Monroe bike route dedicated to late public information officer

MONROE – Last summer, shock and heartbreak spread through Joseph Harvie’s hometown of Monroe when news broke that a bicycle-automobile accident had claimed the life of the 36-year-old devoted cyclist and fundraiser.

Moved to pay tribute, local officials dedicated a five-mile bicycle route on Monroe’s Half Acre Road to Harvie on March 25, according to information provided by Monroe Township.

“Joe served our town for more than a decade as the public information officer,” Monroe Mayor Gerald W. Tamburro said in the statement. “We not only lost a valuable employee and a generous human being that day, we lost a member of our family here at the municipality. This seemed like such a fitting tribute for a young man who spent countless hours training to raise money and awareness for multiple sclerosis (MS).”

Friends, family and local officials, such as former Monroe Township Councilwoman and current Middlesex County Freeholder Leslie Koppel, gathered for the dedication, sharing stories and inspirational words.

“It is quite a dedication for what he was really solid in doing – raising money for MS,” Eric Harvie, Joe’s father, said at the site. “He really enjoyed the sport. He was good at it. This is just a great honor for him.”

Just hours after family members raised the inaugural sign, staff from Monroe’s Department of Public Works completed the installation of all 31 markers, each inscribed with the words “Joe Harvie Memorial Bike Route,” according to the statement.

The route begins at the intersection of Forsgate Drive and Half Acre Road and ends on Half Acre and Applegarth roads.

“He was always sad that something wasn’t in Monroe,” Joe Harvie’s fiancée, Eileen Oldfield, said following the dedication. “Having a dedicated route would have been something he would have absolutely loved.”

Since Joe Harvie’s death, a scholarship fund for Monroe Township High School seniors pursuing a career in photography, videography or journalism has been set up in his name. For more information, contact a representative from the Monroe Township Friends of the Library at 732-521-5000, ext. 134.