OUR 108th YEAR - ISSUE NO. 21-98 FIFTY CENTS 232-4407 The Westfield Leader - Serving the Town Since 1890 - Thursday, May 21, 1998 USPS 680020 Periodical - Postage Paid at Westfield, N.J. Published Every Thursday Deadlines Told For Submittals To The Leader Those persons preparing press releases for submission to The Leader are reminded that copy should be e-mailed or faxed by 4 p.m. on the Friday prior to publica-tion. The Leader's e-mail address is press@goleader.com. The fax num-ber is 908-232-0473. Releases, pictures and letters to the editor can also be dropped off at our office located at 50 Elm Street or through our mail slot. To ensure that submittals reach our office prior to deadline, we encourage e-mail or faxed materials. Sports stories which occur prior to the weekend must be in by the Friday deadline. Weekend sports events must be submitted by noon on the Monday prior to the publica-tion date. Obituaries will be ac-cepted up to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays. All copy must be typed, double-spaced, upper and lower case, no more than 500 words in length, and include a daytime telephone num-ber where the submitter can be reached. For events which are planned months in advance, we encourage submission of stories as early as possible prior to the event. Please note that in addition to making our deadlines, the publica-tion of submittals may be delayed due to space considerations. All submittals are subject to being cut due to length, edited for style and clarification at the discretion of the editor. Gretchen Bowman for The Westfield Leader A BIT OF IRISH...Dancers from the Deidre Shea School of Irish Dancing in Cranford perform during Saturday's "Artists Celebrate Westfield" promotion in the downtown. The month-long event, featuring actors, actresses, musicians, poets and dancers, is being presented by Artslink. Jorge Lopez Suero for The Westfield Leader LET ME ENTERTAIN YOU...This youngster is entertained by a clown while attending last Saturday's arts and crafts show at Mindowaskin Park. All revenues from the show went to support the Center for Hope Hospice. Public Schools Closed For Four-Day Weekend The Westfield Public Schools will be closed tomorrow, Friday, May 22, through Monday, May 25. Monday, Memorial Day, is a Fed-eral and state holiday. Due to the fact that no snow days were needed during the school year, students have been given back one of the snow days which originally had been factored into the school year. Mr. Nolde and Mr. Sanders Receive Optimist Awards Westfield teachers Frank Nolde and Robert Sanders were named Out-standing Intermediate School Teach-ers for 1998 by the Optimist Club of Westfield at a dinner in their honor on May 13. The Westfield Board of Education will likewise present resolutions to Mr. Nolde and Mr. Sanders honor-ing their accomplishments at the board's June 2 meeting to be held at 302 Elm Street. They are the first recipients of the Optimist award, established this year to recognize the importance of teach-ing in the intermediate grades. Let-ters of nomination were invited from interested citizens, students and staff members. Dr. James Fleming, President of the Optimist Club, indicated the award will be presented annually to two Westfield intermediate school teachers - one each from Edison and Roosevelt Intermediate Schools. A history teacher at Roosevelt since 1960, Mr. Nolde will be retiring this year. He holds both master's and bachelor's degrees in history from Middlebury College in Vermont and Columbia University in New York City, respectively. A Westfield resident for 38 years, he and his wife, Carol, an English teacher at Westfield High School, David B. Corbin for The Westfield Leader OUTSTANDING!...Dr. James Fleming, right, President of the Westfield Opti-mist Club, presents a plaque to Robert Sanders, center, as one the Outstanding Intermediate School Teachers for 1998 chosen by the club. A teacher at Edison Intermediate School, he was joined by Roosevelt Intermediate School recipient Frank Nolde. CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 Spring Fling Set for Third Try May 31 Following two rain outs earlier this spring, Westfield's fourth an-nual Spring Fling has been resched-uled for Sunday, May 31. "This festival is just so incredibly popular that we thought we'd try for a third time. We didn't want to disap-point all the people who love this event," commented Debbie Schmidt, Executive Director of the Westfield Area Chamber of Commerce. Westfield's "Spring Fling" is free and usually features more than 300 exhibitors with a full array of crafts and art. This event also features nearly 20 food vendors. A special Kid's Expo is planned along East Broad Street near Pros-CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 Westfield 'Y' Holds 75th Annual Meeting The Westfield "Y" celebrated its annual meeting, last Thursday night, and 75th anniversary of service to the Westfield community, at The Westwood in Garwood. The meeting was attended by members of the Board of Directors, staff, "Y" members and volunteers. The evening's agenda included a welcome from Roger Love, the Mas-ter of Ceremonies, a report from the President of the Board of Directors, Lee M. Hale, and recognition of vol-unteers who have given extraordi-nary service to the "Y." Several awards were presented dur-ing the evening. Carolyn Fleder, Vice President of the board, presented the Character Development Award to Diane Hunsinger, coach of the syn-chronized swim team. Rick Coltrera, Chairman of the Youth Committee, presented the Youth of the Year Awards to Marie Cacace and Edwin Fladger both of the Westfield "Y's" Leader's Club. The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the annual Golden Volunteer Award, which is presented to a person who performs extraordi-nary service to the community and the "Y." Darielle Walsh, Secretary to CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 Parade to Begin At Monument Memorial Day Westfield's annual Memorial Day Parade will kick off this Monday, May 25, at 9 a.m. with the sound of "Taps" and the traditional wreath laying ceremony around the Soldiers Monument to World War Veterans at the intersection of East Broad Street and North Avenue. Following a welcome from Ed-ward Renfree, who is this year's Westfield Memorial Day Parade Committee Chairman, Commander Peter Hogaboom of American Le-gion Martin Wallberg Post No. 3 will begin the ceremony. Mayor Thomas C. Jardim will also speak in honor of the veterans. Arnold Resnick, Commander of the Westfield Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and Robert Farley, Com-mander of the Mountainside VFW, will both make a few remarks before VFW members lay wreaths at the monument. Kerry Stubbs, a tenor and voice teacher at The New Jersey Workshop for the Arts (NJWA) Music Studio, will sing "God Bless America" a cappella during the wreath laying ceremony. Then, Dr. Theodore K. Schlosberg, founder and Director of the NJWA, along with brothers Christopher and Matthew Velderman, will perform echo "Taps." Fifth-grader Chris will lead off "Taps" from the base of the monu-CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 Jorge Lopez Suero for The Westfield Leader A HIGH TECH WORLD...Westfield Board of Education member Ginger Hardwick and Superintendent of Schools Dr. William J. Foley look on as student Sarah Lechner demonstrates her computer skills in the English Resources Room at Westfield High School. As part of the board's meeting Tuesday night, board members were given a chance to observe technology being taught at the high school. BOE Okays Revised Curriculum; Technology Initiative is Reviewed By RUSSELL R. WATKINS Specially Written for The Westfield Leader On Tuesday, the Board of Educa-tion approved the first reading of its revised Comprehensive Family Liv-ing, Health, Safety, and Drug Educa-tion Curriculum. The revised curriculum, which addresses health and sex education issues, generated some controversy among board members and commu-nity residents regarding its treatment of birth control, abortion, and homo-sexuality. The curriculum represents an ef-fort by the board to implement a state-mandated health and sex edu-cation program. The program re-quires that any curriculum adopted by a local school board address at least four areas: ú Health promotion and disease prevention. ú Health-enhancing personal and inter-personal life skills. ú The affects of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. ú The biological, social, cultural, and psychological aspects of human sexuality and family life. The state requires that all students be tested on this curriculum at the end of grades 4, 8 and 11. The board rejected a previous version of the curriculum in February of 1996. The newly revised curriculum, which covers Kindergarten through 12th grade, addresses a broad range of topics and encourages discussion, a strong parental role, and an age-sensitive introduction of sexually-related topics. According to Carol Joyce, Cur-riculum Director for Kindergarten through second grade, the revised program is "child driven," and em-phasizes problem solving skills. It deals with family health, as well as the subjects of death and responsi-bility, she explained. Ms. Joyce told the board that at this stage in the curriculum, simple terms are used to discuss the reproductive system, and parental discussion is encouraged. Similar topics are focused on in the third through fifth grades. In the fifth through the eighth grades, topics are expanded to in- clude drug abuse, hygiene, first aid, dieting, and eating disorders. The responsibilities of parenthood and the personal impact of early sexual activity are also discussed. In the eighth grade, the topics of dating, marriage, birth control techniques, and sexually-transmitted diseases round off the agenda. The high school curriculum fo-cuses on personality development, relationships, and sexuality. According to Margaret Teitelbaum, Supervisor of Health Education/ Nurses for the school district, stu-dents are taught to ask themselves five questions when making choices: Is it safe? Is it legal? Is it healthy? Does it show respect to others? Does it agree with what my parents taught me? In the 11th grade, students are urged to develop a "philosophy of life" and, particularly in the area of dating, are encouraged to ask their parents about their dating history and what dating rules are now. Alco-hol and drugs are continuing topics of discussion, and stress manage-ment is introduced in the 12th grade. The proposed curriculum was well-received by board members and the public. Board member Ginger Hardwick, who served on the Cur-riculum Committee, called the pro-gram "conservative," adding "I don't feel Westfield is going out on a limb with this curriculum." Board member Annmarie Puleio CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 Courtesy of The Westfield "Y" DEMONSTRATING GOOD CHARACTER...Diane Hunsinger, coach of the Westfield "Y" synchronized swim team, left, is presented with the "Y's" Character Development Award during the organization's 75th annual meeting held last Thursday night at The Westwood in Garwood. Later in the evening, Carolyn Fleder, right, was presented with the "Y's" Golden Volunteer Award for "extraordinary service to the community." RESIDENTS TO BE ASSESSED A TOTAL OF $123,138 FOR WORK ON FOUR STREETS Westfield Council Decides to Proceed On Assessments for Road Improvements By PAUL J. PEYTON Specially Written for The Westfield Leader The Westfield Town Council opted Tuesday night to move ahead with a May 26 vote on a resolution to con-firm tax assessments for improve-ments to Stoneleigh Park, Pearl, Wyoming and Pierson Streets. The total amount of the assess-ments is $123,138 and covers both shoulder work and the cost for curb-ing. The long-time policy of the town, up until a few years ago, had been that the municipality would not do street reconstruction work unless curbing was included in the project. In order to have a street paved, Town Administrator Edward A. Gottko explained, residents of a par-ticular street had to petition the town which, in turn, would put the project out to bid. Residents were required to pay for new curbing and reconstruc-tion of street shoulders. Mr. Gottko noted that on average, under the previous policy, the town picked up two-thirds of the costs of the work, with residents assessed for the remainder. The town, he said, paid for the center strip paving of streets in addition to new sidewalk, drainage and sewer improvements. On Wyoming Street, the total amount to be assessed for 25 property owners is $33,703. On Pearl Street, 14 property owners will pay a com-bined $22,144. The total assessments to be charged on Pierson Street comes to $36,571 for 30 property owners, with Stoneleigh Park home owners, totaling 20, receiving an assessment of $30,720. The Pearl Street and Wyoming Street projects date back to 1994, when the Town Council approved ordinances to appropriate funds to complete the work. The ordinance for Stoneleigh Park was adopted in 1993, with the Pierson Street ordi-nance approved in 1995. Residents are assessed an average of $25 per running foot of the frontage of their homes. The total assessment is based on total frontage of a home. Those homes whose side yards are along a street that is improved pay less for the work. Assessments range from $1,286 to $2,572 on Pearl Street; $454 to $2,834 on Wyoming Street; $797 to $1,691 for Pierson, and between $460 and $3,707 on Stoneleigh Park. Mr. Gottko noted that the low costs assessed on some properties are be-cause they are small strips of land, while the highest assessed property on Stoneleigh Park has a "huge front-age" of 350 feet. A few years ago, the council changed the town's policy to exclude shoulder improvements from tax as-sessments. In addition, the council no longer requires that curbs be in-cluded in the street reconstruction projects. If residents want curbing included in the project, they can present a signed petition to the council re-questing such work, which they will be assessed for when the work is completed. In the past, town officials had wanted the curbing included, fearing the condition of the pavement would CONTINUED ON PAGE 12Page 12 Thursday, May 21, 1998 The Westfield Leader and THE TIMES of Scotch Plains - Fanwood A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION SUPPORTING THE SYMPHONY...Rick Brownlee, proprietor of Richard Roberts, Ltd., left, and Nell Goodwin, proprietor of Beautiful Things, both of Scotch Plains, present a check to Patrick Gaines, Executive Director of the Westfield Symphony Orchestra (WSO), for funds received during Symphony Promotion Week in March. Mr. Gaines said "the symphony is excited to participate in joint projects with local businesses and hopes to expand its Promotion Week to include Westfield and Mountainside next season." Inter-ested business owners may call the WSO office at (908) 232-9400 for more information. David B. Corbin for The Westfield Leader PNC CALLING BLITZ...PNC Bank's Greater Westfield Town Council and Union County business bankers and product specialists recently conducted a "calling blitz" to introduce a new cross leveraging approach to banking to more than 50 local business clients and prospects. During one of the visits, William H. Turner, President, PNC Bank, New Jersey, right, and Daria Placitella, Vice President, PNC Private Bank, Westfield Office, left, met with Richard Ahlfeld, President of Children's Specialized Hospital and nine-year old Claire Skowronek, a patient at the hospital, have two children who graduated from the Westfield public schools. Two former students, now attend-ing Westfield High School, thanked Mr. Nolde for "teaching us important skills that could be used throughout our academic careers, such as careful note-taking and organization of group activities." "Mr. Nolde's lessons went beyond the textbooks. Slides from his trav-els, games and anecdotes enhanced the students' learning and helped them conceptualize people and events in the past," added a parent. Mr. Sanders, the Edison Interme-diate School recipient of the Opti-mist award, is a 1971 graduate of Westfield High School. He earned a master's degree in learning disabili-ties and he is a certified instructor in Learning Strategies from the Uni-versity of Kansas. He returned to teach in the West-field school district in 1980 in the Resource Centers of Westfield High School and later at Jefferson Elemen-tary School. Since 1987, he has been a teacher of the perceptually impaired at Edison School. Mr. Sanders has been described as "caring, conscientious and deter-mined" by Edison Principal Dennis Murphy. A parent nominating Mr. Sanders for the award said he has "an enthusiastic and positive attitude to-ward children." "Understanding the social com-plexities of middle school students, Bob takes the time and energy to assist them in resolving conflict through many different channels. They like him, trust him, but more importantly, respect him as a teacher, a person and a friend," one intermediate school administrator noted. Married and the father of three children, Mr. Sanders resides in Scotch Plains. Members of the Selection Com-mittee of the Westfield Optimist Club included Optimist members David Judd and Michael Walsh; Superin-tendent of Schools Dr. William J. Foley; Westfield Schools Human Resources Director David M. Tuller; Roosevelt Principal Kenneth Shulack; Principal Murphy, and Sharon Reynolds, a teacher at Edison School. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Mr. Nolde and Mr. Sanders Receive Optimist Awards pect Street. Activities are featured for parents to share with their chil-dren. Pony rides and a petting zoo, to be located in the parking area of PNC Bank at North Avenue and East Broad Street, are among the featured attrac-tions for kids. A Moonwalk, temporary tattoos, face painting, and sand art creations are other family activities. A marketplace of fine art and craft items will fill the streets of the fair. Several local merchants will be offering special sales during the event. Some of the original crafts for sale include designer and hand-painted clothing, toys, hand-thrown pottery, a variety of jewelry, porce-lain dolls and puppets, handmade furniture, Teddy Bears, and one-of-a kind decorative pieces for the home. Traffic along Elm, Quimby, Pros-pect and East Broad Streets in the downtown will be detoured from noon until 6 p.m. For more information please con-tact the event's promoter, The Ad-vertising Alliance, at (908) 996- 3036 or the Westfield Area Cham-ber of Commerce at (908) 233- 3021. There is no raindate for this event. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Spring Fling Set for Third Try May 31 Jon Calvert Among Teens Set to Appear Live on Comcast Today Jon Calvert of Westfield will be among four area teens appearing live on CN8, the Comcast Network's "Family Talk" today, Thursday, May 21, at 5:30 p.m. They will join host Mary Amoroso for a one-hour "Teens at the Roundtable" discussion involving the issues and concerns of young people today. The four submitted one-page es-says highlighting teen-oriented top-ics which were selected from more than 100 entries the "Family Talk" staff received. Jon wrote his essay on independence. ment while playing a Benge pocket trumpet. His older brother, Matthew, will follow on a Bach Stradivarius trum-pet from another corner of the monu-ment. Dr. Schlosberg will provide the final, second echo from a third corner of the monument. He will play the Renais-sance- style Herald fanfare trumpet. A repeat performance of echo "Taps" will be given at Fairview Cemetery on East Broad Street, at the conclusion of the parade. Serving as Grand Marshal of the parade this year will be Robert Tinervin, a Vietnam War veteran. He served five years in Vietnam and has lived in West-field for 26 years. He is a Past Commander of the Mar-tin Wallberg Post and is a member of the Westfield Knights of Columbus. Upon completion of opening ceremo-nies, the parade will march up East Broad Street, turn left on Elm Street, right on Orchard Street, then right onto Mountain Avenue. The Sons of the American Revolu-tion (S.A.R.) and the Daughters of the American Revolution (D.A.R.) will break ranks at the Colonial Cemetery on Mountain Avenue to conduct ser-vices at the cemetery honoring Ameri-can military personnel buried there. More than 100 war veterans are in-terred in the cemetery. S.A.R. members post American flags at veterans' grave sites. The cemetery is the final resting place of 70 Revolutionary War soldiers and over 25 servicemen of World War I and later conflicts. Veterans from the French and Indian War, the War of 1812, and the Civil War are also represented. The Reverend Kevin Clark of the Bethel Baptist Church in Westfield will deliver the Memorial Day address at the Colonial Cemetery. As in the past, the parade will in-clude the Westfield Fire and Police Departments, as well as Volunteer Res-cue Squad vehicles, antique cars, and the Westfield Town Bell. The parade will feature five march-ing bands, including the Westfield High School Marching Band, Westfield Fife and Drum Corps, the Westfield Com-munity Band, the Bound Brook Drum and Bugle Corps, and a special West-field Knights of Columbus band. Other groups marching in the parade are representatives of the Bethel Bap-tist Church, the Miller-Cory House Museum, Eastern Star Ladies and the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. The parade concludes at Fairview Cemetery in the veterans section, where memorial services will be conducted by Westfield and Mountainside VFW members. Free soft drinks will be available at the entrance of the cemetery. All march-ers are invited back to the American Legion Post No. 3 of Westfield. In the event of rain, the ceremonies will be held at Roosevelt Intermediate School on Clark Street. For further in-formation should weather conditions become a factor, please call the West-field Police Department at (908) 232- 1000. described the curriculum as "enlight-ened" and praised the concept of phasing in discussion of sexual issues. Controversy was evident, however, when discussion turned to abortion and homosexuality. Superintendent of Schools Dr. William J. Foley said that while abortion is not presented as a birth control option, it is discussed. This prompted board member Carol Molnar to introduce an amendment strik-ing any mention of abortion or its psycho-logical effects from the curriculum. Her motion was not seconded, and so was not voted on by the board. Westfield resident Kathleen Hunt like-wise took issue with the curriculum over its use of the terms "embryo" and "fetus" to describe an unborn baby. Ms. Hunt argued that such words de-personalized the baby in discussion of abortions, mak-ing the procedure easier to accept. She added that the curriculum seemed to be based on the premise that, "all children come to school emotionally ill and from homes where parents do not care." She wondered why, in a district with a reputation of upholding diversity and tolerance, "those of us who opposed this program were not asked to give their input." Board member Susan Jacobson ob-jected to the cursory discussion of homo-sexuality and omission of the terms "gay" and "lesbian." Ms. Jacobson remarked, "I don't know how realistic it is in light of what I think is going on with today's kids." She felt that omission of such terms inevitably leads to a discussion that is not "100 percent honest." The board approved the revised cur-riculum 8-0-1, with Ms. Molnar abstain-ing. A second reading has been sched-uled for Tuesday, June 16, and further discussion of the curriculum will be held at the board's Tuesday, June 2 meeting. Before addressing the revised health and sex education curriculum, board mem-bers got a first-hand look at their recently implemented technology initiative. Members saw student demonstrations of pilot programs which were introduced last September. The initiative integrated computer technology into the English, social studies, foreign language and sci-ence departments. All four departments received five computers, and have sought different ways to integrate the new technology into their curriculums. Using a desktop publishing program, English Department students are pub-lishing their own poetry. In the Social Studies Department, students use a pro-gram called "American Government: an introduction to Micro-case." According to Maria Schmidt, Chair-woman of the Social Studies Depart-ment, the technology "adds another di-mension" to the students' curriculum, allowing them to conduct genuine survey research. Freshman students use a program called Inspiration, which allows them to visually graph information they learn in class. This translates into more effective test preparation and outlining, educators maintain. The department, like the others, re-ceived five computers. Paula A. Roy, Chairwoman of the English Department and a teacher at Westfield High School for 27 years, noted that the new comput-ers have "tightened space considerably." However, she said the enthusiasm dem-onstrated by newer staff members for the technology initiative has contributed sig-nificantly to its success. In the Foreign Language Department, students take advantage of the Internet and CD-ROM technology. Students regularly access the two major French daily newspa-pers, La Monde and Le Figaro, online. An interactive audio CD-ROM pro-gram helps students enhance their pro-nunciation by taking a recording of the student's voice and then comparing it to a native voice. In the Science Department, new tech-nology has been introduced to the biol-ogy, chemistry, physics, and earth sci-ences classes. The new computers per-mit more powerful methods of data col- lection, according to Dave Stoneback, Science Department Supervisor for grades 6 through 12. Using an interface, students can more easily see patterns in accumulated data, measure heart rates, and calculate motion. The new computers are a valuable asset which, according to Mr. Stoneback, "bridges the gap between university re-search and what is typically used in high school education." CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 BOE Okays Curriculum For Family Living, Health WESTFIELD POLICE BLOTTER TUESDAY, MAY 12 ú Police reported that a lawn on Wil-low Grove Road was damaged by motor vehicle tires. ú Authorities investigated an incident of possible forced entry at a service sta-tion on South Avenue, West. A garage window was broken at the facility but nothing appeared to be missing or disturbed inside, according to police. THURSDAY, MAY 14 ú A Ross Place resident reported the theft of clothes valued at approximately $1,085 from a bedroom closet in her apartment. ú A resident of Prospect Street re-ported that a license plate on his motor vehicle was either stolen or lost. ú Two bicycles were reported stolen in separate incidents. The first was taken from a bicycle rack at the Westfield train station, and the second was removed from a rack at Westfield High School on Dorian Road. ú A camera was reported stolen from a motor vehicle which was parked in the Westfield train station lot. SATURDAY, MAY 16 ú A Morristown resident reported the theft of a necklace valued at $1,000, which she said she had left on a chair while receiving service at a Central Av-enue hair salon. SUNDAY, MAY 17 ú A Willow Grove Road resident re-ported an incident of criminal mischief, authorities said. The victim's home was strewn with toilet paper and an assort-ment of items was scattered on the front lawn. The windows of a car there were also soaped. ú John Mollozzi, 20, of Westfield was arrested on South Avenue and charged with possession of an alcoholic beverage under the legal age, according to police. He was released on his own recogni-zance. ú Police reported that someone spray-painted graffiti on the playground of McKinley Elementary School on First Avenue. ú Robert E. Rice, 38, of Plainfield was arrested on Sherwood Parkway and charged with being an unlicensed driver, and on a contempt of court warrant out of Plainfield, authorities said. He was be-ing held in lieu of $725 bail. MONDAY, MAY 18 ú A Carleton Road resident reported an incident of theft by deception. She told authorities that someone stole 38 blank checks which were then used to obtain $12,300 from various bank loca-tions. TUESDAY, MAY 19 ú Police filed a theft report on behalf of a Westfield resident. ú Michael Blabolil, 31, of Clark was arrested on West Broad Street and charged with possession of less than 50 grams of marijuana, possession of a con-trolled dangerous substance in a motor vehicle, and possession of an open con-tainer of alcohol in a motor vehicle, according to police. He was being held in lieu of $725 bail. Recent Home Sales M. R. Nardi to Santo Nardi, 1080 Prospect Street, $282,000. J. A. Beck, Jr. and Martha B. Beck to Gerald Morrison McGee, 834 Bradford Avenue, $420,000. B. and P. Apel to Joseph and Diane U. Dabulas, 765 Clark Street, $265,000. W. H. and M. P. Ott to Augusta Will-iams, 260 Prospect Street, $262,000. N. G. Schafer to Jean M. Hurtt, 144 Myrtle Avenue, $122,000. M. M. Hurajt to Joseph C. Rosa, 741 Carleton Road, $243,000. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 deteriorate along the corners of the street. While stating he would like the town to fund the repair work on Stoneleigh Park, Pearl, Wyoming and Pierson, Public Works Committee Chairman John J. Walsh, represent-ing the Third Ward, said he could not support using operating funds in the municipal budget for this purpose. Mr. Gottko said the total expendi-ture for shoulder improvements for the four streets totaled $50,000, or a quar-ter of a tax point. A tax point in West-field equals $180,000 in spending. Fourth Ward Councilman Lawrence A. Goldman said the issue of whether to proceed with assessing the property owners is a "matter of fairness," noting that if the govern-ing body chose to fund the work, such an action could "open up a whole bunch of problems" for the town. In fact, town officials explained that a number of inquiries have been received regarding previously com-pleted projects. Residents have indi-cated that if property owners along the four streets do not have to fund repair work, they would seek refunds from the assessments they had previ-ously paid. Mayor Thomas C. Jardim, although questioning why the previous policy was ever adopted, said the council must have a starting point for when its new policy takes effect. Pearl Street resident Al Schaefer, who attended the past two meetings of the council at which the issue was discussed, said "I don't think I should have to pay for (reconstruction of) the street which everyone else uses," he said. He said he was not given the figure of $25 per running foot for the as-sessments. However, when ques-tioned, several other residents in at-tendance indicated they were aware of the figure. First Ward Councilwoman Gail S. Vernick said the issue of whether the town should pay for the shoulder im-provements presented a "difficult di-lemma" for her as a council member. In response to Mr. Schaefer's con-cerns, Mrs. Vernick said she will conduct her own investigation as to whether he may have received "mis-information" as to how much his total assessment would be. Mr. Gottko noted that all future paving projects will be under the new policy, with residents only required to pay for curbs. In a related matter, Councilman Walsh in his committee report re-leased a list of those streets which will be improved this summer as part of a $150,000 appropriation included in this year's budget. Included are Prospect Street, from Madison Avenue to Trail's End; For-est Avenue, from Dudley Avenue to Edgewood Avenue; Eaglecroft Road, from Forest Avenue to Coleman Place; Kimball Avenue, from North Chestnut Street to Baker Avenue; Winyah Avenue, East, from Canter-bury Lane to Wychwood Road; Can-terbury Road, from house nos. 238- 239 to Wychwood Road; Woodland Avenue; Windsor Avenue, from South Avenue to Grandview Avenue; Cam- bridge Road, from Central Avenue to Boynton Avenue; Tudor Oval; Doris Parkway; Willow Grove Parkway; North Florence Avenue, and Warren Street, from Scotch Plains Avenue to Hyslip Avenue. Additional roadwork totaling $10,000 is also included, although those streets were not specified in a memorandum issued by Town Engi-neer Kenneth B. Marsh. Councilman Walsh noted that streets included in the program have been evenly divided between the town's four wards. A council repre-sentative from each ward is included on the committee. These street improvements will be the first ones completed without curb-ing with the total cost paid for by the town. In other business, Sara E. Strohecker, Chairwoman of the BRAKES Group of Westfield, gave a brief presentation on the group's pro-posal for a Master Traffic Safety Mitigation Plan. Ms. Strohecker explained that BRAKES, which stands for Bikers, Runners and Kids Are Entitled to Safety, was resurrected in 1997 after having been dormant for seven years. The pedestrian safety group was origi-nally formed out of the Parent-Teacher Council Safety Committee. As part of its efforts, the group has sought the help of a traffic safety consultant from the New Jersey De-partment of Transportation (NJDOT) at no cost to BRAKES. The safety mitigation plan aims to implement enforcement of speed lim-its on streets BRAKES has deemed as dangerous. Mayor Jardim, in favoring quick council action, said the governing body needs to send a "strong direc-tive" to Police Chief Anthony J. Scutti, noting the importance of increasing police patrols to stop speeding on these streets. The Mayor said police action is needed to go hand-in-hand with the efforts of BRAKES. These efforts to date have included evaluated and stan-dardized educational safety programs at Westfield Public Schools and creat-ing back-to-school safety packets for school programs district-wide. As part of the Master Plan pro-posal, BRAKES is seeking the issu-ance of parking violation tickets near schools around the time students are let out, as well as enforcement of speed limits between 8 and 8:45 a.m. on the following streets: Prospect Street, Central Avenue and Clover Street, North and South Chestnut Streets, Clark Street, East and West Dudley Avenue and Dorian Road. Enforcement is sought on the fol-lowing streets between 2:45 and 3:34 p.m.: West Broad Street at McKinley Elementary School; First Street; Cen-tral Avenue at Clover Street; Dudley Avenue; Rahway Avenue; South Chestnut; Benson Place; Clark Street and along Dorian Road/Park Street. Second Ward Councilman Mat-thew P. Albano said the council will need to act before the end of the school year or else wait until Septem-ber before implementing traffic safety measures. Council to Proceed on Action On Improvement Assessments the board, presented this year's award to Ms. Fleder. Ms. Fleder joined the Board of Direc-tors of the "Y" in May of 1989. As an active board member, she headed up the "Kids Expo" project, which successfully attracted over 8,000 participants. Ms. Fleder was a major participant in devel-oping the "Y's" partnership with the Moscow YMCA. She is also a major player in the First Night celebration on New Year's Eve. Ms. Fleder has given her expertise in computers in helping the "Y" computer-ize operations. She continues to serve on several committees including the Long Range Planning, Executive, and Interna-tional Committees. She had a "hands on" involvement in implementing the "Y's" Teen Programs at Edison Intermediate School, and was a presenter on Teen Programs to the Na-tional YMCA General Assembly. She was a representative at the YMCA Key Lead-ers Conference and has been a hostess to numerous international "Y" visitors. In addition to devoting much of her time to the "Y," the award recipient has served as President of the Parent-Teacher Organizational (PTO) at Edison School, President of the Westfield High School PTO, and as Co-Chairwoman of the West-field Service League Thrift Shop. She also is a board member of the United Fund of Westfield Allocations Commit-tee, Chairwoman of the United Fund Residential Division and is Chairwoman of Long Range Planning for the West-field Service League. Ms. Fleder's volunteer work does not end there. She is active with The Presbyterian Church in Westfield where she serves as a Deacon, and is involved in the Family Life Programs at the church. Ms. Fleder and her husband, Mark, and two children live in Westfield. Prior to working as a volunteer in the commu-nity, she was an executive with IBM and operated her own computer business. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Parade to Begin At Monument Memorial Day CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 'Y' Holds 75th Annual Meeting BRAMNICK 2X4 J&M 2X3
	FIFTY CENTS 232-4407 Scotch Plains - Fanwood Scotch Plains - Fanwood Scotch Plains - Fanwood Scotch Plains - Fanwood Scotch Plains - Fanwood THE TIMES OUR 39th YEAR - ISSUE NO. 21-98 Published Every Thursday USPS 485200 Periodical - Postage Paid at Scotch Plains, N.J. Thursday, May 21, 1998 of of of of of - Serving Scotch Plains and Fanwood Since 1959 - Deadlines Told For Submittals To The Times Those persons preparing press releases for submission to The Times are reminded that copy should be e-mailed or faxed by 4 p.m. on the Friday prior to publication. The Times' e-mail address is press@goleader.com. The fax num-ber is 908-232-0473. Releases, pictures and letters to the editor can also be dropped off at our office located at 50 Elm Street, Westfield or through our mail slot. To ensure that submittals reach our office prior to deadline, we encour-age e-mail or faxed materials. Sports stories which occur prior to the weekend must be in by the Friday deadline. Weekend sports events must be submitted by noon on the Monday prior to the publica-tion date. Obituaries will be ac-cepted up to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays. All copy must be typed, double-spaced, upper and lower case, no more than 500 words in length, and include a daytime telephone num-ber where the submitter can be reached. For events which are planned months in advance, we encourage submission of stories as early as possible prior to the event. Please note that in addition to making our deadlines, the publica-tion of submittals may be delayed due to space considerations. All submittals are subject to being cut due to length, edited for style and clarification at the discretion of the editor. Gretchen Bowman for The Times AN ANNUAL TRADITION...Bicyclists make the turn from Park Avenue onto Front Street during the running of the annual Freddie Spencer Memorial Race. The race was held last Sunday in Scotch Plains. The annual event is held in the township's downtown. Please another picture on page 19. POLICE OFFICERS RECOGNIZED FOR JOB PERFORMANCE Fanwood Borough Council Okays Caf‚ Hours and Fee By SUZETTE STALKER Specially Written for The Times An ordinance defining the hours of operation and fee for sidewalk caf‚s was adopted on second reading last Thursday by the Fanwood Bor-ough Council. The governing body also intro-duced an ordinance during its regu-lar meeting to permit caf‚s along the side and rear areas of restaurant prop-erties, which was endorsed by the Fanwood Planning Board. A public hearing on this decree is set for Thurs-day, June 11. Members of the council gave the green light April 9 to an ordinance amending Chapter 78 of the Fanwood Borough Code to allow local restau-rateurs to operate sidewalk caf‚s dur-ing the warm weather months. Officials hope that the outdoor caf‚s will enhance the ambiance of the downtown and attract patrons to the area as part of an overall plan to rejuvenate the business district. The ordinance adopted by the coun-cil last week permits caf‚s to remain open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., and reduces the fee from the originally-proposed $100 to $50. Both these measures were also based on recom-mendations by the Planning Board. Officials introduced two additional ordinances, one amending the borough's salary ordinance to include Fanwood Memorial Library person-nel, and the other increasing the fee for certificates indicating smoke de-tector compliance from $20 to $25. Individuals selling their homes are required by state law to obtain these certificates. Under other business, the council passed a resolution urging Congress to grant $12 million in funding for the Green Brook Sub-basin project, developed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers to alleviate flood-ing in the Upper and Lower Portions of the Green Brook Sub-basin. The area encompasses portions of Union, Somerset and Middlesex Counties. Resolutions were also approved by the council establishing actual mu-nicipal salaries; amending the 1998 municipal budget to include an $8,319 Clean Community Grant, and seeking state reimbursement for tax-exempt veterans and tax-exempt group homes. Other resolutions were passed awarding a bid of $2,155 to Princeton Design Guild of Princeton for archi-tectural services related to replace-ment of the Carriage House roof; authorizing the borough to receive quotes for a survey of Watson Road property, and renewing Fanwood's contract with the Westfield Regional Health Department. Officials opted to enter into a new health services contract with the de-partment after members of the council's Education, Health and Welfare Committee and the Fanwood Board of Health met with Westfield Health Official Robert M. Sherr to discuss costs involved in the agree-ment. Council President Bruce H. Walsh voted against the resolution, how-ever, saying he did not believe offi-cials had sufficient information about the process by which costs to the borough are determined. A resolution supporting funding for diabetes research was also ap-proved. Stephen A. Caruso, of Cran-ford, who with his wife, Joanne, vol-unteers with the American Diabetes Association, addressed the council SYMBOL OF SERVICE...William L. Crosby, President of the Fanwood Volunteer Rescue Squad, presents Matthew Pisane with a framed copy of the winning patch he designed for squad volunteers, as Mayor Maryanne S. Connelly looks on. The student and runners-up Amanda Palmatier, Lauryn Nanni and Chris Hartelius were recognized for their efforts during last Thursday's regular meeting of the Fanwood Borough Council. Postal Service Unveils New Store In Revamped Township Post Office CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 Gretchen Bowman for The Times EXPANDING ITS OPERATIONS...Scotch Plains Mayor Joan Papen, left, assists Township Postmaster Elvoid Christmas, in cutting the ribbon during last Thursday's official grand opening of the newly-renovated Scotch Plains Post Office and new Postal Retail Store. Looking on are Scotch Plains Councilwoman Irene T. Schmidt and Edward R. Sinning, Manager of Postal Operations for the New Jersey District. By JEANNE WHITNEY Specially Written for The Times The Northern New Jersey district of the United States Postal Service officially opened a Postal Retail Store in the newly-renovated Scotch Plains Post Office last Thursday morning. The local ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the opening of the third such store in the New Jersey District, after Little Ferry and Saddle River. Edward R. Sinning, Manager of Postal Operations in the district, told residents "We've taken a whole new direction in the Postal Service. The emphasis is on the customer." The Little Ferry postal store first opened three years ago. Mr. Sinning indicated that the Postal Stores are big money makers for the Postal Ser-vice. Postal officials pointed out that customers may now select stamps from displays in the shop instead of waiting in line for a teller in order to make a purchase. Everything is pre-packaged. Saddle River Postmaster Richard Waywell said the customers at his two-month-old Retail Store marvel over the variety of stamp designs and other merchandise in the shop. "Customers say, 'Gee, I didn't know you had all this stuff,'" remarked Mr. Waywell. Acting Manager of Administra-tive Services in the North New Jersey District, Bruce Grygus, said the town-ship Postal Store was a $460,000 addition and the entire project - including lighting, parking and a new building facade - cost over $1 million. According to Scotch Plains Post-master Elvoid Christmas, "We didn't use one tax dollar for this." Federal government subsidies to the Postal Service were phased out by 1983, after the Postal Reorganiza-tion Act of 1970 was implemented under President Richard Nixon. Nei-ther was the United States Postmas-ter General a Presidential Cabinet position any longer - which it had been since 1829, under the Reorgani-zation Act. The Postal Rate Commission re-cently okayed a penny rate hike to 33 cents for a one-ounce letter. Mr. Christmas said it was three years since the last rate increase. Some have said the United States Postal Service is struggling to com- Gretchen Bowman for The Times NEWEST MEMBER OF THE FAMILY...The Scotch Plains Fire Department recently received its new rescue truck, which carries oxygen for firefighters, air bags to place under a vehicle to lift it in seconds, chemicals to clean up oil spills on streets, and the Jaws of Life, a device used to extricate a victim from a vehicle following a serious accident. Scotch Plains firefighters and members of the committee which oversaw the purchase of the truck, pictured left to right, are: Brian Mecca, Fire Chief Jonathan P. Ellis, Ed Frame, Vincent Romano, Joe Giordano and Doug Freitag. Township Planning Board Hears Recommendations Regarding The Reserve By JILL LOEWER Specially Written for The Times During Monday night's meeting of the Scotch Plains Planning Board, engineering details for The Reserve townhouse project were reviewed. Duggan Kimball, a township pro-fessional planner, outlined six ma-jor issues which had been discussed during a May 13 meeting between himself and two engineering ex-perts, and offered their recommen-dations. The earlier meeting had also in-cluded Paul Ferriero, an engineer for the township, and Joe Fleming, an engineering expert for developer K. Hovnanian. It was held to avoid hav-ing too much of the Planning Board's time taken up with details. K. Hovnanian is seeking to build the 116-unit townhouse complex on 7.7 acres of property currently owned by sisters-in-law Frances and Angeline Donato. Twenty percent of the units would be designated as low-to moderate-income housing. The proposal is being opposed by Weldon Materials. William Butler, the Westfield attorney representing Weldon, was invited to attend the supplementary meeting last week but was unable to do so due to other commitments. Mr. Kimball told the board Mon-day that the retaining wall at the northwest edge of the property should be reduced in length and height. This is the most visible of the re-taining walls and the modification will be aesthetically appealing, he explained. Next, three options were pro-posed for adding parking spaces. Five additional spaces could be added in the roadway area at the northwest edge of the property; 12 additional spaces could be obtained by widening Meadow Street, and six additional spaces could be gained by moving building No. 8 in the project to the northwest, Mr. Kimball said. Traffic safety issues at the corner of Union Avenue and New Provi-CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 Memorial Day Observances Slated in Two Communities Several events will be held in Scotch Plains and Fanwood on Monday, May 25, in observance of Memorial Day, which pays tribute to American military personnel who gave their lives for their country. A memorial service will be held at 8 a.m. at American Legion Post No. 209 at Park Avenue and Sunset Place in Scotch Plains. At 9 a.m., there will be the laying of wreaths at the Fanwood Memorial Library, located at North Avenue and Tillotson Road. Wreaths will be presented at the Veterans Monument at Park Avenue and Front Street in Scotch Plains at 10 a.m. The Fanwood-Scotch Plains Memorial Day Parade will follow this ceremony. Starting at 10:30 a.m. from the Scotch Plains Municipal Building, the parade will proceed along Park Avenue, down Martine Avenue into the center of Fanwood, and end at LaGrande Park in Fanwood. The theme for this year's parade is "Women in Military Service for America." Women veterans from Fanwood and Scotch Plains will serve as the collective Grand Marshal. Following the parade, there will be a celebration in LaGrande Park in Fanwood, featuring food and beverages, games and events for all ages, and a craft fair. The celebration will continue until 4 p.m. CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 ACTION ON BOND SALE TO ACQUIRE ZOO PROPERTY LIKELY Council Questions Benefits of Top Ranking on Development Funding By JEANNE WHITNEY Specially Written for The Times A planning expert told the Scotch Plains Township Council Tuesday that under a new state deal, the town-ship is ranked first in line to get state funding for development. However, with the "metropolitan" or urban designation, the council questioned the actual benefits of the ranking. Mayor Joan Papen said, "We might have to build something with the money we get, that we don't want anyway." Councilman and Deputy Mayor William McClintock added, "The metropolitan designation is good for getting (funding); as long as it's not for high rises." Planning consultant Douglas Kimball said the state is definitely moving into position to take greater control over development through-out New Jersey. However, he claimed, "This (plan) does not revolutionize the funding apparatus. This is a new level of review when you apply for funding. Final say over how an area is developed still lies with the local authorities." Municipalities often are eligible for additional funding from the state for costly projects connected with transportation, redevelopment and other areas. Another option under the new rank-ing system, Mr. Kimball said, lets the township propose its own develop-ment plan and ranking to the state. State officials will then determine whether the plan fits into overall goals for the state. Mr. Kimball said this choice, called "Plan Endorse-ment," still gives the municipality top designation for funding requests but added, "This is another whole process. You have to construct the Master Plan in a way that's accept-able to both you and the state. That's the hook." According to Councilman Martin Marks, Scotch Plains' current Mas-ter Plan for Development dates from 1976. Mr. Kimball explained that every municipality in the state was required to submit a Master Plan to the state in (or by) the year 2000. Mr. Kimball also indicated that the actual methods for prioritizing state funding under the new plan are still being hammered out. So far, there are a total of five categories, including "metropolitan" under the plan; suburban areas, fringe areas, rural and environmentally sensitive. He told the council that some areas of the township could possibly be designated "suburban." Councilman Robert Johnston added, "We need to know long-term, what is the impact of that urban or metropolitan designation on Scotch Plains." In other business, the council said it was likely to approve a $570,000 bond sale to pay for the former Scotch Plains Zoo property. "This is temporary funding, not permanent debt," Township Man-ager Thomas E. Atkins added. The township claimed the right of eminent domain in its recent con- demnation of the nearly six acres of property for use as a public park. However, the reported owners of the property, Sunrise Assisted Living, have said they intend to challenge the move in court. Sunrise reportedly bought the property for $850,000 CONTINUED ON PAGE 12Page 12 Thursday, May 21, 1998 The Westfield Leader and THE TIMES of Scotch Plains - Fanwood A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION J&M 2X3 SUPPORTING THE SYMPHONY...Rick Brownlee, proprietor of Richard Roberts, Ltd., left, and Nell Goodwin, proprietor of Beautiful Things, both of Scotch Plains, present a check to Patrick Gaines, Executive Director of the Westfield Symphony Orchestra (WSO), for funds received during Symphony Promotion Week in March. Mr. Gaines said "the symphony is excited to participate in joint projects with local businesses and hopes to expand its Promotion Week to include Westfield and Mountainside next season." Inter-ested business owners may call the WSO office at (908) 232-9400 for more information. concerning the need for increased funding to combat what he called "the epidemic of our time," which afflicts 16 million Americans. Mayor Maryanne S. Connelly re-vealed that a special meeting of the governing body will be held on Thursday, June 4, at 7:30 p.m. in the Borough Council chambers, during which the proposed pocket park for Watson Road will be dis-cussed. Katherine Mitchell, the Fanwood Democratic Committee Chair-woman and a candidate for the Bor-ough Council this year, objected during the public portion of the meeting to a proposed pond at the park, citing health and safety con-cerns. The pond was one of several ideas envisioned by Union County Col-lege students in their conceptual drawings for the park. They pre-sented their illustrations, which they did as a school project, to the governing body at its May 6 agenda session. At the top of last week's meeting, Mayor Connelly and the council saluted the Fanwood Police Depart-ment and the Fanwood Volunteer Rescue Squad, as well as the De-partment of Public Works, the li-brary and Arbor Day. The governing body issued a proc-lamation spotlighting the week of May 10 through 16 as National Po-lice Week, and commending law enforcement officers for serving as "our guardians of life and property." Several Fanwood police officers were individually recognized for their recent actions in the line of duty. Patrolman Peter Caltabellotta was presented with the Lifesaving Award for his quick response in aiding a motorist experiencing a medical emergency. Officer Eugene Chin received the Meritorious Service Award for his swift response to a strong-arm rob-bery in the borough, which led to the arrests of two suspects. Police pete with independent mail outlets which provide 24-hour services to customers. The new township post office will issue pass cards for 24-hour access to its lobby, with locked mail boxes, stamp vending machines and weigh-ing scales. Postmaster Christmas went so far as to say a resident may ring the back doorbell of the township post office as early as 2 a.m. - when workers begin sorting mail - to pick up items held at the office. Scotch Plains Mayor Joan Papen, who attended the grand opening cer-emony, said she was pleased the town-ship post office was selected for the makeover. "At Christmas time it will cer-tainly be appreciated - we won't have lines out the door anymore," Mayor Papen said. The building lobby was enlarged to within several feet of the sidewalk as part of the project. "I also like the Colonial facade," the Mayor added. An unidentified postal worker said she liked the extra space at the new office. One additional worker was hired as a result of the new store, Postmaster Christmas said. District officials said a plan for a new 16,000-square foot Plainfield-Warren Post Office is on the drawing board, and four more Postal Stores are planned in Bergen and Passaic Counties. Officials from the District Con-sumer Affairs office said the Postal Stores are a plus for a community. "It showcases the Postal Service's effort to make it easier to do busi-ness," township resident George Flood said. Acting Consumer Affairs Manager Valeria Brown noted, "I don't have to put 'Love' stamps on my bills, any-more." CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Postal Service Unveils New Store in Scotch Plains CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Borough Council Okays Hours and Fees for Caf‚s Gretchen Bowman for The Times SERVICE TO COUNTRY...This Memorial Day, women veterans will serve as the collective Grand Marshal for the annual parade in Scotch Plains and Fanwood on Monday, May 25. Among the veterans to be honored, pictured left to right, are: front row, Dorothy Bidwell, Bertha Laster Peterson, Betty Lindblad, Virginia Hartner, Marjorie Schmidt, Celeste Krowicki and Mary De Quollo; second row, Andria Koger, Dorothy McGrath, Pat Nowak and Cindy Kay. dence Road were raised. Vegetation and telephone poles currently block the view at this intersection, and with added traffic flow from the development, this could be more of a safety issue, the professional plan-ner advised. It was further recommended that the Planning Board continue to com-ply with Union County's assessment of Seeley Dam, located three quar-ters of a mile from the Donato prop-erty, and specifically the Dam Break Analysis. Mr. Kimball continued by high-lighting two additional issues: safety concerns with the emergency access bridge and improvements to Meadow Street. In response to these recommenda-tions, Robert Schwartz, attorney for K. Hovnanian, said that they would redesign the retaining wall as re-quested. He also said, "the first two options for additional parking spaces make sense, but I'm not in love with the third option of moving building (no). 8, from an aesthetic and crowding standpoint." Regarding the traffic safety issue, Mr. Schwartz said, "This is so far off site, this is too much to ask of an affordable housing application project. "Since this intersection in ques-tion is in Watchung, I don't want to have to go to another municipality to start another application to make these changes," he added. "It's totally acceptable to continue discussions with the county regard-ing the Dam Safety analysis, and that Mr. Fleming would meet with the (Scotch Plains) Fire Chief re-garding the emergency access bridge," he continued. "I am in favor of widening Meadow Street, and K. Hovnanian will pay for these improvements," the attorney added. Mr. Butler raised a concern he had obtaining a document entitled "Sunny Day Failure of Seeley Pond Dam," dated September of 1997. He said he has not been able to obtain a copy of this due to a non-disclosure agreement K. Hovnanian has with the county. Mr. Schwartz responded that he was unaware that Mr. Butler wanted this document, adding that he would be happy to give him a copy. The non-disclosure agreement was implemented, it was revealed, only so that parties outside the applica-tion process could not obtain copies. Richard Muller, representing the Union County Planning Board, came forward to address the issue of the Dam Break Analysis. The matter is still before that board and has not been voted on yet. George Tomkin, Chairman of the Scotch Plains Planning Board, urged the Union County board to act on this matter as soon as pos-sible so that the township board can make its assessment of the overall project. "I want to let the board know how disappointed I am in the delay of this analysis," Mr. Schwartz re-marked to Mr. Muller. As an aside, Mr. Tomkin asked the Donato sisters-in-law if there has been any flooding of their prop-erty in the last few weeks, consider-ing the amount of rain which has fallen during that time period. They stated that there has been none what-soever. In other business, the Planning Board approved an application for a minor subdivision, which proposes a land "swap" involving two neigh-boring properties, at 5 and 9 Wright Street. The plan by Van Luong Nguyen calls for two triangular-shaped lots to be converted into two rectangu-lar lots. Dennis Harrington, Town-ship Engineer, said "this 'swap' will make the lots more regular and would be beneficial to the neigh-borhood." Also approved at Monday night's meeting was an application by An-tonio Appezzato for a minor subdi-vision which would transform one lot into two. Lee Titus, a civil engineer for the applicant, spoke to the board re-garding the requested variances. As to the issue of whether a drain-ing ditch on the property contains a significant amount of water, Mr. Harrington stated, "In my view, this channel does not typically flow." Township Councilman Martin Marks, a member of the Planning Board, asked a question regarding the classification of a stream. Mr. Harrington said a stream is defined as "carrying water on an average of six months of a year, and I think this ditch does not fall into that cat-egory." Councilman Marks said the ditch, therefore, should be considered a seasonal drainage ditch, adding that the applicant does not need a vari-ance. In a unanimous vote, the board approved this application with the stipulation that Mr. Titus provide Township Building Inspector and Construction Official Robert LaCosta with the information re-garding the averaging of the front and back yard setbacks. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Recommendations Offered Regarding Reserve Project Chief Robert Carboy also com-mended the efforts of some 15 other officers who responded to the rob-bery that day. Patrolman Marc Gottlick earned the Exceptional Duty Award for his investigation of an incident which culminated in the arrest of a sus-pect on stolen vehicle charges. He was also awarded a Letter of Com-mendation. Officials designated May as Res-cue Squad Month, and cited the Fanwood squad for embodying what Councilman Stuart S. Kline char-acterized as "old fashioned values and the small-town spirit of volunteerism." Squad President William L. Crosby made presentations to four students who submitted the top en-tries for a new patch to be worn by squad members. The all-volunteer unit is marking its 50th anniversary of service this year. The winning emblem, designed by Matthew Pisane, adorned the shirt sleeves of squad members at last week's council meeting. Runners-up included Amanda Palmatier, Lauryn Nanni and Chris Hartelius. A proclamation designating May 17 through 23 as National Public Works Week was made to Public Works Director Raymond Manfra, who publicly welcomed new depart-ment employee Frank Salvador. Officials recognized National Li-brary Week, which took place April 19 to 25, with a proclamation hon-oring libraries for their role in help-ing children and adults, "to live, to learn, and to prosper in a global society." The final proclamation was is-sued in observance of Arbor Day on April 24, when borough officials dedicated a newly-planted Red Spire Callery Pear tree on the grounds of the Fanwood Rescue Squad in Mr. Crosby's honor. Mr. Crosby retired from the Fanwood Shade Tree Com-mission several months ago after more than 30 years of service. SCOTCH PLAINS POLICE BLOTTER THURSDAY, MAY 14 ú Theft of a memorabilia item re-lating to the Vietnam War was re-ported from a display at the Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School. ú Theft of carpenters tools from a vehicle parked at a job site on Fenimore Drive was reported. SATURDAY, MAY 16 ú David Morgan, 41, of Plainfield, was arrested and charged with driv-ing under the influence of alcohol pursuant to a motor vehicle stop on Route 22 West. The incident took place at 2:15 a.m. SUNDAY, MAY 17 ú Guido Garrote, 29, of Plainfield, was arrested and charged with pos-session of cocaine and possession of under 50 grams of marijuana pursu-ant to an officers investigation dur-ing a motor vehicle stop on Route 22. The incident took place at 1 a.m. ú Theft of items of jewelry was reported by a patron at a recreation center on Martine Avenue. Items were left in a locker and discovered miss-ing when the owner returned. Christine Hoyer Inducted To National Honor Society Christine M. Hoyer, from Fanwood, a freshman at Elizabeth College in Elizabethtown, Penn-sylvania, was inducted into Alpha Lambda Delta this past April. She was also elected to be the club council representative. Alpha Lambda Delta is a national honor society of freshman that recognizes students for their scholastic achievements during their first year. According to college spokes-woman Nicole Nauman, the soci-ety promotes a high standard of learning, intellectual interests and it encourages a superior scholastic attainment. The Elizabethtown chapter was established in 1971. Christine, a psychology major and is a 1997 graduate of Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hoyer Jennifer Mosko Reveals Sea Urchin Research Jennifer Mosko, a senior at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, pre-sented the results of her research on sea urchin embryos April 28 at the 1998 Senior Scholars' Day at the university. A biology major, Jennifer is the daughter of Peter and Marlene Mosko of Fanwood. The topic of her presentation was "Sea urchin embryos exhibit a ter-atogenic window of vulnerability when exposed to thalidomide." Under the supervision of Dr. Jan Reichard-Brown, a visiting instruc-tor of biology, Jennifer's research suggested that sea urchins provide a reliable laboratory model system for studying the teratogenic effects of thalidomide. The university's Senior Scholars' Day also honors professors who guided and supported the students' projects. Recent Home Sales John Elder to James T. and Joann Buonincontri, 37 Yarmouth Court, $184,500. Hamir L. Vadi to Rajashekharayya and Anila R. Vaidyamath, 2236 West-field Avenue, $282,500. Richard J. Sanzalone to Jose G. and Suzanne E. Florendo, 18 Jacobs Lane, $354,500. SP-F Public School District Offers 'What Parents Want' Dr. Carol B. Choye, Superinten-dent of Schools in Scotch Plains-Fanwood, has announced that the public school district has received the "What Parents Want" Award for 1998 from SchoolMatch, an inde-pendent school consulting service which helps corporate employee families find schools that match the needs of their children. Only 14 percent of the nation's 15,620 public school districts have been recognized for meeting the needs of families choosing schools, accord-ing to school district spokeswoman Kathleen L. Meyer. SchoolMatch maintains informa-tion on every public school system throughout the nation, and accred-ited private schools throughout the world. They collect data annually from auditable sources and have devel-oped criteria based on more than 56,000 parent questionnaires and surveys. The service is offered as an employee benefit by about 400 com-panies nationwide. Among the criteria used to iden-tify districts which offer "what par-ents want" are competitive academic scores and programs; accreditation; recognition for excellence by a na-tional foundation or by the United States Department of Education; competitive teacher salaries; above average instructional expenditures on a national percentile basis; above average library/media expenditures, and small class size. "We're very proud of this award and the fact that this district has a growing reputation as one that offers something for every student," Dr. Choye noted, "and we're doubly proud because this is the second con-secutive year we've received this rec-ognition." CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 from a Warren Township developer. Additionally, the township recently was awarded $100,000 from the Union County "Pocket Park" match-ing grant program toward the pur-chase price of approximately half a million dollars. On a separate matter, the council said it was willing to change the name of Cliftwood Street to Shalom Way at the request of Congregation Beth Is-rael. The synagogue is the only build-ing with a Cliftwood address on the block, according to officials. Councilman Martin Marks, who said he was a member of Beth Israel, also suggested changing the street number from "1920" to "18," claim-ing that the number 18 means "life" in the faith. The councilman also noted that since this year is the 50th anniver-sary of the founding of the nation of Israel, the action was timely. Councilman Marks has been in-strumental in moving forward with the effort to add the name "Centre Boulevard" to Second Street, West-field Avenue and Plainfield Avenue as part of the Downtown Develop-ment Committee (DDC) recommen-dations. After several residents ob-jected to the measure, the council postponed a decision and Council-man Marks - who is also a member of the DDC - said he hopes to meet with residents. On a related matter, the council said it must now carry insurance on the nine new welcoming signs do-nated to the township, for a total annual cost of $607. There is a $250 deductible, officials said. The township is still awaiting the okay from utilities companies to hang 29 "Hometown Feeling" banners from downtown poles by Memorial Day. Council members said they will try to use the new gazebo on the Village Green to view the Memorial Day parade this year, even though workers on the project doubt it will be completed. On Tuesday, wiring for lighting was installed but the gazebo does not have a roof. The township welcomed a new rescue vehicle to the Volunteer Fire Department last week. The new ve-hicle replaces an older one donated to the Department from the township Rescue Squad. The rescue division of the Fire Department carries at least 45 tanks of air for firefighters, jaws-of- life, a hydraulic ram and other lifesaving equipment. Department Battalion Chief Joseph Giordano explained that firefighters are no longer called upon only to fight fires but also to deal with haz-ardous spills, car accidents and other emergencies. The modern vehicle reportedly cost over $100,000. Council Questions Impact Of Rank on State Funding BRAMNICK 2X4
	Page 2 Thursday, May 21, 1998 The Westfield Leader and THE TIMES of Scotch Plains - Fanwood A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION Freeholders OK Grant Program For Raritan Valley Line Towns By PAUL J. PEYTON Specially Written for The Westfield Leader Continuing its efforts to connect western Union County with its most eastern portion, the Board of Chosen Freeholders approved a resolution last Thursday authorizing a new grant program for communities along NJ Transit's Raritan Valley Rail Line so that these towns can create their own economic development plans. As part of the program, munici-palities can apply for a county grant to hire consultants to conduct their own studies. Deputy County Manager George W. Devanney, who heads up the county's Economic Development Department, noted that his depart-ment would consider requests from towns to conduct the studies. Towns along the county's proposed Cross County Rail Line project will also be eligible for the grants. The seamless or light rail transit route would connect Plainfield to Elizabethport with access to the New-ark International Airport monorail system. Freeholder Donald Goncalves, who heads the Freeholders Economic Development Committee, explained that the program, in effect, reinvests funds in communities so that they "can decide their own destiny when it comes to economic development." Freeholder Lewis Mingo, Jr., of Plainfield, also a member of the Eco-nomic Development Committee, said the program will benefit Union County's economy all the way to its far western fringes - an area which was often considered, "out of sight, out of mind" when it came to county government. "I support this program whole-heartedly," Mr. Goncalves added. The funding for the studies ex-pands the county Planning Grant Program. Towns along the Raritan and Cross-County Rail Link will have the opportunity to explore the pos-sible reuse of dormant commercial or residential sites while the county implements its cross rail link. The proposed rail link will provide 18 miles of interconnected rapid tran-sit service. Working with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the county is seeking to even-tually connect its rail system from midtown Elizabeth to Newark Inter-national Airport. The East-West rail link would enable commuters on the Raritan Line to connect with Elizabethport and continue on to Newark Airport. NJ Transit is planning to build a station opposite the airport on the North Jersey Line, which will con-nect to the passenger monorail train system already in use. The monorail was originally constructed to con-nect passengers with long-term park-ing lots on the outer edges of the airport, to the terminals. County officials and Freeholders are pushing through the rail link project in an effort to meet the antici-pated demands from daily commut-ers and visitors to the port area, once development projects are completed. The major projects include the con-struction of the Jersey Gardens Mall (formerly the Metro Mall) and the expansion of the IKEA furniture store. The resolution approved by the Freeholders provides $300,000 to explore development of so-called brownfields. A total of $200,000 of this amount would come from the Federal government's now defunct Urban Development Action Grant (UDAG) program. Deputy County Manager Devanney said the county will use funds to repay a Federal grant to the county from 10 years earlier. The money has remained dormant since that time. According to JoAnn Gemenden of the Bureau of Economic Affairs, brownfields are defined as abandoned and under used industrial, commer-cial and residential properties where redevelopment of the sites is "com- plicated by real or perceived environ-mental contamination." She explained that many of these sites may not be contaminated but the perception is that they are, since the lots have sat vacant for so many years. As part of the program, eight mu-nicipalities in the county would re-ceive grants of $25,000 with two towns receiving $50,000. The amounts will be based on land area and population figures of the munici-pality. According to the resolution, com-munities with an area in excess of six square miles and a population greater than 40,000 will receive an award of $50,000 while those communities not Union County Holds Law Day Celebration at Court House LAW DAY...Union County Freeholder Vice Chairman Nicholas P. Scutari, right, presents a resolution in recogni-tion of the designation by the Chief Justice of the State Supreme Court proclaiming May 1 as "Law Day, U.S.A." to Union County Assignment Court Judge Edward W. Beglin, Jr. in his courtroom during the ceremonies held in Union County. Union County Freeholder Board Vice Chairman Nicholas P. Scutari participated in the annual Law Day Celebration held at the Union County Court House on May 1. The program administered by Union County Assignment Judge Edward W. Beglin, Jr., saw nine ad-ditional Superior Court judges in at-tendance with Judge Rudy Coleman as a featured speaker. "As an attorney, I find this day of reflection and appreciation for the importance the administration of jus-tice plays in the life of our county to be extremely valuable," Freeholder Scutari said. He noted that as an attorney he often appears before judges through-out the state representing his clients. "In its basic terms it is essential that the citizenry of Union County have an understanding and respect for the administration of justice which goes on every day in the court rooms of our county. The judges, who were present on May 1, help to emphasis the need to stop and reflect on the importance of Law Day," he said. A life-long resident of Linden, Freeholder Scutari is serving his sec-ond year on the Freeholder board. He is a member of the Union County Bar Association, the National Association's Council of School At-torneys, the Middlesex County Trial Lawyers Association, the Richard J. Hughes American Inn of Court and the National Eagle Scout Associa-tion. COUNTY FREEHOLDER HEAD RIPS PROPOSAL GOP Chair Proposes Freeholder Districts Union County Republican Chair-man Frank X. McDermott, of West-field, last week unveiled a proposal to create three Freeholder districts - each of which would be repre-sented by two members of the Union County Board of Chosen Freehold-ers. Another Freeholder would be elected to a county-wide or at-large seat. Also, the number of seats on the board would be reduced from nine to seven. The plan has met with sharp criti-cism from the current Chairman of the Democratically-controlled Free-holder board, Daniel P. Sullivan, of Elizabeth. Currently, there are nine members of the county Freeholder board elected county-wide. Each year three Free-holders are elected to three-year terms. By virtue of three consecutive sweeps at the election polls begin-ning in 1995, Democrats now have a 9-0 majority on the board. "This plan would ensure two-party government for the taxpayers of Union County. Under Democrat con- trol of the Union County Freeholder Board, Democrat friends and rela-tives have been rewarded with jobs, outrageous increases in salary and lucrative contracts, all at the expense of the taxpayers. It is absurd for the property taxpayers to bear this bur-den," said Mr. McDermott, a former State Senator. The proposal by Mr. McDermott drew sharp criticism from Freeholder Board Chairman Daniel P. Sullivan. He said he was "outraged" by Mr. McDermott's "willingness to put his political survival ahead of the best interest of Union County residents." "Mr. McDermott has turned des-perate in his attempt to control the Republican Party in Union County, so desperate that he now wants to control the entire election process," Freeholder Sullivan said. "He has seen that the Democratic Party has the answers he could never find and it obviously is a cause of frustration for him," Freeholder Sullivan stated. He added that, "Union's Tony 4-H Fair to be Held At Trailside June 14 A DEBT OF GRATITUDE...Members of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders recently honored county residents who put their lives on the line for the safety of others at the Blessing of the Firefighters, held at St. Genevieve Church in Elizabeth. "These men and women have volunteered to risk life and limb to protect our lives and our homes," said Freeholder Chairman Daniel P. Sullivan, second from right in the front row, flanked by fellow Freeholders Linda d. Stender and Alexander Mirabella. Some of Union County's 21 municipalities have paid fire departments, but in many cases, departments are solely staffed and led by volunteers. MORE COUNTY NEWS ON PAGE 21 The Union County 4-H Fair, fea-turing activities for the whole fam-ily, will be held on Sunday, June 14, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Trailside Nature and Science Cen-ter in Mountainside. Planned activities and attractions include face painting, children's games, a dog demonstration, 4-H club exhibits, a water balloon toss, an egg toss, a bubblegum blowing contest, refreshments and much more. 4-H is a department of Rutgers Cooperative Extension, which pro-vides information and educational services without regard to race, color, national origin, disability or handicap, or age. CONTINUED ON PAGE 21 CONTINUED ON PAGE 21
	A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION The Westfield Leader and THE TIMES of Scotch Plains - Fanwood Thursday, May 21, 1998 Page 3 CONTINUED ON PAGE 22 Friends of Mindowaskin To Hold 'Party' June 7 The Friends of Mindowaskin Park of Westfield, a non-profit organization, will hold its fifth annual celebration and fundraising event for the park, known as the "Party in the Park" on Sunday, June 7, from 1 to 5 p.m. at Mindowaskin Park, located on East Broad Street in Westfield. The rain date is Sunday, June 14. "This year's event has a nostalgia theme to commemorate the park's 80th birth-day. We want to reflect on the park's history of service and pleasure to the town residents," said Karen Gorman Rea, Pub-licity Chairwoman for the Friends. "Ev-eryone is invited to join in this celebration of the park's 80th birthday." Mayor Thomas C. Jardim, with as-sistance of the Town Cryer, will an-nounce the start of the celebration. There will be local musicians playing all day on the bandstand, food vendors and lots of fun activities for children, teenagers and adults. Some of the activities will include pony rides, face painting, a silhouette artist, tarot card readings, a watermelon eating contest, and an old-fashioned baking contest. There will also be Mindowaskin Park T-shirts and postcards for sale at the event. All proceeds generated from the items for sale will be utilized for the beautification and preservation of Mindowaskin Park. The Friends of Mindowaskin Park is a non-profit organization formed in 1991. Its members are dedicated to the preservation and beautification of the park. The volunteer organization is de-voted to ensuring the quality of the park's maintenance and improvements. The Friends organization raises funds from citizens and businesses who sup-port these objectives. To date the organization has success-fully spear-headed campaigns to install lamp posts, benches, memorial gar-dens and landscaping. Since its incep-tion, the Friends have raised nearly $300,000 to improve this town jewel of a park, according to Ms. Gorman Rea. "This year we are focusing on raising funds to renovate the park's overlook, which is in major disrepair. The party is more of a celebration, however, the ma-jority of our contributions come from business and caring residents of West-field," she explained. Those persons interested in support-ing the Friends of Mindowaskin Park or would like to register for the baking contest are asked to call (908) 232- 6100 or write to the Friends, P.O. Box 87, Westfield, 07091. MRS. PICOU RECOGNIZED...Westfield Foundation President Frank A. MacPherson presents a certificate of appreciation to Michele M. Picou, who served as President of the Board of Trustees for the past three years, at the foundation's annual meeting on May 5. Newly-elected officers, in addition to Mr. MacPherson, include Roberta K. Federici, Vice President; John D. Ketcham, Treasurer, and Barbara B. Ball, Secretary. Mendoza Federal Fraud Trial to Begin July 20 A Monday, July 20, trial date has been set for a 48-year-old Irvington resident, Eusebio Anthony Mendoza, who has been charged in a supersed-ing indictment with allegedly de-frauding two Mountainside banks, and using false names and addresses to conduct an unlawful business by means of the United States Postal Service. Mendoza has also been charged with fraudulently using five unau-thorized credit cards, and possessing mail that had been stolen from a post office and authorized mail deposi-tory, United States Attorney Faith S. Hochberg announced. The five-count indictment was returned May 8 by a Newark Federal Grand Jury. If convicted on all five counts, Mendoza faces a maximum of 50 years in prison and a fine of $1.5 million. Mountainside police have de-scribed the high-tech scheme as per-haps one of the largest fraud schemes in Union County's history. Mendoza was arrested February 3 at his Irvington home during a joint raid conducted by Mountainside and Irvington police along with agents from the United States Postal Inspector's Office. During the raid authorities report-edly discovered a photo imaging sys-tem along with blank New Jersey driver's licenses, Social Security cards and other false identification. Conviction on each of first two counts of bank fraud carries a maxi-mum of 30 years in federal prison and a $1 million fine. The third count, using a fictitious name and address by means of the Postal Ser-vice to conduct an unlawful business, carries a maximum of five years im-prisonment and a $250,000 fine. If convicted on the fourth count of credit card fraud, Mendoza faces a maxi-mum of 10 years in Federal prison. The fifth count, receiving stolen mail, carries a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. If convicted, Mendoza also would face an order of restitution, accord-ing to Assistant United States Attor-ney Paula T. Dow, of the United States Attorney's Criminal Division in Newark. Ms. Dow is representing the government in the case. Under sentencing guidelines, United States District Judge William H. Walls would, upon conviction, determine Mendoza's actual sentence based upon a formula that takes into account the severity and characteristics of the of-fense and the defendant's criminal his-tory, if any, Ms. Hochberg said. Parole, however, has been abol-ished in the Federal system, Ms. Hochberg explained. She said that under sentencing guidelines, defen-dants who are given custodial terms must serve nearly all that time. In the first two counts of the indict-ment, Mendoza is charged with ex-ecuting and attempting to execute schemes to defraud Fleet Bank of more than $200,000 and the Mountainside branch of Summit Bank of $90,000 by means of false pretenses and representations. Officials said Mendoza used so-phisticated technology to create phony identification for himself in order to gain access to the bank ac-counts of wealthy professionals, usu-ally physicians. Mendoza, having assumed the identity of a checking account cus-tomer at Fleet Bank's Brooklyn branch, opened a Money Market ac-count at the bank's Mountainside office, then cashed a $4,500 personal check and obtained a $15,000 cashier's check against the customer's New York account, according to the indictment. Mendoza caused approximately $200,000 in electronic transfers from the New York customer's Brooklyn account to the unauthorized New Jersey account, according to the in-dictment. Council Hears Concerns Over Widening of Road By KIMBERLY A. BROADWELL Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times The Mountainside Council opened its meeting on Tuesday night with the swearing in of Officer Thomas Michael Norton. Fellow officers, family and friends looked on while Officer Norton pledged to support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of New Jersey. Officer Norton's father, Patrick Norton, a police officer in the City of Elizabeth, pinned Mountainside Badge No. 11 on his son during the ceremony. The new officer has two brothers who are also policemen. He recently graduated from the Union County Police Academy's Alternate Route Program. This week's council meeting was the first for newly-appointed Borough Administrator Gregory Bonin, who began his new position on Monday. According to Municipal Clerk Judith E. Osty, Mr. Bonin is working towards his Master's Degree in Pub-lic Administration from Rutgers University's Executive Program. Prior to accepting his current posi-tion, Mr. Bonin was the Borough Clerk and Assistant Administrator in Hillsboro. Under another matter, many resi-dents voiced their concerns about the paving project for New Providence Road, which will result in the road being widened. The project entails resurfacing the road through funding obtained from two different grants. These grants, totaling $194,000, were awarded by the New Jersey Department of Trans-portation (NJDOT). Ted Zawislak of New Providence Road addressed the council as to when the work on the project will start. He also asked about the exact measurements of the new road. Mr. Zawislak also expressed con-cern about widening the street be-cause of the tendency of drivers to speed on that road. He stated that if the road were wider, drivers would have even more of an opportunity to speed. Robert Wyckoff, Director of Public Works, commented that the road must be widened in order to meet with the specifications of the NJDOT funding. Council President Keith C. Turner told Mr. Zawislak that he could di-rect any specific questions about the project to Borough Engineer Michael Disko, who has office hours on Thurs-days from 2 to 4:30 p.m. George Snell of New Providence Road and Sheffield Street, asked the council why officials were having this road repaved. He commented that this was the third repaving of the road since he has owned his home there. Borough Attorney John N. Post informed Mr. Snell that the road was being repaved because of excessive wear. Sally Kempner, another New Provi-dence Road resident, addressed the council about her concern over los-ing property due to the widening of the street. She said the street had already been widened since she bought her home in 1964, adding that if three or four more feet of her property were eliminated, she would feel like her house was "sitting on the road." Mr. Post told Mrs. Kempner that curbing was being added to assure that this repaving would extend the life of the road. He also told her that she should contact Mr. Disko to find out what the specific measurements were. Carol Zawislak, of New Providence Road, told the council that excessive water from poor drainage was to blame for damage to the road, and said she felt curbing would not help the drainage problem. She also proposed that the bor-ough put in a three-way stop sign at the intersection of Central Avenue and New Providence Road, stating it was a dangerous intersection. Finally, Walter Kempner, also of New Providence Road, commented that tractor trailer trucks and com-mercial buses should not be allowed on that road because they add to the wear and tear problems. In other business, Zenon Morrak, of Deer Path, commented about the air traffic noise from new flight pat-terns at Newark International Air-port. Mr. Morrak asked council mem-bers to help draft a letter to Congress-man Bob Franks about the problem, or aid neighboring towns in their quest for noise reduction. Mr. Bonin volunteered to help Mr. Morrak in addressing the problem. Officials passed a resolution ask-ing Comcast to switch high school coverage from Scotch Plains and Westfield to Berkeley Heights on Channel 35. The resolution points out that students from Mountainside attend high school in Berkeley Heights. Lastly, the council gave authoriza-tion to the Finance Officer to pur-chase savings bonds for Deerfield School students. The governing body plans to award $150 to the school valedictorian and $100 to the school salutatorian.
	Page 4 Thursday, May 21, 1998 The Westfield Leader and THE TIMES of Scotch Plains - Fanwood A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION Letters to the Editor POPCORN POPCORN POPCORN POPCORN POPCORN (tm) By Michael S. Goldberger Deep Impact Technically A Big Splash OnePopcorn,PoorTwoPopcorns,FairThreePopcorns,GoodFourPopcorns,Excellent David B. Corbin SPORTS The Westfield Leader MemberoftheNewJerseyPressAssociationMemberoftheNationalNewspaperAssociation Periodicals-PostagePaidatWestfield,NewJersey TheOfficialNewspaperoftheTownofWestfieldandtheCountyofUnion - Established 1890 - Official Newspaper of the Township of Scotch Plains and the Borough of Fanwood - Established 1959 - THE TIMES POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the offices of the newspapers at P. O. Box 250, Westfield, New Jersey 07091 THE TIMES THE LEADER P.O. Box 250 Elm Street, Westfield, N.J. 07091 (908) 232-4407  Fax: (908) 232-0473 Periodicals-PostagePaidatScotchPlains,NewJersey P. O. Box 368 Scotch Plains, N.J. 07076 (908) 232-4407  Fax: (908) 232-0473 Suzette F. Stalker ASSISTANT EDITOR Karen M. Hinds OFFICE MANAGER Horace R. Corbin PUBLISHER Gail S. Corbin GENERAL MANAGER J. Peyton MANAGING EDITOR PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY BY WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. mail: press@goleader.com One-year subscription in county $20 One-year subscription out-of-county $24 One-year college (September to May) $16 THE WESTFIELD LEADER & THE TIMES SUBSCRIPTION PRICE Joanna B. Marsh MARKETING DIRECTOR & 1/2 popcorns We're doomed. No matter that we survived the sinking of the Titanic. Now hurtling out of Movieland and using us for a bulls eye is the ominous comet in Deep Impact, a very craggy fellow the size of Manhattan. So what if we escape it. We'll just have to fend off a $120 million Godzilla beginning May 20. But even if we some- how elude the expensive lizard with life and limb, there's still the asteroid in Armageddon to contend with starting July 1. And be warned: This latter pebble heading our way is the size of Texas. We're doomed, I tell you. Call it the fin de sicle phenomenon or just Hollywood doing its thing. Fact is, the studio moguls figure we're either hell bent on self destruction or sure inter- ested in flirting with the notion. Doubt- less, there's plenty for sociologists to sink their teeth into here. And what they first might focus on is the departure in disaster films that Deep Impact repre- sents. There is a new seriousness here, and not the campy, mock-somber short of gravity that marked The Thing (1951) and other post-war scare tactics that set the tone for the modern genre. Half-way through the foredooming details, you suddenly realize it: There is tongue-in-cheek here. No comedy re- lief. Not even an opportunistic villain to serve as the humorous foil. The comet is toward Earth and that's the ball game. Oh, sure, there are the usual gaggle of human lives to peruse and empathize with.Buttheir"slice-of-life"storiesseem inconsequential next to the dramatic con- ceit of the big plot. Which is nothing less the extinction of civilization as we know it. Director Mimi Leder doesn't make President Beck (Morgan Freeman) sound all that terribly optimistic as he calmly coaches a country of frightened folks. We have options, the Chief Executive tells a nationwide audience shortly after the approaching comet is discovered by kid astronomer Leo Biederman (Elijah Wood) with the help of comet expert Dr. Wolf (Charles Martin Smith). But inten- tional or not, you could read the reserva- tion in the Prez's eyes. Plan A calls for a crack group of aero- nautical heroes to chase down the comet (named Wolf Biederman), land on it, deposit nuclear weapons, skedaddle, and then blow the confounded thing out of orbit. The NASA crew features the movie's only interesting performance, though the young buck majority and the one gal astronaut aren't terribly enamored of Spurgeon Tanner's (Robert Duvall) in- clusion among their ranks. The last man to walk the face of the moon, spaceman Tanner is several decades the senior of compatriots. It's comforting to know that, even with the end of the world as we know it, the generation gap is alive and well. Yet there is nothing novel about how this clich‚ plays out. Meanwhile, backontheill-fatedEarth, Tea Leoni as newswoman Jenny Lerner, finally gets what she wished for. Stum- bling upon the comet tale and virtually forcing the President to come forward withthestorysooner thanhehadplanned, at long last career-conscious Jenny has her occupation mojo in high gear. Too bad, though; for obvious reasons, the prospects for a long stay at anchor are doubtful. Miss Leoni plays the hard-bitten me- dia sort with a dour severity. And while she ratchets up the general dissatisfac- tion after learning of planet Earth's im- minentdemise,the beforeandafterJenny are barely discernible. Other little lives examined to the dra- matic backdropofapproachingcataclysm include: comet-ingenue Leo; Sarah the girl next door (Leelee Sobieski), Leo's puppy love interest with a twist; Vanessa Redgrave as Jenny's abandoned mom, sadly facing extinction alone; and Maximillian Schell as the urbane cad who left her for a trophy wife. Though none of these sagas is particularly arrest- ing, Mr. Schell donates a presence of respectability that makes us wonder where this fine actor has been keeping himself. Both curious and odd, Deep Impact reneges on a tacit contract between di- saster film director and viewer; it stipu- lates that sci-fi movies with a doomsday theme will be tempered with an appro- priate amount of life-affirming philoso- phy. Since there's barely a sense of hu- mor in Miss Leder's acrid treatment, we wonder what the message is? That we're all going to die? Some more badly than others? In Testament (1983), a cautionary saga about nuclear holocaust following a World War III that lasts but a few min- utes, a hard warning about humankind's folly is understandable. Here, dealing with an unfortunate act of nature, an admonitory tone is off base and unduly manipulative. The advice then is to skip the movie's maudlin meanderings and just focus on the fx quotient. Special effects supervi- sor Michael Lantieri's legerdemain is a show in itself. The tidal wave that dwarfs a whole city is an ominous sight to be- hold. Likewise the imperiling wanton- ness of the brutal comet's atmosphere as theastronauts trytocoaxWolf-Biederman out of orbit. Indeed, we are doomed. Doomed to another silly season of mass destruction, courtesy of that great American tradition known as the summer movie. It's a fun time, as long as these films don't take themselves too seriously. For it's only in the area of technical wizardry that Deep Impact makes a lasting impression. * * * * * Deep Impact, rated PG-13 and rected by Mimi Leder, is a Paramount Picturesreleasestarring ert Duvall, and Elijah Wood. Running time: 120 minutes. INNOCENT Early Latin speakers frequently cre-2 ated new words from existing ones by simply attaching prefixes to their roots. For example, by adding the negative prefix in-, they could convert a noxious little word into a very chaste one. Innocent is a good illustration of this kind of linquistic amelioration (change for the better) wherein a meaty word achieves innocence. The root of innocent is the not so innocentLatin wordnoxa,meaning"hare, injury," which is the source of the En-50 glish word noxious, "harmful to health." Noxa stems from the verb nocere, mean-E- ing "to cause or prepare the death of, whence to be harmful." Therefore, innocent literally describes someone who is "not going to prepare your death." A comforting thought. The current sense of innocent is gener-Paul alized to mean "uncorrupted by evil, malice or wrong doings; sinless." The obnoxious origin of innocent has come full circle with its alteration to the prejorative (disparaging) word ninny, which means "a fool or simpleton." Westfield, Scotch Plains-Fanwood Parades Provide 'Memorial' to Fallen Veterans Avenue. In addition to a message by the Reverend Kevin Clark of the Bethel Baptist Church in West- field, the ceremony will include greetings from the Regent of the Westfield Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the President of the West Fields Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. Morethan100veterans oftheRevolutionaryWar, the World Wars, the French and Indian War and the War of 1812, are interred at the cemetery. The Scotch Plains-Fanwood parade will also be- gin at 9 a.m., with the laying of wreaths at the Fanwood Memorial Library, located at North Av- enue and Tillotson Road, followed by a similar ceremony in Scotch Plains at about 10 a.m. Theparadeitselfwill begin,followingtheceremony and will proceed along Park and Martine Avenues to LaGrande Park in Fanwood, where it concludes. A celebration will then be held in the park. Following the Colonial Cemetery ceremony, the Westfield parade will continue down East Broad Street to Fairview Cemetery. Services there will be conducted by Westfield and Mountainside Veterans of Foreign Wars. We encourage all residents of our communities to turnoutforthese commemorativeevents,whichpay tribute to those men and women who died while serving our country, so that we can enjoy the free- doms we have today. Tradition will continue this Memorial Day as parades and special services are conducted in West- field and Scotch Plains and Fanwood on Monday, May 25. Westfield veterans will hold special obser- vances at the Colonial Cemetery on Mountain Av- enue andatFairviewCemetery onEastBroadStreet, while the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Memorial Day Parade Committee will be holding wreath laying ceremonies in the two communities. The Scotch Plains-Fanwood parade is honoring womenveteransasthe collectiveGrandMarshalthis year. Robert Tinervin, a Vietnam War veteran and Past Commander of the American Legion Martin WallbergPostNo. 3,willbethe GrandMarshalofthe Westfield parade. InWestfield,ceremonieswill commenceat9a.m., at the Soldiers Monument to World War Veterans. These ceremonies will include the laying of wreaths the monument, located at the traffic circle at the intersection of East Broad Street and North Avenue. As part of the opening ceremony, Dr. Theodore K. Schlosberg, Director and founder of the New Jersey Workshop for the Arts (NJWA) in Westfield, and Chris and Matthew Velderman, will perform echo "Taps." Tenor Kerry Stubbs, a vocal instructor at NJWA'sMusicStudio,will sing"GodBlessAmerica" a cappella. Between 9:30 and 10 a.m., a special observance will be held at the Colonial Cemetery on Mountain Pedestrians Should Heed the Dangers Of Jay-Walking Across Town Streets I found Karen Mortenson's letter garding jay-walking at Roosevelt mediate School and the illegal parking of over-sized vehicles very interesting - but unfortunately not surprising. I have seen many examples of both for as long as I have lived here (20-plus years) and I would say that Westfield is the rule rather than the exception. When I turn from Sylvania Place onto Elm Street or Lawrence Avenue, my of having a clear field of vision is five out of 10 at best; two or three times out of 10 is more likely. Mothers with several children in tow, stepping out in the middle of the block to cross the street, has long been a pet peeve ofmine.I wascuredofjay-walkingmany years ago by a San Francisco traffic cop armed with a bull-horn; an occurrence not easily forgotten! Mortenson's niece seems to have re-hit the nail on the head with her Inter-ments. It is a sad commentary about the mothers and children of Westfield. Marguerite Newson Westfield Coaches and Camps Needed to Help Youth Develop Athletic Skills As a female athlete, this summer I want to improve my game skills with the Recreation Center in Westfield. Due to the lack of coaches, there are no girls' lacrosse or field hockey camps so far this year. How will this help the eighth-grade and high school teams if these sports are not encouraged at a young age? Why must we go to other towns for camps? I believe if these camps were established, there would be overwhelming support and interest. Westfield leagues and teams grow each year, with more and more ested players during the season. We need camps that encourage practice and duce new skills of sports year-round to athletes and their participation in Westfield's games. We need your support from within our community to recruit coaches for these camps. Brigid Abraham Westfield Knights of Columbus Thank Westfielders For Their Generosity The Westfield Knights of Columbus Council No. 1711, would like to thank the people of Westfield for their generos-improve ity. During our Handicapped Citizens TootsieRollDrive, heldApril16through 19, approximately $4,300 was collected. All proceeds collected will go to dif-day ferent groups throughout the state of NewJersey. Thankyou,ThomasKiselica, Chairman of the Drive. Thank you. Mike Dempsey Grand Knight Westfield Knights of Columbus Council No. 1711 Residents Thanked For Their Support Of the School Budget On behalf of our students and parents, we would like to thank the residents of Scotch Plains and Fanwood for their support of our school budget. Our Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School students are working hard in their classes, playing hard on their athletic fields, volunteering in our community, and many of them are holding a job as well. We congratulate our students for all their accomplishments. We thank you, our community, for your support of our students. M. Cosmas, Corresponding Secretary Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School Executive Board Filled Refuse Cans In Downtown Need To Be Addressed As a frequent visitor to your lovely town, with it's rich heritage in your stores, churches and especially your houses,Icannotbegin tothankthepeople of Westfield for their kindness and tesy in helping an out-of-towner become familiar with his surroundings. However, upon browsing your streets in the downtown area, I noticed some things that you should be aware of (as they were a little disturbing to me). I have noticed during the last several trips that I have made to Westfield, that the refuse containers in the downtown area were filled to capacity and were overflowing. Also, there were cigarette butts strune all over the sidewalks. I think these matters should be cor- rected for the benefit of your great town. I look forward to my next visit to Westfield. Jim Sacco Paramus Blood Drive Slated; 'O' Type Needed Aspecial blooddrivesponsoredby the Westfield/Mountainside Chap-no ter of the American Red Cross, in conjunction with The Blood Center ofNewJersey,will beheldonWednes-heading day, May 27, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., at the chapter house, located at 321 Elm Street in Westfield. This unique drive will be open particularly to individualswho havetype"O"blood, although all blood types will be ac-than cepted. The blood drive will be held two days after Memorial Day, May 25, to help replenish blood supplies after the long holiday weekend. The goal for this drive is 50 donors from the Westfield and Mountainside area. "It is important to collect as many donations as possible both before and after long holiday weekends," said Judy Daniels, a spokeswoman for The Blood Center of New Jersey. Type O blood is regularly in short supply, she explained. O negative blood is found in just 6 percent of the population, yet in much higher per- centages by patients. According to Dr. Eric Senaldi, Medical Director for the blood cen-at ter, people with O negative blood are known as universal donors because their blood can be transfused into virtually anyone. "As such, O negative blood can be di-used by all patients and is used fre-his quently in emergency rooms and TeaLeoni,Rob-trauma units when blood is needed immediately and there is no time for typing the patient's blood," he ex- plained. O negative blood can also only be transfused into people that have O negative blood, and it is also used for exchange transfusions for newborn babies and pregnant women, and for premature babies in intensive care units, Dr. Senaldi said. Blood donors should know their Social Security number and bring a signed form of identification with Donors must be 18. Seven-Mrs. teen-yearolds maydonatewithsigned permission. There is no upper age limit for donors provided they have donated within the last two years, or have a doctor's note. There is a 72-hour for dental work, including routine teeth cleaning, and donors who have traveled outside of the United Stales recently should call the blood confer for eligibility crite-chances ria. Reservations arerequestedandcan be made by calling 1-800-BLOOD NJ (256-6305). Parents Offered Information On Special Needs Programs The Westfield Public Schools' De- partment of Special Services has ex- tended its annual invitation to par- ents of preschool children between three and five years old with tional disabilities to learn about the district's programs designed to help com-children who require special tion. Those with special needs may clude a child who has a limited cabulary for his or her age; language which is difficult to understand; is unusually quiet; has trouble hearing voices or other sounds; a particular health or orthopedic problem; an unusually short attention span or is hyperactive. These youngsters may also display unusual behavior; have a visual im- pairment, cognitive delays, autism or traumatic brain injury, and/or may be educa-currently attending an early interven- tion program for children with dis-them. abilities. atten-"In many cases, a special pre-parental school program can greatly increase in-the child's ability to succeed in vo-formal education," noted Dr. Theodore Kozlik, Director of Spe-deferral cial Services. Parents or residents who know of a child with special needs may call Mary MacAvoy in the administration's Special Services Department at (908) 789-4442. All information will be treated confiden- tially. Performing Artists Sought For First Night '99 Bash First Night Westfield '99 is seek- ing artists to perform at its New Year's Eve Celebration of the Arts, which is expected to feature music, dance, theater, storytelling, magic, hands-on arts and crafts, puppets and more.inter-Performance proposals are being sought in all artistic disciplines, ac- cording to First Night spokeswoman Karen F. Simon. They should in- clude a detailed description of the program or work, the length of the program and the number of times it can be repeated. Proposals should also list space requirements (First Night assigns sites, but welcomes suggestions), technical requirements and rehearsal or installation requirements. Individuals are also asked to in- clude appropriate materials such as cassette tapes, press clippings, scripts,photographs,drawings,mod- els, slides or half-inch VHS video tapes. A scheduleofperformances,show- ings or demonstrations which evalu- ators may attend would also be help- ful, according to Ms. Simon. Proposalsare reviewedbytheFirst Night Committee. Final selections are based on artistic merit, concept, feasibility, and the availability of funds. Proposals should be submitted to Arlene Bertrand or Barbara Karp, care of The Westfield "Y", 220 Clark Street, Westfield, 07090. For more information, please call Arlene at (908) 232-9365, or Barbara at (908) 232-2309. All Day Shakespeare Festival Comes to Park Middle School As part of a mini grant obtained by Marguerite Fitzgerald of Park Middle School, from the Scotch Plains- Fanwood school district, eighth grad- ers participated in an all-day intro-Shakespeare Festival on Tuesday, April 28. In the morning they were enter- tained by a troupe of actors from the New Jersey Shakespeare Festival at Drew University in Madison. They performed an hour long excerpt from A Midsummer Night's Dream, a play the students had just read. In the afternoon the students par- ticipated in a festival of displays, demonstrations, quotation contests, musical and dramatic performances, and refreshments. The highlight was when five students (Laine Bonstein, Alla Berry, John Park, Ian Werhle, and Kim Weinberg) performed a scene from A Midsummer Night's Dream having been trained in com- bat choreography by a professional from McCarter Theater in Princeton. Youth Symphony to Perform At Roosevelt Next Sunday New JerseyYouthSymphony,Inc.'s young musicians from Philharmonia will meet one of literature's most famous pranksters on Sunday, May 31,as theyperformJohnDankworth's cour-Tom Sawyer's Saturday at Roosevelt Intermediate School in Westfield. Special guest George Marriner Maull will bring Tom to life as he narrates the text by Mark Twain. The 60 students will perform under the direction of Barbara Barstow. Other pieces on the program will be Don Behm's Dreams and pieces by Vivaldi, Beethoven and Borodin. It will conclude with a composition written for youth orchestra by Emma Lou Diemer entitled Symphonie This piece is "antique" in style only; the composition promotes the spirit and vitality of youth. Philharmonia draws talented six through 10th grade musicians from 28 communities in the metropolitan area. They rehearse throughout the school year on Thursday evenings in the New Jersey Youth Symphony Music Center in Murray Hill. The concert will be their final perfor- mance for the season. Roosevelt Intermediate School is located on Clark Street in Westfield. The concert will begin at 3 p.m. in the auditorium. Admission is free, with door donations appreciated. Please contact the New Jersey Youth Symphony Music Center office at (908) 771-5544 for further informa- tion. An-Among the Philharmonia musi-Theresa cians playing will be Derlen Chiu, Robert Hwang, Dina Kim, James Lim, Diane Bom Park, Jason Tammam and Rosemary Topar. MUSICAL TRIBUTE...Dr. Theodore K. Schlosberg, right, the founder and Director of the New Jersey Workshop for the Arts (NJWA) in Westfield, will be joined by Christopher Velderman, left, and Matthew Velderman for a perfor-tique. mance of echo "taps" following the Memorial Day ceremony at 9 a.m. on Monday, May 25, at the Soldiers Monument to World War Veterans. The brothers are students at The Music Studio, a division of the NJWA.
	A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION The Westfield Leader and THE TIMES of Scotch Plains - Fanwood Thursday, May 21, 1998 Page 5 Historical Society to Meet At Auction House May 26 The monthly meeting of the His-torical Society of Scotch Plains and Fanwood will be held on Tuesday, May 26. This month, the club will travel to The Remmy Auction House, 30 Maple Street in Summit, where the club's program will start at 8 p.m. Participants will meet at the Fanwood Train Station, located on North and Martine Avenues, at 7:15 p.m. to carpool and travel to this new location of the Remmy Galleries and Auction House. The site had been a bank building before it was converted into a modern auction house. Once the group has arrived, Carolyn Remmy, President, will give a tour, inform the group about auc-tion houses and then hold a mock auction. Visitors will have an opportunity to see the consignment and appraisal offices, where staff members certi-fied by the American Society of Ap-praisers and the American Associa- tion of Appraisers research and ap-praise items with the aid of the Art Fact computer program. They will also see the old bank vaults which are now showrooms for jewelry, and the studio where photo-graphs for appraisal service and cata-logues are taken. Also included in the tour are the telephone bidding stations and re-ception room, as well as the lecture hall used for educational symposiums. Ms. Remmy is a member of the National, New Jersey and Florida Auctioneers Societies, and the his-torical societies of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. She has a regular television program entitled "Attic Treasures" on Channel 36. This field trip meeting is open to anyone. Further information about the Historical Society may be ob-tained from its President, Richard Bousquet, P.O. Box 261, Scotch Plains, 07076 or (908) 232-1199. New Council Members, 1998 Candidates Gather At 38th Dinner Dance The Westfield Town Republican Committee held their 38th annual spring dinner dance April 24 at L'Affaire, located on Route No. 22 in Mountainside. The attendees enjoyed live en-tertainment by Jon Bramnick and dancing to music supplied by a disc jockey from Gerard Produc-tions, Inc. The Republican victory celebra-tion honored newly elected West-field Council members Gregory S. McDermott of the First Ward; Mat-thew Albano, Second Ward; Neil F. Sullivan, Jr., Third Ward, and Janis Fried Weinstein, Fourth Ward. Prominent guests who attended the celebration were New Jersey Senate President Donald T. DiFrancesco, and Assemblymen Alan M. August-ine and Richard H. Bagger. Republican Mayoral Candidate Gail S. Vernick was also present and addressed the attendees. Also, attending were Republican Town Council candidates, Mr. Bramnick, of the First Ward, James J. Gruba of the Second Ward, Noreen Lund, the Third Ward candidate, and Thomas Cusimano, running in the Fourth Ward. Those residents interested in join-ing or receiving information on mem-bership, should call Lee Miller at (908) 789-8657. VICTORY CELEBRATION...Republican Westfield Town Council members recently had a chance to once again celebrate their victory from this past November along with this year's Mayoral contender and First Ward Council-woman Gail S. Vernick, third from left. Pictured, left to right, are: Third Ward Councilman Neil F. Sullivan, Jr., Second Ward Councilman Matthew P. Albano, Mrs. Vernick, Fourth Ward Councilwoman Janis Fried Weinstein and First Ward Councilman Gregory S. McDermott. The celebration was part of the Westfield Town Republican Committee's 38th annual spring dinner dance held April 24 in Mountainside. LEARNING ABOUT LEADERSHIP...Five students at Union Catholic High School, in Scotch Plains, have been selected to attend the summer session of the National Youth Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. Those selected, left to right, are: Pascal Ferdinand of Watchung; Albert Noder of Westfield, and Lisa Dolansky of Rahway. Not pictured are Tracy Acuna and Jillian Nebenfuhr, both of Elizabeth. The students were selected for outstanding scholastic ability and leadership potential. The National Young Leaders Conference is sponsored by the Congressional Youth Leadership Council, an independent, nonprofit, educational organization. It was founded in 1985 to "foster and inspire young people to achieve their full leadership potential." The conference will be held at American University in Washington, D.C. Mayor Connelly Spotlights Working Mothers' Concerns Highlighting issues pertinent to working mothers, Mayor Maryanne S. Connelly of Fanwood, the Demo-cratic candidate for the Seventh Con-gressional District seat, said Con-gress is not doing enough to deal with one of the central issues com-mon to many women. "This is why I am running for Congress. We have to do more to help working mothers and working families," said Mrs. Connelly, who is challenging three-term Republican Congressman Bob Franks. Last week, the candidate for Con-gress reviewed the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jer-sey Eagleton Poll, which studies how New Jerseyans respond to stress. According to the Star-Ledger, "parents who have children under 18 are more likely to be stressed." "I was shocked to find the poll echoed what I am hearing across the Seventh Congressional District," Mayor Connelly remarked. "Honestly, it is a disgrace that so many of us are dealing with the stress of not having enough time with our families, and the Newt Gingrich Congress is in Washington doing next to nothing to alleviate this stress," she added. According to Mayor Connelly, Congressman Franks "has lost op-portunities to help working women." She maintained that he "should support working mothers by voting to protect the Family Medical Leave Act, child care legislation and fur-ther legislation that would benefit our everyday lives." Mayor Connelly, who is running for Congress on a working families agenda, worked for 28 years in Hu-man Resources at AT&T. She has served as the Mayor of Fanwood for several years, and is also the immediate Past President of the New Jersey Elected Women Offi-cials. "It is time to have a member of Congress from this district who knows what working women, work-ing men, working families go through every single day," she concluded. County Set to Hold Event Celebrating Older Americans Month The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the county's Division on Aging are sponsoring an event, entitled "Living Longer Growing Stronger in Union County," on Thursday, May 28, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Biertuampfel Senior Center on Morris Avenue in Union in honor of Older Americans Month. Karen Simon, Director of Adult and Senior Programs at the Westfield "Y," will lead light exercise and stretching and Karen Ensle, of Union County's branch of the Rutgers Cooperative Extension, will speak to seniors about nutrition. "Seniors are living longer, fuller lives than ever before," said Freeholder Lewis Mingo, Jr., of Plainfield. "Our department on aging is urging seniors to extend and improve their lives by exercising, eating right and keeping active." A light snack, door prizes and giveaways will be provided to attendees. To reserve a spot, please contact Ann Quirk of the Union County Division on Aging at (908) 527-4870. Space is limited, so seniors are urged to reserve soon. AARP Trip Still Has Available Seats The Trips and Tours Committee of Westfield Area Chapter No. 4137 of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) has several seats available on two upcoming trips and is extending an open invitation to the public to make reservations to at-tend. One trip is for The Charlie Prose Show at Hunterdon Hills Playhouse on Monday, September 14. The cost for the show, luncheon and transpor-tation is $48.75. The other trip is to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on Sunday, September 27, through Sat-urday, October 3. The cost is $459 for double occupancy and $554 for single occupancy. Please call (908) 889- 6769 for more information. Also, members are reminded that the deadline is this Saturday, May 23, for reservations and payment for the annual luncheon and installation of officers to be held at The Westwood on Monday, June 8. The cost is $14 and it is for members only. Please call (908) 925-2538. Summer Concert Series Announced for Westfield The Westfield Recreation Com-mission recently announced the schedule for its Summer Concert Series which will take place in Mindowaskin Park on Thursday eve-nings starting at 8 p.m. The schedule is as follows: ú June 18, 25, July 2, 9 and 16 - Westfield Community Concert Band. ú July 23 - Music Studio Wind Ensemble and Jazz Band. ú July 30 - Salaam Temple String Band. ú August 6 - Rick Langmaack Quartet - Jazz. ú August 13 - Gordon James Band - Smooth Jazz. ú August 20 - Ken Serio Trio.

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