About 100 residents of Knowlton, White and surrounding communities let their feelings on
proposed mega-warehouses known during a protest at the intersection of Routes 46 and 59 on June 13th.
Clad in orange t-shirts, they were protesting the application before the White Township
Planning Board for 2.6 million square feet of warehouse space, which officials of several
municipalities say will result in hundreds of tractor-trailers being added to Route 46, particularly through Knowlton.
“It’s just going to be non-stop traffic, 24/7,” said Tom Bolosky of Citizens for Sensible
Development, a grass-roots group that has been organizing resistance to the plans since they were first proposed by Jaindl Land Development Co. more than three years ago.
“The rally at this intersection today is by far the biggest we’ve had,” Bolosky said.
The 6:00 p.m. rally was planned to precede a 7:00 p.m. meeting of the White Planning Board at the nearby Municipal Building.
The numbers of people at the rally who then marched into the meeting were enough to force the Planning Board to postpone, which would have included testimony on the Jaindl project, to July 11th, when it will be moved to a larger venue at White Township School.
The protesters remained on sidewalks and highway berms and did not block rush-hour traffic. Waving banners and signs, they encouraged responses from passing motorists including, ironically, many truckers and even the driver of an Amazon van, although it should be noted that Jaindl has not named any specific tenants for the planned warehouses.
Bolosky said the group will be there again at 6:00 p.m. on July 11th in advance of the 7:00 p.m. Planning Board meeting. He added that he hopes to get additional residents from Knowlton and other communities that will be directly impacted by truck traffic from the project to participate.
“Bring your friends, bring your grandchildren,” Bolosky said.
Let us spell it out for you: “Stop Jaindl.” Photo by J. Phalon, 6/2023
Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer
Joe was lured out of retirement by the opportunity to be a part of the Ridge View Echo. During a decades-long career in publishing and journalism, he has covered government on many levels from local school boards to the United States Supreme Court.
Along the way, Joe has worked at American Lawyer Magazine, The National Law Journal and The Record among other publications, and as the Press Officer of Columbia Law School. His work has been recognized with several first place awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and the New Jersey Press Association.
Being part of the Ridge View Echo brings Joe back to his roots and the kind of news coverage he loves: Telling the stories of people and local communities as well as keeping an eye on how their money is spent by their government officials.
Joe lives in Blairstown with his wife Rose, the founder of Quilting for a Cause, and their two wiener dogs. He is an artist in his spare time.
