The Westfield Leader Newspaper

OUR 109th YEAR – ISSUE NO. 47-99 FIFTY CENTS 232-4407

The Westfield Leader — Serving the Town Since 1890 —

Thursday, November 25, 1999 USPS 680020 Periodical – Postage Paid at Westfield, N.J.

Published Every Thursday

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Westfield Emergency Services Aim to Save Lives By Carrying Portable Defibrillators in Vehicles

By KIM KINTER

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader

A few weeks ago on a Sunday a Westfield man went into cardiac arrest. The Westfield Rescue Squad was called and immediately responded, but it was what was on the squad’s ambulance that actually may have saved the man’s life.

Each of the squad’s three ambulances is equipped with a device called an automated external defibrillator. When administered within the first 10 minutes of when a person is suffering from sudden cardiac arrest, the defibrillator can mean the difference between life and death.

The machine essentially delivers an electric shock to the heart that can stop the chaotic rhythm that occurs during a sudden cardiac arrest.

The portable device has proven so invaluable and necessary when cardiac emergencies occur that both the Westfield fire and police departments have purchased machines for use by their personnel.

The fire department has purchased one and the police department has purchased five. Each of the defibrillators is estimated to cost about $3,000.

All Westfield firefighters have been trained to use the defibrillator and the machine is on a fire truck at the North Avenue station and ready for use.

Westfield Fire Chief Paul A. Battiloro, Jr., said that about a year ago, the department was approached to occasionally assist the Westfield Rescue Squad as a backup when all other crews and police are busy elsewhere.

About 10 of the 39 firefighters have since received Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) training, and four more are going to be trained, he said.

Then about seven months ago, the fire department discussed the need

for purchasing a defibrillator to both help at fires and when acting as backups to the rescue squad.

Police Chief Anthony J. Scutti said purchase of the defibrillators for the Westfield Police Department was actually in the budget from last year, but the machines were purchased and delivered about a month ago.

“As first responders, we’re (the police) often the first ones on the scene,” Chief Scutti said, referring to the fact that Westfield police are called whenever there is a local emergency. Being on the scene first and in a situation, such as cardiac arrest, where time is of the essence, it was decided that defibrillators should be added to squad cars.

“There are quite a few police departments that already carry defibrillators in their cars,” he pointed out.

Cranford is one, he said. Cranford police, in fact, have had five defibrillators since 1995 in their squad cars and the fire department has had one.

“I think it is a real benefit to the whole community,” Chief Scutti said.

He said the five machines would be carried in five patrol cars. Because the shifts are rotated, every one of the patrol officers will have to be trained

Community-Based Citizens’ Groups Band Together To Address Increasing Aircraft Noise Concerns By DEBORAH MADISON

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader

Due to the enormous increase in aircraft traffic over the past two decades, several community-based citizens’ groups are continuing their efforts to address what they claim is the adverse effects of excessive aircraft noise over their neighborhoods.

The Union County Air Traffic Noise Advisory Board, the Scotch Plains Aircraft Noise Committee, the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Citizens Against Aircraft Noise (SPFCAAN) and the Central Jersey Runway 22

Coalition have formed to address the excessive number of flights routed over their neighborhoods and the need to mitigate the aircraft noise.

The New Jersey Coalition Against Aircraft Noise (NJCAAN) formed in the early 1990s when several local groups recognized this as a statewide issue and banded together, according to Frederick Obrock, President of SPCAAN. Mr. Obrock, a resident of Scotch Plains, has been President of SPFCAAN for three years.

NJCAAN advocates rerouting departures over industrial corridors and

then out to the Atlantic Ocean in order to achieve sufficient altitude before returning inland, Mr. Obrock stated. This proposal is known as ocean routing.

According to Mr. Obrock, the departures are mostly the cause of the noise problem, due to their engines being at full-throttle during low alti

tude, while cruising jets and arrivals are quieter, either due to higher altitudes or throttles being pulled back.

“We don’t want to merely shift the problem to the next community as the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) has repeatedly done in the past, costing our taxpayers millions of dollars and resolving nothing,”

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Happy Thanksgiving

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County Board Investigation Upholds 4th Ward Election

By KIM KINTER

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader

The Union County Board of Elections investigation into alleged “irregularities” in Westfield’s Fourth Ward high school polling place observed by a town voter on November 2 has concluded with the board finding that nothing out of the ordinary occurred.

But the voter who wrote the original letter, Robert Ratner of Lamberts Mill Road, has already responded in writing asking that another investigation take place, stating that the Elections Board had “neither addressed nor resolved my concerns.”

Patricia Formato, Administrator for the Union County Elections

Board, said that an investigation, which lasted about eight days and concluded on November 18, could not substantiate the “irregularities” observed by Mr. Ratner on Election Day. She added that to the “untrained eye” some of what he observed may actually have been election workers “in flux” during their various duties.

Mrs. Formato said her investigation did discover, however, that a “much higher than usual board worker cancellation” had occurred in Westfield on November 2. She said that substitute workers had been called in from Scotch Plains, Hillside, Roselle, Roselle Park,

Mountainside, Cranford, Springfield and Elizabeth to fill vacancies in Westfield. In addition, two members of Mrs. Formato’s staff were called in to assist.

She said, though, that her office never received a call about a shortage of workers in the Fourth Ward, Third District polling place in question at Westfield High School.

In a three-page letter that was sent to Mr. Ratner by registered mail November 19, Mrs. Formato addressed the allegations one by one and included copies of documents to back up the results of her investigation.

For instance, one of Mr. Ratners’s observations was that a poll worker the night he voted seemed to be having difficulty resetting the electronic voting machine and may have not

A LOCAL LANDMARK...The Westfield Preservation Commission recently designated the Charles Marsh House, 508 Salter Place, as a historic landmark. The home is one of the small number of Revolutionary War era houses that remains in the town. Built in 1775 by Charles Marsh and his bride, Abigail Denman, it was lived in by four successive generations of the Marsh family. Originally located on Benson Place, it was moved to its present location in the early 1950’s. Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Clark Alley purchased the vernacular Dutch center hall colonial farmhouse in 1983. Mr. Alley is the third cousin five times removed from Charles Marsh. The landmark designation assures the preservation of the home’s original character.

AN ANNUAL PILGRIMAGE?...In the second occurrence of what appears to be emerging as an annual pre-Thanksgiving rite, eight wild turkeys gathered in the driveway of Ben and Barbara Hiller of Colonial Avenue, Westfield, earlier this month. Turkeys were also reported along Cedar Terrace in the town. Both streets are located near the Mountainside border. Four wild turkeys showed up at the Hillers last year, as well.

in the use of the defibrillators. Overlook Hospital staff in Summit will train them.

Chief Scutti expects all officers to be trained and the defibrillators to be

inside the squad cars sometime after the first of the New Year.

Phil Neuwirth, Education Coordinator for Automated External Defibrillators,

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FAA Discusses Airspace Redesign in Workshop; Costly Flight Delays Among Reasons Cited By DEBORAH MADISON

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is in the early phases of an airspace redesign project, which encompasses New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware and the Philadelphia Metropolitan area.

From September until December, the FAA is hosting several community workshops, which, according to FAA spokesman Jim Buckles, are being held to involve the public in the airspace redesign project and to solicit the public’s needs and concerns.

The November 18 FAA Workshop, held at the Holiday Inn in Springfield, which is similar in content to all of the FAA community workshops, began with a short film presenting an overview of the reasons

why the workshops were being held and why there is a need to redesign the tri-state area’s air traffic routes.

Numerous reasons for redesigning the airspace for the Northeast, cited in the film, included costly delays, outdated traffic flows and public demand for aircraft noise abatement, due to air traffic more than doubling since 1978.

“Part of the need for airspace redesign,” the FAA film stated, “is to alleviate the large negative economic impacts which result from airport delays costing the airline industry over $4 billion last year.”

The film also described the process involved in implementing the project. The process begins with the current phase of gathering input, includes months of discussions considering

all of the alternatives, an Environmental Impact Study (EIS) and then additional presentations of the final drafts to the public.

The EIS is a government set of procedures which all federal agencies must comply with to insure protection of the environment. A typical EIS for air traffic actions would include studying noise, air quality, visual impact, endangered species, compatible land use, social impacts and energy usage, as well as other aspects of how implementing changes might impact the environment.

Numerous diagrams stationed at the workshop displayed the complexity involved in redesigning the airspace around the most heavily trafficked airports in the world. The number of flights in and around the

New York City area in one day are an interwoven mesh of thousands of lines, completely obscuring the cities and towns beneath them on the diagram maps.

“Trying to reroute any one airport, such as Newark or JFK, involves changing thousands of other flights arriving and departing at more than a dozen other Northeastern airports,” said Mr. Buckles.

Some of the options for rerouting air traffic have been outlined by local community groups that have formed as a result of residents who feel that their neighborhoods have been adversely impacted by the increase in aircraft noise over the past few years.

Groups such as the Union County Air Traffic Noise Advisory Board,

William A. Burke for The Westfield Leader

DEMONSTRATING THE DEFIBRILLATOR...Acting Fire Captain Michael Brennan, left, and firefighter Jim Ryan demonstrate a portable defibrillator, which can help revive a person within 10 minutes after he or she has gone into cardiac arrest. The device will be carried by the Westfield Police Department and is carried by the volunteer rescue squad. CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

Race Results In 3rd Ward

Unchanged By PAUL J. PEYTON

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader

The Union County Board of Elections has upheld Republican Neil F. Sullivan’s victory in his Third Ward race against Democrat Claire Lazarowitz.

Election Board Administrator Patricia Formato said a recount, as requested by Ms. Lazarowitz, was conducted Monday at the board’s warehouse in Scotch Plains – the place where the voting machines are stored — and at its administrative offices in Elizabeth.

Ms. Lazarowitz was given the opportunity to examine the seven voting machines used in the Third Ward election, the voting authority slips, the voting poll books, the absentee ballots and provisional votes.

Provisionals are for those persons who moved within the county but did not notify the county as to their new voting address.

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Consultant Holds Forum

On Parking By SUSAN M. DYCKMAN

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader

Representatives of Rich and Associates, Inc., a parking consulting firm based in Southland, Mich., and hired by the Town Council to conduct a downtown parking analysis, hosted a forum Monday night to share the information they have gathered thus far.

Open to the public, but sparsely attended, the forum was designed to elicit general comments about parking in Westfield and more specific feedback on the locations which have been identified as potential sites for a parking structure — all of which currently have parking lots on them.

The following are locations and comments from Rich & Associates on potential sites for a parking deck.

· Lot 1: off Prospect Street (behind Trader Joe’s). Easy-to-see spot of decent size. Ingress would be available from Prospect or Elm Street, while egress could be limited.

· Lot 3A: at the southside of the train station. From a design standpoint, the best spot. Would allow for multi-use structure.

· Lot 4: between Mountain Avenue and Elm Street (behind Baron’s Drug Store). While site offers two points for ingress and egress, concerns touched on proximity to cemetery and impact of traffic on Mountain Avenue. Not very visible.

· Lot 5: across from the First Congregational Church of Westfield on Elmer Street. Not large enough and could encroach on the church’s historical significance.

· Lot 7: across from post office on Central Avenue. Access and size are concerns.

· Lot 9: near the corner of Central and North Avenues (also known as the Shell lot). Access a real concern. Would likely need to access through existing Lot 2 (adjacent to the fire station).

“We’re trying to quantify how much parking is needed, and where exactly is it needed,” explained consultant John Revell, who said the firm is also looking at how to use existing parking space more efficiently, and how to support enforcement of parking regulations, such as prohibiting meter feeding.

The firm is also exploring the viability of a shuttle or valet system to transport drivers from a remote lot to their ultimate destination in downtown Westfield.

In researching the demand for downtown parking, Rich and Associates inventoried buildings to assess usage and the amount of vacant space. They reviewed on-street and off-street parking options, and how such parking is allocated — whether it is free, metered, two-hour, three-hour, etc. They also monitored lot and meter

INDEX INDEX INDEX INDEX INDEX

A&E...............Page 17 Business ........ Page 15 Classifieds..... Page 15

County .......... Page 2 Editorial ........ Page 4 Obituary ........ Page 8

Religious ....... Page 9 Social ............ Page 6 Sports ............ Page 11

Page 10 Thursday, November 25, 1999 The Westfield Leader and THE TIMES of Scotch Plains – Fanwood A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION

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WESTFIELD POLICE BLOTTER County Bd. Investigation Upholds 4th Ward Election

Police, Rescue Squad Hope Defibrillators Will Save Lives

Advanced Cardiac Life Support and Pediatric Advanced Life Support at Overlook Hospital, said using an automated defibrillator is “easier than doing CPR and jump starting a car.”

He explained advanced technology has enabled the portable machine to voice prompt the person using it and tell them exactly what to do.

When a qualified person on an emergency scene realizes that the victim is in cardiac arrest, two sticky pads are strategically placed on the chest. The machine automatically reads internal signs and tells the operator whether or not an electrical charge is necessary.

If the charge is necessary, the operator pushes one button and waits for further instructions. Meanwhile, inside the portable machine all vital signs and other details are being recorded so that it can be later be plugged into a hospital computer and read by the attending doctor.

In the 1990s, the defibrillators – previously available mainly in hospitals – became more portable, less expensive and easier to use.

Rescue squads began to purchase them for use, Mr. Neuwirth said.

But an action last March is what really set the stage for more widespread use of the small machines.

New Jersey passed a public law that allows people, including the lay public, with proper training, to administer potentially life-saving defibrillators to victims of sudden cardiac arrest and provides them with Good Samaritan immunity.

Now, The Mall at Short Hills, The Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn and the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City are among those public entities that have defibrillators available inhouse. NJ Transit is said to be adding them to trains for use by specifically trained personnel.

When a person suffers a sudden cardiac arrest, each minute that the heart is not brought under control decreases the chance of survival by 10 percent, Mr. Neuwirth said.

“People need treatment immediately and that is why these portable machines can make a big difference,” he said.

Rick Jackson, a training officer for the Westfield Rescue Squad, said that since 1994, all three of the squad’s ambulances have been equipped with defibrillators. In fact, the Westfield Rescue Squad was the first one in Union County to carry the machines on its ambulances, he said.

Mr. Jackson, who is also an instructor on the use of the defibrillator for Atlantic Health Systems, said each one of the EMTs working for the Westfield Rescue Squad is trained in using the machine.

The Mountainside, Scotch Plains and Fanwood Rescue Squads also have one in each of their emergency vehicles.

In addition, Mountainside police in the specially designated Emergency Service Unit have had a defibrillator in a squad car for nearly a year.

Mountainside Police Chief James Debbie said the Emergency Service Unit was put in place by the borough when its rescue squad was having trouble recruiting volunteers. In order to be able to respond responsibly and help out in emergencies, the unit was formed.

About a year ago, police officers approached the Chief and suggested that the borough add a defibrillator to a car that is “completely outfitted” as a first respondent vehicle, Chief Debbie explained.

In Scotch Plains, the police also have five new units that eventually will be added to police cars. Three of the units were donated to the township by the local rescue squad and the police department bought two additional units, said Captain Marshall Nelson of the Scotch Plains Police Department.

He said that the department is still sorting out details about training and it remains unclear when the units actually will be put into use.

Although Fanwood has no units yet for its police and fire departments, Emergency Management Coordinator and Fanwood Police Chief Robert Carboy said that he “assumes that at some point we will have some for our use.”

“There is a need,” he said. “Fortunately our resuscitation efforts have been successful so far. But there is no doubt that that is an additional tool that would help.”

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16

· A black leather wallet was removed from a second floor office at The Presbyterian Church in Westfield, according to police.

· A 20-year-old Bradley Beach resident was robbed at gunpoint at First Street and Scotch Plains Avenue while canvassing for donations for an environmental organization, authorities said. The incident occurred at 8:56 p.m.

The suspect was described as a black male, of undetermined age, 5 feet and 10 inches tall, with a thin build. He was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and black pants.

According to the victim, who was not injured, the suspect displayed a small handgun and demanded money. The victim turned over $40, after which the suspect fled in an unknown direction.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17

· A Boynton Avenue resident reported that an unknown individual ransacked three bedrooms of her home and stole an undetermined amount of jewelry.

· Police reported that someone attempted to burglarize a car wash on South Avenue but was unsuccessful in gaining entry. There were no suspects in the case as of press time.

· Coins were reported stolen from a vending machine at a South Avenue car wash.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18

· A burglary was reported on Summit Avenue, in which numerous pieces of jewelry and $30 in United States silver coins were removed. There were no signs of forced entry, police said.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19

· A Springfield resident reported the loss of a camera and other items in Mindowaskin Park on East Broad Street.

· A Cacciola Place resident reported that an individual known to him entered his apartment and demanded money. The suspect fled after the victim refused, according to police. No one had been charged in connection with the incident as of press time.

Erratum

A front page story in The Westfield Leader on the Westfield Board of Education meeting last week incorrectly stated the timing schedule for completion of wiring Washington Elementary and Edison Intermediate Schools for a district-wide computer network. The schools will be wired by the end of December.

Mr. Obrock stated. “The FAA is an advocate for the airline industries, not for the public welfare. And, the airlines are more concerned with their bottom line, so the FAA has rejected many viable proposals,” he added.

Mr. Obrock explained that NJCAAN hired a professional airspace design expert who developed the ocean routing solution.

“Many of our state’s Congressmen and Senators are in support of the ocean routing plan,” he added.

“There was a Congressional hearing chaired by Assemblyman Richard H. Bagger, which concluded that the Port Authority commissioned a fraudulent study to dismiss ocean routing as an inferior alternative,” Mr. Obrock contended.

According to Mr. Obrock, “Governor Christine Whitman has commissioned NJIT to conduct an impartial study of ocean routing; one that would not be unduly influenced by Continental Airlines, who unethically influences the FAA and The Port Authority to protect their financial interests.”

Mr. Obrock stated that Continental Airlines, the largest passenger carrier at Newark International Airport, does not care about resolving quality of life issues.

“The airlines and the FAA work in conjunction to do nothing more than appease the public,” he said.

“The FAA talks out of all sides of their mouth and the airlines are simply focused on their bottom line,” Mr. Obrock stated. “It is an unethical conflict of interest to have the FAA monitoring the very commercial enterprises that they are commissioned to protect and promote. We are working closely with Common Cause to expose this clandestine partnership between the FAA and the airlines.”

Common Cause works to expose unethical practices in campaign financing.

Dennis Hardie, Chairman of Scotch Plains Aircraft Noise Committee, is a proponent of the plan which he designed, called the Hardie Manuever. This plan would reroute Newark Airport departures over the 12-mile long Raritan River Industrial Park area, thereby lessening the aircraft noise over residential neighborhoods.

According to Mr. Hardie, the FAA reviewed the Hardie Manuever, revised parts of the plan and determined that the revised version, dubbed the Solberg Mitigation Plan, should be implemented.

“They (the FAA) left out the most important parts of the Hardie Maneu

ver resulting in the Solberg Mitigation Plan which has some design flaws,” Mr. Hardie stated.

FAA spokesman Jim Peters said in a telephone interview that the FAA has implemented the Solberg Mitigation Plan with some success.

According to Mr. Peters, the Solberg Plan alleviated some of the aircraft noise problems over some communities and the agency is aware that more rerouting work needs to be done.

Mr. Peters asserted that the FAA is in the early phases of a massive airspace redesign project which will encompass rerouting air traffic over the entire Northeastern Seaboard (please see related story below) including all of the major airports.

The project will include the airspace over New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware and portions of Pennsylvania and will take four to six years to implement.

Chairman of the Union Count Aircraft Noise Advisory Board, Jerry Feder of Westfield, said that the FAA was mandated by Congress to study the air traffic problem and come up with noise mitigation solutions or reasons why this could not be accomplished. The result of that study recommended that the Solberg Mitigation Plan be implemented, Mr. Feder related.

Both Mr. Hardie and Mr. Feder concurred that the FAA has not implemented Solberg even though the FAA say that they have.

Mr. Obrock maintained that the mitigation plan has been implemented, but with very slight results for very few neighborhoods.

FAA spokesman Jim Buckles also maintained that new technologies will alleviate some of the noise problems, such as quieter engines and advanced radar technologies that enable aircraft to fly closer together over sparsely populated areas. These new technologies will be implemented over the next few years, according to Mr. Buckles.

“We are hopeful that the airspace redesign project will result in a massive rerouting of airspace traffic sometime in the next few years,” Mr. Feder stated. “We are here to keep the pressure on the FAA until change is implemented.”

Mr. Obrock expressed that he is cautiously optimistic about the redesign project.

“The FAA is very big on process, but low on real solutions. And they (the FAA) have issued statements, such as “get used to it,” when addressing residents regarding the aircraft noise problems. I think that’s a very coldhearted attitude.”

Community Groups Band To Address Aircraft Noise

done so properly. Mrs. Formato included a signed letter from the sales manager from Sequoia Pacific Voting Equipment, Inc. of Jamestown, N.Y. that indicated to the Union County Board of Elections staff that the machines cannot be reset by poll workers.

As with each of Mrs. Formato’s points, however, Mr. Ratner argues in his most recent letter that her staff’s investigation was flawed. He argues in the case of resetting the machine that the sales manager’s note actually supports, rather than refutes, his allegation that the poll worker was unable to properly reset the machine.

He concludes in his letter by saying that: “While you have proudly made reference to your ‘checks and balances,’ it is evident that your ‘investigation’ was no more than a pathetic whitewash.” In addition, he writes: “I call upon you to conduct a fair, impartial, thorough and public investigation – or to step aside to allow others to do so.”

Mrs. Formato, who received Mr. Ratner’s second letter Monday in the throes of conducting a recount for Westfield Council Democratic candidate Claire Lazarowitz (see related story, page 1), said while she is sorry Mr. Ratner is unhappy with the investigation, she feels the Board of Elections conducted a “fair and totally impartial review.”

She added that she has forwarded his second letter and the conclusions of her investigation to the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, which serves as counsel to the county’s elections board.

“If they deem I have to do more work on the matter, I will,” said Mrs. Formato, adding that her office will do no more until she hears from the Attorney General.

Meanwhile, Robert Cochran, Chairman of the municipal Republican Party, said he believes sending the letter to the Elections Board was an intentional move by the Democratic Party to make the Republicans look as if they had done something in that polling place to produce a GOP victory.

He said that municipal Democratic Chairman Lawrence A. Goldman, who also represents the Fourth Ward on the Town Council, had known that there were all Democratic workers at the polling place on November 2 and that one of the workers there was Rosemary Millet, Vice Chairwoman of the Democratic Party, who was called in by Mr. Goldman to work that night.

Mr. Cochran questioned why Mr. Ratner, who admitted he was a registered Democrat and had voted for the Democratic candidate, Schuyler Quackenbush, would send such a letter when Mr. Goldman knew that the workers were all Democrats, one of whom had been called in by Mr. Goldman himself.

Mr. Goldman admitted calling Mrs. Millet after seeing that morning that the polling place was short staffed.

Mrs. Formato said that during the investigation she discovered that Mr. Goldman had called in Mrs. Millet to help, although she was not signed up to work. Mrs. Millet had been trained to handle the electronic machines, however, and had worked as a poll worker in the past.

“Quite frankly, we’re very grateful that she did come in and was able to help out,” Mrs. Formato said.

Mrs. Formato added that another worker there that day, a replacement from Cranford, had, in fact, told Mr. Goldman earlier in the day that they could use some more staff. That talk is what prompted Mr. Goldman to contact Mrs. Millet, Mrs. Formato said.

Mrs. Formato said that while the worker should have called her office first for help, no one had done anything legally wrong.

Mr. Cochran said: “The image that is left by people is that things were done in that polling place in such a way as to produce a victory for the Republican Party.”

Mr. Ratner, meanwhile, maintains that he does not care whether it was Republicans or Democrats who staffed the polls that day because “something wasn’t right with what I saw and heard.”

Parking Consultant Holds Forum on Westfield Deck

FAA Discusses Airspace Redesign During Workshop

the Scotch Plains Aircraft Noise Committee, New Jersey Coalition Against Air Noise and the Central Jersey Runway 22 Coalition have formed to address the excessive number of flights routed over their neighborhoods and the need for rerouting.

Residential neighborhoods that are closer to Newark Airport such as Union and Elizabeth have been the hardest hit by noisy, low altitude departures. Among the various suggestions made by the citizens’ groups are rerouting planes over industrial areas or the Atlantic Ocean, to achieve sufficient altitude before returning inland.

Congress has also ordered the FAA to mitigate the aircraft noise, which is excessively loud over certain communities.

According to Jerry Feder of Westfield, Chairman of the Union County Air Traffic Noise Advisory Board, the FAA has not complied with that order.

Mr. Feder stated, “The FAA is more focused on resolving delays and costs, while the public is more concerned with how the excessive aircraft noise interferes with their quality of life.”

FAA air traffic controller Timon Kalpaxis, using a computer simulated airspace display map, explained that the solutions recommended by the various community groups were not easy to implement due to conflicting airspace between LaGuardia arrivals and Newark Airport departures.

Mr. Kalpaxis stated that the air traffic controllers have to abide by current safety standards of aircraft separation

WESTFIELD FIRE BLOTTER

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15

· Four hundred block of Poets Place – system malfunction.

· Five hundred block of North Avenue East – leaf fire.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16

· One hundred block of New Street – system malfunction.

· One hundred block of St. Paul Street – car fire.

· Six hundred block of Ripley Place – trash fire.

· Six hundred block of Fairmont Avenue – carbon monoxide detector activation.

· Five hundred block of Carleton Road – system malfunction.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17

· Six hundred block of St. Marks Avenue – car fire.

· Seven hundred block of Marcellus Drive – lock out.

· Tremont Avenue and South Chestnut Street – leaf fire.

· Central Avenue (underpass) – leaf fire.

· Cumberland Street and Palsted Avenue – automobile accident.

· Eight hundred block of Nancy Way – carbon monoxide detector activation.

· Six hundred block of Prospect Street – unintentional alarm.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18

· Eight hundred block of Lamberts Mill Road – automobile accident.

· Fourteen hundred block of Rahway Avenue – lock out.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20

· Six hundred block of Arlington Avenue – oven fire.

· One hundred block of East Broad Street – system malfunction.

· Eight hundred block of Central Avenue – carbon monoxide detector activation.

· Four hundred block of Mountain Avenue – carbon monoxide detector activation.

· Central Avenue, Plainfield – mutual aid.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 21

· One hundred block of East Broad Street – system malfunction.

· Seven hundred block of Hanford Place – wire arcing. Mrs. Formato said she will certify

the original margin of victory, 698 to 679, by Mr. Sullivan. Ms. Lazarowitz has until Thursday, December 2, to file a petition to contest the election

based on the information she has reviewed.

If she follows that procedure, a Superior Court judge would decide if a new election is warranted.

occupancy and violations. In conducting their research, the consultants broke parking requirements into zones – commuter, shopper/visitor and employee.

“In this town,” said Joe Spector, Chairman of the Downtown Westfield Corporation Board of Directors and the owner of The Leader Store, “it’s always been a commuter town. That’s a clear user group that has to be satisfied.”

He also noted that employee parking demands have changed to include more shifts.

Mr. Spector suggested the consultants “build in a safety valve” that accounts for known and anticipated changes in parking availability. He offered the example of the “75 to 100 spaces” in the Lord & Taylor lots that are freely used by commuters, but will be unavailable for a time (at the store’s request) now that the holiday shopping season is beginning.

Mr. Spector also mentioned the 200 or so commuter cars presently parked on residential side streets. These cars would be forced to park elsewhere “if residents get fed up,” he said.

Other considerations include parking demand in the years ahead as Westfield continues to see the addition of second-story offices, expansion of restaurants and general improvements to the town.

Longtime resident Lee M. Hale, who has followed the parking debate through the years, spoke briefly on what he sees as the town needing in the way of new parking.

“We need a garage and a deck,” he stated. “Frankly, I believe we need two.”

He recommended good lighting, an elevator and landscaping “within an inch of its life.” Mr. Hale believes the project can be completed without a financial drain on the town by changing the rates on permits and parking meters.

The consultants and members of the public shared their thoughts on some of the sites being considered.

Concerns focused on a number of topics: the impact additional parking would have on already congested traffic in town; encroachment on historic sites and areas in town (i.e. the site across from the First Congregational Church of Westfield on Elmer, and the spot behind the Revolutionary Cem

etery on Mountain Avenue) and ingress and egress points.

Also discussed was the need to change the behavior of drivers who have become used to doing things a certain way.

If, for example, the town were to consider building a parking structure for commuters and employees, “changing employee behavior is something that must be thought about,” explained Rick Rich of Rich and Associates. “They’ve gotten used to doing things a certain way.”

Based on research his firm has conducted, Mr. Rich identified what is generally important to various parking lot/garage clientele. He said visitors and shoppers “are less accepting of a structure than commuters and employees.” Employees are egress-driven, looking for a quick exit at the end of the work day, whereas commuters are more concerned with the easy ingress that allows them to catch a desired train.

Third Ward Councilman Neil F. Sullivan inquired about the possibility of acquiring privately-owned space on which to build. Admitting he was committing “heresy,” he also suggested the consultant take a look at the open land at Walnut, Elm and Orchard Streets where a field and tennis court now sit. He suggested those facilities could be located elsewhere.

Going forward, a similar forum, also open to the public, will be held Wednesday, December 1, at Town Hall. Following that, on December 2 and 3, Rich and Associates will hold additional walk-in meetings to look at actual design issues (i.e. setbacks, mixeduse opportunities, facades, ingress and egress) on the respective sites. The public is welcome to attend these informal meetings as well.

Mr. Rich indicated the first formal presentation from his firm will come after January 1, 2000.

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Race Results in Third Ward Unchanged After Recount

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distances, which these plans do not allow for, such as a three-mile wide buffer zone between aircraft.

“We are not going to fly aircraft dangerously close to each other, even if that’s what a plan calls for,” Mr. Kalpaxis stated.

Mr. Buckles said that alternative options may change those requirements, since newer technologies allow for more precise flight patterns. He also stated that the phaseout of older, noisier, Stage 2 aircraft was mandated by the government and will be replaced by the quieter Stage 3 aircraft by the year 2000.

Stage 2 and Stage 3 aircraft refer to the decibel levels emitted by the aircraft, Mr. Buckles explained. This will help to reduce noise exposure to communities under air traffic routes, according to FAA literature.

However, Dennis Hardie of Scotch Plains Aircraft Noise Committee, cautioned that Stage 3 replacements come in a variety of technologies, some of which are less efficient in mitigating noise. The hush kits used by certain airlines comply with Stage 3 minimum standards, but the improvement over stage 2 is hardly noticeable, Mr. Hardie contended.

For more information regarding the FAA’s airspace redesign project or the community workshops, contact Mike Merrill of PRC, Inc. at (703) 6208404 or e-mail the FAA at: faa_tracon @prc.com.

The FAA also has a Web site containing information about the project and the workshops at: http:// www.faa.gov.

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