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I'm curious to know what the rest of you think about this article.
Renee
SAVE SANDY HOOK - PART II
Date: 031218
From: http://www.ahherald.com/
OLD OAK TRAIL
By Joe Reynolds, joe@ahherald.com
Atlantic Highlands Herald, 18 December 2003
Renowned naturalist and founder of the Sierra Club, John Muir, had
this to say when Yosemite was threatened with development in the late
1800s, "God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought,
disease, avalanches and floods, but he cannot save them from fools.
Only Uncle Sam can do that."
The same viewpoint might be shared for what is planned to occur in
2004 at Sandy Hook Gateway National Park within the historic Fort
Hancock section. The National Park Service wants to award a single,
long-term 60-year lease to a private company. The individual lease
would permit Wassel Reality (a.k.a. Sandy Hook Partners LLC) to
redevelop Fort Hancock into a commercial, for-profit park with plenty
of retail/commercial uses.
The creation of another town is being proposed along the already
over-crowded and overdeveloped Jersey Shore. This town, however, would
be managed not by the public, but by a single private company and
populated largely by corporate people, salespeople, and merchants.
Plans include the development of over a dozen private office
buildings, numerous conference centers, retail shops, and abundant
buildings devoted to lodging and food services, some solely devoted to
serving businesspeople and their guests. The plan also calls for
around 1,000 additional vehicles to enter the park on an already
popular, bustling and fast-paced singular road - Hartshorne Drive.
On Saturday, December 13th, I inadvertently attended the public
meeting hosted by Jim Wassel at the Fort Hancock Post Theater. I write
inadvertently, because I did not intend to be present at the meeting
and listen to mumbo-jumbo and propaganda.
I started out the day going birdwatching at Plum Island and
Spermacetti Cove. It was a beautiful morning and I had the pleasure of
observing several flocks of brant, buffleheads, common mergansers,
mallards, and a few loons.
Yet, somehow in the afternoon, I stumbled into the meeting and found
myself being overwrought with outrage.
At no time during the public meeting was there any talk given to the
protection of our natural environment, such as to the fish, birds, and
vegetation that truly characterize Sandy Hook. There was no real
discussion given to how this proposed redevelopment plan might
overcrowd Fort Hancock and degrade resources. Instead, all talk was
devoted to how the proposed project might only "enhance" Sandy Hook.
Though, I still do not understand how an extra 1,000 cars and people
will not produce more traffic, noise and litter, especially in
communities like Sea Bright that just have one principal road.
To help mitigate traffic, Wassel Reality calls for the replacement of
the well-known Route 36 drawbridge over the Shrewsbury River with a
higher bridge. Unfortunately, the plan does not explain who will fund
this project and when it will be completed. A new bridge does not also
clarify other traffic concerns. How will the Park Service deal with
the interaction between increased vehicle flow and children who wish
to cross the already busy Hartshorne Drive to get to the bay during
weekdays and weekends. Will there be a need for protruding traffic
lights to create safe walkways?
Perhaps the image that sticks in my mind the most about this Saturday
afternoon meeting is how the Wassel Reality folks frequently compared
the proposed redevelopment of Fort Hancock to the redevelopment of
Faneuil Hall in Boston.
I like Faneuil Hall and visit it often when I vacation in Boston. It
is a wonderful place to pick up cheap t-shirts and low-priced
souvenirs. Yet, Faneuil Hall is located in the center of downtown
Boston. It is a busy marketplace with over 70 shops, 14 restaurants,
40 fast-food stalls and a comedy nightclub. Should we suspect this
same sort of shoddy commercialism at Sandy Hook? Furthermore, I find
it puzzling and disheartened that the National Park Service would try
to compare the restoration of a building in an urban area to the
redevelopment of over 30 buildings in an environmentally sensitive
area.
Let's face it, developers in front of the public have a tendency to
say anything to get approval. Developers will state that their project
will not affect the environment or traffic, but when the project is
completed we find out it has and the public is stuck with it. Wassel
Reality's primary goal is to make a profit, not to accommodate public
concerns. They are not looking out for the public or for wildlife.
We do not have a scarcity of ticky-tack retail stores, office space,
restaurants, or commercial parks along the Jersey Shore. There is
simply not a need for more businesses along our coastline. Any new
commercial establishments should be aimed to existing towns or
communities. What the Jersey Shore has an extreme shortage of is open
space and peaceful, noncommercial landscapes. This is what should not
be lost. Our public lands and national parks belong to the people, not
to the highest bidder.
We should not lose sight that Fort Hancock and Sandy Hook belong to
the public. It is situated in an environmentally sensitive area that
is habitat to a variety of endangered and threatened species, such as
ospreys and piping plovers. Fort Hancock is the people's property and
it should never be managed by a single developer with the power to
transform public property into a commercial zone.
Please urge your federal elected officials to push for the National
Park Service to organize an independent group made up of local
citizens, public officials, and scholars to conduct a fair and
unbiased study to determine the best way to preserve Fort Hancock that
is harmonious with the character of Sandy Hook.
Below are web site addresses to some federal political leaders for
you to quickly contact:
Senator Jon Corzine
Senator Frank Lautenberg
Congressman Frank Pallone Jr.
Congressman Rush Holt
For further information, please write to the local non-profit group
dedicated to preserving Sandy Hook from becoming commercial: Save
Sandy Hook can be reached at POB 265, Lincroft, NJ 07738.
* * *
Copyright (c) 1996- 2003 - Allan Dean - All Rights Reserved
Renee
SAVE SANDY HOOK - PART II
Date: 031218
From: http://www.ahherald.com/
OLD OAK TRAIL
By Joe Reynolds, joe@ahherald.com
Atlantic Highlands Herald, 18 December 2003
Renowned naturalist and founder of the Sierra Club, John Muir, had
this to say when Yosemite was threatened with development in the late
1800s, "God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought,
disease, avalanches and floods, but he cannot save them from fools.
Only Uncle Sam can do that."
The same viewpoint might be shared for what is planned to occur in
2004 at Sandy Hook Gateway National Park within the historic Fort
Hancock section. The National Park Service wants to award a single,
long-term 60-year lease to a private company. The individual lease
would permit Wassel Reality (a.k.a. Sandy Hook Partners LLC) to
redevelop Fort Hancock into a commercial, for-profit park with plenty
of retail/commercial uses.
The creation of another town is being proposed along the already
over-crowded and overdeveloped Jersey Shore. This town, however, would
be managed not by the public, but by a single private company and
populated largely by corporate people, salespeople, and merchants.
Plans include the development of over a dozen private office
buildings, numerous conference centers, retail shops, and abundant
buildings devoted to lodging and food services, some solely devoted to
serving businesspeople and their guests. The plan also calls for
around 1,000 additional vehicles to enter the park on an already
popular, bustling and fast-paced singular road - Hartshorne Drive.
On Saturday, December 13th, I inadvertently attended the public
meeting hosted by Jim Wassel at the Fort Hancock Post Theater. I write
inadvertently, because I did not intend to be present at the meeting
and listen to mumbo-jumbo and propaganda.
I started out the day going birdwatching at Plum Island and
Spermacetti Cove. It was a beautiful morning and I had the pleasure of
observing several flocks of brant, buffleheads, common mergansers,
mallards, and a few loons.
Yet, somehow in the afternoon, I stumbled into the meeting and found
myself being overwrought with outrage.
At no time during the public meeting was there any talk given to the
protection of our natural environment, such as to the fish, birds, and
vegetation that truly characterize Sandy Hook. There was no real
discussion given to how this proposed redevelopment plan might
overcrowd Fort Hancock and degrade resources. Instead, all talk was
devoted to how the proposed project might only "enhance" Sandy Hook.
Though, I still do not understand how an extra 1,000 cars and people
will not produce more traffic, noise and litter, especially in
communities like Sea Bright that just have one principal road.
To help mitigate traffic, Wassel Reality calls for the replacement of
the well-known Route 36 drawbridge over the Shrewsbury River with a
higher bridge. Unfortunately, the plan does not explain who will fund
this project and when it will be completed. A new bridge does not also
clarify other traffic concerns. How will the Park Service deal with
the interaction between increased vehicle flow and children who wish
to cross the already busy Hartshorne Drive to get to the bay during
weekdays and weekends. Will there be a need for protruding traffic
lights to create safe walkways?
Perhaps the image that sticks in my mind the most about this Saturday
afternoon meeting is how the Wassel Reality folks frequently compared
the proposed redevelopment of Fort Hancock to the redevelopment of
Faneuil Hall in Boston.
I like Faneuil Hall and visit it often when I vacation in Boston. It
is a wonderful place to pick up cheap t-shirts and low-priced
souvenirs. Yet, Faneuil Hall is located in the center of downtown
Boston. It is a busy marketplace with over 70 shops, 14 restaurants,
40 fast-food stalls and a comedy nightclub. Should we suspect this
same sort of shoddy commercialism at Sandy Hook? Furthermore, I find
it puzzling and disheartened that the National Park Service would try
to compare the restoration of a building in an urban area to the
redevelopment of over 30 buildings in an environmentally sensitive
area.
Let's face it, developers in front of the public have a tendency to
say anything to get approval. Developers will state that their project
will not affect the environment or traffic, but when the project is
completed we find out it has and the public is stuck with it. Wassel
Reality's primary goal is to make a profit, not to accommodate public
concerns. They are not looking out for the public or for wildlife.
We do not have a scarcity of ticky-tack retail stores, office space,
restaurants, or commercial parks along the Jersey Shore. There is
simply not a need for more businesses along our coastline. Any new
commercial establishments should be aimed to existing towns or
communities. What the Jersey Shore has an extreme shortage of is open
space and peaceful, noncommercial landscapes. This is what should not
be lost. Our public lands and national parks belong to the people, not
to the highest bidder.
We should not lose sight that Fort Hancock and Sandy Hook belong to
the public. It is situated in an environmentally sensitive area that
is habitat to a variety of endangered and threatened species, such as
ospreys and piping plovers. Fort Hancock is the people's property and
it should never be managed by a single developer with the power to
transform public property into a commercial zone.
Please urge your federal elected officials to push for the National
Park Service to organize an independent group made up of local
citizens, public officials, and scholars to conduct a fair and
unbiased study to determine the best way to preserve Fort Hancock that
is harmonious with the character of Sandy Hook.
Below are web site addresses to some federal political leaders for
you to quickly contact:
Senator Jon Corzine
Senator Frank Lautenberg
Congressman Frank Pallone Jr.
Congressman Rush Holt
For further information, please write to the local non-profit group
dedicated to preserving Sandy Hook from becoming commercial: Save
Sandy Hook can be reached at POB 265, Lincroft, NJ 07738.
* * *
Copyright (c) 1996- 2003 - Allan Dean - All Rights Reserved
