The Westfield Leader Newspaper

OUR 110th YEAR – ISSUE NO. 24110 FIFTY CENTS (908) 2324407 Thursday, February 17, 2000 USPS 680020 Periodical – Postage Paid at Westfield, N. J. Published Every Thursday

Since 1890

CYAN YELLOW MAGENTA BLACK

Ad Populos, Non Aditus, Pervenimus

INDEX

A& E............... Page 23 Classifieds ..... Page 20 County .......... Page 2

Editorial ........ Page 4 Mountainside Page 3 Obituary ........ Page 10

Religious ....... Page 11 Social ............ Page 6 Sports ............ Page 13

Cheri Rogosky for The Westfield Leader RENOVATION ROADBLOCKS… The renovation plans for Sycamore Field in Westfield have hit some roadblocks, according to Westfield Town Councilman Neil F. Sullivan. The park still is not ready for public use.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

Saga of Westfield’s Sycamore Park Continues As Renovation Project Hits Series of Roadblocks

By FRED ROSSI

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader

Westfield’s Sycamore Field, which underwent a renovation beginning seven months ago, is still is not ready for public use.

The park on Sycamore Avenue, behind the South Side Fire Station on Central Avenue, has been unusable since early last summer due to a variety of factors, including contractors errors and delays and last summer’s drought.

Officials, who originally said the work would be completed by last fall, now are saying they are uncertain when the park will be completed and ready for use.

When it comes to the lengthy, and continuing saga of the refurbishing of the town’s south side park, “everything that could go wrong has gone wrong,” says Third Ward Councilman Neil F. Sullivan, who lives in the area.

The original intent of the project, Mr. Sullivan told The Westfield Leader, was to repair “a playing surface that needed to be revitalized” by improving the soccer field’s drainage and installing a new sprinkler system and new sod.

Mr. Sullivan said he had also favored expanding the playground area, noting that the Sycamore facility was the only one available to residents in that section of town.

The Town Council approved the $120,000 plan, which was funded by the town and a $60,000 matching grant from the Union County Pocket

Parks program. The approval was given in mid1998, but work did not start until seven months ago.

Since last summer, the park, which consists of a soccer field and a playground area, has continued to languish in a state of halfcompletion.

Early on, the sidewalk along Sycamore Avenue was ripped up for weeks until the Town’s Public Works Department took it upon itself to make repairs and alleviate residents’ safety concerns.

A major problem arose shortly thereafter, when it was discovered

that a fire hydrant behind the firehouse that was to supply water to the new sprinkler system was actually a dry hydrant used for firefighter training.

This resulted in a delay of several weeks while efforts were made to have Elizabethtown Water Company hook up the hydrant to an active water source.

“The original plan was to connect all sprinklers to a pipe that wasn’t there,” Mr. Sullivan said.

After the sod was laid, “then there was the drought last summer,” which

led to severe water restrictions, Mr. Sullivan pointed out. Even if the sprinklers had been up and running, he doubted if the sod would have effectively taken to the soil, due to the water cutbacks.

The drought basically ended in midSeptember when Tropical Storm Floyd soaked the area with several inches of rain, further threatening an effective setting of the newlylaid sod.

Another problem arose when the playground area was unexpectedly enclosed by a concrete barrier that the planner, Kinsey & Associates, said was designed to hold in the wood chips spread around the area.

In addition, while the barrier was being constructed, the existing playground equipment “was not properly stored by the contractor,” Mr. Sullivan said. “They were literally uprooted and turned on their side.” He wants the two units inspected to make sure they’re still safe.

Mr. Sullivan also wants very much to add a third piece of playground equipment, one that is geared more towards younger children. The two existing modules are suitable for those five years old and older, he said, and he thinks a third module should be able to be safely enjoyed by toddlers.

The Councilman is disturbed not only by the delays in completing the work on the park, which was supposed to have been done by midautumn, but also by the fact that it

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

Planning Board Sets Meeting Tonight To Mull Preservation

By INGRID McKINLEY

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader

Following the approval of an East Broad Street subdivision that will result in the relocation of an 18th century house, a working session of the Westfield Planning Board tonight will tackle the topic of potential amendments to the town’s existing historic preservation ordinances.

The public session will begin at 7: 30 p. m. in the Council Chambers in the Westfield Municipal Building, and will include members of the Westfield Historic Preservation Commission, the Architectural Review Board and the Planning Board.

Scheduled to speak will be Bonnie Danser, Chairwoman of the Westfield Historic Preservation Commission.

Ms. Danser told The Westfield Leader she believes modifications need to be made to the current ordinance regarding historic properties.

During the 1970’s, the state of New Jersey developed state legislation governing how a town council can zone properties, as well as delineating the role of the individual town’s Board of Adjustment and Planning Board.

In tandem, during the 1980’s, the Westfield Town Council enacted regulations in reference to historic properties.

A 1991 revision to the state statutes clarified the municipality’s role in historic preservation.

“Westfield does not comply with state statutes, which authorize the town council to regulate development of historic properties,” Ms. Danser said. “The current ordinance, drafted years ago, needs to be updated from its original form to comply with state law.”

She declined to discuss the matter further until Thursday’s meeting is held.

Also invited to speak at the meeting will be Mary Krugman, former Chairwoman of the Historic Preservation Commission in Montclair.

Ms. Krugman will speak about a situation similar to the recent East Broad Street subdivision that occurred in Montclair.

Finally, upon a reexamination of current zoning ordinances, the Planning Board has identified potentially new zoning, and will discuss creating stronger planning ordinances.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

Westfield School Officials on Alert About Strangers Approaching Pupils By MELISSA A. BETKOWSKI

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader

In light of several incidents near three separate Westfield schools in which drivers of automobiles either approached or watched students as they were walking, school officials have been put on alert by the Police Department.

According to Westfield Police Chief Anthony J. Scutti, the incidents at Franklin Elementary School and Roosevelt Intermediate School were related, while a recently reported incident at Wilson Elementary School was not.

On February 10, it was reported that three Wilson Elementary School girls walking home from school noticed a “suspicious” car with a man sitting inside was parked on a street.

In relation to the incident at Wilson, a suspect was brought in for questioning, but was not charged. The man told police that he was going to Roselle Park and had gotten lost.

Chief Scutti noted that the suspect in the Wilson incident was located based on a license plate number. He urged witnesses to notice license plate numbers if possible.

A similar incident occurred near Roosevelt Intermediate School when a man stopped to try to ask a girl directions and she thought he was attempting to lure her into his vehicle. The driver also was brought into the police for questioning and he

explained he was trying to seek directions. In all reported incidents, Chief Scutti said, the suspects have not gotten out of the car. However, he said that when it’s the same indi

Ingrid McKinley for The Westfield Leader LET’S TAKE A RIDE… Erin Haley, a resident of Plainfield, takes her horse Siegfried out for a ride at the Watchung Stables in Mountainside. Several horses and their owners have recently had the opportunity for a workout because of the milder weather.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

A WESTFIELD HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT’S POINT OF VIEW

Town Meeting Failed in Addressing Real Issues Between Students, Parents

By MATTHEW J. SEAGULL

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader

Earlier this month, Superintendent of Schools Dr. William J. Foley called a Town Meeting to discuss the results of a survey given to 8th and 11th graders to help parents better understand their children. The meeting was also called in hopes that students would not take out guns and shoot each other, such as happened in Littleton, Colo. last year.

At the meeting, blame was placed on police treating students badly, the

rise in alcohol use, depression, access to guns and relationships with parents.

While the intentions of helping parents better understand their children were good, the meeting did not get the job done.

First, the meeting brought up the results from the student survey. It was mentioned that alcohol use among students rose from 8th to 11th grade. Some parents gasped at these statistics. How could this come as a surprise?

Westfield High School (WHS) junior Brett Friedman is also puzzled. “The only good that comes from comparing 8th graders to 11th grad ers is to show that people change

from junior high to high school. It shouldn’t be shocking that more 11th graders drink than 8th graders. The only shocking part was when the parents gasped when they heard it.”

It was a big mistake on the Board of Education’s part to compare the two classes because there are so many changes that occur in a child’s life because of puberty and environment changes. It would have been equally successful if they had compared 11th graders to 5th graders.

Another problem with the Town Meeting was the blame put on policemen. While the question on who

Cheri Rogowsky for The Westfield Leader SWEETS FOR THE SWEET… Kaycie O’Donnell, 5, of Westfield learned all about the important ingredients for a happy Valentine’s Day during the “Historic Valentines” program at the MillerCory House Museum in Westfield.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

Preliminary Town Budget Shows $1.011 Mil. Increase

By PAUL J. PEYTON

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader

This year’s Westfield municipal budget may be one of the more challenging in recent memory as the Town Council tries to fund a number of new programs and expand municipal operations, while maintaining a stable tax rate.

Former Town Administrator Edward A. Gottko presented the Town Council with a budget of $24.6 million, an increase of 4.06 percent or $1,011,207 over last year. Taxes account for about half of the revenue utilized to support the municipal budget.

Mr. Gottko noted that revenue numbers such as state aid have yet to be calculated into the budget.

He said preliminary budget estimates show a tax increase of between five and six cents per $100 of assessed valuation. Last year’s municipal budget saw a four cent rise in municipal taxes. He said in past years, the town has gone into the budget process looking at an increase of as much as eight cents.

That number, however, has dropped when additional revenue sources were calculated and after the council made adjustments. Mr. Gottko said the tax levies have been in the three to four cent range the past few years. One cent accounts for around $180,000 in spending.

The council had one of its more aggressive capital budgets last year when the town purchased equipment and trucks for its Public Works Department, as well as a new pumper truck for the fire department.

The first payment of $257,000, as part of last year’s Union County

Improvement Authority lease program, is factored into the appropriations side of the budget this year. This year, the council has been

asked to consider a number of proposals that could have a direct impact on taxes. Among the proposals, which are

Pool SignUp Changes Gain

Council Nod By PAUL J. PEYTON

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader

Addressing the first sellout at the Westfield Memorial Pool in its 30year history last summer, the Town Council Tuesday introduced an ordinance to implement a new system for issuing pool permits.

If adopted by the council on Tuesday, February 29, the new registration system would begin on Monday, March 13.

Those residents who had pool permits last summer would have first crack this year. Their registrations would be accepted until 60 percent of the capacity of 9,000 persons has been reached.

In April, all residents, regardless if they were registered last year, would have the opportunity to sign up until 80 percent of the facility’s capacity is reached.

All residents and nonresidents would be permitted to register in May until full capacity at the pool is achieved. Pool officials said the town must open the pool to nonresidents since part of the Memorial Pool site is designated in the inventory of Green Acres lands. This is necessary given the fact that state funds were utilized when the pool was originally built.

Also, new daily guest fees would be implemented as follows: $20 for adults 18 to 64 ($ 25 per day on holidays and weekends), and $10 for individuals under 18 and senior citizens ($ 15 per day on holidays and

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

Page 12 Thursday, February 17, 2000 The Westfield Leader and THE TIMES of Scotch Plains – Fanwood A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION

CYAN YELLOW MAGENTA BLACK

Republicans Charge Politics in Mayor’s Committee Assignments

By PAUL J. PEYTON

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader

WESTFIELD — Last month’s release of standing committee assignments for the Westfield Town Council did not sit well with some Republican members of the governing body.

Mayor Thomas C. Jardim, a Democrat, released the assignments on January 28.

At a council conference meeting February 1, First Ward Councilman Gregory S. McDermott and Second Ward Councilman Matthew P. Albano expressed their displeasure with the naming of Claire Lazarowitz, just sworn into office to replace twoterm Third Ward Councilman John J. Walsh, as the new Chairwoman of the Public Works Committee.

Having served as Solid Waste Committee Chairman the past two years, Mr. McDermott was looking to move up to chair the Public Works Committee.

“What it means to me is that either I am not qualified to take on that kind of responsibility or it is strictly a political assignment,” he told The Westfield Leader.

Mr. McDermott said he should have received this assignment, given the fact he served on the Public Works Committee last year and was chairman of a related committee, Solid Waste, the past two years. In addition, he has been serving as Liaison to the Downtown Westfield Corporation Board of Directors, the entity that runs the town’s special improvement district operation.

Mr. McDermott proposed to Mayor Jardim in an email on January 28 that Ms. Lazarowitz take on the traditional “rookie” assignment of Solid Waste Committee Chairwoman. He suggested that he stay on as a member of the Solid Waste Committee and move up to Chairman of Public Works.

Mayor Jardim told council members on February 1 that he “wanted to keep the continuity” of the committees from last year.

Councilman Albano said he felt a “more experienced” council member such as Mr. McDermott should chair Public Works. “It’s an important committee,” he remarked.

When pressed by Republicans to consider Mr. McDermott’s recommendation, Mayor Jardim commented, “I made the decision and I am going to stick to it.”

When contacted by The Leader,

Monday, Mayor Jardim said he originally proposed Councilman Albano to chair Public Works. But when Mr. Albano declined the assignment, “I had to go back to square one.” He said giving Ms. Lazarowitz all Mr. Walsh’s assignments was the best solution.

“I think Claire will do an excellent job,” he said. Councilwoman Lazarowitz told

The Leader and The Times her flexibility in being able to meet with Town Engineer and Director of Public Works Kenneth B. Marsh and scheduling committee meetings is a plus.

“I’m a smart cookie, I’ll figure it out,” she said.

Council members, who are up for election every two years, often covet the Public Works committee assignment. The committee reviews all road projects that now total hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.

Major committees include Transportation, Parking and Traffic; Laws and Rules, and Public Works. All three have been mostly chaired by Democrats since Mayor Jardim took office in 1997.

“And nobody (Republicans) ever says a word,” Mr. McDermott stated.

Mr. McDermott also proposed removing First Ward Councilman Carl A. Salisbury from the Public Works Committee and placing him on the Building and Town Property Committee, where he would take the place of Mr. McDermott.

In the end, though, Mayor Jardim opted to simply plug Councilwoman Lazarowitz’s name into the assignments previously held by Mr. Walsh. In addition to Public Works, she was assigned to the Finance and Solid Waste Committees and to the liaison panel to the Board of Education with Mr. Goldman and Mr. McDermott. Ms. Lazarowitz also serves as council liaison to the Union County League of Municipalities.

While not critical of Ms. Lazarowitz, Mr. McDermott told

The Leader and The Times, “honestly, she was being used as a pawn.”

“She is a council member who was selected by the Democratic Committee to replace a Democrat and she takes a spot on one of the most powerful or visible committees that we have. So the mayor bypasses every member of the council who was elected and awarded this to a person who was not elected,” Mr. McDermott said.

As for the other committees, which remain the same from last year, Mr. Albano will again chair Building and Town Property; Second Ward Councilman James J. Gruba will continue to head up the Finance Committee, and Fourth Ward Councilman Lawrence A. Goldman will lead the Laws and Rules Committee.

Third Ward Councilman Neil F. Sullivan, Jr. will chair the Public Safety Committee for the second straight year, with Mr. Salisbury chairing the Parking Committee and Fourth Ward Councilwoman Janis Fried Weinstein heading Personnel Policy.

has been unusable for so long, forcing area residents to go to parks elsewhere in town.

“If we’re taking fields out of circulation, we have to do this in a wellthought out manner,” he said, because Westfield’s parks are already overtaxed.

He expressed his hope that lessons have been learned in the renovation of Sycamore Field, one of the town’s smaller parks, and that there won’t be a repeat, and a more expensive one at that, when a larger field, such as Memorial Park, undergoes refurbishment.

He added that there have not been any discussions at the council level or at the Recreation Commission about holding the contractor, Gulla Construction, Inc. of Suffern, N. Y., financially responsible for the delays and planning errors at Sycamore Field.

Mr. Sullivan said he hopes the town will avoid in the future what he said was “a lack of communication and complete understanding of the playground at the front end of the project, not when we see the concrete being poured” for the retaining wall that’s there.

The town was told initially that nothing was being done to the playground, he said. The existing wall there now is just a fraction of what was first planned — a concrete structure extending from the sidewalk to the swings, but those plans were scaled back.

Mr. Sullivan said he’s heard complaints from area residents about the present conditions at the park.

Kim Sokol, an Irving Avenue resident and mother of two young children, told The Westfield Leader that she’s “been without a play area for the whole summer” and said she and her neighbors “are anxious to have (the park) back up and in form.”

She said she initially had concerns about the concrete barrier, but “now that it’s been backfilled, it looks less daunting.”

She, like Mr. Sullivan, wants additional playground equipment at the park and hopes the Recreation Department includes the cost of new equipment in its budget request this year.

Mr. Sullivan revealed that there is a $20,000 request in the 2000 Westfield municipal capital proposed budget for a third piece of playground equipment, one geared toward younger (toddler age) kids.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Sycamore

Tonight’s meeting will begin with the memorialization of the East Broad Street subdivision.

In early January, a subdivision was granted to private developer Michael Mahoney to divide a oneacre property at 1049 East Broad Street into three parcels on adjacent Karen Terrace. The decision since has been challenged by Karen Terrace neighbor Lori Zivny, who questions the approval and has offered $10,000 of her own money to start a fund to buy back the property.

Neighboring residents, including Ms. Zivny, will be given the opportunity to speak on the record regarding the subdivision approved by the board in January.

Although the subdivision approval will stand, neighbors of the Karen Terrace subdivision recently met with a town official to discuss the history of Karen Terrace and the plans for the subdivision.

The group is currently considering their options and plans in preventing this subdivision to proceed.

vidual involved, “we continue to caution parents.” He added that parents and students should not hesitate to report any incident they feel is suspicious.

Chief Scutti said that the police would rather err on the side of caution and thus the department has stepped up patrols at town schools, especially at the start of the day and at dismissal.

He noted that education is the key to dealing with this kind of situation. “We have to tell children to be leery of strangers, to tell them don’t get in cars with strangers.”

Dr. Peggy Dolan, principal at Franklin Elementary School, said that the situation was discussed in classrooms at the school, and notices were sent home to make the parents aware of the situation.

Dr. Dolan also noted that principals at Westfield schools have been sharing information regarding the reported incidents, adding that “it is important for other schools and parents to be made aware.”

Ken Shulack, principal at Roosevelt, said that the school held gradelevel meetings with the students and urged them to communicate with their parents about these kinds of situations.

Mr. Shulack noted that in the incidents at the schools the students did what they were supposed to do, in telling adults, and, therefore, a more serious situation was avoided.

Dr. Dolan commended the police department for its help, saying that the police have been very responsive. She noted one occasion when the police response was almost immediate.

“Parents have taken it very seriously,” she said. “We would rather they do that.” Some parents have made judgments on seriousness of situations after discussing them with their children, she said.

Again, Dr. William J. Foley, Superintendent of Schools noted that communication is key. “Whenever we hear of anything we alert the parents. By making it public and alerting parents we can avoid further problems,” he stated.

Dr. Foley urged parents to remind their children about the rules for avoiding strangers. He added that if there are problems, children should tell their parents, tell someone at the school or an adult they trust. “Kids are doing just that,” he said.

Dr. Foley noted that there is no knowledge of why this recent crop of socalled “stranger danger” incidents has occurred.

Two other attempts to lure youngsters into cars were reported in Summit during November. In one case, the driver was described as a blonde man in his 20s diving a rusty red sedan. The second incident involved the same type of care but a different description of the driver.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Stranger Danger

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Preliminary Town Budget Shows $1.011 Mil. Increase Council Acts on New

Pool Sign up Procedures

is right can be argued, the debate was not needed and won’t help parents understand their children any better.

Police Chief Anthony J. Scutti agrees. “I don’t think police had anything to do with the Columbine shootings last year. The problem there was with student relations.”

Chief Scutti also believes that the police officers unfairly have a bad reputation.

“There are three sides to every story: what the kids said, what the police said, and what really happened. I felt that at the meeting, the parents were only concerned with what the kids said. A lot of times the officer is trying to be nice and it’s the kids who have the attitude,” stated Chief Scutti.

However, instances were brought up by WHS senior Sam Fleder that police had in fact called him and his friends names.

When asked about the namecalling, Chief Scutti revealed, “There were cases reported where officers had called students names. If the officer’s name was reported, an investigation could be done.”

He also reported that some officers have participated in anger management courses.

The real root of the problem was not addressed at the meeting and that was the 17 kids who reported that they had no one to talk to.

Some people believe that the members of the panel did not truly represent the issues at hand and that the students who reported having no one to talk to should have spoken.

WHS junior Kate Trimble put it best when she said, “Had the shootings last year happened somewhere else and a Town Meeting was held at Columbine, there is a high possibility that the two killers would not have attended the meeting or taken the survey seriously.”

I personally believe that parents choose not to believe that it is their fault that they have a lack of communication with their children. Therefore, they place the blame unreasonably on the police and other factors such as substance abuse and depression.

Parents should not be shocked by what is going on with their children as reflected by the statistics in the student survey. Over past generations, parents have faced the same problems as those faced today. There has always been and will always be peer ridicule, drug use and depression among students and no Town Meeting, no survey and no counseling will ever truly solve the problem. It’s nice to think optimistically, but it’s also nice to think realistically.

One good solution is for each family to have their own “Home Meeting” to better understand each other and open up the lines of communication.

* * * * *

Matthew Seagull is a writer at Hi’s Eye at Westfield High School. He is also a parttime employee at The Westfield Leader.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Chief Scutti

not included in the administrator’s budget but which are before the council for its consideration, are:

· Creation of a Department of Town Planning and Community Development to be headed by a fulltime town planner.

· Creation of a Park Maintenance Department to the tine of between $326,000 and $512,000 per year.

· Initiation of a Senior Transportation Program at a cost of $175,000. Since the budget was completed last year the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders have initiated a “Seniors in Motion” program whereby minibuses would be leased to municipalities to transport seniors.

Mr. Gottko noted that the park maintenance and town planning proposals could have an impact on the tax levy in that both proposals fall under the operational side of the budget.

The senior transportation service request was made by the Westfield Community Council Senior Citizens Task Force of the United Fund. The proposal comes on the heels of a senior survey conducted in 1998 that listed a lack of senior transportation as the top concern in Westfield.

Sherl Brand, Chairwoman of the Task Force, indicated in a letter to Mayor Thomas C. Jardim and Town Council members that Westfield is the only one of the 21 municipalities in Union County that does not offer senior transportation.

As part of this year’s proposed $2.7 million capital budget, the fire department is again requesting a new fire pumper truck at a cost of $350,000. Last year, the department requested two new pumper trucks but was only granted one by the council. That truck, along with other equipment purchases by the town, was purchased through the annual lease program offered by the Union County Improvement Authority.

The Pubic Works Department has proposed a number of drainage improvements in its proposed budget including: $100,000 for repairs to a half dozen or so sanitary sewer systems around town; $125,000 to begin the preliminary design work for refurbishing of the concrete overlook at Mindowaskin Park and $40,000 for repair work at Gregory’s Pond.

Town Engineer Kenneth B. Marsh told the council during last Saturday’s budget meeting that it is important the town begin restoration work at

Tamaques Pond. The $200,000 line item proposed for the budget was described as a “middle of the line” number, given preliminary estimates of between $100,000 and $400,000 for the work.

The town also plans to begin its new sidewalk improvement program this spring. The program, included in last year’s budget, will be split between the town and residents. The program includes a budget allocation of $100,000 which has already been earmarked.

Mr. Marsh also is seeking council approval to purchase a signmaking machine for the engineering department in the amount of $7,000. The machine, he explained, will enable the town to create road and other signs inhouse thus saving the town money in the end.

In terms of road improvements, $150,000 is budgeted for road maintenance as part of the town’s annual program. Park Street will be paved this year as part of that program.

Benson Place will also be improved as part of a $200,000 grant received by the town through the Transportation Trust Fund. In addition, the town just recently was told its request for $200,000 for traffic calming along Rahway Avenue had been approved.

Mr. Marsh has also proposed an allocation of $25,000 to complete the installation of digital meters on streets throughout the central business district. The allocation would fund another 68 meters. A total of 142 digital meters have been installed to date.

The town will pay off the remaining $600,000 in principal and interest this year on the bonds for the Westfield Memorial Library.

“So that will save them some room next year (2001),” Mr. Gottko noted.

The council is expected to receive a final parking report from Rich & Associates, Inc., Southfield, Mich., later this month which is looking at the best location in town to construct a parking deck.

On another budget matter, Municipal Court Judge William L. Brennan has asked the governing body to allow the court to begin accepting credit cards as a method of payment by persons paying fines.

“The use of credit cards will permit my staff to devote attention to other important court business and eliminate the need for us to act as a collection agency,” Judge Brennan stated in his letter dated November 9.

Mayor Jardim noted that new Town Administrator, Thomas P. Shannon, will look into expanding credit card acceptance to other municipal operations.

weekends) per day. Officials set rates on a higher scale, reasoning that they wanted to avoid a rush of nonmembers on any given day, shutting out paid pool permit holders. Recreation and Pool Director Glenn Burrell said the daily fees, which are new to the pool complex, are required under Green Acres regulations.

Mr. Burrell stated that only inperson registrations would be accepted this year. He said pool officials felt that if mailed registrations were accepted, the opportunities for pool applicants in the later registration time frames would be reduced.

The Recreation Office would be open two Tuesday evenings during each of the three months that registrations are being taken, in addition to one Saturday per month. The normal business hours are weekdays from 8: 30 a. m. to 4: 30 p. m.

Mr. Burrell said the new registration system was created to open “windows of opportunity” for residents and nonresidents alike to join the pool through a “fair and equitable” registration process.

Resident Tom Borne of First Street objected to the pool registration policy changes.

He said the new daily fee “gives the appearance of being a revenue vehicle rather than an access vehicle for the town.”

Mr. Borne said the capacity should be increased even if people have to be turned away at the gates.

Mr. Burrell said increasing the capacity to 15,000, as recommended by Mr. Borne, would increase the likelihood of pool managers closing the pool gates on any given day when capacity at the facility is achieved. Thus far, pool staff have not had to take that action, although some 3,700 people did pass through the gates on a single day last summer.

Under questioning from First Ward Councilman Carl A. Salisbury, Mr. Burrell further stated he and other officials are “very leery of having to close our gates” to paid pool members. He said the Recreation Department has a “strong commitment” to its pool membership.

The recreation director said a number of initiatives have been undertaken to reduce the number of people in the pool, including adult swims. Last year, the pool had 1,900 family memberships, which equated to 8,692 persons.

The second reading of the ordinance would be held at a special council meeting on February 29.

In other business, the council acted on a recommendation by Police Chief Anthony J. Scutti to approve three additional crossing guards for intersections around Wilson Elementary School. Temporary guards were assigned as of yesterday morning by Chief Scutti. The change effectively gives Wilson School guards at all four corners around the perimeter of the building.

The new guards would be assigned to the corners of Kimball and Baker Avenues, Winyah and Baker Avenues and Linden and Winyah Avenues.

Currently, there is one assigned crossing guard at Kimball and Linden Avenues. Officials placed the cost for the additional guards at a total of $13,300. The police department had budgeted $300,000 for 41 guards in the municipal budget now being considered by the governing body.

At Tuesday’s council meeting, Deidre Gelinne, the Wilson School representative to The B. R. A. K. E. S. Group, a pedestrian safety advocate organization, noted that a recent petition seeking approval of the crossing guards was signed by 300 Wilson parents.

“With over 500 students and just one crossing guard on the school grounds, the situation has become very dangerous,” Ms. Gelinne told the council. She said Wilson was the only one of Westfield’s public schools that had a fifthgrade safety officer assigned at three intersections around the school without the benefit of an adult crossing guard.

Lauren Shue, also representing B. R. A. K. E. S., an acronym for Bikers, Runners and Kids are Entitled to

Safety,Uaid traffic has increased at the school due to a rise in the school’s population, thus increasing the danger to students trying to get across the street.

On another matter, the council approved a contract extension to Keyes Martin — The Bruno Group through Monday, July 31, of this year. The firm was hired last year to actively search for outside grant money from both government and private sector sources. The company has been under contract since August 1 of last year.

First Ward Councilman Gregory S. McDermott said he did not want to extend the contract while the council is in the middle of discussions on this year’s municipal budget.

Town Administrator Thomas P. Shannon said the council shouldn’t be bickering over where to find $25,000 in its budget to fund the contract. He said he would find the revenue to fund the contract if that was the governing body’s primary concern.

Town Attorney William S. Jeremiah, 2nd explained that the resolution simply extends the contract to a full year of service to the town. The firm must bring in $40,000 in grant money to the town to match the amount of the contract.

Third Ward Councilman Neil F. Sullivan, Jr. also voted against the resolution issuing the contract extension, stating he wanted the town to seek competitive proposals per its new policy for professional service agreements. Mr. Sullivan also questioned the performance of the company, noting that he knows of only one grant proposal to date.

Michael La Place, Executive Director of the Downtown Westfield Corporation, told The Westfield Leader that the firm is working on gaining grant money for performing arts space per the proposal for an arts center and community room in the auditorium of the Elm Street Westfield Board of Education Administration Building.

Keyes Martin — The Bruno Group, he acknowledged, is also looking at historic preservation grants for exterior improvements to the Elm Street building.

Cheri Rogowsky for The Westfield Leader BACK TO HISTORY… Vincent Parlapiano of Roselle Park demonstrated some Colonial practices to Priscilla Ramos of Perth Amboy during the “Historic Valentines” program at the MillerCory House Museum in Westfield last Sunday.

Jon M. Bramnick

1827 East Second Street Scotch Plains, NJ

908-322-7000 20 Years of Civil Trial & Personal Injury

Law Experience . Law Offices of

Personal Injury & Negligence Law

John C Rodriguez of Counsel Clarence A. Abramson

Jon M. Bramnick Certified Trial Attorney Stephanie Ann Mitterhoff

W TV

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Planning Bd.