02/05/2021
CHATHAM TWP. - It's not just township residents who have now joined the chorus to "Save Noe Pond."
“Destroying this delicate ecosystem by building a large scale residential real estate development is an attack on our environment and our community.” Rein concluded, “We are thrilled that the Great Swamp Watershed Association will join in our mission to educate the public about this proposal and help protect Noe Pond’s future.”
https://www.newjerseyhills.com/chatham_courier/news/residents-from-other-towns-raise-voices-to-save-chatham-townships-noe-pond-oasis/article_98593f68-96b5-5727-bb4d-94971e0ccc89.html
Supporters from Madison, Chatham Borough, Florham Park and other surrounding towns have joined the effort.
The grassroots effort began in the township, where the swim club/recreational facility is located, but in the weeks since a walk was held Saturday, Jan. 23 to bring attention to saving the facility from a developer's bulldozers, many people, including children, have joined the effort.
The temperatures were in the 20’s the morning of Saturday, Jan. 23.
They didn’t get much better that afternoon. But, they came anyway.
More than 122 people carried homemade signs. There were moms and dads and kids. They marched from Corpus Christi Church down Southern Boulevard to The Noe Pond Club and back.
They had one unified message: “Save Noe Pond.”
The Silverman Group of Basking Ridge is the developer who purchased the property in December. The group is also contracted to buy the former Charlie Brown’s restaurant site on Southern Boulevard, where housing will ultimately be built.
Once a proposal is submitted for the Noe Pond site, which has not yet occurred, it will have to go before the Chatham Township Planning Board and/or Zoning Board of Adjustment.
The swim club was established in 1955. For decades, Noe Pond Club has been a family-oriented, year-round, recreational club that provides swimming, racket sports, children’s programs, and other activities. But, with the coming of COVID-19, receipts were down, and the property has been recently sold.
“Save Noe Pond” is a grassroots organization which, in December, joined forces with The Great Swamp Watershed Association to protect the land on Southern Boulevard from being overdeveloped.
In the wake of the walk and increased publicity of the sale of the popular family summer retreat, residents of other towns are expressing concerns.
Madison resident Kelly Dineen is one of the "Save Noe Pond" organizers.
"One Florham Park family are new members who just joined. They fell in love with it," Dineen said.
Another Florham Park family, she said, are not yet members.
"Kristi, the mom, has a sister who lives in Madison and the Madison family have been members for years, so her kids grew up visiting Noe as guests for their whole life. This past summer even their parents joined Noe so they could have a safe place to go during COVID," Dineen explained.
"Noe is 95 percent outdoors and is so expansive it was very easy to be socially distant and still enjoy friends and the outdoors," she said.
"Although we never were members of Noe, we were lucky enough to go as frequent guests with my sister's family," that mom, Kristi Lowinger shared.
"My kids enjoyed the countless days there over the past 10 years and it has been a big part of how they spend their summers. I always knew a day there was fun escape for all of us-and my kids would have the best time. Even as teenagers they still enjoyed it. It's a great place for kids to be kids and also have some independence," she said.
"There is nowhere in this area that can compare to Noe."
Another Florham Park resident, Amanda Quinn, agreed.
"For us, it was our first summer and it really provided something for all of us. Our twins were able to play in the pond while our son, Declan, ran and swam all day. I got back into racquet sports. We were looking forward to experiencing Noe in its full glory and making lifelong memories there and were devastated by the news," Quinn said.
"I love Noe because I got to make new friends and play with them everyday'' in a safe and fun place, her son, Declan, 9, added.
Emma Hamilton, 10, of Madison, braved the cold and joined the January walk.
"I marched to save Noe because I think it’ s the most wonderful place. I love the sand, the fields, and I love to all the fun things to do in the pond… especially the trampoline," she said.
"And I love that I get to see so many friends and play all day.”
Scarlett Hamilton is 7.
"I want to go back to Noe one day because it’s the best place. I got my gold fish (badge) so now I can do so much at the pond. I don’t think Noe should be turned into buildings. It’s too beautiful and where would the fish go?"
Harrison Mintz is 7.
“Noe is everyone’s favorite place- even animals. This summer, I found a baby turtle swimming in the pond. Without the pond, he can’t swim," he pointed out.
"We did the walk because Noe is a super special place and it is also home to lots of animals," said Charlie Dalton, 6, of Warren Township.
"Noe is a safe place to enjoy and feel normal in 2020”
Brady Valva, 10, of Chatham Township, was also glad he joined the march last month, and hopes it will make a difference.
“I marched to Save Noe pond because it’s really fun and a great place for me and my family to spend the summer! There’s nothing else left in Chatham and it would be too sad if the bulldozers killed it.”
“I think this is important because I have lots of great memories of Noe Pond and I don’t want it to be gone, and building there is bad for the environment and the Great Swamp which is right by there," said Olivia Rein, 12, of Chatham Township. Her dad, Rich Rein, is one of the key organizers of "Save Noe Pond."
To date, no application has been filed before either the Planning Board nor the zoning board in Chatham Township.
According to the Great Swamp Watershed Association, which has teamed with the "Save Noe Pond" group, the historic Noe Pond property was originally part of a larger 800-acre tract of land that was home to a dairy farm and a rose business in the late 1800s, with the Noe greenhouses becoming a focal point of the American rose-growing industry.
Noe Pond itself provided water for the dairy farm and rose business and served as an oasis for families from miles around during warmer weather while supplying ice to the local community during winter months. In 1955, the Noe Pond Club was founded on the property as a swimming and recreation club for local families and quickly became a cornerstone of the local community.
In September 2020, after more than 65 years of operation, the property owners shocked members, employees, and a broad community of diverse stakeholders when they announced the sale of the property to a real estate developer.
A grassroots coalition formed under the banner Save Noe Pond, which is dedicated to protecting the property from development that could bring substantial harm to the wetlands and wildlife on and around the property and the adjacent Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.
“Noe Pond and its surrounding fields and forest have been enjoyed by generations of families in our community,” said Rich Rein, spokesperson for Save Noe Pond.
“Destroying this delicate ecosystem by building a large scale residential real estate development is an attack on our environment and our community.” Rein concluded, “We are thrilled that the Great Swamp Watershed Association will join in our mission to educate the public about this proposal and help protect Noe Pond’s future.”
To date, there are more than 350 members of "Save Noe Pond."
CHATHAM TWP. - It's not just township residents who have now joined the chorus to "Save Noe Pond."
