Public Invited to Reading of Declaration of Independence Allentown NJ Relives Colonial Past on July 4th

“We hold these truths to be self-evident” – familiar words for any American. To celebrate America’s 246^th birthday, town leaders from Allentown and Upper Freehold Township will join members of the community to publicly read the Declaration of Independence once again this July 4^th.  All are welcome to witness the event at 9 a.m., Monday, July 4, 2022 in Pete Sensi Park, Main Street in Allentown.

The first public reading of the Declaration of Independence was held in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776, and other readings were held later that same day in Trenton and Easton, Pa. Adopted by Congress on July 4, 1776, copies of the document were printed and sent by messengers to be distributed throughout the newly-founded 13 states.  At the time, Allentown, NJ was a village frequented by many travelers en route from Philadelphia to New York.  It is likely that the Declaration was proclaimed in 1776 from very close to the same site at which it will be read 246 years later on July 4, 2022.

The reading is free and sponsored by The Allentown Village Initiative (TAVI).  Those attending are encouraged to visit local businesses afterwards and enjoy the quaint village atmosphere of our shops and restaurants.  For more information, please call the McCormicks at (609) 208-9991.

Can you imagine over 1,000 trick-or-treaters ringing your doorbell on Halloween?  If you live on Main Street in Allentown, NJ, you don’t have to imagine such a deluge – it’s real!  Allentown’s parade, super-decorated houses, quaint shops, and down-home friendliness have made it a mecca for costumed kids every Halloween for years.

It’s great fun, but it’s also expensive. A typical Halloween could set a Main Street homeowner back quite a bit by the time the day is done.  While this organized chaos reigns on Main Street, however, many residents in outlying rural areas, and even developments, see just a handful of visitors. If you’re one of them, you may well wonder what to do with the candy you bought (and which you really shouldn’t eat yourself).

For the past few years there has been an answer: “Operation Ghosts & Goblins.”  Residents who see few (if any) trick-or-treaters are invited to chip in a bag or two of their favorite treats.  These are then redistributed to homes along Main Street who have registered to receive some help to make sure they have enough to hand out to the children who appear at their doors on Halloween. 

The Allentown Village Initiative (TAVI) is happy to support this ingenious solution to a vexing problem, coordinated by the Matwiow family of Upper Freehold.  We can all be a part of the extravaganza which is Main Street Allentown’s Halloween celebration – -and help our friends and neighbors while doing so.  Simply drop off your donation at Bruno’s One Sweet Ride at 19 North Main Street, Allentown or call Jenn Matwiow at (609) 907-8282 to arrange for a convenient pick-up. Please make your donation by Friday, October 24, 2022 so that all candy can be distributed to Main Street homes before the first trick-or-treater arrives.

In the November 8th election, there are three Upper Freehold Township residents vying to fill 2-three-year term seats on the Upper Freehold Board of Education and two Allentown residents running for the one 3-year Allentown seat.

Current Allentown Board of Education member Wil Borkowski is the only candidate on the ballot for the Allentown seat. Alan Brockway is a write-in candidate for that Allentown seat. 

The three Upper Freehold candidates are Rebecca “Becky” Lustgarten, Christopher Midura and current Board of Education member Vanessa DePompo. 

Meet Wil Borkowski

Years living in the Upper Freehold Regional School District: 22 years

Education: BS Engineering

Current profession: Rehabbing Historic Buildings

Experience on other district’s Board of Education(s): Served 7 years, UFRSD

Do you have children who have attended the Upper Freehold Regional School District:  Two children, both recent K-12 UFRSD graduates

Currently I’m serving my second full term.  Recently, I have served on the Negotiations, Policy and Facilities committees.  Our District is highly regarded within Monmouth County and State rankings. I want to see this continue.  We support what the community wants, we listen to them, and do our best to balance their needs with our budgetary responsibilities. 

If re-elected, I believe we can always improve.  One area is with our communication with parents, continually reviewing our curriculum to best educate our students that are aligned with our community’s values.  And, I will focus on making sure all students are getting a quality education that will prepare them for future careers beyond graduation.  Not only academically, which is the most important, but additionally through the wide choices of extracurricular activities that can develop students beyond the classroom.  Our District has a wide range of very active clubs and some with long traditions such as the FFA, the Marching Band, Drama, Music, Robotics, Athletics, and there are many more.  All these moving parts along with academics creates opportunities for incoming students and is why UFRSD is highly regarded.

Meet Alan Brockway

Years living in the Upper Freehold Regional School District: 13 years in UFRSD

Education: Bachelors Degree in Communications Media, 1999

Current profession: Market Access Director, Addiction & Schizophrenia

Experience on other district’s Board of Education(s): None

Do you have children who have attended the Upper Freehold Regional School District: One son and he attends Newell Elementary School in the 1^st

With almost 20 years in healthcare, I had to become a “professional communicator”. My role ensures that the heart of the matter is not lost, and decisions are made with careful consideration with many perspectives. It’s not about MY goals, it’s about what’s best for the patients. My training ensures all perspectives are considered in a respectful, neighborly way so that we can focus on what’s best for our students and schools.

Through the years, I have raised money for multiple charities like the Allentown Foodbank, donated musical performances for fundraisers and to help pay medical costs for Allentown locals, raised donations for Hurricane Sandy Relief, and have volunteered to manage and coach both soccer and baseball teams for Allentown.

I believe this makes me the best choice for Allentown Representative because I have a child in the system, I’m dedicated to helping where I can be effective like in mental health and substance abuse and navigating complex issues professionally with polite discourse. I am grateful for this community and it’s time for a fresh perspective in Allentown.

What are the 3 most important challenges facing the Board and how will the community benefit from your leadership?

I believe the three most important challenges are student’s mental health crisis, returning to academic excellence post pandemic, and working around the state’s S2 funding formula. The community will benefit from my experience by:

• Solutions-oriented strategist that maintains focus on our aligned goals to keep students the top priority
• Organizing multiple perspectives in negotiations to best represents the board and provides the best solution for the school district,
• Providing insights and potential funding solutions to mental health and substance abuse challenges,
• Maintaining an even, moderate, and transparent stance on communication with the community. In the end, we are a community of neighbors and friends. Let’s not forget that.
• Work with teachers and administrators to find creative and/or new teaching techniques to help students catch up
• Identify and obtain funding to assist student’s mental health concerns
• Work on new funding opportunities in anticipation of lack of state aid
• Always work toward finding new funding solutions to not burden tax payers.

Anything else you wish to share?

If the community wants fresh perspectives, transparency, board members with children in UFRSD, help with our mental health and substance abuse challenges, with moderate, respectful, and polite discourse, I urge you to vote Alan Brockway, write-in candidate for UFRSD Board of Education, Allentown Rep. It’s time for some fresh ideas and moderate voices.

Meet  Vanessa DePompo

My name is Vanessa DePompo and I am running for re-election to the Upper Freehold Regional Board of Education. I am currently serving a three year term and look forward to continuing to better our school district. I was fortunate enough to be able to “retire” from my career as an optician to become a stay-at-home mom! My husband and I have 4 children and have lived in Cream Ridge for the almost 17 years. Two of our children are graduates of Allentown High School and the other two are currently attending in their junior and senior years.

I have been an extremely active member the school district beginning with the PTA where I became President for 6 years bringing programs, assemblies and activities to the Pre-K through grade 8 students. I then transitioned to the Education Foundation as President for the next 6 years. I worked to revamp the foundation raising money to help fund innovative grants throughout the district to expand various academic, extracurricular and arts offerings to all three schools. This progression creates a unique perspective and understanding of the district through multiple lenses. 

I have been on the Board through the challenging pandemic years and am proud of the decisions made to navigate virtual learning and a public health crisis. While I believe our district fared far better than most, one of the most challenging issues we face going forward is transitioning the students back to normalcy and addressing the learning loss they have experienced. In addition, there is a national focus on the addition of controversial mandated health curriculum. I am currently the Board chair of education and would like to continue a responsible approach, recognizing the concerns and wishes of the community and allowing parents the flexibility to make their own decisions for their children. I feel that we need to exhaust our efforts on strengthening our curriculum to bridge the pandemic slide and guiding our students back to a challenging, rigorous and balanced level of education.

Fiscal responsibility is always a concern of every parent and taxpayer with inflation making it a primary focus. While no one can reduce costs in this economy, creativity is paramount. My hope is to continue to explore options to support our budget so that the impact of rising costs can be seamlessly absorbed without additional burdens to the taxpayer or the students. Through the excellent direction of our district business administrator and superintendent, this board secured stabilization aid funds which were a tremendous impact last year. We have applied for additional aid this year in addition exploring healthcare and bussing options to ensure that every tax dollar is responsibly spent. 

My husband and I chose to raise our family here in large part because of the strength of the school system. I have been completely immersed in this district and believe that is leadership needs to remain balanced and continue to put the children at the forefront. It is my goal to continue the path of success through balanced decisions, responsibility and transparency while communicating with the parents and taxpayers to maintain an understanding of the expectations of our growth.

Meet Chris Midura

My name is Chris Midura and I am running for a position on the UFRSD Board of Education.  I grew up in Hamilton, NJ and graduated from Nottingham High School. I continued my schooling at Stockton College and Seton Hall Law School. I am currently a civil trial attorney at a national law firm in Princeton, NJ.

I moved to Upper Freehold in 2018 with my wife, Ashley, and our three children who currently attend Newell Elementary School and Stone Bridge Middle School.  My family has deep ties to this community, with my mother graduating from Allentown High School in 1975 followed by her five siblings. I vividly remember attending homecoming bonfires with my aunt in the 1990s and thinking how special this community was. This fantastic school district was the driving force behind our move here. I am thrilled to be a part of this community and incredibly thankful for the education my children are receiving.

I am seeking election because I want to continue to give back to the school and community that has served us so well.  I strive to continue the good work of the current Board and assist in avoiding the pitfalls that impact so many districts around us.

I believe my background as a trial attorney, which involves daily conflict resolution, will assist greatly in working towards pragmatic solutions to all issues presented to the Board. Since moving here, I have been an active member of the community, coaching numerous youth sports and serving on the Upper Freehold Baseball & Softball Board of Directors. I believe these roles will guide in understanding the wants and needs of the community at large.

Our town and school district are uniquely beautiful and community minded, but we are sure to face many challenges in the near future.  First, we need to avoid the infighting that has hamstrung so many districts around us. One need only look to the vitriol surrounding some of the other BOE elections surrounding us to know that’s simply not for us. We must lean on the tight community ties we all share.

Second, we must address the learning loss and mental health issues that resulted from the strain of the pandemic. Again, I believe the current Board did better than the districts that surround us. However, we, as a society, made school hard for children. We put them behind screens and then behind masks, glass partitions, and chalk drawn circles. We took the fun out of schooling. We need to look in the rearview mirror and declare we will not do that again. Instead, we need (1) focused interventions where learning loss is most prevalent and (2) curriculum and programs designed to make school exciting and engaging. Personally, I love the administration’s current motto of “Bring the Energy Every Day.” It was great to see that this year’s homecoming events were, once again, filled with joy and energy.

Lastly, I think the Board needs to be mindful in the future to at least question state mandates that all too often burden children, ignore parents, and do not fit with the unique values of this community. As a board member, I want to maximize UFRSD’s great potential by collaborating with parents in their children’s education and providing transparency to the community as a whole, all while remaining fiscally responsible for the benefit of all taxpayers.

Meet  Rebecca “Becky” Lustgarten

Rebecca “Becky” Lustgarten

Hello, I am Rebecca “Becky” Lustgarten and I have been a proud resident in the Upper Freehold Regional School District for 27 years. I met my husband of 17 years, Art Lustgarten, while attending Allentown High School. We are extremely proud to call Cream Ridge home and see our two children grow and thrive in the Upper Freehold Regional School District.

I have a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from the University of Miami, Florida and will be graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing this February. I am currently a full-time student, but my prior professional experience includes public accounting, with a focus on audit, and teaching preschool at Little Tree in Allentown. 

This is my first campaign for the UFRSD Board of Education, and I have not served on other districts’ Board of Education.

I currently have a 5^th and 8^th grader at Stone Bridge Middle School.

Why are you interested in serving on the Upper Freehold Board of Education?

As the mom of a child with severe, airborne food allergies, I understand it takes a village to ensure all students have an academically, physically, and socially safe school environment. I am grateful to the UFRSD administration, faculty, and staff for their commitment to optimizing safety for my child and all UFRSD students. This community has been a tremendous support to my family.  I would like to give back by serving on the BOE and upholding the excellent educational and safety outcomes that UFRSD has worked hard to maintain. As a preschool teacher, I had the privilege of working with many Upper Freehold children and families.  Watching students grow and succeed is the most rewarding aspect of teaching. As a BOE member, I will continue to foster that success and support policies that nurture the educational welfare of all students regardless of ability, gender, race, religion, or social/economic standing.  

Based on your education, work experience or volunteerism, why are you the most qualified candidate? 

The number of people who return to UFT to raise their families is a testament to the continued success of our schools and community. There is a responsibility to uphold that standard and I will work to ensure future generations have the same pride in our schools and community.

The decisions of Board of Education members have a direct relation to student achievement and their well-being. I am not a “one issue” candidate and understand that the concerns brought before the board hold complexities demanding creative and flexible solutions. My diverse background in accounting, education, and health care equips me with valuable experience that will both assist and complement the Board. As an invested, long-term resident and parent, I will work diligently and thoughtfully to encourage the growth and success of our students, schools, and the Upper Freehold community. 

What are the 3 most important challenges facing the Board and how will the community benefit from your leadership?

1. Loss of Learning Response and Recovery

The setbacks we face related to Covid-19, including learning delays, and the mental impact on our children, create unique and immediate challenges. The strength of our district will be determined by how we respond and recover. This must be a top priority.  The 2023 test scores will provide data that further allows us to evaluate our recovery efforts. Though we cannot change the things that happened, we can learn from them and work collaboratively with parents and educators to understand where funds are placed to maximize student recovery and achievement.

2. Financial Burden

A recurring theme I heard in the Board meeting on October 24^th was the need to find a budget. Implementing the necessary changes to help our students progress will carry an expense.  This cannot be the burden of the taxpayers. We face the challenge of being fiscally cognizant to our community and ensuring responsible allocation of funds so we can benefit our children both academically and psychosocially. Married to a farm and landowner, I understand the impact tax increases can have on individuals and families. We need to continue to seek grants and additional forms of funding, without raising taxes, so we can meet the needs of each student.

3. Transparency

Transparency builds trust within a community. This is an area we can do better. Parent and student voices must be heard and counted. I have encouraged the BOE to host an education night for parents to read the materials that will be used to teach the NJ Health Standards in district. Stating that something will be taught, without showing material, can be unnerving and allows misinformation to spread. Controversy without factual information damages the cohesiveness of our community and ultimately disrupts learning. If elected, I will actively work to ensure full transparency which is the foundation of moving forward.

TAVI “Allentown Arts” Hosts Free Concert on November 13, 2022 at 3 pm

Allentown, NJ – “The Earth without “art” is just “eh” – That’s the mantra of Allentown’s Mill Pond Music Academy and the talent showcase it will bring to the 2^nd annual “Musical Generations” concert on Sunday, November 13, 2022. Allentown and Upper Freehold are home to a treasure-trove of talented musicians, many of whom have become mentors to the next generation of students at Mill Pond Music Academy. This year’s concert will showcase both faculty and student artistry. You’ll leave knowing the future of good music is in good hands!

“Musical Generations” begins at 3 pm in Allentown United Methodist Church, 23 Church Street, on Sunday November 14, 2022.  Admission is free, thanks to supporters of The Allentown Village Initiative (TAVI) and its “Allentown Arts” program, which brings performances, lectures and cultural events to the historic setting of the Allentown community.

Be sure to join us for a great program.  For more information about the concert and other great TAVI programs, visit www.allentownvinj.org .

UPDATE:  Upper Freehold Township Zoning Board 11/29/22  7 pm will hear a request to remove the two “460 Affordable Luxury Townhomes and Apartments COMING SOON” signs from the Stein property located near the Valero gas station by exit 8. 

The hearing is open to the public and is IN PERSON only and will be held at the Upper Freehold Township Municipal Building at 314 Route 539, Cream Ridge, NJ 08514.

Provided by Guest Writer Elliot Wiesner

            The Mayor of Allentown, Thomas Fritts, opened a community meeting on Wednesday,  May 4th at 7 pm in the Newell Elementary School auditorium.  Approximately 100 people attended, including 2 present Upper Freehold Township Committee members.  Mayor Fritts chaired and moderated the meeting which included 2 speakers, a slide presentation and a video. Mayor Fritts emphasized the need to keep open the lines of communication between the elected officials of Allentown, and the townships of Upper Freehold, Robbinsville and Hamilton.  He also urged the residents of these 4 communities to cooperate with each other, especially with the possibility of the development of affordable housing and/or a warehouse on the Stein property near the Valero gas station by exit 8. 

            The 2 guest presenters were Micah Rasmussen, the director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University and Keith Becker, leader of the local community group Communities United/Keep the Integrity. 

            The speakers made it clear that although no application has been made to develop the property, it was recently sold for 15 million dollars to a development company.  This sale is unusual as usually developers only buy an option from the existing landholder to purchase the property at a future date if, and only if, the development application is approved.  It was also noted that the property to be developed also includes an adjoining property owned by the same developer in Robbinsville. 

            It was also stated that there are 2 signs on the property advertising that 460 affordable luxury homes would be “coming soon.”  An academic study was cited that concluded that 460 homes would add 1 child per home to the school district headcount.  That additional student headcount would cost the Upper Freehold Regional School District approximately $9 million per year based on the current cost per student.  This number would be in excess of any real estate taxes generated by the development.  It would also result in overcrowding in certain grades, possibly resulting in teaching being done in trailers as has been done in the past.   

            This new housing signage gave rise to the bait and switch theory that the threatened townhouse development is a ruse to get the residents to prefer a warehouse, which would pay taxes and not add to the school burden.  However, a high traffic 24/7 warehouse would generate additional truck traffic.  It also could mean a need for a full time Upper Freehold police department. 

            Mayor Fritts spoke about smart development, which is different than no development, and about working with neighboring towns about development.  For example, while acknowledging that Allentown was not able to prevent approval of a warehouse on the Allentown Robbinsville border, he stated that by working with Robbinsville and the developer he was able to get the warehouse building “flipped” so that the noisy loading docks would face already existing commercial buildings in Robbinsville rather than face Allentown residences.  He also stated that the trucks would not be allowed to make a left turn when leaving the warehouse.  However, should a truck make a left turn there would be a circular turnaround built so that the truck would not go down Church Street in Allentown. 

            Other discussions included the fact that open spaces keep property values up, that once a piece of land is developed it is never “undeveloped”, and that as warehouses age they go from prime tenants and uses to lower quality tenants and uses.  Also, open spaces have value for the future as well as the present but they are undervalued relative to commercial development in the present. 

Facebook page recommendations:

Central NJ Anti-Warehouse Sprawl Coalition

NJ-Stop the Madness! Of overdevelopment and destruction of our Environment