OUR 108th YEAR – ISSUE NO. 42-98 FIFTY CENTS 232-4407
The Westfield Leader — Serving the Town Since 1890 —
Thursday, October 15, 1998 USPS 680020 Periodical – Postage Paid at Westfield, N.J.
Published Every Thursday
INDEX INDEX INDEX INDEX INDEX
Campaign ..... Page 5 County .......... Page 2 Editorial ........ Page 4
Mountainside Page 2 Obituary ........ Page 11 Religious ....... Page 10
Social ............ Page 6 Sports ............ Page 13
School Board OKs $11.7 Million Bond For Improvements
By MICHELLE H. LePOIDEVIN
Specially Written for The Westfield Leader
The Westfield Board of Education voted unanimously October 8 to pursue an $11,730,000 bond for districtwide improvements to Westfield schools.
If the bond is given the green light by the community during a special election scheduled for Tuesday, December 15, the board would alleviate the district’s enrollment crunch by providing new classrooms; perform maintenance repairs and renovations, and cable classrooms and libraries for technology to provide a communication infrastructure.
Superintendent of Schools, Dr. William J. Foley, preceded his overview of bond projects with an invitation to parents and residents.
“I am committed to go anywhere, visit anyone, to discuss this bond, and why we have come to any decisions we have come to,” he stated.
He explained that the board took a hard look at the enrollment crisis in the elementary schools, stressing that the need for additional classrooms is
unavoidable. “Enrollment will continue to increase and we have no place to put the children,” he said.
Regarding maintenance needs and repairs, Dr. Foley noted that the state views Westfield as a rich district, and added that projects are deferred because “we do not have the spending ability to complete those projects.”
The necessity to cable classrooms and libraries has been termed a “communication infrastructure.” Dr. Foley stated, “We have not been able to wire our schools.”
Board Secretary Robert Berman presented an itemized report representing the findings of a 26-member Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) which met several times to evaluate the bond. The CAC was formed in the beginning of the current school year.
The report covered the projects necessitated by the bond, as well as some which were excluded due to priority and expense.
Westfield High School could expect the conversion of a graphic arts classroom and auto shop into four generic high school classrooms for $376,000; new windows installed in the original building for $659,000, and lavatory renovations in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), for $310,000. The sum of these upgrades is $1,345,000.
Replacement of the gymnasium folding door, for $60,000, and complete auditorium seating, for $75,000, was removed from the list of projects. This shaved $135,000 from the bond amount.
Edison Intermediate School tallied $788,000 for the following projects: 206 new windows at the front of the building, at $318,200; lavatory renovations for ADA compliance, at $310,000, and cabling of classrooms and the library, at $159,800.
Replacement of the gymnasium folding door, at a cost of $70,000, was subtracted from the list.
Roosevelt Intermediate School projects totaled $737,500, and included new windows in the original building for $437,000; roof repair/ addition for $165,700, and cabling for technology at $134,800.
Replacement of the gymnasium folding door, at a cost of $50,000, was removed from the list.
Franklin Elementary School could anticipate a second-story addition of nine classrooms for $2,552,000; lava
Town Officials Look at State and Local Funds For South Side Neighborhood Preservation By JEANNE WHITNEY
Specially Written for The Westfield Leader
The Town of Westfield plans to move ahead in an effort to secure a five-year state grant that could total over $500,000 as part of a Neighborhood Preservation Program. The area targeted for the money is the Central Avenue corridor on the south side of town.
The state Department of Community Affairs needs the application by Friday, November 13.
Former Westfield Mayor Raymond Stone, a Ripley Avenue resident and volunteer acting coordinator, is spearheading the effort for the town. He described his role as a “follow up” to a tree planting initiative on Cacciola Place in May, which kicked off the preservation plan.
On Tuesday, the Town Council okayed $4,000 for a Summit company, Planners Diversified, to analyze a survey of the district that was
conducted over the summer. Mr. Stone said he will steer additional requests for funding to the Union County Community Development Committee, the Westfield Foundation and Upstairs Downtown – which provides funding to property owners living above commercial storefronts.
Mr. Stone, who has a banking background, said he is working with area banks towards a $1 million loan program with reduced rates for district property owners.
A yet-to-be-formed Neighborhood Preservation group would leverage the deal, he indicated.
He and other officials have said there is little chance that the town will win a grant from the state program since one of the requirements deals with certification under the state Council On Affordable Housing, which the town neither has nor wants.
Municipalities selected for the grants will be notified in January.
Funds are released in February. Evidently, 29 communities are involved in the revolving state preservation program. This coming year, 10 slots will be open for another fiveyear period of funding, according to Westfield Town Administrator Ed
ward A. Gottko. According to Mr. Gottko, a town is actually awarded $25,000 in start-up funds, and then $100,000 for years one through three. After that, a town must again qualify for funding in years four and five.
MYSTICAL MELODIES…Roger McGuinn, left, a former member of The Byrds, and blues singer Al Madison of Scotch Plains entertained an audience of nearly 500 folk-rock enthusiasts at a benefit concert sponsored by the Westfield Jaycees on October 9 in the auditorium of Westfield High School. Proceeds from the concert benefit school athletic programs and Jaycees projects. A DAY AT THE FAIR…The Westfield Neighborhood Council held its first-ever
all-day street fair on October 11 at Cacciola Place in Westfield, which was blocked off to vehicular traffic. The fair featured a variety of entertainment on an outdoor stage, fairway games, children’s rides, lunch and homemade sweets. OUTDOOR COOKING…Penny Faggins serves up some delicious barbecued
lunch at the Westfield Neighborhood Council’s Street Fair that was held last Sunday. Volunteers at the center’s kitchen prepared homemade sweets and lunch for the fair.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
Roger McGuinn Takes Audience on Nostalgic Tour Of 1960s Music Scene During Concert at WHS By MICHELLE H. LePOIDEVIN
Specially Written for The Westfield Leader
Approximately 500 folk-rock enthusiasts turned out last Friday evening for a benefit concert by Roger McGuinn, a former member of the influential 1960s band The Byrds, which was sponsored by the Westfield Jaycees at Westfield High School (WHS).
Mr. McGuinn, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, performed 15 tunes in the high school’s auditorium. He also recalled the heyday of The Byrds, a psychedelic rock band from California, shared anecdotes from his long career, and discussed fellow musicians who had served as his mentors.
A Chicago native, Mr. McGuinn began his career more than 35 years ago and is remembered for the harmonies which emanated from his 12string Rickenbacker electric guitar. He is the only man to have quoted the Biblical Book of Ecclesiastes in a No. 1 hit, the prayerful “Turn, Turn, Turn.”
In the early 1960s, Mr. McGuinn, like his contemporary Bob Dylan, played beatnik coffee shops in New York’s Greenwich Village. During the WHS concert, he revealed how he was performing at one such place
when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.
When the Beatles invaded America, Mr. McGuinn said he packed up and moved to Los Angeles. “The Ballad of Easy Rider,” one of his well-known compositions, became part of the soundtrack to the hit 1960s movie starring Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper.
In 1967, he changed his name from James McGuinn, 3rd to Roger McGuinn on the advice of his Indonesian guru, who said a new name would “resonate better with the universe.”
The Beatles were once quoted as saying their favorite American group was The Byrds. “I saw a niche where the two could be blended, if you took Dylan and Lennon and mixed the two together,” explained Mr. McGuinn.
The musician is best known for defining what is labeled the “American sound,” just as the Beatles and Rolling Stones defined a “British sound” during that era.
Wearing a modest black T-shirt and lizard skin cowboy boots, Mr. McGuinn credited Dylan, the Beatles, fellow Byrds member David Crosby, Peter Seeger, and Joni Mitchell as his mentors.
His 90-minute acoustical set included such favorites as “Eight Miles High,” “Feel A Whole Lot Better,” “All I Really Want to Do,” “Younger Than Yesterday,” “So You Want To Be A Rock n’ Roll Star,” “Chimes of Freedom,” and “Mr. Spaceman.”
Mr. McGuinn rounded out the nostalgic evening with background information about his career and ex
planations into the meaning behind each song.
“I just let music and emotion come to me,” he commented. Certain selfreferencing lyrics described the feeling of listening to his music, “Just be quiet and feel it around you, relaxed and paying attention,” he said.
He offered two generous renditions
CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
TOWN PARKS SHARE $200,000
Tamaques, Gumpert, Sycamore Included In ‘Pocket Park’ Plan
By PAUL J. PEYTON
Specially Written for The Westfield Leader
In yet another turbulent Town Council meeting, one in which Mayor Thomas C. Jardim admonished his council colleagues and even prevented a council member from speaking at one point, the governing body did reach an agreement on where to spend $200,000 of municipal and Union County matching grant money.
Several hours into a Tuesday night meeting, the council agreed to a proposal made by Republican Third Ward Councilman Neil F. Sullivan to earmark $70,000 for Gumpert Park, $60,000 for Sycamore Field, $40,000 for Tamaques Park and $30,000 for “various parks and recreational facilities.”
The resolution passed in a 8-1 vote, with Mayor Jardim, a Democrat, dissenting. Previously, a resolution by fellow Democrat and Third Ward Councilman, John J. Walsh, failed to come up for a vote by the council.
Under that plan, $50,000 was proposed for new bathrooms at Gumpert;
$20,000 would have funded a concession stand at the park; $5,000 was earmarked for a park in honor of performing artist and human rights advocate Paul Robeson ; $5,000 for a “pocket park” on Central Avenue near an area proposed for a state Neighborhood Preservation Program state grant; $30,000 for improvements at Tamaques Park; $20,000 for work at Sycamore Field; $45,000 towards improvements at Mindowaskin Park; $10,000 to fund a Touch and Scent Garden as proposed by the Rake and Hoe Club at Rahway Avenue and Shadowlawn Drive; and $5,000 for tree plantings and other improvements at Clark Park.
Councilwoman Gail Vernick, the Republican candidate challenging Mayor Jardim in this year’s mayoral race, said the compromise was “a very good starting point for improvements” at town parks.
Mayor Jardim, though, indicated the manner in which the resolution was being drafted during a public meeting was sort of “horse trading” between council members.
“This is the goofiest way to make public policy that I’ve ever seen,” he said, seeming to scold his council colleagues.
Mrs. Vernick later told The Westfield Leader that she thought the Mayor “was out of control” during the meeting in admonishing the council when the two other Democrats on the governing body actually voted in favor of Mr. Sullivan’s resolution.
The Mayor said the discussion should have been taken place in a council conference meeting.
Mayor Jardim said he was disturbed that a number of projects would not receive funding through the county “pocket parks” program as part of Councilman Sullivan’s resolution.
Westfield will receive $100,000 for
Residents Continue Effort to Derail New Parking Lots at Tamaques Park
By PAUL J. PEYTON
Specially Written for The Westfield Leader
Residents of the Tamaques Park neighborhood continued to put pressure on town officials Tuesday night
in an effort to derail a town plan to add 71 parking spaces at the park saying the want to preserve the natural beauty of the park, the largest in Westfield.
In order to create the new lots, existing green park land will have to be paved over.
Under a roads improvement contract already approved by the Town Council as part of its 1997 capital improvement budget, three new lots are to be added to Tamaques along Lamberts Mill Road with more spaces added to two existing lots.
When contacted yesterday morning, Town Administrator Edward A. Gottko explained that the additional spaces were approved by the council in the spring of 1997 with a contract signed earlier this year in the amount of $200,000. The parking plan was recommended by the Recreation Department and was recently approved by the Recreation Commission.
Of that amount over $70,000 has been earmarked for the Tamaques parking lots. The contractor has started work on road resurfacing and will begin the Tamaques Park lots later in the year.
While the town might reduce the number of parking spots slightly to save some trees, as proposed by Town
CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
Town to Hold Hearing On Development Grant
A public hearing regarding Westfield application for a Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Revenue Sharing Block Grant will be held Tuesday, October 27, in the Town Council Chambers during the regular public meeting of the governing body.
Upon receipt of the HUD grant, the funds are distributed through the Union County Community Development Block Grant Program.
Officials have estimated that $5.4 million will be available to Union County through the 25th year of the HUD grant program.
All citizens and community groups are invited to attend the meeting to offer their input as to what projects should be submitted to the Union County Community Development Revenue Committee as part of this year’s grant application.
RENEWING OLD FRIENDSHIPS....Westfield High School Class of 1948 members, left to right, Patricia Klein Keppel, Letty Sinclair Hudak, Bill Wilson, Vassy Lekas Honecker and Peggy Norwine, enjoyed their 50th reunion celebration held at the Shackamaxon Country Club in Scotch Plains. The event included music from the 1940s and 1950s. Some alumni came as far away as Great Britain and Germany.
FOLD
Page 12 Thursday, October 15, 1998 The Westfield Leader and THE TIMES of Scotch Plains – Fanwood A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION
OPEN SPACE 2X5
PAPERMILL 2X4 MICHAEL KOHN
2X7
WESTFIELD POLICE BLOTTER TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6
· Police revealed that the windshields on two motor vehicles were broken outside a business on South Avenue, West.
· Matthew Cyrana, 36, of Metuchen was arrested at West Broad Street and South Avenue and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and/or narcotics, according to police. Bail was set at $375.
· A Hort Street resident reported that someone attempted to steal two bicycles from a shed on her property. She said she stopped the suspect in the driveway, after which he fled on foot, authorities said.
· Police report that a strong-arm robbery occurred on Cacciola Place in which a necklace valued at $300 was taken from an Elizabeth resident. The victim was not injured, according to police.
Rasheem Ali Moore, 19, of Westfield was arrested the following day in Garwood and charged with third degree theft in connection with the crime, according to police. He was released on $500 bail. Authorities confirmed that the necklace was recovered.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7
· Several locked classrooms were broken into at the Union County Educational Services building on Westfield Avenue, formerly Centennial High School, authorities said. It had not been determined at press time whether anything had been stolen.
· Dale D. Austin, 44, of New Rochelle, New York was arrested and charged with shoplifting a $100 Ralph Lauren jacket from a North Avenue department store, according to police. Austin was being held on $275 bail.
· A Westfield Avenue resident reported that a bicycle was stolen from her garage.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8
· A blue 1998 Mercury Mystique was reported stolen from a Central Avenue service station, authorities said. The ve
hicle had not been recovered as of press time.
· Three bicycles were reported stolen in separate incidents, according to police. A 20-inch BMX model was taken from a rear yard on Hort Street, a second bicycle was removed from a Boulevard garage, and a third was reported stolen from a yard on Twin Oaks Terrace.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9
· Christopher Conti, 21, of Kenilworth was arrested in South River and charged with burglary and theft in connection with a September 29 home break-in on Clark Street in which jewelry had been taken, police said. The suspect was being held on $5,000 bail in the Union County Jail.
· A Rodger Avenue resident reported an attempted burglary after he chased away two suspects who had climbed onto the roof of his home in an attempt to enter a bedroom window, authorities revealed.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10
· A Central Avenue resident reported that someone stole a bicycle from her front porch.
· A Coleman Place resident reported that a bicycle valued at $200 was stolen from his garage.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 12
· It was reported to police that a bicycle was removed from the 100 block of Elm Street.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13
· A vehicle drove into a Tamaques Way driveway, striking several potted plants, and also left tire marks on the side lawn of the residence.
· Clifford Lawson, 40, of Westfield was arrested and charged with shoplifting a child’s snowsuit valued at $80 from a clothing store in the downtown area, police confirmed. Bail was set at $275.
The suspect, who authorities said was also wanted on four outstanding warrants from Newark totaling $1,400, was transported to the Union County Jail.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
of “Mr. Tambourine Man,” the first being Bob Dylan’s original two-four time folk version that David Crosby warned “radio would never play.”
The second version, which hit No. 1 in both America and England, was the more shimmering Beatlesque version. Mr. McGuinn also played “You Showed Me,” which The Turtles turned into a hit.
He also performed “Chestnut Mare,” about a youth’s successful quest to capture a horse.
“And they call this work?” he quipped, when the highly appreciative audience granted him standing ovations and hearty applause.
Opening for Mr. McGuinn was Al Madison of Scotch Plains, a harmonica player and blues singer who was also enthusiastically received by the audience. Mr. McGuinn had counseled Mr. Madison before the show to pursue a full-time career in music.
Mr. Madison performed blues classics and modern pieces with an infec
tious and hypnotic rhythm which prompted hand-clapping and foot-stomping from the multi-generational crowd which filled the auditorium.
The local musician and vocalist performs on weekends at 7 p.m. at The Crossroads on North Avenue in Garwood.
Rick Miller and Rob McManigal of The Music Staff, located at 102 Quimby Street in Westfield, manned a table in the high school lobby where Byrds cassettes and compact disks were sold throughout the evening.
Proceeds from the concert will benefit the WHS Boys’ Hockey Team and Girls’ Lacrosse Team, as well as projects sponsored by the Westfield Jaycees.
Mr. McGuinn may be accessed through the following Web site on the Internet: www.mcguinn@ ix.netcom.com.
* * * * *
Brian Michael Kelly, a stringer for
The Wall Street Journal and a Westfield resident, contributed to this article.
Roger McGuinn Takes Audience on Nostalgic Tour
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Board of Education OKs $11.7 Million Referendum
tory renovations for ADA compliance, at $150,000, and cabling for technology for $102,800. The total tab for the Franklin projects is $2,804,800.
The construction of a parking lot — including 24 diagonal spaces — was removed from the list, subtracting a cost of $30,000.
Wilson Elementary School could expect an 1,800-square-foot library addition, for $254,400; roof replacement, for $114,950; lavatory renovations for ADA compliance, at $350,000, and cabling for technology, at $98,300. The tally for this school is $817,650.
Projects for Washington Elementary School, totaling $279,100, include mechanical renovation, for $50,000; lavatory renovations, for $150,000, and cabling for technology at $79,100.
McKinley Elementary School could expect a three-story addition of six classrooms, including an elevator and lavatories, for $2,026,000; roof replacement of the library for $106,700; heating, ventilation and air conditioning upgrades, for $350,000, and cabling for technology, at $70,900. The total amount for these projects equals $2,553,600.
Tamaques Elementary School projects, totaling $348,300, include replacement of floor tile, for $100,000; lavatory ADA compliance on the first floor of the school, for $150,000, and cabling for classrooms, at $98,300.
Jefferson Elementary School projects, tallying $640,725, include a new roof, for $392,025; lavatory ADA compliance, at $150,000, and cabling for technology, at $98,700.
Other costs involved in the referendum include architectural costs for additions, $421,600; contingency costs for additions, $379,800 plus an additional $30,325; bond counsel and accounting costs, $100,000; architect fees for renovations, $404,000, and architect fees for cabling, $79,600. The total of $1,385,000.
Dr. Berman noted that, if the referendum is approved on December 15, residents could expect the following tax impact: permanent bonds would be issued in January; an average interest rate of 4.73 percent would be involved in the 20-year bond issue; bond proceeds would be invested at 5.10 percent; new debt would wrap around existing debt, and existing debt would retire in the 20012002 school year.
In 1999-2000, the tax rate would be 2.55908, with an increase of $18.08; in 2000-2001, the tax rate would be 2.57021, with an increase of $37.45; in 20012002, the tax rate would be 2.58121, with an increase of $56.59; in 20022003, the tax rate would be 2.58130, with an increase of $56.74, and in 20032004, the tax rate would be 2.58127, with an increase of $56.69.
The figures are based on an average home assessment of $174,000. According to Mr. Berman, the increase would rise slightly in the first five years if the referendum was approved, then would level off during the following five years up to the year 2011. It would drop dramatically thereafter.
The CAC decided that Lincoln School should not be reopened as a seventh elementary school due to additional expenses, redistricting and busing. If the school was reopened, the operating expenses would exceed $500,000 annually.
The CAC felt it would be more cost efficient to place additional classrooms on existing schools to keep operating
costs more moderate. Lincoln School currently brings $122,000 of annual revenue to the district.
Eri Golembo, a member of the CAC, reported, “This is the only way to repair our facilities. This is a new reality we face in Westfield. We’re victims of our own success.”
He added that wiring for technology is vital and is not a temporary situation, especially if parents want to send e-mail messages to teachers.
Another CAC member, Eileen Passananti, noted the hefty expense and cost of reopening Lincoln School. She stated she was in favor of using the Westfield National Guard Armory as an option for providing six additional classrooms for the high school.
“Let’s do it and do it right,” she stressed. “If not, we will have overcrowding in our schools, and that is not good for anybody.”
Sherri Cognetti, a CAC member, concluded, “This is the most efficient and concrete plan we could come up with.”
Dr. Foley noted that copies of the CAC’s report are being printed and will be made available to parents and other citizens for their consideration and review before the bond comes up for a vote.
Board members offered several comments supporting the bond. Arlene Gardner stated, “We’re keeping in mind our pocketbooks as well as the educational needs, and that is what we need to do.”
Fellow board member Thomas Taylor offered a sentimental view. “I very much love this town and our school system. I’m personally concerned for the welfare of all of the staff, students and families,” he said.
“This is not a frivolous thing. It’s been worked on to death,” Mr. Taylor added. He concluded that the bond will require sacrifice and commitment on the part of the community.
Regarding the needs of students in special education programs and the enrollment crisis that will impact them, board member Eileen Satkin stated, “Our special ed students are not ping pong balls to move from school to school.” She noted that something needs to be done with care.
Gary McCready, a member of the CAC, said he hoped at some point that art and music rooms would become a priority. “I don’t think these projects (included in the bond) are extravagant,” he remarked.
Tom Pickert of Willowbrook Road stated, “If and when you pass this, you have to get people behind this. I hope it works, I hope it passes.”
Victoria Williams, a parent of children at Roosevelt and Wilson Schools, commented that she would like to see art and music rooms as a priority. “If it’s this high a price tag, we should do the whole caboodle.
“I don’t think people are buzzing about the bond right now,” she concluded.
She suggested that more information be made available to the public.
Board President Darielle Walsh made final comments to the public and board. “I urge the community to support us…to get more information.”
Board member Susan L. Jacobson made a motion to approve the resolution to pursue the bond, and the board voted unanimously to continue with its efforts.
The special election on the bond, as permitted and required by law, will be held between 2 and 9 p.m. on December 15. parks and fields improvements from
Union County and another $17,500 for upgrades to the playground behind the former Lincoln School as part of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders “Project Pocket Park” matching grant program. Out of that, $100,000 was originally proposed for a park at the site of the former Excellent Diner on North Avenue.
However, when the Planning Board approved an office building on the site with retail space at street level, the Mayor formed an Ad Hoc Committee on Parks and Recreation to decide where best to spend the $200,000 of county and town funds.
Town Attorney Charles H. Brandt informed the council prior to the public meeting that the Board of Education has yet to sign an agreement to lease the Lincoln School playground to the town. Mr. Brandt said school officials may at some point want to sell the property.
The town will provide a match of $17,500 for the county grant towards the playground should the lease go through.
Mayor Jardim accused the council of “going back on our word” by not providing for improvements at Mindowaskin Park as sought by the Friends of Mindowaskin Park.
He said smaller projects presented by groups in town such as Rake and Hoe, that asked for a Robeson Park as well the Clark Park proposal, are likely to be defeated when the council begins its deliberations on capital improvements in December as part of the 1999 municipal budget.
Commenting that funding for the park on Central was not approved, Mayor Jardim said, “I hope the public doesn’t view that as a vote against the Neighborhood Preservation Program.” (Please see related story on Page 1.)
Councilman Sullivan called the whole process of determining where funds should be spent on parks, “flawed.”
He said while Mayor Jardim created an Ad Hoc Committee “to expedite the process (of where to spend the funds), instead I think we have bypassed the process.”
Mayor Jardim seemed to take offense over council Republicans attacking his concept of a committee, stating it was well within his authority to have proceeded in this manner.
Councilwoman Vernick, who was prevented from commenting when Mr. Jardim called for a voice vote on Mr.
Sullivan’s resolution, said she will push for those projects not included in the “pocket park” grant program to be authorized in the 1999 budget.
Republican Fourth Ward Councilwoman Janis Fried Weinstein said the Ad Hoc Committee has “undermined” the Recreation Commission which determines where funds should be spend on parks and fields. She called the Ad Hoc Committee process “ridiculous,” noting that she and other Recreation Commission members are appointed by the Mayor to decide policy on these matters.
Indicating that the whole process has “become a political strategy” by some council members to fund certain requests submitted by interest groups during the Ad Hoc process, Mrs. Weinstein asked that the process be delayed until after the November 3 General Election.
Mayor Jardim noted that “special interest politics...people advocating for what they want,” is nothing new in the political arena.
The Westfield Baseball League was well represented at the meeting as they pleaded for the council to approve funding for new bathrooms at Gumpert.
Rick Skoller of Scotch Plains Avenue said the council should fund all projects to completion as opposed to completing one or two projects as originally proposed under a plan by Ad Hoc Committee members Gregory S. McDermott, who represents the First Ward on the council, and Director of Recreation Glenn Burrell.
He said when a visiting team comes to the field and asks where bathrooms are located, he is forced to point them to a nearby diner.
Portable johns at the field were destroyed by vandals in a fire over the summer. Officials indicated that the Westfield Recreation Commission has Gumpert at the top of its list for capital projects next year.
Brad Chananie of Avon Road, a parent and manager of soccer and baseball teams in town, said there “nothing more embarrassing” than to have to tell kids they will have to wait an hour for use of a bathroom.
He said one time he had to take a youngster to a fast food restaurant in neighboring Garwood to use the facilities.
Mr. Chananie said funds for the projects would be “money well spent.”
Rosemary Millet of Norgate said the bathrooms are “sorely needed.”
Tamaques, Gumpert, Sycamore Included In ‘Pocket Park’ Plan
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Efforts Continue to Derail New Parking Lots at Park
Engineer and Director of Public Works Kenneth B. Marsh, the council has provided no indication of whether there will be any other changes to the existing plan.
“As of Tuesday’s meeting we have no clear direction from council as to what they would like to do” at the park, said Mr. Gottko.
Michael Ancona of Dickson Drive said a number of other actions should be taken at the park instead of new spaces. He requested an immediate halt to paving at the park.
Mr. Ancona’s recommendations include: enforcement of speed limits in the park and Dickson Drive, immediate enforcement of the town’s “no parking” regulation on the park oval drive and the creation of an “infrastructure for better decisions on how we spend our money” on parks.
He, along with other speakers, noted that cars are parked on the park oval drive when the existing lots are empty.
His wife, Monica Felsing, appealed to the council “to stop this mindless plan to
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
tear up our park. We ask that you make it safe again for people to enjoy. It’s the lack of law and order which makes our park unsafe, not the lack of parking spaces.
“The park is a finite resource. We, the people, demand that our natural and beautiful park, Tamaques, remain a park and not be paved over. We demand that the council act. The voters of Westfield are waiting for your response.”
First Ward Councilwoman Gail S. Vernick said an “analysis” needs to be conducted to see whether the 71 spaces are actually needed.
Robert Wederich, also of Village Green, told the council he was “very much concerned” by what he described as the “urbanization of Tamaques Park.”
He said parking on both sides of the road in the park and traffic flow from two directions creates the danger of a car striking an oncoming bicyclist.
“I hope we are not here tonight to mourn the urbanization of Tamaques Park,” he told the council.
Ultimately, Mr. Stone said, “I would expect the Town Council to ante up some money,” for the preservation plan. He cited the special improvement district (SID) designation for the north side downtown, and the SID budget of approximately $240,000 which comes from the town.
“I hope to have money committed by the end of this year from the council” for the south side preservation district, Mr. Stone said.
There are hopes for a storefront office on Central Avenue, he said, once the preservation project gets its first infusion of funding. This would alert what he calls “stakeholders” to the availability of a funding program to refurbish their prop
erties in the neighborhood. Mr. Stone said he came to assist the Mayor and council with the preservation project through his experience in the 1970s with Westfield’s Neighborhood Improvement Association.
The association was an outgrowth of the Westfield Bicentennial Commission’s Permanent Improvement Committee, he said.
He revealed that he now hopes to form two committees that deal with retail and residential properties. Peter Macri, owner of a barber shop in the area, and William Bowers, a Windsor Avenue resident, are said to be considering leading the committees, according to Mr. Stone.
WESTFIELD FIRE BLOTTER MONDAY, OCTOBER 5
· Sixteen hundred block of Rahway Avenue – system malfunction.
· Nine hundred block of Cherokee Court – carbon monoxide detector activation.
· Union Fire Department – mutual aid call.
· One hundred block of Barchester Way – system malfunction.
· Ramapo and Munsee Way – power line down.
· Three hundred block of Orenda Circle – emergency medical call.
· Five hundred block of Trinity Place – lock out.
· Three hundred block of South Avenue, West – system malfunction.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6
· One hundred block of Tudor Oval – hazardous condition.
· One hundred block of Kimball Circle – good intent call.
· Four hundred block of East Broad Street – smoke scare.
· Two hundred block of Rodger Avenue – good intent call.
Town Officials Seek Funds For South Side Preservation
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
| www.goleader.com | press@goleader.com | Copyright |