The Westfield Leader Newspaper

OUR 110th YEAR – ISSUE NO. 48110 FIFTY CENTS (908) 2324407 Thursday, August 3, 2000 USPS 680020 Periodical – Postage Paid at Westfield, N. J. Published Every Thursday

Since 1890

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Ad Populos, Non Aditus, Pervenimus

INDEX

A& E............... Page 19 Business ........ Page 15 Classifieds...... Page 18

Editorial ........ Page 4 Education........ Page 8 Obituary ........ Page 9

Religious ....... Page 7 Social ............ Page 6 Sports ............ Page 11

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Legislation Aimed At Ending Early A. M. Trash Pickups

By JOSH HAMERMAN

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader

Imagine that you have just woken up from a long restful sleep. You yawn and stretch as you usually do, and leave the comfort of your bed to eat breakfast and prepare for what lies ahead for you at the office to the tune of a garbage truck compactor. Suddenly, as you glance at the digital clock, the green numbers 4: 30 jump out at you.

You walk back to your bedroom and check your alarm clock. It is still set to go off at 6: 30 a. m. You realize that it is really 4: 30 a. m., and that your garbage collector’s truck has woken you two hours early.

This scenario has become commonplace in the homes of a rising amount of Westfield residents, including Mayor Thomas C. Jardim. When he was interviewed by The Westfield Leader on July 25, he declared, “I was up at 5: 30 this morning (due to trash collection) and it

angered me. I see no reasonable basis for them (waste haulers) to start at 5: 30 in the morning or even earlier.”

The complaints of town residents on this issue have not gone unheard. With the help of Assemblyman and former Westfield Mayor Richard H. Bagger (R22nd), the State Assembly unanimously passed a bill aimed at constructing a mandatory pickup time schedule for garbage collectors. The bill would force garbage trucks to stay off the road during hours that are deemed too early or too late by towns such as Westfield.

“Westfield has a number of different private haulers, but only a small amount are involved in middle of the night collection. However, this impacts a sizable number of people,” stated Assemblyman Bagger.

However, due to the fact that the State Senate does not meet during the summer, the bill has not become a law, and cannot unless the Senate approves it. According to Mayor Jardim, “It seems to me something that should breeze right through the Senate, but the waste haulers have a very powerful lobby.”

This is not the first time that Westfield politicians have tried to eradicate the early morning racket of garbage cans and trucks. In 1993, an ordinance was passed by the Town Council that limited waste pickup to between 6 a. m. and 7 p. m. Anthony M. LaPorta, a Westfield Planning Board member who was then on the Town Council, spearheaded efforts to pass the ordinance as Solid Waste Committee Chairman.

“The bill that was recently passed by the Assembly makes all the sense in the world,” he said, “When I was on the Town Council, there were numerous complaints about haulers waking people up. We passed an ordinance to stop it from happening, but the haulers took us to court.”

The ordinance was nullified in 1994 by Union County Superior Court Assignment Judge Edward Beglin Jr., who cited that it went against state legislation. State law prohibits towns like Westfield, whose businesses and inhabitants solicit private garbage collection companies, from limiting the pickup hours of haulers. If the town contracted with a waste collector to haul away residents’ garbage bags, then it would have the right to restrict the times when trucks can roam the streets as part of the agreement.

Anthony Cortese, who is a partner in the waste collection firm Arm Carting with his brother, Ronald, is worried about the fate of small collection businesses like his.

“My brother (Ronald) worked for Fanwood Disposal for seven years, which was bought out by Waste Management, Inc. Waste Management owns waste collection businesses all over Europe and the United States, and the smaller garbage collectors are selling out. They are forced to sell out because their routes are stolen, and when they are taken over by Waste Management, they have to turn over their 901 waste hauling licenses as well, which means that they cannot go back into business later. They’re being bought out for life. If small guys like us are not kept

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Labor Commissioner Mr. Boyd Wants To Improve Literacy in Workforce By SUSAN M. DYCKMAN

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader

Officially sworn in as New Jersey’s new Labor Commissioner on July 26, Westfield resident Mark Boyd has set his sights on improving literacy among New Jersey workers.

With six and a half years’ experience in the state’s Department of Labor, Mr. Boyd has seen firsthand how a lack of basic skills severely inhibits a person’s ability to take advantage of the booming economy New Jersey enjoys today.

“It’s a fundamental problem in New Jersey,” he said. “We have too many workers and potential workers who function at the lowest levels of literacy. It seems clear we have a huge basic skills gap.”

With the Garden State’s transformation into a hitech manufacturing and serviceoriented economy, companies require increasingly higher level skills from their employees.

As an example, Mr. Boyd pointed to computers: “There’s nothing you can do with computers if you can’t read.”

The new Labor Commissioner is hoping to address the needs of both present and potential workers and employers with an initiative to improve literacy.

This fall, the Labor Department will propose legislation to expand the existing Workforce Development Partnership Program (WDP), originally created in 1992 by the combined efforts of the AFLCIO, New Jersey Business & Industry Association and the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce.

The WDP was designed to “upgrade the skills of the workforce to compete in the global economy by providing customized training for the incumbent workforce and those who have lost jobs,” explained Mr. Boyd.

What he is proposing is an expansion of that program to include instruction in:

·Reading ·Basic math

·English as a second language, a “critical” element given the high numbers of immigrants in the state

·Life skills, such as being on time for work and managing interpersonal relationships

·Computer basics like using the mouse and keyboard

·Under the Labor Department’s proposal, the literacy component would be funded through a reallocation of some money from the Unem ployment Insurance Tax Fund.

The commissioner’s hope is that, once people learn the basics, they

Courtesy of Governor’s Office

HEAD OF LABOR... New Jersey’s new Labor Commissioner, Mark B. Boyd of Westfield, is sworn into his office by Superior Court Judge Mel Gelade, the former Labor Commissioner. Governor Christine Todd Whitman, who appointed Mr. Boyd, looks on at left.

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New Lightning Devices Placed In Town Parks

By DEBORAH MADISON

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader

To protect residents and visitors from lightning during electrical storms, the Town of Westfield is installing Electrical Storm Identification Devices (ESID) in several public parks. The devices sound an alarm to warn visitors to the park to get off of the fields and take cover when there is an approaching electrical storm.

An ESID has already been in place at the Memorial Pool and Park Complex for several months. Other locations, which will receive the lighting detectors this week are Gumbert Park, Houlihan Field and Sycamore Field. Two devices will be installed at Tamaques Field. Inclement weather has delayed the installation of the systems.

The ESID and devices similar to it have been routinely used in hundreds of golf courses across the country for a number of years, but Westfield is the first municipality in New Jersey to install the devices in public parks.

A number of MidWest areas have also routinely used these types of devices in their public parks and school fields, where severe lightning storms are a more common occurrence, according to Rich Wills, of Edisonbased Todd Harris Company, Inc., the installer of the devices.

The ESID at the Memorial Pool, being centrally located to the other parks, will serve as the main switchboard to the satellite devices at the other parks. If cloud to ground lightning is detected within a 010 mile radius of the main device, all of the satellite devices will sound an alarm. The siren will go off when the main switchboard has detected more than two lightning strikes within a 10mile radius in 15 minutes, or one lightning strike within a fivemile radius of the main device at Memorial Pool.

The main switchboard also shows a digital readout and beeps when it detects lightning within the 1030 mile range or cloud to cloud lightning activity.

This readout allows officials to track the direction and speed of passing storms.

The warning alarm sounds like a singletoned siren and lasts approximately 15 seconds. An allclear dual tone alarm will sound at each location when no lightning strikes have been detected within a 10mile radius for more than 15 minutes. The alarms are 122 decibels at 10 feet from the device and 100 decibels from 50 yards away and can be heard from as far away as 500 yards in front of the device or 150 yards to the rear of the device.

The alarms will be programmed to only go off during normal park hours or for special events so as not to disturb the

Residents Escape Injury During Blaze In Basement of South Ave. Building

By STEVEN KRAKAUER

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader

A fire broke out in a residential dwelling at 210 South Avenue, East, on July 26, leaving residents of the building to find alternate shelter, authorities confirmed this week.

No one was injured in the blaze, which erupted at 4: 58 p. m., according to Westfield Fire Chief John Castellano. The building housed two families, including two members of one family on the top floor and three members of another family on the main level.

The cause of the fire was reported as accidental and caused by the residents

of the house. The fire was reported when a motorist passing by the house spotted smoke coming from the structure and alerted the police and fire departments. When firefighters arrived, they observed smoke on every floor of the house. Smoke was also coming from the roof.

They noticed that the smoke seemed to be originating from the basement. Upon breaking open the basement door, they observed smoke in the basement, which was described as hotter than on the other levels of

the home. There was significant damage to the first and second floor, as well as extensive fire damage to the basement.

The fire department immediately called the Red Cross. Since there was damage to an electrical panel, the fire department called the gas and electric company which services the building.

Personnel from the Westfield/ Mountainside Chapter of the American Red Cross arrived at the scene shortly after 6 p. m. Three of the tenants chose to be temporarily housed for several days by the Red Cross, including a young man from one family and two women from the other family.

Dennis Kinsella, Executive Director of the Westfield/ Mountainside

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Fred Lecomte for The Westfield Leader EARLY MORNING ACCIDENT… Early Thursday morning, when one motorist allegedly cut another off, the driver hit the brake, the brake lining snapped and the car hit the corner of Tullio’s Hair Spectrum in downtown Westfield. The impact of the crash reportedly shook the building, causing the Westfield Fire Department to suggest investigating the building for structural damage.

Cheri Rogowsky for The Westfield Leader MUSICIANS AT THEIR BEST… Jennifer Wright and a fellow member of the Terraplane Blues jam for a packed crowd at “Sweet Sounds Downtown” last week in Westfield. The band, which is always popular with audiences, performed in a concert sponsored by the Downtown Westfield Corporation and the Westfield Area Chamber of Commerce.

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Council Looks to Adopt Rescue Squad Pension By Aug. 25 Deadline for Referendums on Ballot

By PAUL J. PEYTON

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader

With time running out to enact a pension plan for volunteers of the Westfield Rescue Squad, the Town Council is poised to introduce an amended version of the plan approved on first reading last month.

A special meeting is expected to be called on Tuesday, August 22, in order for the council to adopt the ordinance before the looming deadline.

Since the ordinance was introduced last month, the pension plan, called a Length of Service Awards Program (LOSAP), was amended to enhance an individual’s benefits based on years of service.

The plan must be adopted and received by the Union County Clerk by Friday, August 25, in order to be included on the November election ballot.

“Previously, we were giving benefits only on percentage of their attendance; now we’re giving them a percentage of their attendance plus numbers of years of service,” explained Town Attorney William S. Jeremiah, 2nd. In addition, benefits would be based on the level of attendance on duty shifts.

Squad members who have left the organization before being vested (five years of continuous service) can still be vested if they return to active duty within two years.

The pension plan must be adopted by the council in order to be placed on the Election Day ballot as a binding referendum. The LOSAP would cost Westfield $92,000 annually. While the proposed LOSAP is based on an 80member squad, the Westfield squad currently has 65 members.

Mr. Jeremiah said squad members who have reached their first year of eligibility would receive the maxi mum $1,150 deferred compensation

benefit if they achieve 90 percent attendance on their duty periods.

While members who make 70 percent or less of their duty shifts would be eligible for 80 percent of the maximum benefit, that number would increase based on the number of years they have served on the squad.

Mayor Thomas C. Jardim said he would like a more gradual incline of members’ benefits before reaching

the maximum amount. He said the LOSAP as proposed would have all members eligible for the maximum benefit in their first year in the program.

Third Ward Councilman Neil F. Sullivan, Public Safety Committee Chairman, told The Westfield Leader

that the manner in which the ordinance was brought before the council prevented a discussion on including volunteer members of the

Westfield Fire Department within the LOSAP.

He said the auxiliary, or nonpaid, police officers in town are likely not eligible for the pension plan, based on how he has interpreted the state legislation which enabled towns to initiate pension plans for emergency services personnel.

In other business, the Town Council is set to take action Tuesday night

Page 10 Thursday, August 3, 2000 The Westfield Leader and THE TIMES of Scotch Plains – Fanwood A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION

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Garbage PickUps

alive, there’s only going to be one garbage collector in charge of everyone,” he told The Westfield Leader.

In response to criticism from residents, the garbage haulers who service Westfield insist that they have to drive around earlier than usual to avoid causing traffic jams during rush hour.

Joe Bitulli, General Manager of waste collector Statewide Environmental, has said if garbage couldn’t be picked up until, say, 8 or 9 a. m., his trucks would become stuck in rush hour traffic.

There is some hope for the Westfield garbage collection conflict.

Westfield Avenue resident Diana Taylor said she has, “complained to garbage collectors for eight years, and they didn’t listen.”

She since she was quoted in a recent news story, the hauler now picks up her trash at 7 a. m. instead of 4: 30 a. m.

“I’ve noticed that they’re trying to be more quiet. I realize their problem with traffic, but we need our sleep too,” she said.

First Ward Councilman Gregory S. McDermott, who currently chairs the Solid Waste Committee stated, “If the bill is passed, we will have to draft a new ordinance using the verbiage in the bill. We can’t use the exact one drafted in 1993. If we deviate from the verbiage in the bill, we could get ourselves into a legal problem.”

can avail themselves of the many job training programs offered by community colleges, fouryear colleges and career schools.

“Unions run some of the best programs,” he added, but it is hard to find people to take advantage of them.

The next challenge will be to motivate people to take part in the literacy effort.

To that end, Governor Christine T. Whitman created a Literacy Commission composed of representatives from all state departments, including Commissioner Boyd; practitioners in the field of literacy and educators. One of their charges is to create a strategy for delivering the program effectively.

He sees no problem in identifying the individuals who can benefit from basic skills education, utilizing the data bases of Work First New Jersey and the Labor Department’s Customized Training program.

Another task will be to measure the progress of the literacy initiative and the success of its participants.

According to Mr. Boyd, the Literacy Commission will have to create a “qualitative assessment of the starting point for each individual... a measuring stick.”

Part of that measuring stick must be a means of identifying learning disabilities and different learning styles. “It’s not a one size fits all” approach, said Mr. Boyd.

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Labor Commissioner Boyd Seeks To Improve Literacy in Workforce

One alternative method of instruction his department is piloting is a computer literacy program first used by the Department of Defense. Focusing on reading and math skills, it puts all problems into the context of a specific career path, carpentry, for example. The program enables the student to learn the mechanics of math and reading along with the more practical elements of an occupation.

When asked if the Department of Labor would work in concert with the state’s Department of Education on any aspect of the proposed literacy program, Mr. Boyd said there were opportunities for partnership.

While acknowledging the high percentages of students from school districts like Westfield and Scotch PlainsFanwood who go on to college, the commissioner said the “drop out rates are heartbreaking” in special needs districts around the state.

He believes there has to be some kind of “second chance program” for students who drop out of high school — whatever their reason.

“For a drop out, the chances of being able to learn a living wage are really low,” he stated. “It’s a very unforgiving economy if you don’t have basic skills.”

MONDAY, JULY 24

· A West Broad Street resident reported that a second floor window on his home was damaged by unknown persons.

TUESDAY, JULY 25

· A Westfield resident reported that the driver’s side window of his motor vehicle was broken on Highland Avenue.

· A resident of Village Green reported that an unknown individual or persons obtained her name and Social Security number to apply for a credit card without her authorization.

· A Yardley, Pa. resident reported that the front windshield of his motor vehicle was damaged on South Avenue West. It is believed the windshield was struck by a golf ball found nearby.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 26

· Robert Velard, 40, of South Plainfield and Keith Tasnady, 41, of Scotch Plains were arrested and charged with theft of moveable property (scrap metal) from a Springfield Avenue construction site.

Authorities confirmed that Velard was also wanted on a fugitive warrant from the Union County Sheriff’s Department, while Tasnady was wanted on a fugitive warrant from the Municipal Court of Summit. Bail amounts for Velard and Tasnady were set at $10,000 and $10,102, respectively.

FRIDAY, JULY 28

· Floor tiles and stair treads were reported stolen from Franklin Elementary School on Prospect Street.

· A Westfield resident reported the theft of his bicycle, valued at $110, from the north side train station parking lot.

· The theft of a jewelry box and its contents was reported at a Mountain Avenue home. Police said the total value of the missing items is $5,400.

SATURDAY, JULY 29

· An Oneida Drive resident reported that someone drove over her lawn.

SUNDAY, JULY 30

· John Boykin, 49, of Westfield was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes and unlawful possession of a weapon outside his residence.

Police said Boykin, who allegedly chased another man with a knife, was being held in lieu of $20,000 bail at the Union County Jail. The man reportedly threatened by Boykin was not injured.

neighborhood during the night and early morning.

Westfield’s Fourth Ward Councilwoman, Janis Fried Weinstein, and Third Ward Councilman Neil F. Sullivan, who were on the Public Safety Committee last year, were instrumental in getting these devices in place for the town. Mrs. Weinstein had heard about someone in East Orange who was struck by lightning playing baseball in center field on a relatively bluesky day.

Lightning does not always travel straight down and has been known to strike up to 10 miles away from its source. This phenomenon explains how “bluesky lightning” can strike the ground under seemingly clear skies, without any warning of an approaching storm.

“The decision to clear the ball fields used to be based on the coach’s ability to detect lightning and call the game. That method is not reliable,” Mrs. Weinstein noted.

According to Mr. Wills, there are a number of dangers to being caught in a park during an electrical storm. Underground irrigation systems as well as tree roots can transmit lightning charges across an entire field, endangering anyone within the area.

Councilman Sullivan, who did extensive research on lightning fatalities, explained that the ESID system will give park visitors an added measure of protection that the naked eye and ear could not detect.

Hundreds of people are struck by lightning each year with dozens of fatalities. Most victims, however, survive the strike, but often suffer from severe medical injuries.

There is no absolute guarantee of protection from lightning strikes, but precautions can be taken to drastically reduce the chances of being hit during storms.

Experts from the “Lightning Safety Group” (LSG) comprised of meteorologists from around the country, recommend that large enclosed structures tend to be much safer than smaller or open structures, according to the group’s lightning safety

publication. During electrical storms, “high places, open fields, isolated trees, unprotected gazebos, picnic shelters, baseball dugouts, communication towers, flagpoles, light poles, bleachers (metal or wood), metal fences, convertibles, golf carts, and water (ocean, lakes, swimming pools, rivers, etc.) should be avoided.

And when inside a building, “use of the telephone, taking showers, washing hands, doing dishes, or any contact with conductive surfaces with exposure to the outside such as metal doors or window frames, electrical wiring or plumbing should also be avoided.

The LSG group also recommends that an action plan should be in place in advance for outdoor groups of people who may be at risk, such as during large, outdoor events. The main point made by the LSG is that “personal observation of lightning may not be sufficient.”

Cheryl Spera, Memorial Pool Assistant Manager, said the system will take the heat off of pool officials when evacuating the pool due to a possible storm.

“The system will take the guesswork out of our decision to evacuate the swimming pool during storms,” Ms. Spera noted.

Notices of the ESID system have been posted at the pool and frequent announcements have also informed pool members of the device. Signs will be posted in each park containing an alarm explaining the procedure to follow when the siren goes off. Notices will also go out to all Westfield residents explaining the devices and procedures to follow, according to Ms. Weinstein.

“The schools would be wise to follow suit in using these devices for their fields,” Mrs. Weinstein remarked.

“My own kids have been in games where the coaches were too anxious to finish the game even in the face of an imminent electrical storm,” she remarked.

“This will take the subjectivity out of the decision to call the game.”

Red Cross, said, “We have agreements with the local hotels to help them (the victims) get on their feet. We get them started.”

There is no word yet as to when the residents plan to begin reconstruction of the home, but as of press time, they had been advised to find alternate housing. Following the fire, the dwelling was deemed uninhabitable.

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South Avenue Basement Fire

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Lightning Detector Installation Underway in Westfield’s Parks

Ingrid McKinley for The Westfield Leader CAREFUL INSPECTION… The Westfield Motor Vehicle Inspection Facility, located at 410 South Avenue, East, began performing vehicle inspections by appointment only on Tuesday. New Jersey motorists can make appointments now by calling (888) NJMOTOR. The new appointment system was created to decrease waiting times at the Westfield facility, according to James Singer, general manager of Parsons Infrastructure and Technology Group. WESTFIELD

POLICE BLOTTER

www. goleader. com

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Three Israelis Get Taste of America From Summer Program at Local JCC

By STEVEN KRAKAUER

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader

SCOTCH PLAINS -Three students from a small eastern country traveled to America to a small eastern state. Originally from Israel (approximately the size of New Jersey, their current state of housing) Lital Meir, 20, Orit Schnaiderman, 21, and Nadav Tal, 22, are now living in and around Scotch Plains. They are part of the Summer Shlichim program, an exchange program for Israelis to come to America.

The Shlichim program isn’t all for the experience, however. Some of the Israelis are working at the Wilf Jewish Community Campus (JCC) in Scotch Plains while others are working at the Shimon and Sarah Birnbaum JCC in Bridgewater. They are working as senior camp counselors at the Camp Yachad summer programs.

The counselors are staying at host families in the Scotch PlainsFanwood area. They are provided room and board, and a haven for American activity. These families volunteer to host the counselors, and do so during their eightweek stay.

Leah More, host “mother” of Orit, said, “She (Orit) has been very sweet. My boys love her. She’s like a member of the family.” Ms. More is also a member of the camp committee at the JCC.

Nadav, the oldest and only male of the group, has family in the area and came for that reason. He isn’t directly involved in the program, however, he participates as a counselor at the JCC.

All three of the Shlichim counselors have completed their terms in the army before coming to America. To Americans, a very shocking part of Israeli life is the fact that all teenagers after high school must complete an army term. Boys must spend three years and girls have to spend 18 months. After this, they are free to do what they like; whether it’s staying in the army or going to college.

Orit, who was a medic, said, “At times the army was hard. Working with kids is something we really have never done before. It’s a big change.”

Nadav spoke about being a senior counselor as, “much better than he expected.” He said, “I like the kids better in America. They’re good kids. If an American (counselor) went to Jewish camps, the kids would make fun of them.”

Orit chimed in that although she can communicate with the kids, she “has a few grammar problems.”

All the Israel counselors had only positive things to say about the army. Lital said, “We don’t see things the way you (Americans) do. We grow up knowing we will go to the army. It’s just like the

CAMP COUNSELORS… Israeli Counselors take time off from their workday at the Jewish Community Center’s Camp Yachad in Scotch Plains for a picture. Pictured, left to right, are: Lital Meir, Nadav Tal, and Orit Schnaiderman.

way you think about college after high school.”

Nadav, who was a commander in the infantry, has many memories of the battlefield. He was stationed in Lebanon for eight months, and saw everything from fatally wounded soldiers to bombs falling deathly close to him and killing members of his troop. He said, however, that the only thing he’s ever killed was a pig.

“We’re supposed to shoot anything we see in the dark,” he said laughing, “It gets so boring at night. What are you going to do?”

Additionally, his best friend was killed three months after he left the army.

He spoke freely about the naďveness of American teens.

He said, “They like to ask me about the army. Not so much the campers, but the counselors. They are the same age as the soldiers I commanded, but they say, ‘I don’t think I could do that’. They say, ‘I’m lucky I was born in America’. They’re just not used to it.”

The counselors have many jobs at their respective JCC’s. First of all, they are responsible for a group of kids ranging from first to sixth grade. Also, they brought materials from their training sessions in Israel to produce extracurricular activities for the campers. The counselors located on the Bridgewater campus (Nadav and Orit) spend two days a week going on excursions ranging from Yankees games to rafting trips to Hard Rock Cafe visits.

The program of the Summer Shlichim has been around now for over 25 years.

This summer, there are almost 900 Israeli counselors in the U. S. and Canada.

Melanie Rosenkranz, U. S. Shlichim Program Coordinator, explained how Israelis can be a part of this invaluable program. She said, “We put out ads in all the local Israel newspapers. We also put signs up at all of the universities.”

Susan Lemerman is the Adult Services Director for the Scotch Plains JCC and has been influential in bringing the Summer Shlichim to the Scotch Plains and Bridgewater JCC campuses.

Speaking of the Israeli counselors, she said, “The children find them fascinating because they (the counselors) are from another country and speak a different language.” This program has now been going on for two years at the JCC in Scotch Plains and it’s sister campus in Bridgewater.

Another key figure, and the “boss” of all the counselors is Camp/ Teen Director Robin Brous. When asked about Lital Meir (the only Israeli counselor at the Wilf JCC campus) she said, “She’s wonderful. We want to keep her forever.”

She also believes strongly in the success of the program and stated, “There really is so much for the kids and them (the counselors) to learn. There is so much of the American/ Israeli experience in being with kids. It’s also the best way for campers to learn about Israel.”

The Israeli counselors get paid very little, but are happy with their jobs so far. All the counselors have enjoyed the United States, and wish to remain here even after their counseling job is over. Lital and Orit are traveling through the country, while Nadav, who’s has the majority of his family living in the U. S., will attempt to get “his own place” and stay in the U. S. for awhile.

“I hear the rent is a lot higher (than in Israel) in the U. S.” he said.

Everyone involved in the program has seemed to come back with positive results, from the campers to the counselors to the host families.

As Ms. Brous put it, “It’s all about the sharing.”

Ingrid McKinley for The Westfield Leader POPULAR VEGETABLES… Throughout the area, local churches are holding vacation Bible camps during the summer. Giant vegetables, representing “Veggie Tales,” a popular children’s series of Christian educational materials, stand outside of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Westfield. In cooperation with the church, children attending the camp will make donations to the Westfield Food Pantry and the Interfaith Council for the Homeless.

to lease 46 spaces for downtown workers at The Presbyterian Church in Westfield.

The town hired Michiganbased Rich and Associates to formulate a plan to solve a shortage of parking for the main three entities in town: commuters, downtown employees and shoppers.

As per recommendations in its “Comprehensive Parking Plan,” the consultant has said two multilevel structures, on both sides of the railroad tracks, are necessary to solve Westfield’s parking woes.

Council members and officials have been pursuing other avenues to increase Westfield’s parking ca pacity, including contacting area

churches to see if their lots might be available.

In an unrelated issue, Martin Wallberg Post No. 3 of the American Legion has agreed to sell space on the left hand side of the building at no cost to the town for use for parking for Public Works employees.

Charles Townsend, Chairman of the Legion’s Finance Committee, told The Westfield Leader that the lot would generate 26 spaces for the town. It would also be used in the evening for parking for performances at the Westfield Community Players theater, located across the street from the American Legion.

On another item, the council is set to approve a resolution requesting that the Planning Board conduct a study of the perimeter of South and Central Avenues and Grove Street to Grandview Avenue, Windsor Avenue and South Avenue to see if the area qualifies as a redevelopment area per the state’s Local Redevelopment and Housing Law as adopted in 1992.

Among the criteria are whether the buildings in the proposed area are substandard, unsafe, unsanitary, dilapidated or obsolescent, thus making the living and working environment in the area “unwholesome.”

Another item for review is whether the poor condition of the buildings has resulted in a “lack of proper utilization” of the area.

Council Looks to Adopt Rescue Squad Pension by Aug. 25 Deadline

dvanarelli. lawoffice. com