Chiropractor in Holmdel, NJ

By Jeanne Wall

Last UpdatedJuly 4, 2023 at 8:37 PM

Oh the places they will go...

HOLMDEL, NJ: In a beautiful outside ceremony, on the evening of June 20, on Holmdel High School's Bob Roggy Memorial Field, the 2023 Graduates took the stage one-by-one to receive their well-earned diplomas!

The processional was accompanied by the Holmdel High School Band, John Koryat Director. The welcome address and introductions were delivered by HHS Principal, Dr. Matthew Dakota, and the Flag Salute and National Anthem by Brandon Cheng. Board of Education President Peter Reddy delivered inspiring and congratulatory words to the class of 2023.

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Guests were met with the lovely sounds of the Choral Presentation with Isabella Moitoso, and the Holmdel High School Chorus, with Katrina Roberts, Director. The chorus later performed a beautiful version of the Irish Blessing:

WATCH VIDEO: Holmdel High School Chorus performs the Irish Blessing as a send-off to all of the 2023 HHS graduates:

The welcome address was provided by SAB President; Olivia Kwan. Anthony Marzano announced the senior awards, Elina Patel delivered the Valedictorian Address, and the Salutatorian Address was given by Jacqueline Shen. The Yearbook Presentation was made by Rylley VandeWettering and the Presentation of the Class of 2023, was delivered by Dr. Matthew Kukoda. Superintendent; Dr. Scott Cascone delivered an inspiring message to the graduates and guests.

Then the moment all were waiting for; Dr. Matthew Kukoda delivered the diplomas to the graduates, followed by the Farewell Address and Tassel Ceremony presented by Senior Class President; Trinity Han. As the graduates processed from the ceremony, the pink sunset set the backdrop with hopes for a rosy future for all! The following is a list of the many great places the Holmdel High School 2023 Graduates are off to next! BIG Congratulations to all from TAPinto Holmdel!

The 2023 Holmde High School Graduates:

*Denotes National Honor Society

Laney Abbes

Joseph Michael Aiello

Anthony Aloia

Denise Elizabeth Aquilano

Andrew Thomas Arredondo

Danté Christian Babek

Matthew Baker*

Raymond Thomas Baker

Christian Joseph Baratta

Alexandra Theresa Bauman *

Amelie Baveja

Marissa Behal*

Jared Spencer Beinhacker *

Madalyn Jordan Beinhacker *

Sofia Beylin

Taylor Rose Bielan *

Olivia Skylar Blasiak *

Boris Blyakhman

Matthew Luca Bodnar

Arielle Borges *

Michael Thomas Bracero

Allan Breslov

Kayla Bunsee

Anthony Buonocore

Paul Burakov

Brianna Skye Cabunag *

Isabella Josephine Campo *

Kai Campuzano

Connor James Capaci *

Fiona Isabella Ceka

Timothy Chau

Kaitlyn Chen *

Xu Chen

Brandon Harry Cheng *

Rachel Chertok *

Kaitlyn Kai-Ling Chien *

Elliot Minsuk Chun *

Brendan Ronald Cieplensky

Class of 2023

Danielle C Contafio *

Sandra I Contafio*

Domenica Conti*

Thomas Blaise Coppola, Jr

Dean Wyatt Corneiro *

Steven Cornelio*

Anna Countouroudas

Dominick Joseph D'Amico

Praneeth Sai Damarla

Mia Eve Dasaro

Drea Desatnick

Angelo DiCostanzo

Antonio DiCostanzo

Marc Anthony Dietz

Olivia Wilk DiSaverio*

Lainie Elizabeth Doran *

Alisa Dovgopol

Ethan Duborg

Kayla Arielle Edison

Mohamed Elmesei

Yusef Elsafadi

Qusay Elsakr

Madelyn Nicole Fanelli *

Emma Louise Feighner

Julia Fernandez,

Robert Ferro *

Simon Alexandre Fidalgo

Aidan Michael Field

David Fiorito

Michael Joseph Fiorito

Sarah Beth Friedman*

James Allan Garcia

Sabin Ghimire

Scott Andrew Gilbert

Augustus Matthew

Urbanski Giller *

John T Giordano

Ilan Lawrence Golden

Justin Gorzelnik

Timothy Haggerty

Ryan Matthew Hammer *

Trinity Han*

Liam Robert Hansen

Carly Harris *

Andrew Charles Harrison *

Christopher Lee Hayduk

Stephen John Hayduk

Brydon W Hayes

Alex Chase Hendrickson *

Ava Francesca Hernando *

Julia Hood*

Heather Huang*

Aidan Hynes

Colin Hynes

Joyce Ibrahim

Daniel Ivanushkin

Ella Rebecca Jennings*

Emma Jiang

Christine Alexandra Jipescu

Brooke Ashley Jorgensen *

Kiera Mary Joyce *

Gabriella Kaffl

Christian Alexander Kalb

Justin Gabriel Kaminski

Jeffrey Paul Kelley

Ryan Joseph Kennedy*

Anwita Ketha

Zoe Isabella Khachaturian *

Adam Khadr

Usman Khawar

Michael H Kidwell

Ryan Komosinski

Ivan Konchakovskiy

Kate Lynn Koval

Daniel Kushnir

Olivia Kwan*

Dylan Hunter Lagana

Leonardo Lamberti

Christina Maria Lambrou

Margaret LaMountain

Paris Laster

Afia Lateef *

Aidan Lawlor *

Rachel | Lee "

Kaydance Abigail Lempert*

Jasmine Evianita Levinsky

Ryan J D Lopez

Alexandra Loucopoulos *

Elysium Lee Luciano

Jacques Pierre Lucien

Daniel Peter Lynch

Shayne Marione

Caroline Martinez

Anthony Marzano *

Eva Master

Erin Beverly Maurer

Reece Raymond Maurer

Tierney Lee Maurer

Mason John McCarthy *

Jaden McClarnon

Charles McGill

Samantha Miele

Jake Miller

Isabella Moitoso *

David Mord

Angelina Moschetta

Farida M Moustafa*

Angelina Nadi *

Amanda Elle Nash *

Grace Naughton

Faiz Ali Nazeer

Jakob Nied

Jonathan Nolan *

Alexei Christopher Novojilov

Dale M O'Beirne

Robert Anthony O'Hanlon

Matthew Walter Panagoda

Sofia Papalia *

Elisa Papraniku

Elina Patel *

Amelia Jane Petretti

Emry Phothimat *

Emily Piccione

John Michael Podesta, Jr. *

Drew Pollock *

Sophia Rose Prestigiacomo

Luke Daniel Pruscino

Anarosa Raffaella Quinto

Zachary Rabkin*

Merriam Rafla *

Jake Rainess

Andrew Reddy*

Amanda M Rice *

Matthew Alexander Robbins

Gianna Rutigliano *

Jacob Samardin

Alexandra Bená Schaul *

Ethan Samuel Scheinman

Elizabeth Schmitt

Juliana Schmitt

Tiffany Sciandra

Callum Serbetci

Mira Shah *

Ammar A Shaker

Marissa Ingrid Shapiro *

Denys Shebitchenko

Maxwell Elliot Shekoff

Jacqueline Shen *

Michelle Sherman *

Avani Shinde *

Michelle Marie Shlivko *

Kaylyn Sidhu *

Nicholas Jude Siebel

Kaan Bekir Sisman

Eric Matthew Socha

Mia Carmella Sperduto

Cassandra Stanyek *

Samantha Stanyek

John William Caesar Steele

Erica Ashley Stolker

Riley Nicole Svenson

William Joseph Szilasi*

Lance Takhtaganov

Avery Diana Tatro *

Andrew Tesler +

Nithya A Thalasila

Alex Tobengauz*

Lauren Elisabeth Todd *

Jeremy Topel *

Jack Edward Tufaro *

Trey Lawrence Tulenko

Giyas Umarov

Abigail Rose Umbrino *

Gabrielle Elizabeth Uskach *

Sophia Vallone*

Coleman Jude VandeWettering

Rylley Emma VandeWettering

Gregory Eric Vervoordt*

Nihal Walia

Madison Anne Way

Tiffany Wen*

Benjamin Christian Wong *

ladyn Emily Wong

Jared William Wong

Maxwell E Woodward*

Laina Shu-Yu Yiu *

Samantha Youssef *

###

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To applause and thanks from the public, Holmdel Township Committee voted Tuesday to begin appraisal of the Crawford Hill antenna property.

HOLMDEL, NJ — The Holmdel Township Committee voted to approve resolutions Tuesday night that will begin the process of acquiring the 43-acre Crawford Hill property, home to the historically significant Horn antenna.

Mayor DJ Luccarelli told the assembled residents that what so many have sought - the protection and preservation of an antenna that was used in research to confirm the very creation of the universe - "makes sense."

The action is "not taken lightly," he said, but it is the start of a process that will enable the township to keep safe a "unique property," and ensure the National Historic Landmark status of the Horn antenna, intrinsic to Crawford Hill for decades now.

Responding to a "ground swelling" of public opinion and fulfilling the open space imperatives of the township Master Plan, the committee decided to put forth the resolutions. Crawford Hill Resolutions 2023-168 and 2023-169, as listed on the agenda, were both unanimously approved.

Resolution 2023-168 authorizes appraisal for "potential condemnation and acquisition of Crawford Hill property. (Pages 61-67 of the agenda.)

Find out what's happening in Holmdel-Hazletwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Resolution 2023-169 "modifies past authorizations of redevelopment investigation." (Pages 68-70 of the agenda.)

The Crawford Hill site at 791 Holmdel Road is owned by a private developer who is considering a townhouse project there - a plan that has met with much opposition from land use and historic preservation groups concerned about the landmark Horn antenna.

An appraisal of the site is the first step in coming up with a good faith offer for the property to present to the owner, Rakesh Antala of Holmdel, said Township Attorney Michael L. Collins. Antala in 2021 purchased the property from Nokia, which acquired it from Bell Labs.

A vacant Nokia building is on a smaller lot adjacent to the antenna site. The blighted building is still part of a redevelopment study by the township, Collins said, noting that "redevelopment" in this context does not imply any specific plans for it.

Once an offer for the entire property (both lots) is presented, there is a set time for the offer to be considered by the other party. Depending on the negotiations, the township can ultimately exercise its right of condemnation, Collins said, which would then involve Superior Court proceedings.

But matters are far from that point yet.

Tuesday night's meeting was a cause for celebration. Several speakers thanked the committee and Luccarelli said the Township Committee was "excited" about the step.

Ralph Blumenthal, a leader in environmental issues in the township and part of a coalition that urged the preservation, thanked the committee and suggested it consider working with Monmouth County Parks to seek funding toward the acquisition. He also said the county can offer guidance for the site's reimagining as a park and educational center.

"We all hope for an incredible park in Holmdel," he said.

The Horn antenna was built by Bell Labs on this highest point of land in Monmouth County and was used in satellite research there.

That research took on a broader significance when the antenna detected background cosmic microwave radiation, providing "irrefutable evidence" of the Big Bang Theory of the creation of the universe, the township notes in Resolution 168. This was Nobel Prize-winning research, and the antenna was named a National Historic Landmark in 1989.

Robert Wilson and Arno Penzias were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1978 for their work at the Horn antenna.

Wilson still lives in the township, and he was at the meeting Tuesday night - in part to cheer on the Satz School Technology Students Association, whose members were recognized at the meeting.

One resident who addressed the committee remembered meeting Wilson.

She said she has long supported the preservation of the Horn antenna, and she and her family would celebrate the winter or summer solstice there.

One day she met Wilson at the site - a unique opportunity for "my little family" to experience living scientific history, she said.

So the action Tuesday by the Township Committee was profound to her.

"This is the single greatest act," she said, in Holmdel government history. "It's so huge; it's so beneficial," she told the committee members.

To read more about the resolutions and more history of the site, see this recent Patch article.

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Holmdel Township is preparing to acquire the property where the Horn Antenna, which confirmed the Big Bang Theory, sits -- even through eminent domain.

The township committee unaninomously approved Tuesday night:

The resolution and two ordinances will have a public hearing on Aug. 22.

“I am excited that we took further steps towards preserving the Crawford Hill property and the Horn Antenna,” said Mayor DJ Luccarelli. “Holmdel voters overwhelmingly supported increasing funding to the Trust Fund. We are now looking to responsibly use the Trust Fund to complete an historic property acquisition that would benefit Holmdel for generations to come.”

The township must engage in “bona fide” negotiations with the owner of the property before it can move to eminent domain.

It hired a company in June to appraise the property and an Aug. 3 report provided by the company determined that the value of the property is $1.92 million.

The home of the Horn Antenna has been the subject of concern among residents since it was purchased last year for $3.7 million by Crawford Hill Holdings.

The Horn Antenna, which recorded a hissing sound on May 20, 1964, was used to confirm the Big Bang. Robert Wilson and Arno Penzias, former Bell Labs physicists, earned the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1978 for their work.

The antenna, which was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1988, sits on the former site of Bell Labs, which became Alcatel-Lucent and later Nokia.

Three local groups – Citizens for Informed Land Use, Friends of Holmdel Open Space and Preserve Holmdel – started a petition in December 2022 to make the property a public historic landmark and park. It has more than 9,713 signatures.

“As indicated in the resolution authorizing the appraisal back in June, there has been ‘a ground swelling of public support’ of the Crawford Hill property at meetings of the Township Committee, through electronic submissions and other outreach from residents,” said Kin Gee, editor of Better Holmdel. “It is wonderful that Mayor (Domenico) Luccarelli and the Township Committee heard the public voices to save the historic Horn Antenna and to preserve the surrounding area as a public park.”

The owner of the site, meanwhile, says the condemnation of the property will cost taxpayers millions and increase property taxes.

Besides the historic significance of the Horn Antenna, Crawford Hill is one the most desirable properties in Monmouth County because it’s located in the middle of one of the most affluent neighborhoods in Holmdel, it is the highest point of Monmouth County providing remarkable views of Raritan Bay and Manhattan, and its within walking distance of The PNC Bank Arts Center and Park and Ride, the developer says.

“How do you assess such a unique site,” Rakesh Antala, a partner in Crawford Hill Holdings, said in a press release. “What price do you put on that? $10 million? $20 million? $50 million?”

Antala says the township should have hired an appraiser who specializes in historic landmarks.

“The appraisers must consider many factors, including the site’s historical significance, condition, uniqueness, and market comparable properties,” he said.

Crawford Hill Holdings has said that the Horn Antenna is not and never was at risk and that it would remain open to the public.

“Misinformation has been deliberately spread about our intentions from the start,” said Antala. “Put aside the irrational fears, shut off the political posturing. We want nothing more than to have honest negotiations with the town officials and open-minded residents.”

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As part of a continuing NJ Natural Gas regulator project in Holmdel, a portion of Holmdel Road is slated to be closed on July 5.

HOLMDEL, NJ — Holmdel Road, between Roberts Road and Route 520, will be closed on Wednesday, July 5, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., as part of the continuing NJ Natural Gas regular project - a project being contested by the township.

Police say that, while traffic cannot pass through the work zone, businesses on Holmdel Road are still accessible.

Businesses on the north side can be accessed from Roberts Road and businesses on the South side are accessible via Route 520 or Spring Valley Drive.

Police advise planning an alternate route; detour signs will be in place.

The work is part of a controversial NJ Natural Gas regulator project that the township is fighting in court.

Find out what's happening in Holmdel-Hazletwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The township has been involved in continuing litigation with the gas company about its plan to build a regulator station at 960 Holmdel Road in the southern part of the township. The proposal got its latest go ahead recently from the state Board of Public Utilities.

The gas company has previously commented on the project:

“Both the BPU and administrative law judge in this matter have agreed with NJNG that this is an important project that is in the public interest to benefit Holmdel residents and other customers in the area with safe, reliable lifeline natural gas service. We are moving forward with construction of the regulator station,” according to the statement from Director of Communications Kevin Roberts has said recently.

In a recent statement, Mayor DJ Luccarelli said “Our community has done everything in its power to fight this. Unfortunately the BPU has overridden everything that we were fighting for.”

The statement also included the update on the litigation between the gas company regulator project and the township:

As a public utility, the gas company was not required to obtain construction permits from the township.

Should the Township ultimately win its appeal, it is Holmdel’s expectation that the gas company would be ordered to remove the regulator station, the mayor's statement said.

Holmdel Township Committee votes to acquire Crawford Hill, site of the landmark Horn antenna that provided evidence of the Big Bang theory.

Posted Wed, Aug 23, 2023 at 8:07 pm ET|

HOLMDEL, NJ — At a quiet, late summer meeting of the Township Committee Tuesday night, members took a historic step toward the preservation of Crawford Hill and of the Horn antenna that rests there.

The mayor and three committee members present voted unanimously to adopt an ordinance authorizing the acquisition by eminent domain of the Crawford Hill property, currently privately owned and the site of a potential residential development.

Crawford Hill - the highest point in Monmouth County - is also the site of the Horn antenna, now a National Historic Landmark famously used in research by two scientists that confirmed the Big Bang theory of the creation of the universe.

The area to be acquired includes Lots 6, 6.01 and part of Lot 7 for a partial easement on Block 27 - 34.3 acres - to be used for open space, recreation and historic preservation purposes under the township's Master Plan.

The committee then also voted unanimously to adopt a second ordinance that would appropriate $2 million in bond anticipation notes to finance the purchase of the site.

Find out what's happening in Holmdel-Hazletwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

One of Holmdel's most respected environmentalists, Ralph Blumenthal, said he applauded the committee for taking the step. However, he reminded the members he also hopes to preserve the full Lot 7, the site of the abandoned Nokia building, the company that purchased the site from Bell Labs and then sold it to its current owner.

"But that is a topic for another day," he said, adding his own applause to that of others at the meeting.

In nearly a year's worth of meetings, the Township Committee has heard from physicists and school students, environmentalists and professors and from one woman who modestly described herself as "a homemaker not a scientist." She brought the same message to the committee as the others: Save the Horn for history.

But the momentous action by the committee is a first step in what will be an evolving process.

The owner of the total 43-acre site is Crawford Hill Holdings and Rakesh Antala of Holmdel. The company has said its latest versions of plans for the site would not move the antenna and so would preserve it.

The company's plan for an 88-unit, age-restricted townhouse development might not move the antenna. But opponents say an undisturbed Crawford Hill, with the 1960s-era antenna facing the sky in its original natural setting, is integral to its preservation.

Good faith negotiations

Township Attorney Michael L. Collins responded to questions by Blumenthal about the first phase of the process, good faith negotiations with the owner.

Collins said a letter from special counsel in the matter went out late last week to the owners of the property to engage in good faith negotiations.

Collins said there has to be a minimum of 14 days to allow for negotiations, but negotiations can continue beyond that if they are productive.

He said if there is no "engagement" on the part of the property owner, after 14 days the township has the ability to file proceedings in court, now that the eminent domain ordinance has been adopted.

He said negotiations would not be discussed in a public forum because it is a legal matter for closed session.

You can listen to the explanation by Collins at the meeting here, including comments from Roberta Kaufman, an environmentalist and five-year Planning Board member, who said she hoped the negotiations would "bear fruit."

Kaufman also applauded the township action and said the site has great potential as an educational center.

The committee previously authorized an appraisal of the Crawford Hill property, which has been completed and values the property at $1.92 million. And earlier this month it authorized the good faith negotiations to acquire the property from its current owner.

The bond would be supported by the township’s Open Space, Recreation, Floodplain Protection, Farmland, and Historic Preservation Trust Fund. In 2021, Holmdel voters voted to increase the collection rate to this fund, which is legally restricted to use for land acquisition and similar expenses.

“Holmdel voters overwhelmingly supported increasing funding to the trust fund. We are now looking to responsibly use the trust fund to complete an historic property acquisition that would benefit Holmdel for generations to come,” Luccarelli said earlier this month.

There was no immediate response from the owners of the Crawford Hill site on Wednesday, but Antala said in a previous statement: "We want nothing more than to have honest negotiations with the town officials and open-minded residents - based on facts not fear. We are more than willing to work in good faith as before and develop alternate options where the Horn antenna is preserved and open space is maintained.”

The Horn antenna was used in research by Bell Labs physicists. The antenna's national significance arises from its use in the detection of cosmic microwave radiation that provided irrefutable evidence of the Big Bang theory of the creation of the universe. In 1978, scientists Robert Wilson and Arno Penzias earned a Nobel Prize in Physics for this work.

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