Government, Business Work ‘Hand-in-Hand” to Bring Sloan- Kettering to M’town
To the Editor:
The recent announcement that a Sloan Kettering Cancer Treatment Center will be coming to Middletown is extraordinary news for both the residents of the township, and the region as a whole.
The benefits to all are numerous.
First, the facility will occupy an existing building that had been vacant for over 10 years. This is an excellent example of repurposing an already developed property to avoid greenfield development.
Second, the tax agreement entered into between the township and Sloan-Kettering will result in a significant increase to Middletown’s commercial tax ratable base.
Third, the project will bring nearly 300 high paying jobs to the area.
Most importantly, it will offer residents a world-class cancer treatment facility right here in Middletown, without having to drive into Manhattan or Philadelphia.
The completion of this project is a credit to the township staff and the management of Sloan-Kettering, both of whom put in an enormous amount of time and effort in working through the many complex issues that are inherent in an endeavor of this magnitude.
I would also like to commend the Christie Administration for the important role it played and its continuing efforts to stimulate economic development in New Jersey.
It is gratifying to have all levels of government and business working hand-in-hand so effectively for the direct benefit of the community they serve.
Mayor Gerry Scharfenberger
Middletown Township
Piecemeal Approach is the Wrong Way to Address Budget Sequestration
To the Editor:
Last week, Congress voted to allow the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) flexibility to avoid the furloughs that slowed air travel, caused hours of delays at our nation’s airports, and served as a glaring example as to why the automatic, across-the-board cuts known as the sequester are such a bad idea.
While I voted for this bill to help restore normalcy to air travel, it does nothing to meet the other pressing needs and critical programs that are being slashed by sequestration.
I have opposed the sequester since it was first conceived. The idea that across the board, blind cuts could be used as a vehicle to reduce spending is foolhardy and dangerous. The sequester cuts seriously hurt our economy, debilitate programs Americans rely on, and put our public safety at risk. Budgets are statements of priorities, and by pursuing a piecemeal approach to fixing the sequester, we are being asked to place a higher value on airline delays in lieu of Head Start, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), funding for science and research, FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund, and public safety to name only a few.
Members of Congress are elected to work together and act in the best interests of our constituents to make tough decision on things like federal spending. Sequestration represents a failure of that charge by House Republicans and sadly, as the effects of this wrongheaded plan become more and more apparent, it is likely that we will see more acts of desperation like today’s vote, rather than a long-term fix that truly addresses the needs of Americans.
Frank Pallone Jr. (NJ-06)
Member of Congress
Monmouth County Tourism, Shared Services Programs Receive Notice
To the Editor:
As a way of continuing to encourage businesses to come to Monmouth County, my team and I are conducting ongoing Grow Monmouth presentations around the county.
In the past two weeks, we have completed presentations in Aberdeen and Bradley Beach. Additionally, we are continuing work on the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy. Last week we had roundtable discussions on topics that were suggested by the public during prior meetings. We have begun sending welcome letters to all new businesses registered within the county. In less than a month, we have sent just over 90 letters offering assistance through the Grow Monmouth Initiative.
Monmouth County also hosted the first meeting of the new Tourism Advisory Committee on Monday, April 29, at the Monmouth County Connection in Neptune.
The group includes 15 municipal mayors and 15 members of the tourism community. The group will focus on tourism promotion and issues as we head into the 2013 tourism season. This year beaches, boardwalks and businesses are busy preparing for a very different tourism season. We are optimistic that the work performed and the relationships strengthened post-Sandy will create a better tourism economy for our county.
Additionally, a general Monmouth County tourism ad ran in the Great Vacation Getaways newspaper promotion (East Coast edition) on April 7. The campaign has an Internet tie-in as well. Last week the tourism department received 870 requests for information from interested visitors. There were 244 in-state requests and a total of 626 out-of-state requests from potential visitors. These types of numbers certainly indicate a reason for optimism regarding our 2013 tourism season. The tourism office will continue to receive new leads as a result of this ad campaign through early June.
Lastly, Monmouth County still remains in the forefront for its shared services program. We have recently renewed our commodity resale agreements with Allenhurst and Rumson and encourage all municipalities to act quickly to renew their agreements that expire in September 2013 so they can continue the economy of scale savings through this shared service for their municipality.
Also, regarding Shared Services, I had the pleasure of attending two weeks ago the New Jersey Conference of Mayors Seminar in Atlantic City where I was asked to participate as a panelist with Senator Stephen Sweeney and a few other local elected officials to discuss the success of the shared services program here in Monmouth County. As liaison to the department of shared services, I was very proud to be able to represent the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders in Atlantic City and inform those in attendance of the great track record we are having with our shared services program.
Thomas A. Arnone
Freeholder Director
Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders
Patricia Divers Kohl of Lincroft, a Red Bank Catholic Class of 1950 member, and her husband Bill, Class of 1947, have identified all six of the beautiful cheerleaders from a 1940s photo that ran in the April 19 edition of The Two River Times™’ Two River Moment feature. The cheerleaders are, from left, Marjorie Marks, Virginia Barham, Mary Lou Farry, Rose Marie Malloy, Jane Dobson and Jose Lorenz.
Two River Moment
“I Like Ike” was the campaign slogan of the day in 1952 when the GOP’s Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower ran against Democrat Adali Stevenson. These women on Broad Street, Red Bank, let people know where they stand in the election with this campaign vehicle.
