Clinton Township Newsletter

Local realtor Publishes Newsletter o n R e a l E s tat e M a r k e t C o n d i t i o n s You can read the full version of Joe Peters' Monthly Real Estate Market Conditions Update at www.jpeters.com. It shows the months' supply for each town in Hunterdon County and it is also shown by price point. To find your dream home in Hunterdon County, call Joe at 908.238.0118 (mobile) or 908.735.8140 (office). www.jpeters.com S av e t h e d at e : Norwescap's 5K: Nov. 3! Save the date! NORWESCAP's Career & Life Transitions Center for Women's 10th Annual 5k Run/Walk is Sunday, November 3. Registration (8am) is at the American Legion, Willow Grove Street. Course is at the Riverfront Park in Hackettstown. Call 908.835.2624; e-mail transitions@norwescap.org; or register on-line at www.raceforum.com/transitions. Visit: www.norwescap.org. S o c i a l M e d i a 101 A new school year is underway and your teenager is likely going to be making new "friends" and connecting with them via social media outlets like Facebook. This is a good time to reiterate the ground rules for your teenagers' utilization of the Internet with a view towards ensuring their current and continued safety and reputation. Social media has become a vital part of today's youth culture and the value of technology cannot be disputed. However, usage of online communications also subjects individuals to the potential of being victimized in a number of ways – from compromised privacy, to cyber-bullying, and even the potential for physical harm. Of importance to note as well is the trend of college admissions officers and employers to research online profiles as a basis in determining an individual's future at their institutions and organizations. Social media sites help our children connect, but we need to be a part of the process to help them to do so responsibly while exercising good judgment. Parents should monitor their children's use and be steadfast in continuing conversations regarding basic safety and common sense issues, such as keeping passwords private, choosing "friends" with care and not posting locations via the sharing features available on these sites. There are numerous resources available to parents to assist with protecting their children as they navigate life in a digital world. For example, Common Sense Media, an independent nonprofit organization, provides safety tips and advice: www.commonsensemedia. org/advice-for-parents/internet-safety-tips-high-school-kids. Enjoy the wealth of information that's available at your fingertips, but be sure to use it with good old-fashioned common sense. Historic Annandale Train Station Gets a Makeover T h e H i s t o r i c P r e s e r va t i o n C o m m i s s i o n by Councilman John Lazarus In the middle of the 19th century, the Jersey Central Railroad pushed west from Elizabeth towards Easton. In Hunterdon, the tracks veered northwest to circumvent Jugtown Mountain, thus creating Clinton Station two miles away from the established settlement of Clinton in 1852. Clinton Station would be renamed Annandale in 1873. During the late 19th century, Annandale village grew around the station as a mixed use railroad suburb, providing industrial, commercial, civic, and residential functions for the people of the region. The train station brought passengers to and from the village, while also enabling the shipping of regional products, including everything from lumber, graphite and limestone to peaches, milk, and cheese. Periodically, the station would play a role in times of national strife. When popular local hero General George Taylor was killed after the Second Battle of Bull Run in 1862, the station enabled people from all over the State to congregate for his funeral procession to Clinton. It would play an eerily similar role a century and half later after the attacks of September 11th (the greatest loss Photo from Annandalevillage.com of life on continental American soil since The Civil War) when people congregated at the station to greet loved ones returning from the city after the day's horrific events. In the years after World War II, the village declined as a center or industry and commerce as the railroad lost ground to the automobile. Annandale Train Station declined as well, and the station building itself would be torn down in the early 1980's after it morphed from a quaint country outpost to a "devastated shack." Yet, passenger service to points east remained in place under the newly formed NJ Transit, which had assumed operation of commuter rail service from Conrail. Still, in spite of the continuing passenger service, Annandale Station grew increasingly dilapidated and unkempt, as did the adjacent lumberyard property. By the 2000's, cracked pavement, faded parking stripes, and several large potholes made the entire parcel look like a war zone. The eastern portion of the lot lacked any pavement at all, which contributed to a random and lawless context for commuter parking. Yet, aesthetics notwithstanding, the station itself was still heavily utilized by commuters due to the size of the lot, the free parking, and the ease of access from I-78 relative to other Raritan Valley stations. These factors made Annandale the western hub of NJ Transit in the region for commuters coming from points west, as there are no other rail lines serving the New York metropolitan area between Hackettstown and Trenton. Several years ago, a group of organizations including the Annandale Citizen's Advisory Committee, Hunterdon Area Rural Transit, and the Raritan Valley Rail Coalition worked with the Township and County to lobby NJ Transit to make improvements to the historic station. Many of these improvements were finally completed this summer. The entire lot has been re-paved, striped, and rationalized to maximize legitimate parking spaces, and official capacity has been increased from 77 to 99 spaces. And somewhat synergistically, the station's makeover occurred at the same time the adjacent lumberyard is being redeveloped, providing a significant improvement over the dilapidated status quo that prevailed in the corner of the village for more than a decade. Victor A. Rotolo, a resident of Clinton Township, was named to the list of 2013 NJ Super Lawyers for the eighth consecutive year. Call The Rotolo Law Firm today: 908.534.7900 to discuss any legal situation confronting you. Your half-hour consultation is free of charge! Their attorneys and staff are ready to serve your legal needs. The Rotolo Law Firm • 502 US 22, Lebanon, NJ 08829. www.rotololawfirm.com S e p t e m b e r There is more work to be done in Annandale. The sidewalk network leading up to the walkable station is jagged and incomplete, traffic speed and volume remains a significant problem for pedestrians, and we are still waiting for one seat ride access to Manhattan. But at the very least, the historic station that spawned the village and contributed to its development for a century and half can continue to do so in a meaningful way. n Annandale, 1852 to 2002, The 150th Anniversary Tour (2002) Historic Beaver Brook Homestead, Inc. 2 0 1 3 17

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