Allentown Borough Administrator Laurie Roth has reported that on May 4, approximately 100 people attended a Communities United meeting at the Newell Elementary School.
She said Allentown Mayor Thomas Fritts and Upper Freehold Township residents Micah Rasmussen and Keith Becker discussed their desire to see smart development on the Stein property.
The Stein property is in Upper Freehold on the border of Allentown along North Main Street, near an interchange with Interstate 195. The Stein property borders Probasco Drive in Allentown.
Roth said, “While there is no application currently before Upper Freehold or Robbinsville, there are two real estate marketing signs on the property stating that 460 affordable luxury townhomes are coming soon. The lots in question are zoned as affordable housing with community commercial highway development.”
She said the speakers at the May 4 meeting discussed how the development of the Stein property as a residential community would directly impact the Upper Freehold Regional School District, necessitating the construction of additional facilities at a cost of millions of dollars.
“Any development at this site would immediately impact traffic, response times from police, fire and emergency medical services personnel, air pollution, storm water runoff, devastate sensitive wildlife and wetlands habitats, as well as the destruction of potential historic sites,” Roth said.
During a meeting of the Allentown mayor and Borough Council on May 10, Fritts said that during the May 4 meeting at the school, a core group of volunteers was identified that will monitor development coming to the area.
“I left that meeting feeling really good and believing we (residents of several municipalities) can work together,” Fritts said.
Roth said residents are being encouraged to work together to prevent “border dumping” across Mercer and Monmouth counties. Volunteers may reach out to Fritts at Mayor@AllentownBoroNJ.com or to Becker at KeepTheIntegrity@gmail.com
Kelsey Theatre continues its 2022 season with MTM Players’ production of Noël Coward’s popular comedy “Present Laughter” weekends from May 27 through June 5. Kelsey Theatre is on the Mercer County Community College campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor.
First produced in 1942 with Coward in the leading role, the three-act play is a semi-autobiographical comedy that follows a self-obsessed actor in the midst of a mid-life crisis. The show is replete with unexpected twists that include seductions, suspicions, adulteries and blackmail, according to a press release.
Performance dates are May 27 at 8 p.m., May 28 at 8 p.m., May 29 at 2 p.m., June 3 at 8 p.m., June 4 at 8 p.m. and June 5 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for children, students and senior citizens. Tickets may be purchased at KelseyTheatre.org or by calling 609-570-3333.
Kelsey Theatre is wheelchair accessible and free parking is available next to the building. Assisted listening devices are available upon request. A mask is recommended, but not required.
Allentown was a stop on the Underground Railroad and local historian John Fabiano will tell the story during a free 90-minute walking tour sponsored by The Allentown Village Initiative on June 18 beginning at 10 a.m. in Pete Sensi Park, Main Street, Allentown.
With Fabiano’s introduction, “They Came for Freedom” will lead participants past historic homes, shops, cemeteries and landmarks which played a part in helping escaped slaves from the south reach freedom in the north, according to a press release.
Fabiano is the executive director of the Monmouth County Historical Commission and is an avid local history expert.
Allentown’s Underground Railroad history is unique due to documented sources of this activity, which are rare due to the secrecy kept. Register in advance for a timed tour start at www.allentownvinj.org. Registrants will be assigned timed starts in 30-minute intervals beginning at 10 a.m. June 18.
Dr. Patricia Hogan, DVM, one of the leading equine surgeons in the United States, has been named the recipient of the Charles J. Hesse Award that will be presented during the eighth annual Charles J. Hesse Golf Outing on June 13 at the Beacon Hill Golf Course, Atlantic Highlands.
The Hesse Golf Outing is sponsored by the New Jersey Horsemen’s Charitable Organization, according to a press release.
Hogan, a New Jersey native, is among a few equine surgeons equally proficient in soft tissue and orthopedic surgery disciplines. She has devoted her life to the care of horses and owns the Hogan Equine Clinic in Cream Ridge, where she and her staff donate their surgical skills to retired race horses, including those in Second Call, Monmouth Park’s After Care Program, according to the press release.
The Hesse Award is given to someone who “epitomizes hard work and dedication to New Jersey’s thoroughbred community.”
Hogan is internationally renowned for her equine surgical skills and has been a leader in the field of equine surgery for two decades, according to the press release.
For more information about the afternoon golf outing and/or the dinner later that evening, contact Liz Dowd at 732-239-4569 or Oliver Keelan at 732-859-8042.
