Christian Academy looks to expand with rec facility

BY JANE MEGGITT
Staff Writer

UPPER FREEHOLD - The New Jersey Christian Academy wants to put a recreational facility on its Holmes Mill Road property.

At the July 25 Planning Board meeting, the board decided that a walk-through of the site would have to be done before it could further consider the New Jersey Christian Academy's (NJCA) application for a recreational facility.

NJCA Attorney Michael Balint said his client wants to construct a 10,000-square-foot Quonset hut-type structure shaped like a half cylinder, which rests on its flat side, for indoor recreation use by students at the school. He said the building would not contain any bathroom facilities, and that it would be used in conjunction with the existing school building. The building, which is not designed as a lecture hall, would be used as a basketball or volleyball court, he said.

Engineer Daniel Caruso said the tract consists of 41 acres, a great deal of which are densely wooded. He said the 64-by-100-square-foot building would be situated between the parking lot and an existing gravel driveway.

The project would not require more lighting for the parking lot or additional parking spots, according to Caruso. He added that the building would not have gutters or sidewalls.

Township Engineer Glenn Gerken said the proposed building would meet all setback requirements. He said the facility would be private and would not bring in outside sports teams.

"It is a nicely done property with extensive landscaping," Gerken said.

At the hearing, some neighbors testified about problems they have with the academy.

Jeff Newman, who lives next door to the NJCA, said there has been ongoing trouble with noise coming from the academy.

"At 3 a.m. they had a rock band playing," he said.

He also alleged that he could hear people using bullhorns there.

While Newman said the academy's director, Dr. Jay Shinn, was a "gracious neighbor," he said Shinn no longer lives on the premises.

According to Newman, the academy was originally a church with no overnight guests. But now the property is used as a boarding school, he said.

"I don't know when the zoning was changed," he said, "and I wasn't notified.

"This is a business now," he added. "It's listed as a business on the Internet."

Newman said no one has testified before the board about the occupancy of the building. He said he has information from the Internet that the academy may consist of 500 people.

"I'm dead set against this getting any larger," he said.

Anne Hennessey, who lives across the street from the NJCA, called the noise level at the academy "astronomical." She alleged that people there scream at the top of their lungs at 11:30 p.m.

"It's ridiculous," she said.

Joe Lenhardt, who lives on Holmes Mill Road, asked the board whether the land could ever be sold to another religious organization if Shinn retired.

"I have no problem with the NJCA," Lenhardt said. "I think it is a good thing.

"[But someday] we could have something we really don't want," he added.

Board member Barry Wright said there seemed to be legitimate noise complaints from the neighbors. He asked Shinn if he would be willing to curtail the noise after a certain hour.

Shinn said there are never 500 people at the academy, and that he would try to control the level of noise. He said he was not aware of the problem until Newman recently left a telephone message saying that he couldn't sleep.

Shinn apologized for the excessive noise, saying that it comes from overnight prayer meetings, which would be moved inside the new building.

"We will try to make rules [about] no noise in the middle of the night and no loud prayers," he said.

Shinn added that he would be willing to make the new building available for township use.

Committeeman Sal Diecidue said if people go into the new building to pray, it could become an assembly issue.

Mayor Stephen Fleischacker said there seemed to be a lot of ambiguity in terms of how the building will be used, and that officials need more specificity regarding its use.

Since Balint said the building would not be heated or air-conditioned, Fleischacker noted that the doors would need to be open for prayer meetings whenever it is hot out. He said that could aggravate the noise situation with neighbors.

Wright said the applicant needs to provide the board with the building's occupancy numbers for health and safety reasons. Balint said his client would get that information when the specifications are done.

The board decided to table the hearing until a site visit could be arranged. According to officials, the next hearing will not take place before September due to a heavy Planning Board schedule.