Shedding light on issues is way to get some help

Shedding light on issues
is way to get some help

Something smells at the Knob Hill housing development in Manalapan, and it isn’t the retention basin that some residents claim fails to work properly.

When a News Transcript reporter visited the new housing development recently, residents pointed out a retention basin that was filled with standing water and covered with algae, appearing to be a prime breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Another point of contention for the residents is the complete lack of lighting in the area of the development which includes so-called "affordable" housing. These homes are restricted for sale to families who have incomes that meet state guidelines.

The residents claim this unlit area is now becoming a spot where teens are congregating and drinking.

The Knob Hill development has been in the planning and construction stages for 15 years.

Within the past week, Township Committee members have acknowledged that the residents are correct and that lighting is lacking in one small area.

Knob Hill residents are also concerned that only one garbage bin has been provided in the affordable housing section.

Manalapan requires its residents to separate garbage and recyclables and has a contract with a waste hauler to pick up the recyclables and pay the township.

The failure to provide a separate garbage bin for recyclables, therefore, is costing the township money.

K. Hovnanian, the developer of Knob Hill, has a long history of doing business in Manalapan, and we have no quarrel with that. The firm is one of New Jersey’s best-known developers, and its homes are much in demand.

However, a developer’s reputation must not replace competence or responsibility. When the health and safety of residents is at stake, it’s time for municipal officials to step in and take action.

The Democratic majority that now finds itself in control of the Township Committee was not in office when plans for Knob Hill were approved. They are in office now, however, and must address the residents’ concerns.

Mayor Stuart Moskovitz said that is being done, but the committee must stay on top of this situation.

It’s also a problem for residents when an officer of their homeowners association refuses to publicly discuss these types of issues. Such was the case with a representative of the Knob Hill homeowners association when contacted by the News Transcript for a comment about the situation.

The association’s officer expressed concern that property values in the development would be affected by a public airing of the issues. Instead, the homeowners association officer and K. Hovnanian’s attorney dismissed the residents who chose to speak out as a dissident group with an ax to grind.

But those residents didn’t shy away from speaking out. They invited municipal officials and a News Transcript reporter to visit their neighborhood. Because of their persistence, these issues are now in the public spotlight and may be addressed and corrected.