Prohibited Utility Pole Signs On Latest Holmdel Committee Agenda

HOLMDEL, NJ - The five-member Holmdel Township Committee is set to discuss an ordinance prohibiting attaching signs to utility poles and an ordinance prohibiting the outdoor release of balloons as well as a road works program change order at its next meeting on Feb. 9, according to municipal documents.

Here are the highlights of the agenda:

• While Holmdel Township awarded a contract to P & A Construction for the 2020 Road Program for $1,595,904.82, P & A Construction has since submitted a change order decreasing the amount by $81,439.82. The change order is on the table to be approved by the committee.

• An ordinance prohibiting signs attached to utility poles - or near public rights of way - is also scheduled to be discussed. The proposed ordinance comes as the township has identified an ongoing practice of individuals attaching signs to poles they do not own. “The township finds that this affixing of signs to utility poles is injurious to the public health, safety, and welfare, specifically because such signs detract from the natural scenic beauty and aesthetic features of Holmdel’s roadways, and further present as a dangerous and unnecessary distraction to motorists,” the ordinance draft reads. Signs and obstructive objects on utility poles are already barred from the following traffic islands: Holmdel Road & Crawfords Corner Road, Holmdel Road and Roberts Road, Crawfords Corner Road and Red Hill Road, Hillcrest Road and Bethany Road, Everett Road and American Way, Middletown Road and Stillwell Road and Middletown Road and East Main Street.

• An ordinance prohibiting intentional release of balloons will be addressed. As per the ordinance, it will be prohibited to release balloons inflated with helium or any other gas that is lighter than air within the Township of Holmdel limits, with the exception of balloons released on behalf of a governmental agency or for scientific purposes, hot air balloons that are recovered after launching or Balloons released indoors. Any person found in violation is guilty of an ordinance violation punishable by a fine not to exceed the sum of $500. “The township finds that the intentional release of balloons is injurious to the health, safety, and welfare due to its negative impact upon the environment, and it therefore seeks to proscribe this practice,” the ordinance draft reads.

Read the full agenda here.

The Holmdel Township Committee meeting will be available to watch live on Zoom here (Meeting ID: 815 4794 0364, Pass code: 443417). It will begin at 6:30 p.m. with an executive session. The public session is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

You can dial into the meeting by calling (312) 626 6799.