Laurelwood demolition in progress

NOPE has obviously been quiet publicly since the announcement of the federal government buyout of the Laurelwood housing complex on Naval Weapons Station Earle in Colts Neck, but continues to track any new developments until the 300 homes are demolished.

Capt. D.J. (Fuzz) Harrison yesterday informed NOPE Communications Director Diana Piotrowski that the demolition phase is in progress and is scheduled for completion by October 13.  We appreciate the Captain's quick response and open communication with the community on this front, and will communicate any new info with our followers through that period.

Completion of the demolition will, for all intents and purposes, mark the end of NOPE's three-year-plus mission, which could not have succeeded without the support of so many residents of Earle's surrounding communities and a number of elected officials locally, state-wide and federally.

Please stay tuned for any new information on this and the eventual dispersal of the group's remaining funds (around $1,400 - all garnered through local donations at NOPE community briefings), which will be directed to two military veterans-oriented causes the NOPE leadership has identified.

USS Bataan completes ammunition on-load at NWS Earle

As we await word on our request for a copy of the Laurelwood military housing buyout agreement and demolition schedule from our elected officials, NOPE's objectors should take a look at this story, which gets to the root about our group's initial objection to proposed civilian housing at NWS Earle -- the base is still active and has a mission-critical job to perform.  The last thing that the base commander and forces needed was to serve as a police force to a civilian housing community inside its boundaries.

According to this piece, NWS Earle personnel helped the ship load nearly 1,000 pallets of ordnance during a recent four-day mission. Among the products loaded...and typically stored within 300 or so bunkers at the expansive 11,000-acre-plus weapons facility in Monmouth County -- were "bombs, aircraft missiles, ship-launched missiles, rockets, small arms ammunition, demolition materials and the ship's defense ammunition."

Kudos to the individuals who completed this mission to the benefit of our national defense, and again to the elected officials and members of our communities who banded together in objecting to a civilian housing proposal at NWS Earle that would have endangered the base itself and its continued mission as a vital ordnance hub to the U.S. Military.