Clinton Township Newsletter

5 s e p t e m b e r 2 0 2 2 Dear Julie – There has been a request by the New Jersey Water Supply Authority to permanently close the section of Rt.629 between Old Mountain Road and the Lebanon fisheries Lab. The NJWSA sees the chance of a "bad actor" bombing the dike with a truck bomb. There has never been an attack on a dam in this country! This roadway has already been closed for the dam rehabilitation project for more than two years. The NJWSA and their contractor have already given us several dates as to when the road was to be reopened but now, they want to keep it closed. This closure has been a hardship for the people of my neighborhood, and I am sure for many other residents of the Township. It takes ten extra minutes to go to the Hunterdon medical Center now, and minutes could be the difference between life and death. There were about seventy-five people at the last Clinton Township Council meeting, and all were against this closure which has been kept very quiet by our elected officials. Please put this in the Newsletter so all our residents know what is going on! Thank You, Gerry Dumont Dear Nick and Gerry, I can see the pros and also the cons in this proposed road closure which, in my understanding, would be closed to vehicles but opened to pedestrians and bicyclists. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. – Julie Hi Julie – Thank you for the most beautiful illustration of the front page of [August 2022 Issue of] the Newsletter. My childhood dreams in a nutshell. Lots of sunflowers, life in a treehouse, you got it perfectly! I always love your illustrations of the front page, but this one pulled on my heartstrings. They are the reason why I still try to get them in print. Thanks, Katrin Sethna Dear Julie, The Clinton Township Newsletter has been a favorite of ours since we've been on the scene (circa 1988)). A couple of letters to Fred, and a few notes to Ruth, and now my first one to you. can't say I've been overloading your mailbox!!! I'm writing to you today to deliver two compliments and to say Thank You Very Much. 1. Thank you so much for printing in full the letter and the OCD article from "Anonymous." That was so helpful to me and to many others, I'm sure. Thanks a bunch. 2. Your August cover... Best one yet... a pure whimsical delight. a meadow of gorgeous sunflowers, set next to a dark wood peopled by tiny elves living in adorable toadstool houses and reconditioned birdhouses, lit by fireflies decked out in brightly lit lanterns. Absolutely Perfect!!!!!! Thank you so much. Love, Kathleen Zuback Dear Katrin and Kathleen, Thank you so much for the compliments on the August cover! I created that in Photoshop with about 160 layers – not exaggerating. Sometimes I wonder if I'm getting too carried away with designing these covers, so your response is really encouraging! August makes me think of the kids' summer reading that they used to do for school, and all of the dreamy, imaginative movies that I used to take them to in the summertime as well. Katrin, I love your comment, "My childhood dreams in a nutshell." because these were mine, too! Take care, Julie Hey Julie – Please include this in an upcoming Clinton Township Newsletter. I am a sociologist by training and am beginning a new research project. I'm hoping to study transcendence. Thank you, Laurie Hills Choices. Where to place effort With whom to open the heart The cause to follow Where to begin in this complicated world? So much to do. Find the ones who color the world Follow the heart to the rainbow's end Climb mountains Weather storms Ride the wave Believe Be the light. They say Time Heals all Wounds. I've come to realize Time can never heal a deep wound, however, Time does lessen the pain. It gives us a chance to pause, to find courage and strength to move on, and if lucky to grow, dare I say transcend the sadness and grief. I wish there were a fixed amount of time to grieve or even a guarantee that one will rebound anew replacing the darkness with creative light illuminating a new path forward. I wish I understood the regenerating force and could share it with others in need: the friend who lost a parent, the substance misuser who wants to live drug free, the inner child in us who feels alone and frightened. Transcendence seems magical and out of reach. If only I could get there… I believe wisdom comes with age. After all, growing old must have some benefits to outweigh the achy bones and gradual slowing down. I find if I am quiet enough and if I lean into the fear behind the pain instead of pushing it away trying not to think then a wondrous inner force can shine through. I sense peace, renewed grace, and transcendence. The universal forces align, a door opens, and I step through. It happens in an instant and I hope to research it further by talking to others about their experiences of transcendence. If you are interested, email me at: triosmom@ hotmail.com. Please write "Transcendence" in the subject line. – Laurie Hills Hi Julie – When I was elected mayor in 2005, Fred Keesing asked me to write a monthly column in CTNL explaining to residents the issues Clinton Township was facing, what their Council and I were up to, and how they could be more involved in government. The Mayor's monthly column helped ensure transparency and educated our residents. It has been many years since CTNL had such a column, and that's evidenced by how little our residents seem to know about local issues. Recently, no one knew about the permanent closure of Route 629 over Round Valley Reservoir because our Council provided only the minimum-required "legal public notice," so no one showed up to comment. Can you please urge Mayor Mullay to do a monthly column explaining what our Council is up to? Isn't that what CTNL is for? I think everyone will benefit from it. Thanks, Julie! – Nick Corcodilos, ExMayor.com letters to the editor

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