Round Valley Access Road

[Gerry Zagorski]

Was made aware of this from my friend Nick who is the X Mayor of Clinton Township... It's a shame what's going on here limiting access to what is a public resource http://www.exmayor.com/

[bigfishy]

There was some sort of a meeting last night reguarding this matter, unfortunately i could not attend do to my sons birthday....Did anyone attend last nights meeting???if so , how did it go???

[Mikey topaz]

They really been milking it quite nicely over there, between the road closed and the water being low and now the whole parking lot situation parking the trailers it’s a mess. Wish they would hurry up already the bottom of my boat would sure appreciate it

[Mark B.]

If they keep it open for pedestrians and bicyclists, as mentioned in that 3-minute video, I'm ok with it. Cars whip around there, and I've seen gangs of crotch rockets staging at the boat ramp. When working at the NJDF&W Fish Lab you could hear them screaming around the curves. This nut gets up to around 110mph: https://youtu.be/7UcleGLRJ6A?t=74

No big deal for trailered boats, the vast majority of which enter off the Rt. 22 access road. Smitty's Bait Shop, Lebanon is long gone. So, no need to go through town.

[huntcountypussbuck]

I heard from mayor of lebanon borough who was at that meeting. he stated he was always in opposition. clinton township mayor flip flopped and i believe who is now in opposition as well. this is second hand info . i wasn't at meeting

[bigfishy]

As an update, the meeting last night was very well attended by many residents who spoke eloquently, emotionally, and knowledgably. Many were from Old Mountain Road, but this issue is important to all of us. A brief synopsis of some of the thoughts expressed:
-Cherry Street in Lebanon used to connect with Valley Crest Road, before Round Valley Reservoir was created. Rt. 629 was originally built as a connector road to provide access to points south.

-If 629 were closed permanently, fire and emergency services would be impacted. The other ways south either involve 4 traffic lights, jughandles etc. Or a tiny single-land railroad trestle that no aerial ladder truck could cross.

-The water authority told Mayor Brian Mullay something that he promised not to disclose as their reason for wanting to close the road.

-Several residents recounted times they needed to rush loved ones to the hospital when minutes counted. It was asked which was more likely to be the kind of tragedy to occur... a terrorist attack or someone having a heart attack losing their life due to those extra critical minutes.

-Some people suspect that the road may have been damaged by the heavy trucks that are traversing the dyke during the road work. Perhaps the water authority realize the construction wasn’t done right and they don’t want cars on the road.

-Any decision is premature without a public hearing with advance notice; it’s important to understand the risks involved. How much risk would we avoid by closing the road, and, by contrast, how much beauty, time, gas, etc. would the public be losing?

-Mayor Mullay stated that he had not yet responded to the water authority’s request and that more information would be needed before formally taking a position.

-The Water Authority wants the town council’s blessing, but that they should come to a public meeting and explain why they believe the closing of the road is necessary.
Robert Quinlan stated that this issue should have been added to the town council’s agenda in June. Closing the road is not a security issue. The water authority is not a security agency. The water authority should not ask the mayor or the town council to keep this secret. Five police departments patrol that road when it is open. Boaters have been saved because someone driving on the road saw that they were in distress and called for help.

-Residents recalled the interesting history of the making of Round Valley, including the film “The Town that Disapeared” with all the surrounding subterfuge, underworld connections, deaths and people who went to jail.
If there actually was a credible threat, surely they would close all of Round Valley Reservoir and recreational center, including the lower dam on Stanton-Lebanon Road (629).

-If there is a true threat, why is there no security? It would not be hard for a tanker truck or a boat to poison the water or cause trouble in myriad ways.

-Some believe this is fear mongering... wondered (tongue in cheek) whether Putin was involved.

-We should not bureaucracy take one more thing from the citizens.

-Vehicles are allowed to drive over the Hoover Dam.

-One resident from Old Mountain Road liked the idea, saying there is less traffic since the road has been closed. Some others disagreed and others noted an increase in trucks from the cheese company.

-Is there an imminent danger? Is it going to blow? I’m sure someone would have told us!

-One resident asked that we look for the possibilities, assess the issues and possible solutions. We should investigate the options and costs involved besides just shutting down the road which means so much to all of us. Why is that the only option presented?

⭐️There are other meetings coming up that would benefit from the attendance of many members of the caring public:

July 20, 2022 at 7:30 pm – Lebanon Town Council meeting at Lebanon Borough Hall

-August 1, 2022 at 2:00pm is the next meeting of the water authority – 1851 Rt. 31, Clinton, NJ 08809 in the conference room

Please come and show that you care what happens.