The Times of Scotch Plains-Fanwood

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Scotch Plains – Fanwood THE TIMES

OUR 42ND YEAR – ISSUE NO. 2142 Published Every Thursday USPS 485200

Periodical – Postage Paid at Scotch Plains, N. J. Thursday, May 25, 2000

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— Serving Scotch Plains and Fanwood Since 1959 —

CYAN YELLOW MAGENTA BLACK

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ORDINANCE WILL ALLOW NEWEST, ZEROOBLIGATION STATUS TO GO INTO EFFECT

Fanwood Council Green Lights Market Plan For Required Affordable Housing Units By SUZETTE F. STALKER

Specially Written for The Times

During a special public meeting lasting approximately one half hour last Thursday, the Fanwood Borough Council adopted a market plan for local affordable housing and approved a resolution to amend the 1999 Pocket Park grant awarded to the community by Union County.

In compliance with state Council On Affordable Housing (COAH) regulations, officials endorsed an ordinance which informs people that

four affordable housing units will become available in Fanwood. Three of the units are earmarked for Terrill Road, while a fourth is planned for Midway Avenue.

COAH approved substantive certification for Fanwood last month that reduced the borough’s affordable housing obligation to zero. However, in order for the certification to go into effect, the governing body had to create a market plan for the four dwellings it was already obligated to build under a prior agree ment with COAH.

Unveiled by the council on May 3, the ordinance was approved on second reading through a unanimous vote last week.

Officials then turned their attention to the $100,000 Pocket Park grant which Fanwood received in 1999. The governing body appropriated capital improvement funds to match this grant.

The grant, which expires in August, was earmarked for expansion of the LaGrande Park building. However, following a recent public hearing to determine capital improvement needs at both LaGrande and Forest Road parks, the Fanwood Recreation Commission passed a resolution supporting use of the funds to complete various projects at the two sites.

Proposed upgrades include renovations to playing fields, fences and walkways, as well as landscaping improvements and increased storage at one or both park recreation buildings. Commission members have also advocated a study of how park playing fields might be reconfigured to

enhance safety. Through its own resolution last week, the council confirmed it will study a twoyear plan for capital improvements at the parks, to be developed by the Fanwood Recreation Commission, and authorized that an amended project description be submitted to the county for approval.

In conjunction with the revised project description, the council is seeking an extension of the completion deadline to December 31, 2001, so that the two parks would not have to be closed simultaneously while renovations are underway. LaGrande and Forest Road are Fanwood’s only parks.

Members of the governing body said they wanted to see a list prioritizing the proposed improvements from the Fanwood Recreation Commission.

In 1998, Fanwood was awarded a grant of $125,000 through the county Pocket Park Program to develop a pocket park on a longdormant lot on Watson Road. Borough officials

Sentinel Chickens Stand Guard In Scotch Plains Against Threat of West Nile MosquitoBred Virus

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By SUSAN M. DYCKMAN

Specially Written for The Times

New Jersey health officials are taking no chances that the West Nile Virus, which made its North American debut last year in New York state, will sneak unnoticed into New Jersey this mosquito season.

In an effort to keep on top of the situation this year, the Mosquito Research and Control program at Rutgers University obtained $140,000 in state grant money to place sentinel chickens in each of New Jersey’s 21 counties, according to Carolyn Vollero, Chief Inspector of Union County’s Bureau of Mosquito Control.

One flock of these chickens is living in Scotch Plains.

West Nile Virus, which is transmitted by the Ades Vexan mosquito, was discovered in birds in a number of New Jersey counties, including Union, last September. The virus infected close to 40 people in the Empire State, four of whom died.

Ms. Vollero explained that hen chickens have been used to successfully

test for disease for 15 years. Even when infected with the virus, the chickens do not become sick.

Union County’s three, 21week old chickens have been stationed in the backyard of the mosquito bureau’s offices behind the county Engineering Department on South Avenue in Scotch Plains. The chickens reside in a rabbit hutchlike cage the size of a refrigerator.

The site was chosen according to a directive from Rutgers to position the cage near one of the 30 light traps used by county mosquito control personnel to capture mosquitoes for testing purposes.

Mosquito samplings are culled from the traps, which are located

throughout Union County, three times a week as part of the bureau’s ongoing

surveillance program. Surveillance was launched earlier than usual this year in light of the West Nile threat.

Of the Scotch Plains site, said Ms. Vollero, “We found this to be the best location. It’s a contained area, no

Memorial Day Events In Area to Pay Homage

To Our Fallen Heroes By DEBORAH MADISON

Specially Written for The Times

This Memorial Day, the fallen American heroes who gave their lives for their country will be honored with a wide variety of events in Fanwood, Scotch Plains, Westfield and Mountainside.

In recognition of the 50th anniversary of the Korean War and the 37,000 Americans who died in the Korean War, the theme for this year’s FanwoodScotch Plains Memorial Day parade is “A Salute to Korean War Veterans.” Residents of Fanwood and Scotch Plains who are veterans of the Korean War will be the guests of honor at the parade.

A memorial service will be held at American Legion Post No. 209 at Park Avenue and Sunset Place at 8 a. m. sponsored by both the Scotch Plains American Legion and the Scotch Plains Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). At 9 a. m., a memorial service will be held at the

Fanwood Library on North Avenue and Tillotson Road with wreath laying and an address by Fanwood Mayor Louis C. Jung.

Several organizations will lay wreaths at the Veteran’s Monument on the corner of Park Avenue and Front Street at 10 a. m. Scotch Plain’s

Grand Marshal Joseph Duff, a Korean War Veteran who served over 30 years between active and reserve duty, will address the marchers along with Scotch Plains Mayor Martin L. Marks.

Starting at 10: 45 a. m. from the Municipal Building in Scotch Plains, the Scotch PlainsFanwood Memorial Day parade will proceed along Park Avenue, down Martine Avenue into the center of Fanwood and end at La Grande Park in Fanwood. More than 45 local groups will participate in this year’s parade.

A wide variety of fun activities for the entire family are planned for this

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public access and safe.” According to Ms. Vollero, an entomologist from Rutgers is drawing blood from the chickens every other week to test for the virus. If there is evidence of West Nile, the bureau will step up its already vigilant mosquito surveillance procedures.

During a telephone interview, the inspector reminded The Times of Scotch PlainsFanwood that New York had no formal mosquito control program in place at the time of the West Nile outbreak last summer.

On the contrary, she said, the Union County program is one of the oldest in the country, dating back to the early 1900s. Every New Jersey county currently operates its own mosquito control program.

In an effort to inform citizens, the Union County bureau is distributing press releases regarding the importance of eliminating stagnant water

Cheri Rogowsky for The Times YOUNG PATRIOT... During a recent rehearsal in Scotch Plains for a concert, led by Marylu Farrell, this youngster proudly waved an American flag to demonstrate his patriotic spirit – just in time for Memorial Day.

Cheri Rogowsky for The Times ROCKIN’ AT THE LIBRARY... Ben Suriano of The Fins performed vocal and guitar selections with his fellow band members at a concert held at the Fanwood Memorial Library on May 21.

Ingrid McKinley for The Times Captain Joseph W. Duff Grand Marshal of Scotch Plains’

Memorial Day Parade

Ingrid McKinley for The Times

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SP Environmental Group Raises Ashbrook Concerns

By FRED ROSSI

Specially Written for The Times

The Scotch Plains Township Environmental Commission seems somewhat skeptical about the proposal to convert two dozen acres of land in the Ashbrook Reservation into a park and ballfields.

After listening last week to a proposal from the consulting engineer planning the project as well as hearing objections from several environmental groups, commission chairperson Marcia Anderson, while admitting the need for more open space, said: “we’re looking at a lot of sites for possible parks.”

She said the commission is “concerned about certain aspects of the (Ashbrook) site,” both from an environmental standpoint as well as for the local ecosystem.

The commission’s emergency meeting May 18, which was attended by Mayor Martin Marks and Councilman Tarquin Jay Bromley as well as Councilwoman Geri M. Samuel, the council’s liaison to the panel, was held in response to a Letter of

Interpretation application sent to the New Jersey Department of Environmental protection by Killam Associates, the consulting engineering firm secured by the township to conduct preliminary studies on the site.

Robert Lynes of Killam displayed preliminary sketches for the park that include a baseball field facing north towards Martine Avenue, a Little League/ softball field behind the larger field, and two soccer fields at the southern end of the property.

In addition, the drawings included provisions for some 100 parking spaces as well as a small field house with a dimension of about 40 feet by 50 feet. There would be access roads to the parking lot from both Raritan Road and Martine Avenue.

A series of walking trails around the area’s perimeter would also be included.

Mr. Lynes said the presence of designated wetlands areas in the Ashbrook Reservation would necessitate the inclusion of a wetlands buffer boundary to serve as a sort of transition area between the actual

park and the undeveloped area of the reservation, which is designated as a park within the Union County Park Department.

Typically, these types of buffers are 50 feet wide, although the state could order it expanded to as much as 150 feet wide.

Such a widening, he said, “might be the fatal flaw” in the proposed development because “it would compress the usable space available.”

In recent months, a number of environmental groups have registered their opposition to the park, with the main concerns being the effect of such a development on the wildlife and plant life inside the reservation and the potential for an increased flood risk for neighboring towns.

The Robinsons Branch of the Rahway River runs through the reservation and then winds it way southeast through Clark and Rahway. Some persons have claimed that developing the reservation and flattening the topography of the land would result in much greater flood hazards for

CYAN YELLOW MAGENTA BLACK

A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION The Westfield Leader and THE TIMES of Scotch Plains – Fanwood Thursday, May 25, 2000 Page 11

sources on residential property, which are potential mosquito breeding grounds. Clogged rain gutters, old tires and neglected swimming pools are major culprits.

In addition, Ms. Vollero has been on the road speaking to various groups in the community about the virus and the need to take certain precautions outdoors. To date, she has addressed a senior citizens’ group, garden club and employees at Lucent Technologies.

Locally, the Scotch Plains Health Department mailed a pamphlet about West Nile Virus along with the Scotch Plains Township newsletter. Health official Andy Snyder reported that 10,000 copies of the pamphlet were mailed to residents.

The information contained in the pamphlet was gleaned from the Web site of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There are some copies available at the Scotch Plains Municipal Building.

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West NileLike Virus

year’s Memorial Day in the Park event in La Grande Park in Fanwood. Entertainment, barbecued food, rides and games will be hosted by the Borough of Fanwood from 11 a. m. to 2 p. m. A hotdog eating contest and a dunk tank featuring borough officials in the hot seat are sure to make this the most fulfilling way to spend the day.

In Westfield, on Monday, May 29, Memorial Day ceremonies will begin at the Veterans Memorial Monument at the corner of Broad Street and North Avenue circle at 9 a. m. Opening remarks will be heard from Mayor Thomas C. Jardim, as well as Mountainside’s VFW Chairman Robert Farley, Westfield’s VFW Commander Dr. Marty Cohen and Al Riker, Commander of Westfield’s American Legion Post No. 3.

The traditional laying of wreaths at the Monument will be accompanied by music from the Westfield High School Band and the New Jersey Workshop for the Arts.

Lawrence M. Smith was chosen as Westfield’s Grand Marshal for this year’s parade. Mr. Smith was a Marine Fighter Pilot during World War II. He retired with the rank of Colonel, was awarded many medals and is an active member of Westfield’s VFW Post No. 11467.

This year’s parade route will go up East Broad Street from the Monument to Fairview Cemetery. The Sons and Daughters of The American Revolution will break ranks at Mountain Avenue to conduct ceremonies at The Revolutionary War Cemetery at The Presbyterian Church in Westfield to honor patriots buried there.

The parade will briefly stop at the Municipal Building where the Veteran’s contingent will take a moment of silence at the World War II Memorial Plaque.

For those who make the last half mile of the journey to Fairview Cemetery, a memorial service at the Veteran’s section of the cemetery will conclude the parade.

An Honor Guard will fire a salute, and “Taps” will sound over the graves of the 2,450 veterans who are buried at Fairview.

All parade goers are invited back to The American Legion Hall at 1003 North Avenue for refreshments at the parade’s conclusion.

Mountainside will also conduct a separate service after the Westfield Parade at the Deerfield Elementary School, where a wreath will be placed on a plaque honoring POWMIA’s.

To participate in this special service, please contact Mr. Farley at Mountainside Borough Hall at (908) 2322400.

In case of inclement weather, there will be a ceremony at The American Legion Hall. A recorded message can be called at (908) 6549181 the day of the parade for information.

A special Memorial Day dedication and concert will be held at Echo Lake Park on Sunday, May 28, at 6: 30 p. m. sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, honoring Pearl Harbor Veterans. The Freeholders will dedicate a permanent memorial in Echo Lake Park to the memory of those who lost their lives during the attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

Members of the Pearl Harbor Survivors, North Jersey Chapter No. 2 will be on hand for the dedication along with a color guard contingent of the Central Jersey Leathernecks from Westfield.

In conjunction with the installation of the Pearl Harbor Memorial, Park Drive in the park will be designated “Pearl Harbor Memorial Drive” from Saturday, May 27, through Saturday, June 3.

After the dedication, The Westfield Symphony Orchestra will perform a free concert of American patriotic music beginning at 7 p. m. in the park. In case of rain, the concert will take place at Cranford High School. For information, please call the Westfield Symphony Orchestra at (908) 2329400.

The question concerning proper display of the American flag on Memorial Day comes up each year. According to information from the American Legion’s Web site at www. legion. org/ flagcode. htm, the flag should be displayed at halfstaff until noon only, then raised to the top of the staff.

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Memorial Day Events

Union County Grant Will Bring Improvements to Country Club

By FRED ROSSI

Specially Written for The Times

The approval by Union County of a $150,000 grant to Scotch Plains will mean some significant improvements to the townshipowned Scotch Hills Country Club and expanded services there for senior citizens, who make up a significant part of the club’s membership.

After two years of allocating grant money for pocket parks and related projects, the county is shifting gears this year with its Senior Focus initiative, which is making funds available for programs aimed at seniors (see related story, Page 2).

Scotch Plains’ plans for the country club, located at the eastern end of town, include construction of a new and separate building to house the pro shop, presently in the main building, as well as a new meeting room and an enclosed area for the storage of golf carts. In addition, improvements will be made to the main building, including making improvements to the existing rest rooms to make them more compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act as well as replacing

some of the furnishings in the common areas. Township Manager Thomas E. Atkins told the Township Council earlier this month that the goal of the project is to “get more space there for the benefit of seniors.”

Any additional funding needed beyond the $150,000 county grant can, according to Mr. Atkins, be funded by the township government out of its capital improvement budget or the government could seek some funding assistance from the state.

At its regular meeting on Tuesday night, the Township Council sped through a light agenda that was long on recognizing younger township residents. The council passed resolutions congratulating Cheryl Wagner, Danielle Scizak and Lorri Slaugh for achieving the Gold Award, the highest award in Girl Scouting.

It also passed a resolution congratulating Eric Rosenberg for completing the requirements for the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts.

In addition, the council honored a group of musical students from

Scotch PlainsFanwood High School for receiving a variety of special honors and recognition; at the urging of the council, the group also performed a song, a capella.

Councilwoman Geri M. Samuel said the Cultural Arts Committee’s summer concert series on the Village Green will begin on Thursday evening, July 6, and be held on the following three Thursdays. The schedule for August will be announced in the coming weeks.

She also said the Scotch Plains Business and Professional Association will holds its annual Classic Car Show on June 11 from 8 a. m. to 4 p. m. on Park Avenue between East Second Street and Front Street.

Township Attorney Douglas W. Hansen announced the birth of his second grandchild. Devon Thomas Merashoff was born on May 18 in Towson, Md., to Mr. Hansen’s daughter, Kirsten L. Merashoff, and her husband, Thomas Merashoff.

The council’s next regular meeting will be held on June 13.

Ingrid McKinley for The Times CAGE OF CHICKENS... Chief Inspector of Union County’s Bureau of Mosquito Control Carolyn Vollero and Bureau Chief Ernie Testa pose with two members of their flock of chickens. Ms. Vollero explained that hen chickens have been used to successfully test for the West NileLike Virus for 15 years. Even when infected with the virus, the chickens do not become sick. Union County’s three, 21week old chickens have been stationed in the backyard of the mosquito bureau’s offices behind the county Engineering Department on South Avenue in Scotch Plains. The chickens reside in a rabbit hutchlike cage the size of a refrigerator.

both the south side of Scotch Plains and the towns downstream.

William Fidurski, chairman of the Clark Environmental Commission, told his Scotch Plains counterparts that “even in short storms, we see a sizable change at the Scotch PlainsClark line where the Robinsons Branch rises rapidly.”

He said that “any additional water put into the main channel will have an adverse effect as far as flooding is concerned.”

Ms. Anderson, pointing out that the water table in the reservation is lower than normal due to the lack of significant rainfall during the past few summers, asked Mr. Lynes whether the proposed soccer fields, which would be situated at the lowest level of the proposed park, would turn into “swampy fields” when the water table rises.

He responded by saying this was “an engineering problem that has a solution,” although he didn’t provide details.

The two ballfields at the northern end of the property would be on land that sits, on average, 7080 feet above sea level, while the soccer fields would be 1015 feet lower.

Ms. Anderson also noted that the area’s mosquito population, and its effects on children, would also have to be addressed.

She also asked Mr. Lynes about where water runoff from heavy rainfalls would be directed by the engineers. He said no detention basin was in the works; instead, he said the plan was to let excess rain water, including from the parking lot, run over the park’s grounds and into the wetlands area.

Ms. Anderson noted, though, that runoff water from the parking area would also carry with it chemicals such as motor oil and other fluids that inevitably drip from cars.

Speaking from another angle, Richard Bousquet, president of the Scotch Plains Historical Society, noted that the area in and around the Ashbrook Reservation was the scene of the Revolutionary War

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Battle of Short Hills and said that a number of artifacts from that skirmish were still in the area.

In addition, he said Indian tools had been found as well as humanutilized artifacts dating back 9,000 years. Back in the mid1960s, teeth from the dinosaurera mastodon were discovered in the reservation.

Echoing sentiments expressed to the Township Council earlier this year, Dennis Miranda, urban parks project manager with the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, told the Environmental Commission that the reservation was intended as a passive county park for all Union County residents, not just Scotch Plains residents.

He added that the value of the reservation as a flood control area “would be compromised” if the development proceeded. “Scotch Plains should look elsewhere,” he said.

Claiming that the township was “overreaching” in taking out county parkland for its own residents, Mr. Miranda provided a list of what he said were 18 properties in Scotch Plains, totaling 130 acres, that could be converted into usable parkland.

Dean Talcott, who works in the Union County Engineer’s office and is chairman of the Fanwood Borough Environmental Commission, noted that the county proposed raised boardwalkstyle walking path nearby the planned park could be jeopardized, due to the noise that would emanate from the ballfields and soccer fields and, in effect, ruin the intended effect of such a nature trail.

Mr. Miranda’s accusation of overreaching by the township government prompted a spirited defense at the close of the meeting by Mayor Marks, who said the Council was not being negligent or derelict in trying to find any additional open space for recreational use.

He said the local government is relying on experts, activists and the state government as it decides whether or not the project is feasible.

SP Environmental Group Raises Ashbrook Concerns

Roundtable Discussion Series Planned on Local

Community Topics By SUSAN M. DYCKMAN

Specially Written for The Times

WESTFIELD -The Township of Westfield has scheduled a fourweek series of roundtable discussions focusing on topics of community concern as identified by a planning group of Westfield citizens convened by Mayor Thomas C. Jardim in January.

The program will be held on four consecutive Mondays in June beginning at 7 p. m. in the Council Chambers of the Westfield Municipal Building. The public is invited to attend.

There will be opportunities to comment on the discussions, which will be broadcast live on TV36.

A discussion on “The Erosion of Civility and Community Participation” will launch the series on June 5, followed by “Responding as a Community to Citizens in Need” on June 12.

On June 19, the topic will be “Raising Children of Tolerance, Values and Purpose.” Concluding the series will be “The Need for Spiritual Fulfillment” on June 26.

Mayor Jardim has envisioned a fifth roundtable to summarize the discussions and recommended solutions.

Westfield will offer the program in conjunction with Kean University’s Gateway Institute for Regional Development.

To help fund the $6,000 program, the township appealed to the Westfield Foundation and was awarded a grant of $5,000.

“There is no doubt that Westfield is a good place to live and raise

children,” stated Mr. Jardim. “But, just like many other towns, we have concerns that are very symptomatic of the fast pace of life in the 21st century.

“Some people, some children, may actually be falling through the cracks in our way of life here,” he continued. “What makes Westfield different is that we are proactively trying to agree on some solutions to make this very good place even better.”

According to Gateway’s Associate Director Tonya Poteat, each roundtable will feature a different group of individuals from Westfield, including representatives from volunteer organizations, municipal officials and professional people.

The programs will be facilitated by Dr. Lois C. Richardson of the Gateway Institute.

Following the panel discussions, the public will be invited to pose questions to panel members, Dr. Richardson and/ or the mayor.

Ms. Poteat explained that, if the township decides to take the program further, it could cost an additional $4,000 for followup activities and public relations efforts, such as mailings to residents.

Gateway has worked on development programs for Fanwood, Roselle, Elizabeth and Hillside, although “each town wants something different,” said Ms. Poteat, who is coordinating the Westfield project.

Citizens should direct their questions about the roundtable series to the Mayor’s Office at (908) 7894041.

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agreed to match the grant with a combination of funds and inkind services. The passive park, which has been planned as a haven for relaxation activities and cultural arts programs, is expected to be completed by the latter part of this year. It will be located opposite the borough’s municipal complex and provide 17 parking spaces.

Before adjourning into executive session, the council also briefly discussed the status of the borough’s revised zoning ordinance. A draft of that ordinance is currently under review by the Planning Board.

Council President Joel Whitaker, who serves as governing body Liaison to the Planning Board, reported that, as of last Thursday, the board had already covered some 58 pages of the 220page document.

The council is also expected to review the draft ordinance during several upcoming special meetings, with hopes of completing the process by Thursday, June 1.

Once adopted, the ordinance will replace an existing version which dates to the early 1960s. The new text, described by borough officials as more

Fanwood Council OK’s Market Plan For Required Housing Units

“userfriendly” than its predecessor, is scheduled to be introduced and adopted by the Borough Council during the summer.

It will outline contemporary policies and procedures regarding applications for site plans and subdivisions; the responsibilities of the Planning Board and Zoning Officer; building permits and exemptions; accessory structures; parking and architecture, among other categories. The document will also reflect zone changes and include a current zoning map.

Fanwood TV35 Schedule Thursday, May 25, 8: 00 P. M.

Next Station Stop Fanwood

Thursday, May 25, 9: 00 P. M.

Fallen Flags Volume II History of Rahway Valley Line

Saturday, May 27, 8: 00 P. M.

Fanwood, 100 Years of Gold

Saturday, May 27, 9: 00 P. M.

Freeholder’s Forum

Monday, May 29, 8: 30 P. M.

Patriotic Music All Day

Wednesday, May 31, 8: 00 P. M.

PBA Car Show of 1998

Wednesday, May 31, 9: 00 P. M.

Freeholder’s Forum

Cheri Rogowskyfor The Times SING, SING A SONG... The Seventh Grade Boys and Girls Show Choir at Terrill Middle School in Scotch Plains practices with Music Director Marylu Farrell on May 18.