HRT - Hormone Replacement Therapy in Silver Lake, NJ

HARDING — Dickson's Mill Road gently winds a narrow, mile-long path through green fields and historic estate properties that comes to an end near the spill over the Silver Lake dam.

Along the way, the historic two-lane road, which carried travelers before the American Revolution, crosses over the scenic Silver Brook and passes by a 40-acre preserve purchased with state Green Acres funds.

While most in the wealthy southern Morris County township agree the tiny bridge over Silver Brook should be replaced, they don't support the federal, state and county guidelines that have led to a design proposal to widen the roadway by almost half.

The proposed 26-foot-wide bridge would compromise the historic and idyllic character of the setting and encourage speeding on a bridge where "there is no record of any traffic accidents ever taking place," said Councilman and former Mayor Nicolas Platt.

"How do you take a road with a safety record like that and want to change it?" Platt asked. "It doesn't make sense."

The current bridge widens the 18-foot-wide road to 20 feet. Signs warn approaching drivers of a narrow bridge with a 4-ton limit, barely wide enough to accommodate two passing cars.

"Besides taking on the appearance of a non-historic crossway, a wider bridge would straighten out a curve that would lead to higher speeds that have never been an issue," said Platt, who also currently serves as one of two New Jersey "shared services czars" appointed by Gov. Phil Murphy.

Morris County engineer Christopher Vitz is aware of the issue and said that due to the traffic volume on the roadway, and the current state and federal regulations, it requires a minimum-width bridge of 26 feet.

"It's just a safety issue," he said. "At 20 feet, it's a 10-foot-wide lane in each direction. That's quite narrow for vehicles to pass. Typically, you'd want a 12- or 13-foot-wide lane. With 26 feet, that allows two vehicles to pass while there is a pedestrian on the bridge."

Platt said he sees the larger bridge as a costly government "boondoggle," at an estimated price of $1.5 million, that is neither needed, nor desired, by residents.

"It's not just a bridge," Platt said. "This is about every rural road in New Jersey that has been protecting itself for 200 years, and suddenly the state takes a one-size-fits-all approach. That makes no sense. I think there's only 12 people who live on this road."

Platt was the lone council member to vote against a July 15 resolution that "supports the replacement or repair" of the bridge, and said he "desires the current width of the bridge to be maintained."

He objected to the resolution because it does not declare formal opposition to the width of the proposed bridge, and also requests the county, which is responsible for bridge replacement, to include the project in its 2020 budget cycle.

"The resolution to me reads as though they want to see if they can get a reprieve, but otherwise, let's move forward," Platt said. "It gives the county and the state less urgency to resolve this. I want to stonewall until we get the width we want."

Platt is calling for state officials to grant an exception to rebuild to the current width and still use about $1 million in state funds even though the plan would not meet American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials standards.

He cited previous exceptions to bridge projects "that did not meet NJDOT guidance values for width" in a letter to Transportation Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scacetti.

"I cannot fathom why a new bridge would need to be 45 percent wider than the roadway leading to it," Platt wrote. "The width between the trees on either side of the roadway is not even 26 feet."

Department of Transportation spokesman Steve Schapiro said the department "is aware of the concerns raised by elected officials, the town and county, and is working to set up a meeting to discuss them."

Assemblyman John McKeon, who represents Harding and New Jersey's 27th District, supports the push to narrow the replacement bridge.

"It's something overwhelmingly that folks in Harding care about, so I'm going to bat with them in every manner I can with the Department of Transportation, and the governor, if need be," McKeon said.

"I am committed this bridge will never be 26 feet," Platt vowed. "I will hold a sit-in if need be."

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William Westhoven: 973-917-9242; [email protected].

EDISON – Last July, neighbors on opposite ends of the township unified with rallies to just say “no” to two proposed development projects, which they called “inappropriate,” “destructive” and even “criminal” if built in their neighborhoods.

Almost a year later, their rallying cries have essentially been heard.

The township is in the process of purchasing the vacant lot at 41 Glendale Ave. once proposed to become a 176,630-square-foot warehouse. The Township Council approved a $12.98 million bond ordinance providing for the acquisition of the property at a meeting on March 23.

And on March 18, Mark Roshanski, president of Markim Developers LLC, in an email to the township, said they would “either withdraw its pending application before the Zoning Board or amend its application to eliminate the proposed [23] townhouses [on the 2-acre site of a former Charlie Brown’s restaurant on Plainfield Road].

“Markim Developers will propose a new plan for the development of the site, which will be consistent with the vision of the mayor [Sam Joshi] and local residents.”

Joshi shared the email on social media on March 21.

“There will be no townhomes built on the Charlie Brown’s site,” he said. “I made it clear I was against this project and this is a step in the right direction towards stopping overdevelopment, ensuring responsible managed growth and having a master plan that supports Edison’s vision for now and the future.”

Residents have said they believed several single-family homes on the site would be more appropriate and would fit the scale and density of the neighborhood.

For Ron and Emmalyn Loeffler, the news of “no warehouse” in the “historic and residential” Silver Lake neighborhood has them literally jumping for joy.

Joshi had announced the news of no warehouse at his State of the Township address in February. He said the Loefflers, who attended the address, could get a good night’s sleep.

A few days after the address, Ron Loeffler, in a phone call, said he and his neighbors were elated by the mayor’s announcement and looked forward to hearing plans for the site.

Residents have long expressed their support for the preservation of the 10 acres as open space.

Emmalyn Loeffler thanked Joshi, his administration, the Township Council and all the residents who came together to stop the development of the warehouse at a council meeting in February.

“We are super excited to learn the vision of the property, a warehouse should never be put in place of a residential neighborhood,” she said. “I’m excited at the prospect of a new Master Plan that’s going to address all the old zoning and all those forgotten about properties so no residential neighborhood ever has to go through this in Edison again.”

Emmalyn Loeffler shared she believed it was fate for her family to become involved in the fight for their neighborhood because of a similar fight more than 30 years ago.

She said Rich Egan, who lived in the home they live in now, was instrumental in preserving the woods across the street from their home in the 1980s and ensured the purchase of one of Edison’s first New Jersey Green Acres funded pieces of open space properties.

“At the time there was a proposed development of a street and six homes in the woods,” she said. “Rich was really proud of the accomplishment and made it a point to share it with us during the journey of purchasing our home. And we always say when people come to see our house, our across the street neighbors are the best neighbors on the street. Being able to see the woods across the street is what sold us on the home to purchase.”

In efforts to prevent future proposed developments similar to the warehouse and townhomes, a resident has suggested appointing a public advocate for the planning and zoning boards.

The township attorney is reviewing the proposal.

By Peter Perrotta

This week’s On The Road leads with a review of the 2022 Kia Stinger GT2 AWD V6 and also covers the Kia Niro and the Mercedes GLE 53.

Kia has stepped up into the world of luxury and sportiness quite nicely in recent years. This South Korean importer is no longer just an economical alternative to the Hondas and Toyotas of the world.

The immensely popular Kia Telluride SUV is a fine example of one of its quality offerings. The 2022 Kia Stinger GT2 AWD V6 can be added to this list as well.

This Stinger is a classy, yet sporty four door sedan offered up in the neighborhood of the same price point as a 3 series BMW.

The base price of the model I tested is $53,490. When you add in the options and delivery charge, it stickers at $55,655.

Powered by a 3.3 liter turbo charged V6 this Stinger puts out an impressive 368 horsepower.

Moreover, inside and out it is luxuriously appointed.

The GT2 package adds upgraded sound system, heated seats, power tilt steering wheel, sport gauges, a 7 inch touchscreen and more.

Overall, I found the Stinger loads of fun to drive. It handles reasonably well and is comfortable. The instrumentation is easy enough to figure out and is generally very intuitive.

Is this vehicle as good as the BMW 3 series or Mercedes C Class?

Not just yet. But let’s give the folks at Kia some time to work on it.

The Stinger gets 20 miles per gallon overall on its EPA fuel ratings – 17 in city driving and 24 on the highway.

Moreover, it gets an impressive 5 star government crash test rating – the highest score possible.

2022 Kia Niro EX Premium

The hybrid Niro sits on the other end of the spectrum from the Stinger. This economical compact crossover SUV is smaller and less powerful but sports a very impressive EPA fuel consumption rating of 49 mpg overall.

The Niro will get you 51 mpg in city driving and 46 mpg on the highway.

The Kia Niro EX Premium model I tested is powered by a rather small 1.6 liter, four cylinder gas engine that is paired with a 1.56 kilowatt lithium battery and a six speed dual clutch transmission.

Needless to say, at 139 horsepower you won’t win any Indy 500 races with this compact crossover. But, that’s not what this vehicle is all about.

Overall, this is a utilitarian, sort of knock around compact SUV that checks most of all the right boxes and is economical to own.

The model I drove has a base price of $31,990. The only added options were the red paint for $295 and carpeted floor mats for $155. The bottom line sticker price with delivery charges comes in at $33,615.

The Niro handles reasonably well and has an adequate amount of room for cargo.

It is reasonably comfortable to drive and offers good sight lines while driving.

It scored four stars out of five on the government’s crash test rating.

2022 Mercedes AMG GLE 53

There was a time when in order to get the AMG badge on a Mercedes, the vehicle’s engine had to be hand made in a smaller boutique style production site.

Such, is no longer the case.

While it still produces the handmade AMG engines on some of its models, Mercedes now puts out AMG enhanced models, like this GLE 53. These engines are not handmade, but rather infused with AMG like power and qualities.

The 3.0 liter, turbo charged GLE 53 I tested for a week puts on an impressive 429 horsepower.

When you put the drive mode selector in the sport plus mode on this GLE 53, it growls quite nicely and offers pure excitement on the road.

I found the GLE 53 to be very well built, loaded with quality features inside and out.

It drives more like sports car than an SUV and offers up plenty of cargo room for those long trips to the shore with the family.

Of course, none of this comes cheap.

The base price for the GLE 53 is $73,550. However, my tester was loaded with options and carried a bottom line sticker price of $101,080.

Some of the pricier options included in my test vehicle included: $4,500 for AMG Black exclusive Nappa leather; $4,450 for 22-inch AMG matte black wheels; $1,950 for a driver assist package; $1,600 for heated and ventilated seats and more.

The EPA fuel consumption rating for the GLE 53 comes in at 19 miles per gallon overall – 22 in highway driving and 18 in the city.

The government’s crash test safety test was not fully completed on this SUV. But it did get five stars for the frontal crash test.

Of course you can get less expensive non AMG versions of the solid GLE, but if you are looking for a powerful and quite luxurious version, this certainly checks all those boxes and is worth considering if you can afford the hefty price tag.

Peter Perrotta’s On The Road column appears bi-weekly. He can be contacted at [email protected].

On The Road is sponsored by Capital Motor Cars of Springfield, New Jersey.

The swan family was seen this morning, top photos, and this afternoon on Lake Como. But could the eagle seen above Silver Lake, near their nest on the center island, be why they left that lake?Photo Credit: Jo Ann Kerwin, Leonore Geisler, Lilly Ladman

By Cathy Goetz

LAKE COMO/BELMAR, NJ — It appears Silver Lake’s swan family has made its move to Lake Como.

Jo Ann Kerwin of Belmar was out for a walk on Sunday, May 31 when she saw them enjoying Lake Como near B Street and North Boulevard. And then later in the day, Leonore Geisler of Lake Como spotted them again swimming in the picturesque lake that straddles Lake Como and Spring Lake.

Below is a video by Kerwin of the swans this morning on Lake Como:

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The two adult swans and their cygnets captured the public’s attention last week before they disappeared after being last seen on the Belmar boardwalk heading south on May 28.

READ MORE: VIDEO: Belmar’s Swan Family on Silver Lake: Here One Day …. Gone the Next?

To follow up on Belmar Environmental Chair’s Ed Lippincott’s belief they may have been chased away from Silver Lake by a predator, TAPinto Belmar/Lake Como reader Lilly Ladman of Belmar sent a photo showing a bald eagle recently hovering over the center island where the swans had nested.

“The swans had seven babies, now they are down to six. Perhaps they left because of this guy?” she asked.

Below is Ladman’s video of the bald eagle flying above the island.

_{TAPinto Belmar/Lake Como is Belmar and Lake Como’s only free daily newspaper. Accredited by the New Jersey Press Association, it is the official electronic newspaper of both municipalities. As a locally owned news organization, TAPinto through its advertisers is able to publish online, objective news 24/7 at no charge. Sign up for its free daily e-News, and follow it on Facebook and Twitter.}

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Catch a fish we should know about? Email Dan Radel at [email protected] or call 732-643-4072.

POINT PLEASANT BEACH - As the water level dropped in Little Silver Lake, the result of a planned dredge project, residents became alarmed at several big fish trapped in pools of shallow water

The fish would have faced an almost certain death if it weren't for the efforts of a few lake residents, who documented their mission in the video at the top of this story.

But just how the fish got there is now the talk of this seaside town. Many people believe the fish were put there years ago by the late Joseph Spader.

It was not a well-kept secret that Spader, who passed away in 2014 at age 84, liked to stock Little Silver Lake, a land-locked lake, with striped bass he caught from saltwater.

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"He would catch them at the beach or Point Pleasant Canal and then bring them back and keep them in a holding pen on the lake," said his grandson Tyler Spader, 31, who resides at his grandfather's old home on Trenton Avenue.

Joseph Spader would attach a line and floating bobber to their tails before releasing them into the lake proper so that later he could check on their survival, his grandson said. Joseph Spader would then paddle out in a canoe and remove the bobber.

Tyler Spader, along with neighbors Dave Miles and Chris Schlegel, rescued five striped bass they believe were fish stocked by his grandad. He said they transported the fish to Lake Louise and released them alive.

The fish measured between 31 and 39 inches. The biggest weighed approximately 30 pounds.

The borough is in the process of removing silt from the lake in a flood mitigation project.

Borough Engineer Ray Savacool said the lake was electrically shocked in a prior year, which revealed no fish. As a result, they did not have to shock the lake again before the dredging started this winter.

An electric shock stuns fish so they can be relocated, said Savacool.

Another explanation for the striped bass is that they traveled through the underground pipes that connect Lake Louise to Little Silver Lake, and which also brings in the saltwater.

Lake Louise connects to the Manasquan River, which in turns empties directly into the Atlantic Ocean.

That's not the story, however, many prefer to tell.

"I'd like to think they were Joe Spader's fish and that his legend lives on," said Point Pleasant Beach Mayor Stephen Reid.

Dan Radel: Twitter@danielradelapp; 732-643-4072; [email protected]

GIBBSBORO - A realty company is seeking approval for a project that would bring the largest influx of homeowners in decades to this tiny borough.

The borough's land use board will hear an application Wednesday night for a final subdivision approval that would allow a total of 163 town homes to be built at three different locations in a redevelopment zone.

It is the largest proposal of owner-occupied homes in nearly 50 years for Gibbsboro, whose population of 2,247 reflects a decline since the 2010 Census.

“We’ve had some new apartments, but not since the the 1960s has Gibbsboro seen this large of a development of homes, and these town homes would be our first," Mayor Ed Campbell said.

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The homes would be built inside a locally designated redevelopment area, as is a new 72-unit apartment complex approved last year. But none is on one of the polluted Superfund sites connected with a former paint manufacturing factory along Silver Lake, the mayor said.

“The Superfund sites have hurt development in the town in the past but this (town homes) would be a huge boost to the tax base," said Campbell, who also sits on the land use board.

The proposal by Brandywine Operating Partnership calls for three phases:

While the lag in residential development has prevented an increase in population, Campbell attributes the borough's population decline to the shrinking size of the American family as families move in and out of town.

Brandywine Realty Trust of Philadelphia is the general partner of Brandywine Operating Partnership LP. It redevelops, owns and leases office and industrial properties in South Jersey; the Philadelphia region; Washington, D.C.; Richmond, Virginia; Texas; and California.

Brandywine Realty Trust has been the master Camden developer of Knights Crossing, 1.4 million square feet of commercial space in five buildings that includes the new Subaru of America headquarters.

Neither real estate developer could be reached for comment.

The applicant also seeks several variances that include reducing the Phase I lot size from 2 acres to 1.84 acres, and reducing the landscape buffer around that development from 15 feet to 3 feet; some places would have no landscape buffer.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency continues to oversee cleanup at three Superfund sites in Gibbsboro in a project that dates decades: the Lucas Paint Works/Sherwin-Williams/Hilliard's Creek site that includes contaminated Kirkwood Lake and portions of neighboring Voorhees; the 13-acre United States Avenue site where paint was burned for disposal; and the Route 561 Dump Site.

The land use board chairman decided to withdraw from hearing the town home application because she lives within 200 feet of the proposed development.

If you go

The land use board hearing on the town home proposal will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Gibbsboro Borough Hall, 49 Kirkwood Road.

Reach Carol Comegno: @carolcomegno; 856-48602473; [email protected]