cadet Billows was cited as the Distinguished Graduate for his highest overall grade average out of the 128 cadets-in-training based on personnel inspections, room inspections, academic exams, sailing and rules of the road tests, and physical fitness test score. He was presented with a wooden ship’s wheel as a trophy. He also received the Black Platoon top Male Physical Fitness award and the Black Platoon Sailing Excellence award. Cadet Cordova received the Green Platoon Top Male Physical Fitness award; Cadet Foret received the Black Platoon Academics Excellence award and the Black Platoon Top Female Physical Fitness Award. Cadet Madeira received the Black Platoon Most Motivated Cadet award and Cadet Post received the same award for the Blue Platoon.
Smith-Yeoman, who participates in the program each year and serves as the Admin Officer for the course, said, “These young men and women work so hard for two weeks — away from home, without their phones and the things they are so used to, marching everywhere they go — and to see how proud they are of themselves when they complete this course and earn the coveted silver aiguillette to wear on their uniforms — words just can’t express how it feels.” For herself, she said, “It is humbling, and it truly gives you hope for the future of our Nation. These cadets are learning to be good citizens of both the US and the world. They are demonstrating respect for each other, they are setting goals and accomplishing them; they inspire everyone around them.”
As the officer responsible for the intake and review of all applications and all the administrative requirements and finances for the program, “I am honored I get to be part of this program.”
With MAST participating in the program for more than 20 years, dozens of local cadets have benefited from the program and each year several of them receive the top awards for their platoons. Smith-Yeoman has been an administrator for the program for the more than four years. She has been an instructor at MAST for twelve years following her retirement as a commander from the Navy.
Food and music lovers will fill the streets at the Highlands Business Partnership’s 29th Annual Clam Fest, August 1 to 3, at Huddy Park, Bay and Waterwitch avenues.
The popular Clam Fest is a three-day spectacular event, featuring a wide variety of food trucks, along with other festival favorites, including the Lions Club Funnel Cakes.
Admission and parking are free, and the event takes place rain or shine.
The Fest will feature a Beer, Wine, and Sangria Station, with portions of Waterwitch and Bay Avenues closed to street traffic to accommodate specialty vendors, rides by Big Mark’s Action Park Amusements, and children’s activities at the Relaxation Station, sponsored by the Highlands Recreation Department.
On Thursday, August 1st, Clam Fest hours are 6:00 to 10:00PM with Soul Seduction performing at 6:00PM. Friday, hours are 6:00 to 11:00PM, with the Johnny 5 Band performing at 7:00PM. Saturday, August 3rd, the festival begins at noon, with The Wallnutz taking the stage from 12:00 to 3:00PM and The Jonzes, from 4:00 to 7:00PM.
Returning to Clam Fest are the Sensational Soul Cruisers, taking the stage at 8PM with your favorite Motown, Soul, and R&B classics.
Highlands will commemorate Clam Fest’ 29th Anniversary with a Fireworks Display on Snug Harbor Beach. The fireworks display is sponsored by Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, Fox & Roach Realtors, Rumson, Colliers Engineering & Design, H2M Associates, and produced by Serpico Pyrotechnics. The fireworks will begin at 10:00PM.
The Highlands Business Partnership is a non-profit commercial alliance dedicated to fostering economic growth in Highlands Sponsors of Clam Fest 2024 include Monmouth County Tourism, Montecalvo/Bayshore Family of Companies, Bahrs Landing, Farmacie by the French Market, Dovetail Vintage Rentals, Hufnagel Tree Service, In the Garden, Off the Hook, Proving Ground, Seafarer, Sandbox at Seastreak, Valley Bank, Bridge Marina, WRAT, 95.9 and Shore Point Distributing Company.
For more information on the Highlands Business Partnership’s events or programs, visit www.highlandsnj or call 732-291-4713.
Former Board Member Urges Community Participation in New Regional School Board
In a heartfelt reflection on her years with the Henry Hudson Regional Board of Education, Tracey Abby-White emphasized the immense satisfaction of contributing to the education of students in Atlantic Highlands and Highlands. “It’s a wonderful feeling to know that I volunteered my time to help foster the best education for our students,” she remarked.
Abby-White, a former board member from 1988 to 1994, is calling on more residents to file petitions before July 29 to run for the new nine-member PrK-12 regional school district board. She highlighted her journey and shared her motivation for running: “I was told the elementary school was first-rate but warned against sending my children to Henry Hudson because it had so few students and no football team. That wasn’t a good enough reason for me.”
Driven to ensure quality education, Abby-White ran for the board and witnessed Henry Hudson’s exceptional offerings and dedicated faculty. “A good education is essential for a child to own the trajectory of their life,” she said.
With the regionalization approved by voters, the new board will include nine members: five from Highlands and four from Atlantic Highlands to be elected in the November election. Although Abby-White would have liked to run, her current role on the Brookdale College Board of Trustees and her recent appointment to the Board of Directors of the Y of Greater Monmouth County prevent her from serving on a local school board.
Abby-White acknowledges that volunteering takes work. The most challenging part for her was putting her name on the ballot; despite her educational background and experience as a teacher, she was intimidated by the title. She advises potential candidates to know that New Jersey law requires new board members to complete training within 90 days of taking office. This training, provided by the New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA), covers policy, school finance, student achievement, labor relations, and school law.
“Busy people make excellent board members because they think strategically and avoid micromanaging,” she explained, stressing the need for individuals who believe in public education and are willing to volunteer their expertise. She highlighted the importance of understanding the constraints of public education and the need for community members to attend board meetings to learn how tax dollars are spent.
She noted that public education is under constant pressure to meet increasing mandates while reducing the financial burden on taxpayers. “What do our students need to succeed in a global economy? What must we change today and three years from now to make it happen?” she asked, advocating for courageous individuals with a growth mindset and a sense of curiosity to serve on the board. She emphasized the importance of having confidence in the administrator and making decisions based on a jointly constructed strategic plan.
The new regional board ‘s 5-4 membership ratio reflects population differences. Abby-White emphasized the need for board unity, encouraging questions and opposition to ensure the best decisions for students.
Highlands and Atlantic Highlands residents interested in serving on the new regional board can obtain petitions from the Monmouth County Board of Elections or the Henry Hudson Regional Board of Education. Completed petitions, including all necessary information and signatures, must be returned to the Monmouth County Board of Elections in Freehold by 4 p.m. on Monday, July 29.
The borough of Highlands has lots of nice, generous residents and the Mayor and Council are constantly expressing their appreciation and thanks.
In Resolution 24-144, the Mayor and Council unanimously accepted a donation of a roof gazebo at Huddy Park at Bay and Waterwitch Avenues. The offer, along with several other generous gifts, came from the Montecalvo family on Portland Road.
The borough recently tore down the old gazebo in the park because of its age and deteriorating and unsafe condition.
The Montecalvo family, who own Bayshore Recycling, provided a dumpster to remove and transport the debris from the old gazebo, assuring the governing body debris was going to the recycling center as opposed to any landfill. The family also covered the $1,000 cost of the removal.
Once the debris was removed, the borough purchased a new Bell roof gazebo and had it installed by Backyard Structures for a cost of $13,661. The Montecalvo Family also donated that new facility to the borough with the understanding the borough will maintain it.
The Mayor and Council unanimously adopted the resolution at last week’s meeting, meeting the requirement to make it a matter of public record and authorizing the acceptance of gifts totaling more than $7,500 as well as giving the governing body the opportunity to publicly thank the Montecalvos for their continued generosity.
Five persons will be elected from Highlands and four from Atlantic Highlands in the Nov. 5 election to serve on the first elected board of the Prek-12 regional school district which was approved by the voters last September.
An interim board, comprised of members of the former three boards of education now included in the single district, has been serving since the district became official July 1. Their terms expire in January 2025, when the winners in the November 2024 election of the first elected nine-member board take office.
Qualified candidates for the board must file a nominating petition and meet the following qualifications: a citizen of the United States of America, at least 18 years of age, able to read and write, a resident and registered voter in the borough for at least one year preceding the date of the election; not disqualified as a voter pursuant to N.J.S.A. 19:4-1 and not convicted of a disqualifying crime pursuant to N.J.S.A.18A:12-1. Nor can any candidate be directly or indirectly involved in any contract with, or claim against, the board.
In Atlantic Highlands there will be two three-year terms, one two-year term and one one year term up for election; in Highlands, there will be one three-year term, two two-year terms, and two one year terms to be decided.
With Atlantic Highlands and Highlands the only two constituent districts of Henry Hudson Regional, the seats will be allocated alphabetically with the terms each candidate is seeing noted. Voters can only vote for candidates representing the town in which they live.
In filing the petition to be included on the ballot, candidates must fill out the appropriate box on the form indicating the length of term they are seeking as well as the town they represent. The ballot will reflect the years of the term they are seeking.
Board administrator Janet Sherlock has indicated that persons with any questions on filling out a petition should call the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office in Freehold where an employee will walk them through the process.
The Election Division will also review all the forms they receive and reach out to any if they have questions on the information provided, the administrator said.
The county election division office is located at 300 Halls Mill Rd., Freehold and is open Mondays through Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For contact information, call 732-431-7700.
The petition for filling out and signatures for signers of petitions is available on the website for the Henry Hudson Regional Board of Education.
Kiley Fegler Approximately 50 residents were present at the recent meeting of the Atlantic Highlands Republican Clubto hear both County Commissioner Sue Kiley and GOP Congressional candidate Scott Fegler talk abut their plans after election to their respective posts in the November election.
Kiley, the current county commissioner seeking her second term, is well known by local residents, not only for her work on the Monmouth County board but also previously when she served as mayor of nearby Hazlet Township and all her volunteerism with the Raine Foundation, a family foundation non-profit organization that helps in multiple local areas. The commissioner was also employed as the business administrator at St. Agnes Church.
The commissioner outlined the continuing work of the Monmouth County Commissioners as well as her own efforts in the specific departments she oversees including the Division of Aging and Disabilities, Veterans Services and the Sheriff’s Office. She explained the far-reaching assistance the county’s ACTS program, which she leads, and which is the first of a kind in New Jersey public-private partnerships. She explained how ACTs, (Assisting Communities through Services) has improved communication and delivery of care for residents while continuing to work on future programs.
Fegler, who is a resident of neighboring Highlands, is seeking his first term in Congress, hoping to unseat incumbent long time Congressman Frank Pallone. Fegler, who was born the year Pallone first won a seat in Congress in 1988, is committed to crafting legislation as a Congressman to establish term limits in the House and Senate, citing pitfalls of prolonged political tenure. He is also strongly opposed to Wind Turbines installed off the Atlantic coast and cited the cost to taxpayers for these energy projects as well as their impact on Bayshore residents in particular and the danger they present for marine wildlife.
A native of Matawan, Fegler maintains a successful family business as a wholesale cheese, charcuterie, deli meat, grocery and seafood products importer.
Among the crowd which included former mayors, council members and local residents from three towns at the GOP meeting hosted by Atlantic Highlands GOP Chair Brian Boms, Art Gallagher, GOP chair in Highlands also spoke on the community spirit between the two neighboring towns and his assurance in the November election for GOP candidates. Highlands operates under a non-partisan form of government and will also be electing two members to its borough council without any party affiliation.
