Historical Committee To Advise Fort Monmouth Redevelopment Authority

The Historical Preservation Staff Advisory Committee is the newest member of the family of committees serving the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority (FMERA). The advisory committee -- just five members strong right now -- was put together by FMERA to: investigate, evaluate and discuss historical issues related to the redevelopment of the fort. 

The committee has met twice so far. Kathy English of Eatontown, the committee's sole citizen representative at the moment, said that at one meeting she watched a movie about the of the place that for so long has been walled off to the public, and learned a lot.

Some buildings like , on the property of the golf course, are already on the state historical registry, English said. What that means, among other things, is that in any redevelopment, the facade of the tudor building would have to remain the same. With talk of the site becoming a hotel, English said, that's a good thing. Now she said, she doesn't have to worry about it looking like a "junky Super 8 hotel."

The committee members also took a car tour of the sprawling property, visiting historic areas all over Eatontown, Oceanport and Tinton Falls, even making a stop to visit a historic pool.

Doubtful that a pool could be historic, English said she peered through the fence of Gibbs Hall (which was unfortunately locked during the tour). Past the pool was an outdoor fireplace, big enough to walk into, she said. "It was the most gorgeous stone fireplace," English recalled. Seeing it, she remarked, "Ok. The pool is historical."

English was reccommended for the committee by Eatontown Mayor Gerald Tarantolo after her work with the Eatontown Museum.  She said she has a particular interest in the preservation of photographs and artifacts. Visiting the portion of the fort that lies in English's borough really piqued her interest when she walked into the Fort Monmouth library. Eyeing up its two spacious rooms she thought, "We could turn the key and bring in the books."

The fate of the fort's library building, and all of the structures within the fort, has yet to be decided as FMERA works to court developers and rushes to get plans in place for the conveyance of the property from the Army. FMERA has said that conveyance of the 1,100+ acres will likely come piecemeal over a period of years. The authority can't yet say what developers and businesses have expressed interest or which buildings will be up for grabs for boroughs.

English is hoping that the mayors of Tinton Falls and Oceanport will add residents from their towns to the committee to protect the historical interests of their towns, something FMERA said it is open to.

The current members of the advisory committee are:

• Bruce Steadman, interim chair and executive director of FMERA
• Dorothy Guzzo, Executive Director of NJ Historic Trust
• Herb Williams, Freehold Resident
• John Occhipinti, Army official who will serve as caretaker after fort closure
• Kathy English, Eatontown Resident  

Fort Monmouth is set to close Sept. 15.