By Karen Keene

Monmouth Conservation Foundation (MCF) hosted a dedication ceremony on Saturday, December 9, 2023 for a new seating area at Swimming River Park in Middletown that pays tribute to Judith Stanley Coleman (1935 – 2010). The memorial was funded by donations to MCF in memory of Stanley Coleman, who was MCF’s Co-Founder and served as the nonprofit land trust’s president for over thirty years.

Stanley Coleman co-founded MCF with Michael Huber (1927 – 2009) in 1977, and the organization’s mission is to acquire and preserve open space and farmland and conserve natural habitats throughout Monmouth County in support of outdoor recreation, agriculture, clean water, and wildlife for long-term sustainability. She served as past chairman of the Middletown Planning Board and was instrumental in putting Middletown's then proposed Open Space Tax question on the voting ballot, where the Middletown residents approved it by a large margin in 1999. She then became a member of the Middletown Open Space Committee upon its inception.

“Judith Stanley Coleman was critically instrumental in preserving beautiful tracts of open space in Monmouth County,” said County Commissioner and Liaison to the Park System Ross Licitra. “The County Commissioners are eager to carry on her legacy and work to preserve additional parklands that can be enjoyed by our residents for generations to come.”

William Kastning, Executive Director of MCF, and Mary Tassini, Trustee Emeritus for MCF, served as the event’s emcees and shared fond memories of Stanley Coleman.

“MCF is honored to pay tribute to our late friend and visionary co-founder, Judith Stanley Coleman, who led our organization for more than three decades and set the course for preserving the open spaces, parks, and farmland, which make Monmouth County so special. We are grateful to the generous donors who supported the memorial at Swimming River Park,” said Kastning.

Kastning and several other attendees, including former New Jersey State Senator Jennifer Beck and former Holmdel Mayor Larry Fink – both members of MCF’s Board of Trustees – credited Stanley Coleman with mentoring aspects of their careers and engaging them in land preservation efforts. Monmouth County Commissioner Director Thomas Arnone spoke about Monmouth County’s beautiful green spaces and the County’s commitment to upholding them, such as through our diverse park offerings. Monmouth County Commissioner Lillian Burry, an Ex-Officio member of MCF’s Board of Trustees, gave heartfelt remarks paying homage to Stanley Coleman and her civic and private work to preserve land in Monmouth County, where Stanley Coleman was a lifelong resident.

The speakers highlighted many of the land preservation and park creation projects MCF played a critical role in during Stanley Coleman’s tenure, including the 416-acre Chase Tract in Holmdel, which became part of Holmdel Park and two adjacent, preserved farms; the 84-acre Hunt’s Crossing Easement on McClees Creek in Middletown; and the 1,200-acre Princeton Nurseries property – a multi-County effort.

At the event, Kastning cited Swimming River Park as a shining example of MCF’s collaborative work with public and private partners to protect and share green space with our community. An effort nearly a decade in the making, Swimming River Park opened last May following the successful collaboration of the Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners, Monmouth County Park System, and MCF to create the new 18-acre County park. The County acquired two parcels of waterfront property in 2015 and 2018, both with assistance from MCF, which were previously private lands home to Chris’ Landing and Chris’ Deli & Liquor in the River Plaza section of Middletown.

MCF and the Park System oversaw different stages of the necessary site clean-up and remediation, including a capping process to make the site safe and usable by the public. These efforts were supported by funding from the Hazardous Discharge Site Relief Fund (HDSRF) through the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA). Ultimately, the partners’ efforts to create Swimming River Park preserved green space and are restoring a natural watershed at the confluence of the Navesink and Swimming Rivers for the permanent benefit of Monmouth County residents and visitors.

Two of Stanley Coleman’s four daughters, Catherine Niederer and Andrea Huber, were in attendance and remarked how happy their mother would have been to see this project come to fruition. Attendees enjoyed an unseasonably warm and sunny day at the dedication, ending with a bald eagle soaring overhead. Many commented on the beautiful setting being perfectly suited to honoring Judy’s legacy.

See the Two River Times coverage of this event.