What?!?!

The proposed byway has shrunk a few miles from its original 34-mile length. The version now proposed runs about 24 miles, between milepost 3.27 on the Pohatcong/Alpha border in Warren County through Hunterdon County to milepost 27.65 in Bedminster Township, Somerset County. Bridgewater Township decided not to join the effort. Phillipsburg also opted not to join, but "it really only has 500 feet of frontage on 78," said Mr. Paradis. He said Alpha hadn't decided yet whether it would participate.

WHAT?!?  We voted on the proposal THREE times and each time it was rejected.  How many more times do we have to say "No!!" for the message to get across?  I don't understand why that comment was made, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt that he was misquoted by the reporter.  Maybe Mayor Paradis will stop by this blog again to leave another comment and give us his side of the story.

Feedback soon on scenic Rt. 78

by Veronica Slaght
Hunterdon County Democrat

Tuesday, January 20, 2009, 12:15 PM

The application requesting state "Scenic Byway" status for Route 78 is in the state's hands.

"We would hope to hear something back at least within the first quarter" of this year, said Lebanon Mayor Mark Paradis. "They unfortunately don't give any timeline."

Mr. Paradis has headed the grassroots effort seeking scenic status, working with municipal officials and professionals volunteering their time.

State Department of Transportation spokesman Timothy Greeley said the I-78 Corridor Historic and Scenic Byway Alliance should get some news in short order, but said "no final decision is expected at this time."

The proposed byway has shrunk a few miles from its original 34-mile length. The version now proposed runs about 24 miles, between milepost 3.27 on the Pohatcong/Alpha border in Warren County through Hunterdon County to milepost 27.65 in Bedminster Township, Somerset County. Bridgewater Township decided not to join the effort. Phillipsburg also opted not to join, but "it really only has 500 feet of frontage on 78," said Mr. Paradis. He said Alpha hadn't decided yet whether it would participate.

One of the protections provided by the status is a ban on future billboard construction, which isn't necessarily seen as a benefit for towns that earn revenue from billboard companies.

Planner Carl Hintz provided the printing and then personally delivered 10 copies of the nomination to the state Scenic Byways coordinator at the Department of Transportation in December. The coordinator distributes it to the New Jersey Scenic Byways Advisory Committee, which makes a recommendation to DOT Commissioner Steve Dilts. He makes the ultimate decision.

In addition to Mr. Hintz's help, attorney J. Peter Jost worked pro-bono on the project and professional photographer Robin Giordiano of Lebanon took pictures of vistas along the highway. The application is the culmination of monthly meetings since May.

The scenic byway bid is endorsed by AAA Mid-Atlantic, HART and the Freeholder and Planning Boards of Warren, Hunterdon and Somerset and 11 towns: Bloomsbury, Clinton, Lebanon and the townships of Bethlehem, Bedminster, Union, Tewksbury, Readington, Pohatcong, Greenwich and Franklin (Hunterdon).

The proposal mentions scenic views such as the Delaware River Valley, preserved farmland, Round Valley and Musconetcong Mountain. Photos show the mature hardwood forest, and text describes Route 78's origin as a Native American trade route.

According to the DOT, the benefits of designation are federal funding, recognition, increased tourism, technical assistance in the scenic byway process, planning for protection and managed growth and possible grants to help with implementing a mandatory five-year byway plan.

Oh Really?

As far as the other towns' reluctance to take part, [Lebanon Borough Mayor Mark] Paradis said, "we're not trying to tell them what to do."

'The Star-Ledger'

01/11/2009

I appreciate this comment, I really do, but I'll go back to the night that Greenwich Township Mayor Elaine Emiliani attended Alpha's Council Meeting to present the Route I-78 Scenic Byway Proposal.  Mayor Emiliani got defensive during my questioning and called me rude, disrespectful and antagonistic.  The way she came across that night sure made me feel that it was her way or the highway...no pun intended.  Mayor Paradis may not be trying to 'tell us what to do', but their [I-78 Corridor Historic and Scenic Byway Alliance] Warren County Contact definitely tried and it didn't work.  Mayor Emiliani stated at our meeting (and quoted in 'The Express-Times' on 09/24/2008) "You're the only town that hasn't bought into this, I didn't anticipate it would be this difficult."  Oh really?

But three other towns initially proposed as part of the byway -- Alpha, Phillipsburg and Bridgewater -- opted not to take part, reducing the 29-mile scenic swath originally envisioned to about 24 miles.  

'The Star-Ledger'

01/11/2009

Was she purposely misleading us, trying to make us feel like the odd man out?  I guess we'll never know.  Just for the record, this proposal has come up at our Council Meetings a total of four times - twice in August and twice in September.  It was voted on at three of those meetings and defeated.  I guess the first two votes didn't send a clear enough message, so Mayor Emiliani showed up to 'tell us what to do'.  I wish we spent the same amount of time on more pressing matters - like property taxes, land preservation and economic development.

Route I-78...

From 'The Star-Ledger' / NJ.com...

Route 78 may get a historic designation

Effort tries to preserve beauty of interstate

Sunday, January 11, 2009
BY JEANETTE RUNDQUIST
Star-Ledger Staff

A somewhat shorter, but still scenic, stretch of Route 78 in northwest New Jersey has been proposed for designation as a scenic byway.

A dozen towns in Warren, Hunterdon and Somerset counties joined forces last month, applying with the state Department of Transportation for the interstate corridor to be declared a "New Jersey Historic and Scenic Byway."

But three other towns initially proposed as part of the byway -- Alpha, Phillipsburg and Bridgewater -- opted not to take part, reducing the 29-mile scenic swath originally envisioned to about 24 miles.

One Alpha councilman said he voted against joining partly because it would eliminate billboards proposed for town-owned land. Alpha, in Warren County, currently receives between $1,000 and $2,000 per month rent for a billboard on property near the Pennsylvania border. Other billboards also are proposed for Alpha's land, which includes industrial and farmland, Councilman Harry Zikas Jr. said.

"Those billboards would be so out of the way they wouldn't bother anyone in town, and we'd be able to make the profit," Zikas said. "We're looking to get revenue any which way we can. Had we joined the proposal, those billboards would not be permitted."

The scenic byway proposal was started last spring, led by Lebanon Borough Mayor Mark Paradis. He said the idea was to preserve the scenic beauty of the corridor, which runs through mountains, forests and farmland, and passes by picturesque small towns. The roadway has history as well: It began as a Native American trade route, grew into a local road, and in 1917 be came one of New Jersey's first 15 state highways.

"It's a remarkable east-west corridor that has some significant history to it, and we feel that it's important for people to realize that and for us to preserve it," Paradis said.

Scenic byway designation also means no off-premises signs can be built that are "visible to any highway or portion of a highway designated as a scenic byway, or ... nominated for designation," according to the state Department of Transportation.

Lebanon Borough is involved in a legal tussle with an outdoor advertising company, after a proposed billboard was turned down by the planning board last summer. The mayor said scenic byway designation was not sought simply as a way to block billboards, however.

"There is some protection from billboards, but that's really not the real reason we're doing this," he said. "We feel this corridor is something that has a story to tell."

As far as the other towns' reluctance to take part, Paradis said, "we're not trying to tell them what to do."

"We understand it's an economic (matter)," he said of Alpha's billboard revenue. "I still feel Alpha is a viable partner in working with us."

Phillipsburg includes only about 500 feet of the originally proposed corridor, Paradis said, and opted not to participate, but sent a letter of support. Bridgewater officials indicated they did not want to be included at this time, he said.

The proposed scenic byway begins at Route 78's milepost 3.27 on the Pohatcong/Alpha border, and ends at milepost 27.65 in Bedminster. The application, supported by towns such as Greenwich Township, Clinton and Readington, as well as by Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren County officials and the Automobile Association of America, was delivered to state transportation officials in December.

The state scenic byways coordinator is reviewing the application, and will respond to the towns with any comments and concerns soon, a DOT spokesman said. No timetable was given for the final decision.

If the application is approved, the towns have five years to prepare a required Scenic Byway Corridor Management Plan. The towns could also apply for national scenic byway designation, and if they receive it, seek funding that could be used for the management plan.

Zikas said the management plan was a concern for him, too.

"There's a plan you have to pay for, and I didn't feel comfortable supporting it, not knowing the cost," he said. "I just feel we have so many other issues to deal with, a scenic byway proposal wasn't the way to go. ... Our highway infrastructure across the state is in desperate need of repair, and I think tax dollars should go toward improving those before we put money toward scenic byway proposals."

Star-Ledger interview on Route I-78 Scenic Byway Proposal

I received a call from Jeanette Rundquist of 'The Star-Ledger' earlier today and was asked a few insightful questions regarding my opposition to the Route I-78 Scenic Byway Proposal.  As soon as it goes online, I'll link or post it here and offer any further opinions.

Stay tuned!

I-78 is scenic!?! Ha! - Revisited

On October 28, Mayor Mark Paradis of the Borough of Lebanon (Hunterdon County), left a comment on this blog about the Route I-78 Scenic Byway proposal.  You can take a look at his comment here - just scroll down past my post.

He fully admits that Alpha is NOT 'the only town that hasn't bought into this'.  The Township of Bridgewater and more recently, the Town of Phillipsburg have also opted out.  Why did Mayor Elaine Emiliani pontificate that we were?  Who knows?  Unfortunately, false statements like that only seem to further sully a reputation.  

I noticed that Mayor Paradis attended Phillipsburg Town Council Meetings with Mayor Emiliani to present their proposal.  Phillipsburg defeated the resolution by a 2-2 tie vote.  I found it quite odd that when they were offered a letter of support, they jumped on it.  When I tried to do the same with Mayor Emiliani at our meeting, she turned it down.  

Note to Mayor Paradis - You seem like a reasonable person and I would have hoped that you had attended our meeting.  Sending Mayor Emiliani alone was probably the absolute worst move.  I wish you all the best in your endeavors and I, too, look forward to hopefully working together in the future.

There may be a misunderstanding regarding the billboards issue, but all of the material that I have read prohibits billboards along a designated scenic byway.  If existing billboards are permitted to stay - great, but what about the applications that are in the pipeline and the revenue that comes along with them?  Gone, I'm afraid.

Unfortunately, I look at the issue realistically and not through the rose colored glasses that others do.  The negatives of this designation truly outweigh the positives.  We, as a region, need to look at our transportation infrastructure and not at the 'scenic' value of an interstate.  This area needs better highways and more mass transportation among other things and we need to start working towards solving those problems first.  When did the important issues take a backseat to a scenic byway designation?  This country and this state have major problems and when those are dealt with accordingly, then we can take another look at designating I-78 as a scenic byway.

Just pondering:  Oh, how I miss Mayor Debbie Pasquarelli...

I-78 is scenic!?! Ha!

Alpha: No scenic labels
Borough council nixes joining other communities in designation for I-78.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

By SARAH WOJCIK
The Express-Times

ALPHA - Efforts to designate Interstate 78 a scenic byway will continue without Alpha's support, Greenwich Township Mayor Elaine Emiliani said Tuesday night.

Emiliani approached Alpha Borough Council representing a group behind the scenic byway proposal. She hoped for a letter of support from council members.

Instead, she received staunch opposition to the idea.

"It was more of a courtesy to have them involved," she said after the meeting. "We can and will proceed without them."

The designation would earn the corridor federal money for safety and aesthetic improvements.

No one on borough council seconded a motion to send a letter of support to the state for the designation.

"I, personally, do not see the benefits of making I-78 a scenic byway," Alpha Councilman Harry Zikas Jr. said

Billboards that dot the interstate were the biggest sticking points between the council and Emiliani. Restrictions on roadside advertising would accompany the byway designation.

Emiliani, noting the high level of crashes on the corridor, suggested billboard removal could benefit traffic safety.

Alpha Mayor Ed Hanics Jr. said the digital billboards Emiliani criticized can serve the public in several ways, including Amber Alerts.

Emiliani agreed, but said state signs at weigh stations can serve the same purpose.

Hanics and Zikas cited heavy signage along the roadway as reasons why designating it a scenic byway seemed silly.

"All you see on one side is walls and then on the other, advertisements for businesses," Hanics said.

Emiliani called these observations the "negatives" on the highway that can be remedied if I-78 were a scenic byway.

"The positives certainly outweigh the negatives for historic value," she said.

Zikas said he saw no redeeming features in giving I-78 the special designation.

"Route 29 as a scenic byway? Certainly; it's beautiful," said Zikas, referring to the state road in Hunterdon County. "But I-78, with 18-wheelers all over the road? No, I'm sorry, I don't see it.

"I'm looking at this realistically. It's just not rolling hills anymore."

Emiliani said she reached out to Alpha to pursue the designation with hopes for neighborly cooperation.

"You're the only town that hasn't bought into this," she told council. "I didn't anticipate it would be this difficult."

Emilani said after the meeting the proposal to designate the interstate has gone before and been accepted by 16 other municipalities among Warren, Hunterdon and Somerset counties.

Ok, now my turn (again)...Mayor Emiliani mislead us. Alpha is NOT the "only town that hasn't bought into this". It seems that the Town of Phillipsburg has yet to adopt a resolution or issue a letter of support for the scenic byway proposal. During the meeting, I kept asking Ms. Emiliani if Greenwich benefits from their 'scenic' weigh station right on Route 78, but she kept dodging and wouldn't give me an answer. Well, of course they benefit from it and if Route 78 is designated as a scenic byway, Greenwich gets to keep their weigh station and continue to benefit, but Alpha would lose their single billboard and the lease payments that go along with it. Who wins, who loses?