I have been extremely pleased reading all of the antidevelopment sentiment in Upper Freehold Township (UFT) in the local papers. It was also encouraging to see 100 UFT residents attended the February Planning Board meeting to protest the town center/village center plan. I couldn't agree more with all of the antidevelopment sentiment. Since I moved here in 2001, I have been a harsh critic of our Township Committee and Planning Board regarding their development policies and catering to special interest groups (large landowners and developers). I ran for UFT Committee last year on an antidevelopment campaign.

Although folks are angered by the talk of town centers and overdevelopment in UFT we must remember that the Township Committee appoints the Planning Board, and the Planning Board basically will do what the committee tells it to do. Also, nothing will change in UFT unless we elect people to our Township Committee who stand up to developers and large landowners and enact zoning laws and other measures to decrease growth in our town.

During the last two UFT Committee elections, we had an opportunity to elect antidevelopment advocates. However, we unfortunately fell short in both elections. When I campaigned last fall for Township Committee. I met many residents who told me they didn't believe our Township Committee (and my opponent, Dave Reed) supported town centers and increased growth in UFT. One resident even told me he felt the local papers "misquoted" Mr. Reed in the issue when we both outlined our platforms for the papers. Well, I guess the papers were right.

According to Planner Mark Remsa, UFT can have 3,561 homes on the 10,000 buildable acres left in town under our current 3-acre zoning plan. Multiply that number by the average number of people in a household and that amounts to a population increase of 14,244 at buildout. This does not include the 500 homes currently on the books, nor does it include the affordable housing obligation that must be met with all of this building. This also does not take into account Mr. Remsa's plan for over 8 million square feet of commercial space. It really doesn't matter where in UFT a town center is placed; it is wrong for a "rural" community to have a town center anywhere. What farmer in their right mind will want to conduct business in a town with over 20,000 people? What will happen once the town hits buildout? We won't even be able to travel on the roads, let alone our farmers.

Folks, the choice is yours. If you want to live in a town overridden with development, traffic, noise and taxes, then you will continue to elect candidates to the UFT Committee like those who were elected in the last two elections. If you want to keep UFT the rural and scenic place we all love and enjoy, then you will join me in electing candidates that will not give in to developers and the 12 or so large landowners that are running (and ruining) this town today.

Marc E. Covitz

Upper Freehold Township

Millstone address is a 'great marketing tool'

As a 17-year resident, faithful taxpayer, supportive of our system of local government, I find myself lost in a quagmire of identity. My postal address has been and still is partially Englishtown. Lately I have also become known as a Manalapan postal resident. This has been an unfortunate, time-consuming problem to customers and service providers.

Our town prides itself as an environmentally sensitive community, boasting 3,000-plus acres of open space, equine-friendly, recreationally involved with our children, and having a master plan for future controlled development. All that I am seeking is to be known as a Millstone resident to my business contacts. The township has not recognized the value of name recognition. There is great value in the Millstone name.

Currently there are eight or nine different mailing codes. All them have a history and identity, to be valued and cherished. My suggestion is to prefix all to an address: Millstone Township/name of mailing code.

To all, who at sometime may sell their home, a Millstone address would be a great marketing tool.

John W. Wyckoff III

Millstone

Residents urged to be a part of 'Relay for Life'

I am writing in hopes of sharing the wonderful experience I had last year working with my friends and neighbors in honoring a young woman who had lost her six-year battle with breast cancer. Everyone in our neighborhood came together when we discovered that Lauren Lindsay's cancer came out of remission and began to spread to other major organs very quickly. Just a few months before, we thought Lauren had beaten the odds.

I had heard of the American Cancer Society's (ACS) "Relay for Life" event at the New Egypt High School. After some phone calls and research, I decided that it could be something positive to do as a team to honor Lauren and to let the family know how much we care. Chris and Cindy were recruited as my co-captains, and in just a few short weeks we were feeling renewed strength and a sense of unity.

Up until the last day before the relay, we received calls from other people from surrounding neighborhoods wanting to get involved. We cried together, and rejoiced together. We raised over $6,000 with little effort. It was easy to ask friends and family members to write a small check for this worthwhile cause.

Another neighbor passed away before Thanksgiving. She walked as a survivor last year, and was instrumental in creating a banner to proudly display the name and logo of our team, "Laurel Woods for Lauren." She attended the survivors' luncheon and proudly joined the other survivors as they officially began the first of many laps in this overnight relay walk around the football field. Thousands of luminaries lined the track, honoring those who lost the fight, and celebrating the lives of the survivors and their families.

While I was raking leaves yesterday, her husband stopped to say hello. We talked about how life was without his wife of 32 years. And though he feels he should have made her stop smoking years ago, his anger turned to love. Doug offered his assistance in this year's Relay for Life. He knows he's not alone, and understands the need to raise awareness for early detection and diagnosis. This year's relay will not bring Kathy back, but another life might be saved.

We all know someone whose life has been radically changed by this dreadful disease, and have been given another chance to smell the roses. Please consider becoming a volunteer, team captain, or a donor this year. You will receive plenty of support and guidance from ACS, and this district's chairpersons. Draw strength from each other, hear inspiring stories of hope, honor those no longer here, and celebrate life. This year's theme is "Celebrations."

You can get more information and register online at www.acsevents.org/relay/nj/newegypt or by contacting me at (609) 758-7997 or prwpin@aol.com.

Paula Haemmerle

New Egypt Relay for Life team recruitment chairperson

New Egypt

Good Samaritan's effort is appreciated by mother

On Feb. 25 at about 9 a.m., my daughter was involved in a car accident on the corner of Route 9 and Route 33. I would like to thank the Good Samaritan who stopped to comfort her, offer reassurance and waited with her until the police arrived at the scene. Unfortunately, amidst all of her anxiety and confusion, she did not get the name of this man who stopped. So, dear sir, you know who you are, and I pray that God will bless you for your kindness and compassion.

Connie Cannella

Manalapan

Town is working with post office to change addresses

The Township Committee has been working with the U.S. Postal Service since last year in changing the mailing addresses of Millstone Township residents. Effective January 2006, areas identified by the post office began using Millstone Township. A card was sent to the affected homeowners announcing the change. The post office is making the changes in several stages so the data can be updated within their computer system.

The change, however, is causing many problems for other carriers such as Fed-Ex, UPS, etc. The post office is working very hard to work out the problems and hopefully the next stage of changes will be smoother.

In addition, there are many people within the township that do identify Millstone Township along with their postal address.

Several mangers from the post office came before the Township Committee last year and discussed their plans. Also, as the process continues, we do discuss it at township meetings. The Township Committee meetings are broadcast on our local cable Channel 77. You may want to tune in and keep informed.

Nancy Grbelja

mayor

Millstone Township

Officials must act now to preserve Monmouth County

More than half the people in the United States live within 50 miles of the ocean, and as this national shift continues, coastal environments like Monmouth County are expected to deteriorate from over-development. As more people move here, the very land that enchants us - the beaches, farmlands, rolling hills, rivers, streams and woodlands - will wind up under asphalt and concrete.

About 55,000 acres in Monmouth are available for development, and we are losing about 7,000 to 10,000 acres a year. Because developers are rushing to get projects approved, we have eight years - probably less - before Monmouth County is completely developed.

Then developers will focus on redevelopment and overdevelopment as existing buildings are torn down to build larger offices and shopping malls, and denser condominiums and apartments. Even as open space draws to a close in western Monmouth, redevelopment and overdevelopment of eastern Monmouth is well under way.

This is a crisis not only of open space, but of our well-being. As populations increase, preserving open space is no longer just about saving landscapes and wildlife, but about saving our quality of life, our health and our environment from the persistent problems of land, water and air pollution. Even our water supplies are at risk.

Our horse farms in western Monmouth are falling to McMansions, while our entire coastline from the Bayshore to Brielle is being redeveloped.

For example, Long Branch's beachfront redevelopment brings with it very high population densities and reduced oceanfront access and recreation. Asbury Park faces the same dilemma.

Traffic congestion throughout the county is so bad that it can take 20 minutes to drive through Red Bank at midday, while one Marlboro resident told me he can walk to Freehold faster than he can drive.

Monmouth voters have overwhelmingly supported the state's Green Acres program to protect open space, and our Board of Freeholders has continued to strongly support open space and farmland preservation. However, we must do more. Uncontrolled growth and poor planning have created a crisis at the very same time that we face serious governmental budget cuts on the local, state and national levels.

To make matters worse, more than 14,000 acres of federal and state-owned land in Monmouth County are at risk of development. Fort Hancock at Sandy Hook, Fort Monmouth, Marlboro State Psychiatric Hospital and Brisbane Child Treatment Center are all in danger of privatization and commercialization as government officials attempt to curb deficits by placing public lands up for sale or lease.

We can stop this but we must act now. Municipalities must enact and enforce ordinances to control overdevelopment, such as limiting building heights and density, while preserving shade trees, woodlands, wetlands and other critical open spaces.

Our county and state officials must know we care enough about preservation to pay for it, and that saving open space is more cost effective than development. We have the numbers. We can prove it. Monmouth County is a very special place. Let's save it before it is too late.

Judith Stanley Coleman

president

Monmouth Conservation

Foundation

Middletown