New U.F. Planning Board breaks the ice Members share background info. and master plan stances BY JANE MEGGITT Staff Writer UPPER FREEHOLD - Old and new Planning Boardmembers were encouraged to learn more about each other at the Jan. 22 meeting. Newly elected Chairman John Mele asked board members to share their background information, their feelings about the master plan revision passed by the previous board on Dec. 13, and their perceptions of what the board should focus on in the coming year. Mele, a former Township Committeeman and boardmember, has lived inUpper Freehold for 18 years.At the board's Jan. 10 reorganization meeting, he defeated longtime Chairman Richard Stern in a 5-4 vote for the leadership position. Mayor Stephen Alexander commented on the recent vote and said that he wants to clear up the misconception that the Planning Board is divided. "Let's get past the votes and look at the actual work product," Alexander said. Despite the chairman vote and the 3-2 vote of the all-Republican Township Committee that elected Alexander as mayor, Alexander said residents would see that the board and the committee are more in tune than both are perceived to be. Alexander also shared that he is an attorney fromPhiladelphia whomoved to the township in 2000 and has been serving on the governing body since 2004. Stern, a lifelong resident, said he has served on the board for 29 years and as its chairman for 12 years. He said he does not think that there is a big division in the township. "Most of us are on the same page," he said. Going forward, Stern said that he would like to see the township do something to preserve the deteriorating hamlet of Imlaystown. Richard Bullock, who was born in Upper Freehold and has spent most of his life in the town, with the exception of time spent at college and 10 years living in South Carolina, has served on the Planning Board for 20 years. Bullock said he would like to see the township finalize the master plan revisions and "get the issues resolved." One of the five farmers on the board, Bullock's family's farmis in the farmland preservation program. Bob Freiberger, a lifelong resident, has two sons who farm with him. His family's land has also been preserved. Since 1973, Freiberger has served various terms on the Planning Board, 11 years on the Zoning Board, and nine years on the Township Committee, including three years as mayor. He was on the Township Committee that voted to implement the township's farmland preservation ordinance and recalled that the then-three-man committee passed it in a 2-1 vote. "Twomaster plans ago, it took forever to get the ordinances down," Freiberger said. "With a time delay, things change. I hopewe get these ordinances down quickly this time," referring to the ordinances that the committee will have to pass to implement the latest master plan revisions. J.DavidHolmes,whose family has been farming in the township for 300 years, said, "I believe the Planning Board [members have] their work cut out for them." Holmes said the master plan is a good plan, although it is not the best plan for him as a landowner. "It damages me personally, but as a Planning Board member, it is a good plan," he said. "We should follow through with it." Bob Faber,who also serves on the Township Committee, has lived in the township most of his life and has been farming since 1955. He put his land into preservation 15 years ago. Faber, who joked that he is the oldestmember of the board, said, "The Planning Board can get along together, and I think we will." He also said, "I love this farming community. If I didn't, I would not have done what I did." Planning Board Secretary and LandUseAdministrator Susan Babbitt shared that she has worked with the board for 29 years. She said there once was a time when the applications before the boardwere predominantly for small farmland subdivisions and that now the board is responsible for reviewing larger developments. "It's 100 percent different than it was in 1979," she said. Vice Chairman Doug Raynor, who is in the residential building and high-end renovation businesses, said he has been a lifelong resident of the Robbinsville/Upper Freehold area. "I feel passionate about servingmy community," Raynor said. "I'mconfident we can work together on the Planning Board." The township's Chief Financial Officer, Dianne Kelly, said that she is originally fromConnecticut andmoved toUpper Freehold in 1984. She lives in one of the oldest houses in the community and in the state, which dates back to 1721. Kelly previously served on the board for seven years before her reappointment this year. "I hope to preserve the integrity of the community and its agricultural base," she said. New member Jeff Ferrier, an attorney who grew up in Holmdel and moved to the township five years ago, said the current board has to be the most experienced Planning Board he could imagine. "There are 100-plus years of experience on the Planning Board," he said. "It's quite impressive." Jeff Doherty is another new member and Monmouth County native. He called the new master plan "an incredible toolbox for the future." Mele asked board members to think outside the box and to feel free to bring their ideas to the table. The chairman noted that Freiberger had introduced an innovative idea for the New Canton Estates development on Route 524 that helped to preserve farmland and benefit the town. The chairman expressed his sentiments regarding the recent master plan re-examination. He said the re-examination did a lot of good things, but that he has concerns about where the township would fulfill its Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) obligations since the only public water/sewer area in town along Breza Road is slated for possible preservation.