OUR 108th YEAR – ISSUE NO. 39-98 FIFTY CENTS 232-4407
The Westfield Leader — Serving the Town Since 1890 —
Thursday, September 24, 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
Obituary ........ Page 11 Religious ....... Page 10
Social ............ Page 6 Sports ............ Page 13
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United Fund Notes Milestones; Concentrates on Future Goals By KIMBERLY A. BROADWELL
Specially Written for The Westfield Leader
The United Fund of Westfield, which has been aiding local organizations for decades, recently kicked off its annual fund-raising campaign with a goal of $615,000.
According to its Executive Director, Linda Maggio, the United Fund allocates moneys each year to the organization’s 20 member agencies. Its top contributions this year went to the Westfield “Y,” the Westfield Community Center and Youth and Family Counseling Service – a total of more than $297,000.
In addition, the United Fund has contributed more than $200,000 to 17 other agencies which also serve town residents.
Mrs. Maggio reported that the nonprofit agency works in conjunction with the United Way of Union County, and has been raising funds for area
programs for over 60 years. The organization started in 1937 as the Westfield Council of Social Service Agencies, and quickly became known as the Westfield War and Community Fund.
In 1957, it became incorporated, and has been helping to fund needed services to Westfield residents ever since.
The 20 member agencies of the United Fund collectively provide a wide range of human services, including day care for children, health care for senior citizens, instruction to mentally and physically challenged individuals, and substance abuse and family counseling, among other services.
According to Mrs. Maggio, strict criteria must be met before becoming an agency to receive allocations from the United Fund.
“First, the agency must provide services to Westfield residents,” stated
Mrs. Maggio. “Also, an independent review committee carefully reviews agency applications. Each application is very lengthy and includes financial data, statistics of those served, and descriptions of all programs,” she added.
She concluded that the committee, made up of appointed Westfield citizens, then makes decisions for rewarding funds based on Westfield’s need for the programs being offered.
According to the Executive Director, there are many levels of giving to the United Fund. “A group that I am especially proud of is a group that started 10 years ago called the Pillars Club,” stated Mrs. Maggio. “This is a group of Westfield residents who give $500 or more to our campaign, and usually provide half of our yearly goals,” she noted.
Ms. Maggio explained that there is a booklet of thanks that goes out just to members of the Pillars Club, and is never published publicly. According
Watchung Catch Basins Proposed; Task Force Report Due Mid-October
By JEANNE WHITNEY
Specially Written for The Westfield Leader
Two alternate sites for storm water catch basins have been identified in the Borough of Watchung by the Green Brook Flood Control Commission Task Force in an 11-page draft of a report made public last Thursday. One of the detention basins is proposed for a northern corner of Weldon Quarry, and the other is in the Watchung Mountains gorge along New Providence Road.
The basins proposed for the gorge would require the re-routing of New Providence Road.
The Task Force was charged with searching for options to two disputed storm water catch basins proposed for Union County’s Watchung Reservation as part of a United States Army Corps of Engineers flood control project. The action was taken after United States Senators from New Jersey Robert
Toricelli and Frank Lautenberg sponsored a bill that eliminated Federal funding for the $362 million project in August 1997.
The flood control project, in the planning since the early 1970s, is intended to mitigate storm water flooding downstream from the Watchung Mountains, in parts of Union, Somerset and Middlesex counties. The one-year task force includes representatives of the communities of Scotch Plains, North Plainfield and Plainfield, that suffer periodic flooding during severe storms. County representatives are also task force members.
The task force is expected to approve the revised report pinpointing two new basin sites on Thursday, October 15.
A larger gorge basin would detain storm water in areas both above and below Valley Road. A smaller or socalled “modest” gorge basin would
detain flood waters only in the region below Valley Road.
According to task force member Joe Skupien, representing Somerset County, either of the proposed gorge basins alone would still require at least a second catch basin, to provide flood control for downstream communities equivalent to the Army Corps plan for water detention.
A catch basin carved out of Weldon Quarry would tie in with the eventual closure of the quarry, located in Watchung.
The quarry basin would be available in eight years, the task force said. The entire quarry would be exhausted and closed within the next 30 to 40 years.
One estimate puts completion for the entire flood control project by 2011.
Task force members said although the Watchung Borough officials claim the closed quarry site could potentially be developed as an industrial center, others have said it seems unlikely the Borough could develop a commercial lot over such a deep, large hole as the quarry.
Evidently, the task force report will say that a quarry catch basin alone could replace the two disputed storm water catch basins in the Reservation, by holding a greater volume of storm water than either proposed gorge basin.
An engineer and planner connected with the project, J.B. Wiley, said Weldon Quarry owners have not said they are opposed to the notion of a catch basin at the site, but neither is the proposal a done deal.
A Berkeley Heights councilman, Thomas Battaglia, told the task force in the public meeting last week, that he “does not trust what the Commission is doing,” apparently referring to the Flood Control Commission as a whole. The Flood Control Com
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FestiFall A Hit Again as 30,000 Take Part in Fair
Westfielders and out-of-towners enjoyed a fun-filled day on Sunday during Westfield’s annual FestiFall street festival.
Held in the center of the downtown covering East Broad, Elm, Prospect and Quimby Streets, the event was attended by some 30,000 persons.
Westfield Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Debbie Schmidt said the fair featured 320 vendors including 200 artisans and crafters, 30 specialty foods and local restaurants, 40 non-profit community and religious organizations, 50 local merchants and businesses and local political groups and candidates.
Children’s activities included pony rides, a petting zoo, moonwalks, storytellers and clowns, face painting and sand art.
MotoPhoto, in coordination with
David B. Corbin for The Westfield Leader
DEDICATED SERVICE...Town Historian Homer Hall, second from left, is presented with a proclamation from Fourth Councilman Lawrence A. Goldman, right, during last week’s Westfield Historical Society meeting. Mr. Hall, who is moving out of state, was honored for his efforts. Also on hand was Charles E. Brown, left, President of the West Fields Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution (S.A.R.), and Vincent Parlapiano, President of the Union County Historical Society, who was dressed as William Miller, first settler of the West Fields of Elizabethtown, circa 1727.
David B. Corbin for The Westfield Leader
FESTIFALL FUN...This child enjoys a pony ride during the annual FestiFall street festival held Sunday in downtown Westfield. The event featured crafts, musical entertainment, and a wide range of food vendors, as well as a number of activities for children, including a petting zoo.
David B. Corbin for The Westfield Leader
VOTING IN THE 1990s...Union County Board of Elections employees Rich Barry of Cranford, left, and H. William Lear of Elizabeth, display the county’s new computerized voting machine during Sunday’s FestiFall street fair. The machines will be in use in Westfield, Fanwood, Mountainside and Kenilworth this November. Voters simply push a button on the flat keypad to cast their vote.
David B. Corbin for The Westfield Leader
RAH, RAH!...Cheerleaders perform for fair-goers during Sunday’s FestiFall street festival. The annual event attracted an estimated crowd of 30,000 to the downtown shopping area.
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Town Bank Oct. Opening Likely; FDIC Approved, Finances Strong
By JEANNE WHITNEY
Specially Written for The Westfield Leader
The Town Bank of Westfield officials are aiming to open the new bank’s doors in early October, President and Chief Executive Officer of the bank, Frank Goffreda, said this week.
The venture, the first locally-owned bank in the town for 70 years, was originally slated for opening right after Labor Day. As renovation of the bank’s offices in a 1920s-vintage building at the circle on South Avenue in Westfield nears completion, Chairman of the Board Ronald J. Frigerio said he can hardly wait for the official opening.
A study done several years ago indicated there was a demand for a locally-owned bank that would offer good service and reasonable rates.
So, two businessmen and a banker started gathering shareholders and
Jeanne Whitney for The Westfield Leader
MAKE A SAFE DEPOSIT...The Town Bank of Westfield Board Chairman Ronald J. Frigerio reaches into a 5,000-pound vault of new safe deposit boxes at the bank office on South Avenue in Westfield. Bank President and Chief Executive Officer Frank Goffreda, pictured at left, holds the door open for him. Not pictured is Board Director Anthony DeChellis.
the $6.2 million needed to finance their dream.
Mr. Goffreda, the banker, said he has over 25 years of banking experience and was a management execu
tive with the former Fleet Bank in Westfield.
Chairman Frigerio is a founder of Amalgamated General Agencies, an insurance firm, and is a former Westfield mayor. Along with raising capital for the bank, he also temporarily housed the bank offices on Grove Street.
Director of the Board, Anthony DeChellis, the third member of the dream team, owns Westfield Plumbing Supply. He explained that discouragement with what turned into “long distance banking” as banks consolidated and offices were sometimes as far away as Pennsylvania, inspired him to change things.
“We want to go back to old-fashion services,” he explained, with the community-based bank.
Sure enough, Mr. Goffreda said that during the development of the institution, “We tried to posture our thinking as to ‘how would I be af
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Housing Entity Garners Support
Among Officials By PAUL J. PEYTON
Specially Written for The Westfield Leader
The Westfield Town Council Tuesday night gave a thumbs up to move ahead with a proposal by two former councilmen to create a housing commission for the town.
The commission would be responsible for identifying residential housing properties in need of rehabilitation grant money and low interest loans.
It would be operated by a volunteer board with no money appropriated from town funds, and would assist property owners in making applications for grants or low-interest loans.
According to Fourth Ward Councilman Lawrence A. Goldman, members of the commission would be appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the Town Council.
Members would be sought from concentrated areas identified as those in need of rehabilitated housing although place of residence would not be the sole factor in determining board membership.
Kenneth L. MacRitchie of Trinity Place, former Third Ward Councilman, explained that the commission would be responsible for looking at all housing projects in the town.
Just two weeks ago, the council decided to let former Mayor Raymond W. Stone head the town’s effort in establishing a Neighborhood Preservation Program (NPP) with the goal of being included in the state’s program.
Established in 1975, the state program is administered through the Department of Community Affairs. The program primarily funds owneroccupied housing.
Unlike the Housing Commission, though, the NPP covers just the Central Avenue corridor including South Avenue, Grove Street, Cacciola Place and Windsor Avenue.
While a paid director would be hired to run the NPP, Mr. MacRitchie has noted that the housing commission would operate on a volunteer basis.
In addition to these two programs, Westfield residents can apply to the
Union County Multi-Jurisdictional Housing Rehabilitation Program. Owner-occupants of oneto fourfamily dwellings may apply for financial assistance in order to make needed structural repairs.
Financial assistance is available under the program for renovation or replacement of substandard heating, electrical and plumbing systems, structural repairs, insulation and other construction work needed to upgrade a housing unit.
The program provides up to $20,000 per unit for homeowners who are eligible for the program.
Mr. MacRitchie noted that the multi-jurisdictional program does not fund rehabilitation of rental housing units, something that would be included under the Westfield Housing Commission.
Currently, an inventory of housing deficiencies is being prepared for both apartments downtown as well as residential housing throughout the town.
According to a memorandum from Mr. MacRitchie to Mayor Thomas C. Jardim and the council earlier this month, the commission would be chiefly responsible for identifying housing units in need of rehabilitation, and for reaching out to individuals who cannot afford to rehabilitate their homes in order to arrange applications with appropriate housing programs.
Councilman Goldman said the commission would be a “corollary program” to the exterior property maintenance code. During the council’s deliberations on the ordinance last year, some residents expressed concerns that they might be fined for not maintaining their homes. They said some people in town simply cannot afford such improvements.
Mr. Goldman said the housing commission would help these property owners make such repairs.
Mr. MacRitchie has identified four housing priority neighborhoods which the commission would focus on. These include West Broad Street,
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FOLD
Page 12 Thursday, September 24, 1998 The Westfield Leader and THE TIMES of Scotch Plains – Fanwood A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION
WOODPLAY 3X4
to the United Fund’s data, the Pillars Club contributions for 1997 totaled $346,012.
Mrs. Maggio was also very enthusiastic about some new projects that the United Fund is working on, including a Westfield Organizational Resource Directory (WORD), a survey to help coordinate all volunteerism in Westfield, and a community calendar.
She explained that a Resource Directory would serve as an invaluable tool to those residents who are new to Westfield and need information on daycare or other types of services.
The directory will not only include information on human services, but also town government, arts and theaters, special interest clubs, organizations and recreation programs.
“This a very exciting project,” said Mrs. Maggio. “It will include many more listings than just the 20 organizations we aid in funding.”
Mrs. Maggio explained that community calendars are already up in the schools and that the United Fund is presently working with a team of AT&T researchers on a project called “Westfield at a Click,” which will serve as an Internet directory of upcoming events.
Mrs. Maggio added that there will also be what is known as a “Caring Box,” which is provided through a grant from the Westfield Foundation. It will be published monthly in The Westfield Leader and developed on the Internet to encourage community response to what the Executive Director described as “special timely volunteer and/or material needs of community organizations.”
Lastly, Mrs. Maggio talked about another new project which is expected to benefit the senior citizen population in Westfield. It involves finding help for those seniors requiring such services as transportation or home repair. Presently, the United Fund is working on circulating a survey to determine what services are needed.
When asked about this year’s kickoff, Mrs. Maggio responded, “in my 24 years of working on behalf of the United Fund, I am really excited about this year’s campaign because many of the projects that we are working on have so much of the Westfield community working together.”
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United Fund Notes Milestones; Concentrates on Future Goals Six Westfielders are Named
National Merit Semifinalists
WESTFIELD —Westfield High School (WHS) recently announced that seniors Tara Bhandari, David
SEMI-FINALISTS NAMED…National Merit Scholarship semifinalists from Westfield High School, pictured left to right, are: front row, Tara Bhandari and Ilka Netravali, and second row, Jessica Hu, Terri Lee and David Goldberg. Not pictured is Amy Philips, a fellow semifinalist completing her senior year outside the district.
Goldberg, Jessica Hu, Terri Lee and Ilka Netravali, along with Amy Philips, who is completing her senior year outside the district, have been named semifinalists in the 1999 National Merit Scholarship Program.
According to Assistant Principal Robert L. Eyre, the six students are among more than 15,000 high school seniors in the United States who have qualified as semifinalists in the annual nationwide scholarship program.
The semifinalists attained their status in the highly competitive scholarship program by achieving high scores during their junior year at WHS on the Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
As high scorers in the state on that test, the six semifinalists, together with other semifinalists in the state, represent less than 1 percent of New Jersey’s entire 1999 graduating class, according to Mr. Eyre.
As semifinalists, the WHS students now have the opportunity to advance to the finalist level and compete for Merit Scholarships by maintaining an outstanding academic record and completing a scholarship application package, the Assistant Principal confirmed.
Every finalist will be considered for one of 2,400 National Merit Scholarships valued at $2000.
WESTFIELD POLICE BLOTTER
WESTFIELD FIRE BLOTTER TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
· A Cranford resident reported receiving a suspect counterfeit $100 bill when he cashed his paycheck at a local bank, according to police.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
· The Echo Lake Country Club reported damage to the grass on the golf course.
· Marsha Tipelin, 44, of Edison was arrested and charged with shoplifting $128 worth of clothing and jewelry from a North Avenue department store, authorities said. She was released on $275 bail.
· Willie White, 3rd, 40, of Roselle was arrested in the 300 block of South Avenue, East, and charged with driving with a revoked license, according to police. Authorities said it was his third offense. White was released on $1,000 bail.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
· Four thefts were reported from the girls’ locker room at Westfield High School on Dorian Road.
· Tools valued at $1,505 were reported stolen from a motor vehicle on
Boulevard.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20
· A Tice Place resident reported that a bicycle valued at $250 was stolen from the north side train station.
· Two residents of Sandra Circle reported bicycle thefts in separate incidents. One bicycle was taken from Quimby Street, while the other was stolen from the 100 block of Greene Street. The bicycles were valued at $250 each.
· Police discovered the front windows broken at a laundromat on South Avenue after responding to an alarm. It had not been determined at press time, however, if anything was taken from the establishment.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21
· An employee of a fast food restaurant reported that she was robbed of her purse, which contained receipts from the business, on South Elmer Street near New Street. The suspect was described as a black male, 5 feet and 10 inches tall, authorities said.
· A resident of South Avenue reported that someone damaged the rear of his car in the 900 block of South Avenue, West.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
· Eight hundred block of Knollwood Terrace – good intent call.
· One hundred block of Clifton Street – good intent call.
· Four hundred block of Roanoke Road – unintentional alarm.
· One hundred block of Surrey Lane – carbon monoxide detector activation.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
· One hundred block of Tamaques Way – hazardous condition.
· Fifteen hundred block of Lamberts Mill Road – system malfunction.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
· Fifteen hundred block of Lamberts Mill Road – system malfunction.
· One hundred block of Washington Street – electrical short.
· Four hundred block of East Broad Street – malicious false call.
· Two hundred block of Cowperthwaite Place – unintentional alarm.
· Six hundred block of Westfield Avenue – electrical short.
· Three hundred block of South Avenue West – good intent call.
· Standby at Clark Fire Department – mutual aid provided.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
· Wells Street and Fairacres Avenue – wires arcing.
· Standby at Springfield Fire Department – mutual aid provided.
· Two hundred block of Scotch Plains Avenue – power line down.
· Eight hundred block of Kimball Avenue – hazardous condition.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18
· One hundred block of Quimby Street – service call.
· Four hundred block of Elm Street – system malfunction.
· One hundred block of Windsor Avenue – electrical short.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19
· Two hundred block of Elmer Street – system malfunction.
· Three hundred block of Orenda Circle – smoke condition.
· Plainfield Fire Department – mutual aid provided.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20
· One hundred block of Tudor Oval – service call.
mission has asked the Federal government to fund flood control measures after a particularly severe storm nearly 30 years ago resulted in six deaths and thousands of dollars worth of damage. Councilman Battaglia questioned whether the task force had considered if the basins were even necessary.
The Berkeley Heights community has opposed the two basins proposed for the Reservation by the Army Corps last year.
Berkeley Heights refused to join the task force, although Mayor Daniel A. Palladino, III, met with its members on one occasion to discuss flood control options, task force members said.
The Connell Company, with main offices in Westfield, also owns commercial property in Berkeley Heights bordering the two disputed basin sites. Councilman Battaglia claimed Connell would file for a reduction in property taxes if those basins were to come about, citing a lowered property value.
An attorney for Connell has said the water detention basins would flood portions of the commercial site.
In contrast, Chairman of the Task Force and Berkeley Heights resident Dr. Robert Hlavacek said the Army Corps indicated the basins would have no impact on the communities of Watchung and Berkeley Heights.
U.S. Congressman Bob Franks brokered a deal last year allowing construction to begin on other parts of the flood control project with Federal funding, while local officials hammered out an agreement on the disputed Upper Basin portion in Union County. The Army Corps got another $100,000 to rework the catch basin part of the project.
The Task Force report confirms that three-quarters of the area that dumps water into Scotch Plains at Route 22 during a storm, is in the Watchung Mountains. This would indicate a need for water detention in the mountains.
Task force member Joe Skupien said if the gorge basins were to come about, “there’s a potential to get a better New Providence Road out of it.”
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Catch Basins Proposed; Final Flood Report Due
the Westfield Police Department, was on hand to fingerprint children and take their picture for photo identification kits.
In addition to a number of food vendors and local restaurants who prepared fair menus, musical entertainment was featured.
Among those featured were the South American Inca-style band, Raices del Viento; jazz band Positive Rhythmic Force Perception and the New Jersey Workshop for the Arts which performed throughout the day.
One highlight was the display of new computerized voting machines which will be used for the first time this November.
The machines will be used first in Westfield, Fanwood, Mountainside and Kenilworth. The sample machine was located near the corner of East Broad Street.
Fair-goers also had the opportunity to ring the Town Bell which was located on Quimby Street at Central Avenue.
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FestiFall A Hit Again as 30,000 Take Part in Fair
fected as a customer?’” For example, Mr. Goffreda said there will be at least four tellers – human beings, that is, and plenty of customer service staff.
There will be a driveup teller and an automated teller machine (ATM), as well. There will be no 800 toll-free numbers or telephone answering machines, Mr. Frigerio emphasized. Customers will be talking to real people.
Mr. Goffreda said the bank will offer traditional passbook savings accounts in conjunction with statement savings.
“I ordered 2,000 passbook savings books,” he said, “and we may run out.” Customers may also opt to open holiday savings clubs.
Yet, there will also be high-tech computers and Federal Reserve Bank wire service in operation at the bank, for transfers of funds. Certificates of Deposits will be competitive, Mr. Goffreda remarked.
This week, Mr. Goffreda reported that the community bank qualified for Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).
And just because the doors on the building are not yet open yet, doesn’t
mean business can’t begin. “We have one mortgage commitment now,” President Goffreda said, and at least another 10 applications are in the hopper.
Under the law, the bank can loan money before the opening of the building, but may not accept deposits.
Scotch Plains resident Mae Goldweitz was appointed Vice President and Branch Manager of the institution in late August. Ms. Goldweitz’s banking experience spans at least 30 years, the majority of it with local institutions.
Germaine B. Trabert, a Westfield resident and former Zoning Board of Adjustment member, was named to the bank’s Board of Directors in September.
The second floor of the bank will have a board room that complete with a marble and wood fireplace. Bank officers said they have offered use of the room to community organizations.
“We’re a local controlled and owned bank. We’re going to offer the ‘down home’ services,” Mr. Goffreda added.
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Town Bank Oct. Opening Likely; FDIC Approved
Two Freshmen Embark On Colby College Outdoor Programs
WESTFIELD – Two Westfield residents and incoming freshmen at Colby College in Watterville, Maine, got a early taste of the Maine outdoors September 2-5 before classes even started.
Katherine A. Egan and Bryan M. Gates both attended four-day orientation trips designed to “provide a relaxed atmosphere where students can make initial friendships and get their bearings,” according to Colby spokeswoman Joanne Lafreniere.
Katherine, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Egan of Westfield, backpacked through the Moxie and Bald Mountain sections of the Appalachian Trail in Maine’s north woods with about 10 other freshmen and two returning students who served as trip leaders.
Bryan, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Geoffrey Gates, also of Westfield, participated in a similar trip. He went canoeing, camping, and mountainclimbing on Flagstaff Lake and through the Bigelow range in Maine’s western mountains.
Similar trips were run for the other 456 members of the class of 2002, a precursor to a three-day on-campus orientation program.
Mr. Kerr Is Elevated To 33rd Degree Mason
WESTFIELD — George F. Kerr, a licensed plumber from Westfield, is one of some 140 Thirty-second Degree Scottish Rite Masons who will be elevated to the Thirty-third Degree in a special ceremony in the Taft Theatre in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Tuesday, September 29.
The event will take place at the conclusion of the annual meeting of the Supreme Council of Scottish Rite Freemasonry.
More than 2,100 Thirty-third Degree Masons and their wives from the 15 northeastern and mid-western states comprising the 320,000-member Northern Masonic Jurisdiction are expected to be in attendance.
Those to be elevated this year were elected a year ago at the annual meeting in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Thirty-third Degree is awarded for outstanding achievement within the fraternity or for contributions to others reflecting credit on Freemasonry.
Following the conferral of the Thirty-third Degree on September 29, the names of those who have been selected to receive the degree next year in Atlantic City will be announced.
Accountants Society Offers Scholarships to Seniors
The New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants (NJSCPA) offers scholarships annually to New Jersey high school seniors who intend to major in accounting in college.
High school recipients are chosen based upon their overall score on the NJSCPA’s Scholarship Awards Examination, which will be administered on Saturday and Sunday, November 21 and 22.
This exam is essentially a measure of general aptitude skills, and par
ticipants do not have to be currently enrolled in an accounting class, according to NJSCPA spokeswoman Jennifer Filoso.
All applications must be postmarked by Friday, October 23.
Students may obtain more information by contacting either their high school Guidance or Business Departments, or the NJSCPA Office, 425 Eagle Rock Avenue, Roseland, 07068. The office may be reached by calling (973) 226-4494, Extension No. 241.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Madison Avenue, and residential housing above stores in the downtown area, in addition to the WindsorCacciola area which is included in the NPP.
Mr. Goldman, Chairman of the council’s Laws and Rules Committee, called the proposal “something that is good and that we ought to pursue.”
Councilman Goldman explained to the council, through a memorandum, that at a recent committee meeting Mr. MacRitchie and former Fourth Ward Councilman Donnell Carr said the commission “could also seek financial support from community-based charitable organizations as a means of supplementing the limited funding available from existing sources such as the Union Countysponsored Multi-jurisdictional Housing program.”
Unlike some towns in the county, Westfield does not have an employee whose primary function is housing rehabilitation.
Mayor Jardim said the commission will help Westfield have a “more coordinated fight” to gain housing rehabilitation funds.
First Ward Councilman Gregory S. McDermott, although supportive of moving ahead with the program, expressed concerns that the NPP and the housing commission would be going after the same funding sources.
He said he would like the two groups to concentrate on one neighborhood first, possibly starting on the Central Avenue corridor.
Mayor Jardim said programs will have to be operated in conjunction with one another due to the limited amount of money that Westfield will receive to upgrade its housing stock.
Mr. MacRitchie said the goal overall, “is to get the grant money into Westfield.” He said half of the county program’s funds wind up in Hillside and Roselle.
First Ward Councilwoman Gail S. Vernick said she believes the commission should be started as a “pilot
program.” Third Ward Councilman Neil F. Sullivan, Jr., noting the “myriad” of housing problems in Westfield, said the council needs to move forward on the plan “with an open mind.”
The councilman suggested the town consider a senior citizen handiwork program which could be applied for through the Union County Community Development Grant program.
Councilman Sullivan said this grant, in the range of $10,000, could fund some of the professional work necessary through the housing program.
Town Attorney Charles H. Brandt was asked to prepare an ordinance creating the commission for the council’s Tuesday, October 6, agenda meeting.
In other business, Mr. Brandt was asked to draft an ordinance to specify the town’s road improvement policy.
This followed a tense discussion between Councilman Sullivan and fellow Third Ward Councilman John J. Walsh regarding a proposed resolution drafted by Mr. Walsh.
Mr. Sullivan said, in calling the resolution inaccurate, that it has not been town policy to deny paving of streets if property owners refused to pay the assessment for paving the shoulder of the road and for curbing.
He said Mr. Walsh’s resolution indicated the town has been denying full-width (from side to side) paving for people not wanting to pay for assessments for the paving of shoulders and for curbing – which he called inaccurate.
Councilman Walsh said the town did, at one point, deny paving projects for streets where residents did not agree to pay for the assessment.
Councilwoman Vernick said the resolution “gives the impression that there was no full-width paving of streets (in the past) if they (property owners) did not have curbs.”
She said it was a long-time policy not to pave streets without curbing due to a belief by officials that such streets would deteriorate at a faster pace. Later on a pilot program was created to see if paving could hold up without curbing.
Town Administrator Edward A. Gottko noted that the town has not reconstructed streets with municipal money in cases where residents have not signed a petition for the town to complete such improvements.
He said the town “used other means” such as Union County Community Development Block Grant Funds and the state’s Transportation Trust Fund when petitions for improvements were not presented to the town.
In some cases, Mr. Gottko said, residents did not want improvements and, thus, the streets were not paved.
The Administrator noted that the town has incurred $100,000 in costs related to the severe thunderstorm which ripped through Westfield on Labor Day.
Of that sum, $57,000 was related to overtime expenses. Another $34,500 has been spent for the rental of a grinder by the Department of Public Works.
Curbside pickup of storm debris is expected to conclude in mid-October, when the fall leaf pickup program begins, according to Town Engineer and Director of Public Works Kenneth B. Marsh.
Housing Commission Gains Support From Council
Jeanne Whitney for The Westfield Leader
THIS BANK’S FOR YOU...The Town Bank of Westfield office nears completion on South Avenue and aims for an October opening date. President and Chief Executive Officer Frank N. Goffreda said the new bank looks to provide “down home” services to customers.
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