Scenic tour will feature local farms BY JANE MEGGITT Staff Writer UPPER FREEHOLD - The township's Historic Farmland Byway will officially open in the near future. Dr. David Meirs II, chairman of the township's Vision/Scenic Byways Committee, said a dedication ceremony for the byway will take place in Historic Walnford at a time and date to be announced. A Scenic Byways Tour of the township received a resolution of support from the Township Committee in March and from the Monmouth County Planning Board and neighboring Allentown in April. The tour, which consists of a 24-mile loop through Upper Freehold and Allentown, would present an interactive learning opportunity for those looking for an agricultural, historical and environmental experience. At the Nov. 1 meeting of the Vision/Scenic Byways Committee, Fred Kniesler reported on his Sept. 11 meeting with the Scenic Byways Committee at the New Jersey Department of Transportation (DOT). Cindy Bloom Cronin, the coordinator of the New Jersey State Scenic Byway, chaired the meeting that several DOT staff members, including representatives from the BikeWays Section and New Jersey Tourism, attended. According to Kniesler, the group received the byway presentation enthusiastically. "We had already provided the document for review, and so after the presentation there were very few questions," he said. The e-mail stating that the package had been forwarded to DOT Commissioner Kris Kolluri arrived 24 hours after the presentation, he said. Kolluri needed to sign the package to officially establish the Upper Freehold Historic Farmland Byway. "Since I have attended many meetings with state officials and staff, the turnaround time of the approval for this nomination package was astounding," Kniesler said. Kniesler called the nomination package "an outstanding document," considering the detailed narrative, color photos and support maps with the outline of the tour. The Vision/Scenic Byways Committee completed the package, which features a photo of Fair Winds Farm on the cover, in July. According to Kniesler, Joe Barris, the supervising planner at the Monmouth County Planning Board, guided the committee through the process of completing the package with a professional approach and a diplomatic style. Mayor John Mele appointed the Vision/Scenic Byways Committee in 2004. The package acknowledges the committee's vice chairwoman, Sue Kozel, as the initiator of the byway project. Other committee members include Marc Covitz, Bob Abrams, Ruth Holmes Honadle, John Fabiano, Bob Faber, Brian Rath, Stephen Alexander, Rick Bentz, Bill Search, Al Trenton, Joe Mauer, Ed Mullen and Vince Gelsomino. Meirs said there would be additional meetings regarding the byway, and the committee will have to prepare a New Jersey Scenic Byway Corridor Management Plan. "There are a lot of guidelines," Meirs said, adding that the committee will lean heavily on its DOT liaison and Barris for completion of the plan.