What will happen to the big-bang theory's Horn Antenna? Holmdel residents pitch ideas

HOLMDEL – The township finally has control over a unique piece of cosmological history. Now it has to figure out what to do with it.

On Tuesday afternoon, the township finalized its purchase of 35 acres of open space on a site which includes the Horn Antenna. The park was the subject of a years-long effort by the township and local activists to prevent development at the site.

Holmdel’s Horn Antenna was vital in the discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation in 1964. That proved to be crucial evidence of the big-bang theory, which argues the universe was created with an enormous explosion a little under 14 billion years ago.

The Township Committee announced on Tuesday that the new park will be renamed the Dr. Robert Wilson Park, after the astronomer and Holmdel resident who helped make the discovery. Arno Penzias, Wilson’s partner in the discovery, died on Monday in San Francisco at 90. According to an obituary in the New York Times, Penzias died as a result of complications from Alzheimer’s disease.

Robert W. Wilson, left, and Arno Penzias, Bell Lab employees who won the 1978 Nobel Prize in physics, are shown standing in front of their microwave Horn Antenna at Bell Labs in Holmdel, N.J., Oct. 17, 1978. (AP Photo)

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Now the township is soliciting input from the public about what to do with the park. People are encouraged to email their suggestions to [email protected].

Rakesh Antala with Crawford Hill Holding LLC will continue to own the former Nokia building on the site. In October, Committee member DJ Luccarelli said the building could contain retail, office and public spaces similar to Bell Works.

The purchase price of $5.5 million from Antala, announced by the township in October, includes a $750,000 donation back to the township for improvements at the new park.

A draft concept plan of the Crawford Hill site renamed Dr. Robert Wilson Park

A ribbon cutting is expected to take place in the spring.

“I’m very pleased with how the whole negotiation turned out at Crawford Hill. The previous owner was in some cases vilified. He didn’t deserve that,” Wilson said during Tuesday’s township meeting, “I’m glad that it worked out, that everyone’s happy.”

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What should they do with it?

Residents and activist organizations have already began sending suggestions to the township administrator of what they would like to see at the site.

Sarbmeet Kanwal, a Holmdel resident and a physics professor at Brookdale Community College in Middletown, described his suggestions as grand, but recommended aiming “for the best and see what we can achieve with whatever budget that we can salvage.”

He said he would like to see an education center built to reflect the Horn Antenna in some way. For the center itself, he proposed two storylines that could be told using immersive technology. He said the first could tell the story of the discovery of the cosmic microwave background radiation and second could tell the story of the evolution of the cosmos. He proposed a classroom area for students and an area for reflection.

“The third thing that I think is important is to honor the ground that the Horn Antenna is on,” Kanwal said. “We should honor the indigenous people that owned and lived on this land a long time ago. And not just honor them because I think that’s an easy thing to do, but also involve them in some ways if we can.”

He asked that the township form a volunteer board to oversee proposals and he volunteered himself.

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Jen Ashkar with Holmdel’s Citizens for Informed Land Use sent an email stating that the organization would like the township to build an education center, a public observation desk with telescopes, a STEM-themed playground that explores the elements of physics, a monument dedicated to the county’s highest point, and trails connecting to other parks in the township.

Sheila Gilstein of Preserve Holmdel echoed Citizens for Informed Land Use’s proposal and included restrooms and a picnic area.

Who will pay?

In October, Committee member Luccarelli stated that the township had $2 million in its Open Space, Recreation and Floodplain Protection, Farmland and Historic Preservation Trust Fund. The township’s chief financial officer, Bill Antonides, had said the rest of the cost to buy the property would come from the township borrowing from itself, which would prevent an increase in residents’ taxes as a result of the acquisition.

Robert Wilson, left, and Arno Penzias, 1978 Nobel Prize winners for their discovery of the “Big Bang” theory of the universe’s creation, are photographed in front of the famous Horn Antenna in Holmdel.

On Tuesday, the township voted to apply for grants and loans under the state’s Green Acres Program. The application includes the installation of fencing around both the Horn Antenna and the park’s perimeter, the removal of certain trees, the addition of lighting on site and the demolition of 10 building sites that include storage facilities and trailers.

The application also proposes a 2,000-square-foot education center and restroom at a cost of $420,000, which does not including the bathroom’s septic system and water service installation.

Committee member Brian Foster said the township is also looking into grants that are geared specifically toward funding historic preservation.

“It is our responsibility to ensure that future generations have the opportunity to marvel at the Holmdel Horn Antenna and appreciate the breakthroughs it facilitated,” Mayor Rocco Impreveduto said. “This preservation effort is an investment in the educational enrichment of our communities and a celebration of the human spirit’s quest for understanding.”

He said, “Now, and forever, people of all ages will be able to stand atop the highest point in Monmouth County, dream of the never-ending cosmos, and reach for the stars.”

Olivia Liu is a reporter covering transportation, Red Bank and western Monmouth County. She can be reached at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: What will happen to the big-bang theory’s Horn Antenna? Holmdel residents pitch ideas