BAYSHORE REGIONAL WATERSHED COUNCIL

MINUTES

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Keyport Borough Hall

7:30pm – 9:30pm

Attendance:

Lou Andreuzzi ( Union Beach )

Annie Eng ( Hazlet Township )

Valerie Craig ( Middletown Township )

Fran Donnelly ( Hazlet )

Stephen Gale (Keyport)

Gene Geer ( Hazlet )

Bob Ludwig (Keyport)

Joe Martin ( Middletown Township )

Kari Martin (Clean Ocean Action)

Bill McFarland ( Holmdel Township )

Joe Pobego ( Hazlet Township )

Joe Sheridan (Keyport)

Joe Reynolds (Atlantic Highlands)

Paul Rinear ( Aberdeen Township )

AGENDA

1) Clean Ocean Action Beach Sweeps & Earth Day events

Kari Martin of Clean Ocean Action provided a recap of 2007 spring Beach Sweeps that took place on Saturday, April 28 ^th from 9:00am to 12:30pm . There were good turnouts of people in Keyport, Middletown Township , Union Beach , and Sandy Hook . Of special note were several employees from Whole Foods Market in Middletown Township who volunteered to help clean up the Bayshore Waterfront Park in Port Monmouth. Unfortunately Atlantic Highlands had a poor showing of people due to a beach clean up that took place the previous weekend during their Earth Day activities. Plenty of trash was bagged by volunteers as well as several medical needles and a few sewage cakes found along bay beaches.

Earth Day events were also well received in Holmdel Township , Atlantic Highlands , and Highlands .  

2) Horseshoe Crab Education Signs

In the Bayshore region, over 20 signs have been posted. As of the meeting, the following locations have signs:

Atlantic Highlands Harbor : 4 signs

Aberdeen ( Cliffwood Beach ): 4 signs

Highlands (Bayfront): 4 signs

Keyport Waterfront: 4 signs

Middletown (near Pews Creek/Ideal Beach/Bayshore Waterfront Park): 4 signs

Middletown (Locust Point Rd. Kiosk): 1 sign

In addition, one sign will be posted in Union Beach in the parking lot near to the beach area at the end of Front Street .  

3) Bayshore Regional Dredge Material Mgmt. Plan

THE PUBLIC IS INVITED TO ATTEND A FORUM ON THE

BENEFICIAL USE & MANAGEMENT OF

DREDGED MATERIAL FOR

RARITAN BAY-SANDY HOOK BAY

This forum is sponsored by the

Bayshore Regional Watershed Council

Hazlet Area Quality of Life Alliance

Clean Ocean Action

NJ Marine Trades

Monmouth University ’s Urban Coast Institute

Date:   Thursday, June 14, 2005

Time: 7:30pm

Location: Keyport Borough Hall, off of Front Street in Keyport.

What: Recently, the Bayshore Regional Watershed Council and its partners have received grant funds from the NJ Department of Transportation, Office of Maritime Resources to create a regional Dredged Material Management Plan for the Bayshore region of Monmouth County , NJ .

The forum is planned to be a community “kick-off” gathering and bring together local, county, and state officials; environmental commission members, marina owners, harbor masters, commercial fishing boat captains, recreational boat owners, and the public to discuss the issue of managing dredged material.

The public has an important role in the development of this plan. The Bayshore Regional Watershed Council will incorporate concerns expressed by all those involved in the forum into a draft plan, which will be available for public review when completed. The focus of the forum will be to ask where will we go from here and then to solicit public input, especially about opportunities for the beneficial use of dredged material, such as for beach replenishment, wetlands enhancement, construction fill, or road fill.

Featured Speakers:

·         Genevieve Boehm Clifton, NJDOT/Maritime Resources – the beneficial use of dredged material in New Jersey

·         Suzanne Dietrich, NJDEP- Dredge material permitting & upland beneficial use requirements

·         Melissa Danko, Marine Trades Association - the importance and issues for keeping water navigable.      
           

·         John Olsen, Keyport Harbor (real world local experience)

·         John Tiedemann, Monmouth University - Source reduction methods/strategies

·         Cindy Zipf, Clean Ocean Action - Discussion of the Surveys- dredging needs and material uses – introduce idea of sustainable material management

Why:    As we continue to dredge our harbors, creeks, and lakes there is a need now of a comprehensive, regional dredged management plan that involves the use of dredged material from the bay for various beneficial activities, such as beach replenishment, fill, construction fill, and wetlands enhancement. The public’s participation is essential to developing a plan that will increase economic growth, and protect and conserve local coastal resources.

Since 2000, the Bayshore Regional Watershed Council (BRWC) has been working to improve the physical environment in the Bayshore region of Middlesex and Monmouth counties. The BRWC encourages public participation in this effort to create a regional dredged material management plan for the Bayshore region, stretching from Aberdeen Township to the Borough of Highlands.

Directions:    The public forum will take place inside Keyport Borough Hall, which is located on Front Street in the Borough of Keyport, NJ

Front Street is accessible by getting on Main Street from Highway 36 in the Borough of Keyport. There is on-street parking. In addition there are nearby parking lots on Front Street and Main Street .    

4) Flat Creek NJDEP Project Grant Status

As of this date, no new information or progress on the grant can be given. Watershed members expressed their displeasure at the slow rate at which this grant is moving. In addition, watershed members expressed their strong desire for the remainder of the grant funds to be used for water quality restoration activities, especially to install storm-cepter devices or similar apparatuses on or near Middle Road , close to the Police Station. Government officials in Hazlet Township have already expressed their desire to help with this project and to maintain storm-cepters by their DPW employees.

5) Open Space & Preservation of Eight Endangered Areas

A)     Keyport – The BRWC recently sent a letter to NJDEP expressing our displeasure for potential development near the tidal portion of Chingarora Creek wetlands and the nearby Henry Hudson Trail, part of the Monmouth County Park System. The name of the project is: 75 Manchester LLC & Henry Hudson Trail. The letter expssed our strong desire for NJDEP not to approve the developer’s application for a General Permit 10A.

B) Sudden City - Joe Reynolds expressed his strong displsure at the recent start of construction of townhouses and buildings on Highway 36 on the border of Atlantic Highlands and Middletown Township to the west of present-day Eastpointe Plaza .   Both municipalities lack places for varied recreational activities for residents.  Children are suffering from not having enough safe, well-designed outdoor places within reach to play and participate in a diverse amount of organized activities. In essence, there are not enough parks for children (of all ages) to play various sports. We need more space for parks and wildlife; not for buildings, roads, and cars.    

C)     Stone Road Meadows – Class one Streams

Stream walks and surveys are being conducted on the Stone Road Meadows site to properly identified Class One or First-order freshwater streams. In addition, research is continuing on the local historical significance of the site.

D)     Freneau Woods – Stephen Gale reported that he recently met with the Matawan Historical Society to educate them about Philip Freneau and the need to preserve Freneau Woods.  

E)     Waackaack Creek Meadowlands – Joe Pobego reported that government officials in Hazlet state that the property owner wants more money for the land than current market value and that the property owner is partial to building a number of single family homes on the site in the near future.

F)     Unique Areas Nomination to County Planning Board – Joe Reynolds requested that individuals still send in their letters of support and information about one of the following Unique Areas nominated by the BRWC:

1) Treasure Lake in Aberdeen

2) Freneau Woods in Aberdeen & Matawan

3) Stone Road Meadows in Hazlet

4) Waackaack Creek Greenway in Holmdel & Hazlet

5) Lake Lefferts in Aberdeen

6) Pews Creek Wetlands in Middletown Township

7) Flat Creek Wetlands in Union Beach

8) Luppatatong Creek Wetlands in Keyport

9) Whale Creek Wetlands in Aberdeen

10) Leonardo Wetlands in Middletown Township

Please send letters to:

Ann Waters

Senior Planner

Monmouth County Planning Board

Environmental Committee

Hall of Records Annex

1 East Main St .

Freehold, NJ 07728

6) Bayshore Pump-out Boat

As of this meeting, Hazlet , Perth Amboy, Atlantic Highlands, Keyport, Keansburg, and Middletown Township have all signed on to support the project. They have committed to providing $312.50 per year for 5 years. The council is now working to try to get other municipalities on-board as well, such as Matawan and Union Beach .

In addition, some watershed council members are expressing their displeasure with the NY-NJ Baykeeper at the slow pace the organization is working towards this project.

7) Pews Creek Wetlands Degradation

Joe Martin stated that he noticed that some of the wetland area near Pews Creek and the recent installed Osprey Platform had been degraded possibly by bulldozers. An investigation into the matter by the Middletown Environmental Commission found that the Monmouth County Mosquito Extermination Commission was working in the area.

10) Reports from Bayshore Communities:  

Stormwater Technical Advisory Committee – Joe Reynolds reported that as of the meeting, every municipality in the Bayshore region of Monmouth County has submitted a Stormwater plan to the county Planning Board except for Keyport. All other municipalities have had their plans approved with conditions and are in the process of amending their plans or waiting for the county to approve the plan with the recent additions.

Hazlet – The first-ever meeting of the township’s Open Space Committee took place last month. Annie Eng was appointed as Chair and Joe Pobego as Vice-Chair.  

Matawan Lake/Creek Project: If you are still interested in volunteering with this important monitoring effort, contact Vicky Allen, at     matawanlakesproject@gmail.com or Councilwoman Debbie Buragina 732-566-3898 x602.

 print