A scenic way to connect towns, heritages
Holmdel mulls sites for Revolutionary War byway
BY ERIN O. STATTEL Staff Writer

HOLMDEL — The possibilities for a scenic byway through the township seem endless when it comes to finding the right corridor to showcase.

Recently appointed scenic byway liaison Jim Donovan said that he thinks a combination of Holmdel's agricultural, historical and scientific heritage could be highlighted in the Monmouth County Revolutionary War Scenic Byway project.

"Holmdel's master plan includes a scenic corridor concept, so we are sort of ahead of the game in that regard," explained Donovan, a Planning Board member. "There are quite a few possible routes that a scenic byway could take in Holmdel."

Donovan, who was appointed by a 5-0 vote at the Nov. 6 Township Committee meeting, said that the byway could include Holmdel Road, sections of Crawford's Corner Road and sections of Route 520.

In July, Monmouth County invited 16 communities to participate in the development of a Revolutionary War scenic byway.

According to Zunilda Rodriguez, principal planner in the Long-Range Planning Department of the Monmouth County Planning Department, the 16 municipalities invited to participate are: Atlantic Highlands, Colts Neck, Englishtown, Fair Haven, Freehold Borough, Freehold Township, Highlands, Holmdel, Little Silver, Manalapan, Marlboro, Middletown, Millstone, Red Bank, Shrewsbury Borough and Tinton Falls.

Rodriguez and co-project manager Joseph Barris said that an educational outreach session was held at the Monmouth County Library Headquarters in Manalapan in late October.

"The Monmouth County Planning Board held an educational outreach to provide a brief overview of the scenic byway program and this particular project so the municipalities invited could learn about what we are trying to do," Rodriguez said. "We had about 12 to 15 people present and we provided information to those individuals who expressed an interest in this project."

Barris said many of the 16 municipalities invited attended and they were given more details and the process of creating a scenic byway was further explained.

"We asked each municipality at the meeting to submit a municipal resolution of support if they were interested," Barris said. "We have gotten really great feedback about this program and we gave the municipalities

until the end of the year to present formal resolutions of support."

Barris said that the project would start moving forward in the springtime after the byway coordinators knew how many municipalities would be participating.

Rodriguez explained that

the theme of the route — the Revolutionary War — came from looking at historical maps of pre-Revolutionary War routes and connecting them close to the 16 municipalities.

According to the state Department of Transportation (DOT) Web site, scenic byways "represent the uniqueness and diversity of the state, and together the byways tell stories about New Jersey's history, heritage, recreational opportunities and beauty."

Donovan said that Holmdel has much to work with when it comes to picking scenic areas of interest, but that historic farmland is not the only theme available.

"I would like for it to go past the historic St. Catharine's Church on Stillwell Road," Donovan said. "I was thinking that the route could extend from Holmdel Road to Crawford's Corner Road, past our town hall complex and some of the historic farmland, continuing past the [Alcatel] Lucent complex, highlighting our scientific heritage as well, and then turning down Stillwell Road, past the old St. Catharine's Church and then on to Middletown Road, leading into Bayonet Farm. Middletown Road serpentines around a few curves past old cemeteries and ends right at the head of the Ramanessin Brook greenway trail where there are areas for parking."

According to Donovan, there is nothing better than creating a scenic route through town that Holmdel's youth can easily enjoy as well.

"A child that goes to the Village School on McCampbell Road can literally walk across the street and within minutes can find a 100 million-year-old shark's tooth," Donovan said. "There aren't too many places in the world that can boast that."

Donovan said that he has been bouncing a few ideas around and that nothing is set in stone yet.

"This is definitely only in the brainstorming stage," he said. "This is something that is going to take some teamwork and I look forward to working with other residents on something so special."

As for sites along the byway that may change in the future, Donovan said that issues such as development have to be considered as well.

"It sounds nice now to include [a view of] the Lucent complex, but that may change with the redevelopment so we need to consider that as well," Donovan said. "But I do not want to politicize it, this is just the brainstorming phase and there are plenty of scenic places to choose from in town. I would like to work with people who want to brainstorm ideas and reach out to organizations to serve as sponsors."

Bayonet Farm, Donovan believes, will serve as an excellent stop along the byway.

"As an actor and performer, Bayonet Farm is really near and dear to my heart," he said. "The first time I went to Bayonet Farm was for an arts festival about 10 years ago and I fell in love with it. The red barn, without doing a thing to the building, resembles a theater that [William] Shakespeare would have used. It serves as a great outdoor theater and a great place for residents and visitors to explore."

Since then, Donovan joined the Bayonet and Cross Farms Advisory Committee and his participation has increased, he said.

"As a member of the Planning Board, I saw notice of this opportunity [the scenic byway project] posted in town hall and I expressed my interest," he said. "I think it will be interesting."

According to Donovan, the liaison to the scenic byway project is responsible for meeting deadlines for the project, communicating the program to the rest of the town and motivating people to find sponsors for the project.

As for the scenic byway theme, Donovan said that Holmdel could serve as a link between other towns that boast more sites from the Revolutionary War era.

"I think some of the other towns involved may have more Revolutionary War-specific sites, but don't underestimate Holmdel," he said. "Some of the best things to go on for us are our agricultural heritage, our science heritage and our close proximity to Poricy Park in Middletown to bring in a paleontology aspect. We could also bring in an archeological aspect because of the number of farms and their on-site dumps or middens."

Donovan said that middens, or trash piles left by farmers from long ago, contain all sorts of historical indicators that could provide insight into the lives of past residents of Holmdel.

"There are all sorts of things to be found in these dumps and they tell a story about who lived here years and years ago and what their life was like," he said. Networking and inclusion are two reasons why Donovan feels this project is important to Holmdel, he said.

"This project is a matter of inclusiveness and networking amongst our area," he said. "It opens up communication between the neighboring towns. I certainly like to travel and I will go out of my way to travel scenic byways."

According to Rodriguez, the state of New Jersey already has five scenic byways. The byways listed on the DOT Web site are: the Delaware River Scenic Byway, which is on Route 29 and travels through Lambertville and other Delaware River towns; the Millstone Valley Byway, which is in Somerset County and offers views of the Delaware & Raritan Canal; the Palisades Interstate Parkway, which provides a scenic 42-mile drive from New Jersey by way of the George Washington Bridge with views of the New York City skyline and the Hudson River; the Southern Pinelands National Heritage Trail, offering a ride through areas of natural beauty; and the Upper Freehold Historic Farmland Byway, which gives travelers a glimpse of some of New Jersey's long-established farmland.

"A byway can be anything, really," Rodriguez said. "It can be a local road or a county or state highway. It can even be a federal road. But each municipality that the byway runs through is responsible for a corridor management plan."