The 12th District Legislators would like to voice their disappointment in and opposition to the decision of the Department of the Navy for its decision to permit the plan for the privatization of 300 housing-units on U.S. Naval Weapon Station Earle to continue unimpeded.
“This is a contract that the Navy never should have entered,” said Senator Jennifer Beck. “This is a high security facility and allowing unfettered access to non-military personnel is a big mistake.”
The access to the housing development, known as Laurelwood Housing, would follow Alternative Alignment 4, as outlined in the Navy’s Environmental Impact Study, which was released late last year.
“How civilians will access Earle is far less troubling than the fact that the Navy is not at all concerned about the security risks of allowing unimpeded access for civilians on to a Naval Weapon Station,” said Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande. “It is truly disturbing how cavalier the navy has been on this issue, and how wrong it is that the Navy has so far refused to even discuss a buy-out with the developer, despite statements that she may be open to one. Now, instead of a one time buy-out, the navy will be expending money to construct a new access road, as well as additional on-going, round-the-clock security.”
According to the decision, because there was no “buy-out” provision in the Navy’s agreement with the developer it was not an acceptable alternative. However, Casagrande said that the Navy has refused to dialogue with the developer, despite clear communication from her that she would be open to the possibility of a buy-out.
Currently, a small percentage of the housing units at the complex are utilized by military families whose children receive educational services through the Tinton Falls School District. In 2010, the U.S. Navy plans to open 300 vacant apartments to civilian tenants which could result in an influx of potentially 500 students. The recent decision by the Department of the Navy states that Tinton Falls will also be responsible to educate the new civilian children that Laurelwood will bring to the base, without the federal assistance it enjoys from the military children currently enrolled in its district.
“It is an outrage how inattentive the Navy has been to the concerns of the people who will have to live in the towns that will bear the burden of heightened security concerns, as well as an increased burden on both infrastructure and schools,” said Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon. “Neither Tinton Falls nor Colts Neck has the capacity to take an additional 500 students into their schools, with or without payment from the federal government.”
“The decision that came down today claims that the security wouldn’t be impacted,” said Beck, “but it also claims that the schools will not be negatively impacted, and they’ve been wrong about those numbers every step of the way.”
The Environmental Impact Study contained several assertions which are highly questionable; for example they estimate that the 300 housing units on the base will only produce 145 school age children, when an adjacent housing complex with only 73 housing units has 92 school age children.
May the Force Be With Us
1 day ago
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While the Republican candidates for Assembly are out there every day fighting for their constitutuents, here's what their opponent Michelle Roth had to say on behalf of the people she wants to represent.
[crickets]
If Michelle has to run on her record, she doesn't have a chance. Here's her record. 1. Proven anti-Italian. 2. Exploiter of Africans for profit. 3. Helped run the only anti-semitic campaign in Manalapan's history. 4. Caused the world class orchestra conductor to leave over $15,000, less than Michelle has taken in free health benefits from the taxpayers' pockets. 5. Spent $5,000,000 dollars on projects we don't need, including a $1,000,000 artificial field proven to be unhealthy for children. 6. Responsible for the now famous litigation to nowhere to attack a political opponent with a vicious frivolous case WITH OUR MONEY. 7. Destroyed the morale in town hall, leading to retirement or quitting of long time award winning directors, including the recreation director, the administrator, the finance director and many others. 8. Raised taxes more than any other politician in Manalapan's history. Only this year, when she is neither the mayor nor the deputy mayor are taxes only going up 1 cent -- and even that's ridiculous considering how much they were raised the last two years, there should have been a reduction. 9. She's interfered with the police department, threatening the safety of every resident in Manalapan. 10. She has created an atmosphere of hate, venom, anger and hostility -- as can be seen from the postings by her husband Larry online. Her reign of angry hysteria was denounced by this year's mayor who, in the first question of his interview in Manalapan Matters, said the biggest difference between his administration and Michelle's is that he won't permit the anger, hatred and character assassination for which Michelle has become so famous.
The Navy can say whatever they want about who will educate the children in the civilian housing but they do not make that decision. Where the children are educated is determined by state law.
The law says that before the County superintendant can assign children to a district other then ehere they live the sending district must pass a resolution requesting the children. The only resolution passed by Tinton Falls BOR specifically requested Hildren of Navy dependents.
geez Art
Why did you put all those typos in my postr?
What happened to NJ State sovereignty and the ability for us to make local decisions? This is another example of federal intrusion into local/State matters. The use of federal property for civilian purposes without accountability and responsibility for the outcome is unconscienable. This is a local decision not a federal one. The "word" should be spread that these "students" will be "transferred" to the end corners of the universe. Let's see how many units the Navy can sell with that word on the street.
Beck, O'Scanlon & Casagrande -- not one of these armchair generals have served a single day in the military. Not one of them have done so much as one push-up in defense of our country. Why would any of them think that they know more about securing a military base than does the Navy itself?
"Why would any of them think that they know more about securing a military base than does the Navy itself?"
Why should they know or care? They only need to validate the useful fear generated by the concept in order to obtain their goal of political expediency.
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