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CARTERET, NJ — Borough officials and executives from Crow Holdings Industrial have broken ground on a 126-acre logistics center that features three huge new commercial-industrial flex-buildings and promises millions in new revenue.

This logistics center – off Salt Meadow Road between the New Jersey Turnpike and the Rahway River waterfront – will have 1.2-million-square-feet multi-use commercial space that will bring $135 million in property taxes to Carteret over the next three decades.

“That’s real money (to) help with tax stabilization. It’s among the reasons why Carteret has gone from the third-highest-taxed towns in our region to one of the lowest,” said Mayor Daniel Reiman in a prepared statement.

For 40 years, this site was home to 85 acres of cyanide-contaminated sludge in six huge lagoons.The sludge and the materials dumped in those lagoons contained a variety of contaminants, including heavy metals and semi-volatile organics. The contamination came from a bygone era when environmental regulations were lax or non-existent and industry filled low-lying areas considered to have little or no value.

Laws and regulations have been tightened since the 1970s, but Carteret was left with 2 million tons of sludge in these open pits

Data from the 1980s estimated 100 pounds of cyanide were being released into the groundwater and river every day, while year after year the berms holding the material back deteriorated. Little was done to change this, despite ongoing efforts of local officials and community leaders who persistently sought a solution that would address the environmental and geotechnical issues at the site.

That all changed: The site was remediated by Soil Safe Inc., a private Maryland-based business that made this Carteret site a temporary home to a DEP-regulated soil recycling facility. It capped the property with engineered fill, controlling the sludge pits and cutting off the tons of cyanide and other harmful materials that were seeping into the river each year.

The cleanup project, which got approval from the state Department of Environmental Protection and enthusiastic support from Cateret and Middlesex County officials, preserved 40 acres of wetlands, while creating 50 acres of new natural habitat. Meanwhile, the project also generated millions of dollars in new recycling revenue for Carteret's recreational and environmental improvements

Soil Safe's efforts on-site and Crow Holdings' new facility has already delivered $9.75 million in host-community and redevelopment fees; the facility is creating hundreds of construction jobs; and will ultimately provide more than a thousand of permanent jobs, Reiman explained.

The mayor noted Crow Holdings Industrial has also demonstrated its good-neighbor support with a $250,000 donation to the Carteret Performing Arts & Event Center and $350,000 for access improvements to the northern Riverwalk.

The groundbreaking on June 14th was largely ceremonial since Crow Holdings’ first 480,000-square-foot flex-space building is nearly complete and should open before September.

Crow Holdings execs promised to ramp-up construction of their two other buildings, another 690,000-square-feet of commercial-industrial flex space. Construction of the second building is to begin this summer; the third to start in 2023.

The buildings are to range in size from 335,000-to 480,000-square feet and each feature 40-foot clear heights. The buildings will have a total of 174 loading dock doors and the site is to have 159 trailer parking spaces.

The mayor and Clark Machemer, a senior managing director for Crow Holdings, applauded the project as a brownfield reclamation success, resulting from a 12-year collaborative effort to rehabilitate this badly contaminated property that American Cyanimide–Cytec Industries once operated.

“This long abandoned brownfield, ravaged by American Cyanimide–Cytec Industries, was a ticking time bomb,” said Reiman, explaining that cooperation led to an environmentally-safe cleanup that made redevelopment possible.

Machemer acknowledged those who contributed to the redevelopment, including Safe Soil Inc, the firm that undertook the enormous site cleanup and capping; Rinaldo M. D’Argenio, who oversaw remediation work for Rahway Arch Properties LLC, the site’s former owner; Parsippany attorney Paul M. Weiner; and officials with the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

“These gentlemen took a very contaminated site and understood the possibilities of (where) we are sitting at and standing at today,” said Machemer last week, praising borough officials for making Carteret a welcoming destination for logistics businesses.

“A project like this requires vision and fortitude traits shared by Carteret, the DEP, Rahway Arch and Soil Safe. We, at Crow Holdings, are privileged to be part of the culmination of well over 10 years of planning, public policymaking, remediation and problem-solving,” sad Machemer.

Rahway Arch was created, with Carteret’s cooperation, as limited liability entity for sole purpose of cleaning up and planning this site’s redevelopment. Rahway Arch sold the property to Crow Holdings in 2021.

“This project stand as a beacon for public/private collaboration … taking an unproductive eyesore and returning it to the public realm (that will generate) tax dollars and employment,” Machemer said.

MOUNTAINSIDE — A gardener's paradise is coming to Union County next month.

A free “Native Plant Swap and Shop” in Union County is happening Thursday, June 9, for residents, at the Scout Camping Area in the Watchung Reservation, located at the Trailside Nature and Science Center on New Providence Road in Mountainside.

From 5:30 to 8 p.m., interested folks can trade in harmful, invasive plants from their yard for up to three colorful, native varieties that are more beneficial to nature. These native species such as swamp milkweed, blue wood aster, creeping phlox, narrow leaf sunflower, tall white beardtongue, and cardinal flower are designed to attract butterflies and other pollinators.

The swap and trade-in are free of charge. But more native plants will also be available for purchase at the event.

“The Swap and Shop is a fun way to start introducing beneficial native plants into your yard and garden. It has been a big hit with gardeners in our community, and we are delighted to bring it back this year,” said Union County Commission Chair Rebecca L. Williams.

Admission to the event is free. Attendees can stay as long as they like. They can bring any number of invasive plants from their yards. Examples of invasive plants to bring are Japanese barberry, pachysandra, butterfly bush, garlic mustard, porcelain berry, periwinkle, English ivy, and Chinese silvergrass.

Dig up the invasive plants with the roots included, if possible, and bring it in a sealed box or bag.

Expert naturalists will be on-site to provide guidance and information on gardening with native plants.

Residents don’t have to bring invasive plants from home to make a purchase at the event; only if they intend to swap.

Pre-registration is required online at ucnj.org/plant-swap.

For more guidance on gardening with native plants, download the free “Plant This, Not That” guide.

Jen Ursillo is a reporter and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach her at [email protected]

Some of New Jersey's Native Plants

New Jersey has more than 2,000 native plants in the state. But 350 of them are in a searchable database at www.jerseyyards.org. Here are some native plants you can find in the Garden State, some perfect for hummingbirds and butterflies and others for yard beauty.

Gallery Credit: Jen Ursillo

Canada Goldenrod

Canada Goldenrod features yellow flowers, which bloom July-October. This fast-growing perennial is a host for beneficial predatory insects, which prey on garden pest insects in your yard. Canada Goldenrod is best used in meadows and naturalized areas of your yard.

Jack-in-the-pulpit

Jack-in-the-Pulpit is one of New Jersey’s most uniquely structured plants. The flower structure exists in various combinations of green, purple and white stripes. The flowers bloom in April and May. This shade-loving woodland plant is relatively easy to grow in the right conditions and makes an attractive addition to shady native woodland gardens.

New Jersey Tea is a low-growing, wildlife-friendly deciduous shrub. Showy, fragrant, white flower clusters bloom May-July and are good fresh-cut. The flowers are a nectar source for hummingbirds, butterflies, and native bees. New Jersey Tea is a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars). The common name originated when dried leaves were used as a tea substitute during the Revolutionary War. Use New Jersey Tea in shrub borders, wildlife gardens, or as a groundcover on slopes.

Prickly Pear is New Jersey’s only native cactus! Flat, fleshy, oval, evergreen pads stand erect or lie horizontally on the ground. Yellow, ornate flowers develop along the top of each pad and bloom June-July. Each flower is diurnal and blooms for only one day. A red edible fruit will follow fertilization. Flowers, fruits, and pads all offer food for wildlife. The pads and fruit are also edible for humans. Use Prickly Pear in seaside gardens, rock gardens, sunny borders, dry sandy areas of your yard, or as a groundcover.

False Indigo Bush is a flowering perennial shrub that averages 6-10 feet tall and can form dense thickets. In May-June, clusters of purple petals contrasting with bright orange anthers rise on spike-like branches above the foliage. Grows in well-drained soils in full sun to partial shade. Tolerates occasional flooding, as well as poor sandy soil; adaptable. Fruit pods mature in July-August. Useful as erosion control, windbreaks, and privacy screens.

Cardinal Flower is one of the most attractive native wildflowers in New Jersey. The showy, scarlet-red flowers are a hummingbird magnet, blooming July through September and offering a late summer nectar source. Cardinal Flower requires moist-wet, humus-rich soil to ensure optimum growth. It prefers partly shady areas, but it can tolerate full shade. Enhance your yard’s perennial border, butterfly garden, rain garden, or moist woodland edge with this gorgeous native!

Pitch Pine is a wildlife-friendly, New Jersey native, and is the dominant pine tree of the New Jersey Pine Barrens. This medium-sized, evergreen conifer features an irregular form. Bundles of three, yellowish-green, stiff needles sprout from branches, and sometimes from the trunk. The bark is thick and layered, offering extreme fire tolerance. Twigs, leaves, and seeds offer a valuable food source for wildlife. Pitch Pine prefers nutrient-poor, dry, sandy soils, and will grow where other trees cannot. It takes about five years to establish, then grows quickly. Plant Pitch Pine in woodland borders around your yard.

Eastern Redbud is covered with dense clusters of delicate, showy, purple-lavender-pink flowers that bloom directly from branches before the leaves emerge, April-May. The flowers are a nectar source for native bees. Both buds and flowers are edible, and can be used as a berry substitute in salads, pancakes, and baked goods. The heart-shaped, green leaves line the branches during summer, turning brilliant red, orange, and yellow colors in the fall. Cultivars provide a variety of foliage and flower colors. This tree has medium-high resistance to strong winds. Use as a specimen, street, or patio tree, or in woodland gardens and natural areas.

St. Andrews Cross

St. Andrew’s Cross is a small, loose branching semi-evergreen subshrub. Its 4-petaled yellow flowers form the shape of an “X” or cross, for which it is named. Flowers bloom continuously from mid-summer through early fall, and grow best in full sun, but also tolerate partial shade. St. Andrew’s Cross prefers dry to moist, sandy to loamy soil. It is relatively short-lived. Its native habitat includes dry open woodlands and upland slopes throughout the southeast, from Texas to New Jersey. The Coastal Plain of New Jersey is its northern-most range limit.

Great Blue Lobelia features purple-blue, tubular flowers, which bloom July-September. This plant’s nectar is a food source for bees and hummingbirds; it has special value for native bees and bumblebees. It prefers part-shade but will tolerate full sun in cooler climates. Its native habitat includes swamps and moist, low areas. Use Great Blue Lobelia in the back of borders to add depth to your garden. Plant it in rain gardens, wildlife gardens, woodland gardens, and moist areas of your yard.

Joe-Pye-Weed

Joe-Pye Weed has large, rounded flower heads with pale pinkish-purple, fragrant flowers blooming July-September. Flowers are followed by attractive seed heads, which last well into winter. Joe-Pye Weed has special value for native bees and attracts many species of butterflies. The tall flowering plants make a striking display when massed in the back of borders, meadows, or wildflower gardens, or along edges of ponds or other water features.

Six drownings in a week's time before the summer even officially starts have put an early-season damper on fun and relaxation at the Jersey Shore.

But one thing locals and bennies (shoobies?) alike do not have to fear is laying out on the beach, as Stewart Farrell, director of the Coastal Research Center at Stockton University, said the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection works daily to ensure the sand is safe.

"There's no real reason to be worried about sitting on the beach, and the water is probably pretty damn clean and safe too, everywhere along the Jersey coast," Farrell said.

NJDEP flies a crew down the coast in a helicopter every day to take samples and have them processed, mostly to detect fecal coliform, for which the critical number is 400 colonies per deciliter.

If a beach shows that level or higher two days in a row, more often than not caused by stormwater runoff containing the droppings of domestic animals, the DEP shuts that beach down until it is remediated.

"Heavy rains, sudden cloudbursts, will sometimes produce waterborne contamination. Very seldom is the beach a source of the problem," Farrell said. "Sand-size particles just don't collect bacteria, unless large quantities of sewage are dumped on the beach for some reason. Of course, if a seagull poops on the sand and you sit in it, well, that's your problem."

Farrell did share the anecdote that a study in Atlantic City once found that 13 tons of bird waste fall onto the beach in any given winter.

But in general, the scene at the shore is much different than in the 1980s, when the Garden State gained notoriety for floatable debris like hypodermic needles and tampon inserters washing up, Farrell said.

New Jersey, he said, is now one of the most prolific states in terms of its frequency of sand testing, and also has the knowledge that there are certain toxins that will cling to clay-sized particles, but not fine sand.

As far as the dangers of the water as the summer season begins, Farrell credits those tasked with keeping the shore safe for doing the best they can so far.

"Let's face it, there's what, 300,000 people in the water on a summer weekend? And the lifeguards do a wonderful job of rescuing most of them, but right now, the lifeguards have just come on duty since Memorial Day," he said.

Patrick Lavery is a reporter and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at [email protected]

Madison, NJ – For the fifth year in a row, the Madison Environmental Commission (MEC) is holding a free milkweed and pollinator plant giveaway. Residents are invited to reserve one plant per family by going to tinyurl.com/4c9phmnm. Plants can be picked at the Farmer's Market at Dodge Field, on Thursday, June 23; from 1–5 pm. Plants not claimed by that time will be given to other Farmer’s Market attendees.

“The MEC’s pollinator plant giveaway is an enormously popular event—and great news for Madison,” notes Rachel Ehrlich, Borough Council liaison to the MEC. “Milkweed is the only plant that monarch butterflies lay their eggs on. Their caterpillars rely on the leaves as food. Unfortunately, the monarch population has drastically declined in recent years, due to habitat fragmentation and the absence of milkweed. If all of us plant more milkweed—and reduce pesticide use—we can make a difference.”

Over the winter, Joan Maccari, a native plant educator and MEC member, began sprouting six types of native milkweed plants, and native plants not commonly sold in nurseries. These include American Bellflowers (Campanulastrum americanum), Violets (Viola species) and Blue False Indigo (Baptisia australis). Depending on the variety, the plants grow one to six feet tall. All provide food (nectar and pollen) for native bees, butterflies, moths and other beneficial insects—many of which consume pests such as aphids and mosquitos.

New Jersey used to be filled with vacant lots, forests and meadows where native wildflowers grew,” says Maccari. “Suburban yards are actually well suited to replicating pollinator-friendly environments with native species that caterpillars rely on, such as milkweed, Joe Pye Weed, purple coneflowers, black-eyed Susans and many others.”

She points out that Madison has a number of pollinator gardens to visit for inspiration. They include the Drew University Forest Preserve with its carefully restored native plant understory, Central Avenue School’s butterfly garden, Gibbons Pine Park rain garden, the Madison Community Garden and the Madison Recreation Center’s pollinator meadow, located near the high school.

For questions about milkweed or native plants, please write to the Environmental Commission at [email protected].

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Attention fellow Simpsons fans, prepare to drink at Moe’s.

Moe’s Tavern has been a staple on American TV for over three decades, and with good reason.

It’s the go-to bar for the patriarch of The Simpsons, Homer Simpson. It’s where he gets a pint of Duff beer or maybe a Flaming Moe (or as it originally began: a Flaming Homer).

Cue the Flaming Moe’s theme:

Don’t get your hopes up though: you won’t get to a Barney Gumble level of drunk, the drinks are non-alcoholic, and they certainly won’t contain cough syrup like the Flaming Homer did.

The tavern will open up in Wildwood at 21st and the boardwalk.

For lifelong Simpsons fans, like myself, this is a dream.

I would love to laugh along with Bart and Lisa at an episode of Itchy and Scratchy.

I would love to belt the tunes of “Planet of the Apes: the Musical” after a few drinks.

Obviously, I’d ride the monorail with Phil Hartman’s Lyle Lanley (even though that’s far from safe).

However, if I can’t do any of those, I’d happily spend an afternoon blowing off steam at Moe’s Tavern, even if I had to tuck my pants into my socks.

(Have these references been specific enough? Can you tell I’m a lifelong fan?)

The pop-up is set to open on June 18. Tickets start at $18. There will also be merch available.

Food choices include menu options with great references like “Krusteez Double Triple Burger” and “You Don’t’ Make Friends With Salad” (a tune that lives rent-free in my head).

Keep an eye out for this fun pop-up. If you miss it - don't have a cow, man.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5's Kylie Moore. Any opinions expressed are Kylie's own. You can follow Kylie on Instagram.