Westfield Introduces $48.2 Mill. 2018 Municipal Budget

OUR 128th YEAR – ISSUE NO. 13-2018 ONE DOLLAR (908) [email protected], March 29, 2018USPS 680020

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Susan D. Dougherty for The Westfield LeaderSIGNS TELL ALL… “Thoughts and prayers are not enough,” “We hope the tide is turning,” the signs read at the Marchfor Our Livesevent in Mindowaskin Park on Saturday. Hundreds of people from all ages were on hand to add their opinion.

Susan D. Dougherty for The Westfield LeaderREMEMBERING THE 17 LOST LIVES… Students and adults, includingWestfield Mayor Shelley Bindle, far left, stand in solidarity at Saturday’s Marchfor Our Lives in Mindowaskin Park in Westfield. They did a symbolic lighting ofcandles for the people who lost their lives in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas HighSchool shooting on February 14 in Parkland, Fla.

Susan D. Dougherty for The Westfield LeaderTHIS IS A MOVEMENT, NOT A MOMENT…Saturday’s March for Our Livesrally filled Mindowaskin Park in Westfield, as attendees heard impassionedspeeches on the effort to end mass shootings by reforming the nation’s gun laws.

Cranford Defers Vote OnBond Ord. Until April 10

By KIMBERLY A. BROADWELLSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader

CRANFORD — The townshipcommittee on Tuesday night deferreda second and final motion to approvereading of an ordinance to refundmonies from a 2006 bond to an Aprilmeeting. Commissioners voted tomove the second reading of the ordi-nance until the committee’s Tues-day, April 10 meeting.

According to Commissioner MaryO’Connor, the ordinance is struc-tured to save the township more than$500,000 in bond payments over aperiod of 20 years. She stated, “Hope-fully this ordinance will go forward.”

Resolutions that were heard andpassed included: approving a leaveof absence for an employee of thepolice department, pursuant to thefederal Family Medical Leave Act,authorizing an award contract to Har-bor Consultants, Inc. for planningservices, authorizing an amendmentto the contract awarded to Commu-nity Grants, Planning and Housing

(CGP and H) for administrative agentservices, authorizing a contract toBest Cleaning Building Services, Inc.for custodial services for the munici-pal building and grounds, authoriz-ing to award a contract to BagelGiant for 2018 Concession Rightsfor the Centennial Avenue and Or-ange Avenue Pools, and authorizingtax refunds and complying with theUnited States Equal Opportunity Em-ployment Commission’s “Enforce-ment Guidance on the Considerationof Arrest and Conviction Records inEmployment Decisions Under TitleVII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”

In other business, it was announcedthat today, March 29, would be thelast tree debris collection from therecent storms by the Department of

Westfield Introduces $48.2 Mill.2018 Municipal Budget

By CHRISTINA M. HINKESpecially Written for The Westfield Leader

WESTFIELD — The town councilon Tuesday introduced its 2018 bud-get of $48,211,227, by a 8-to-1 vote,with a municipal tax levy increase of1.13 percent for a total tax levy of$27,975,496 with a separate librarytax of $2,571,941. The tax levy in-crease is $313,000 over last year.Finance committee member JoAnnNeylan was the sole dissenter. A finalvote on the budge will take place onTuesday, April 24.

According to the presentation,Westfielders will see a tax rate in-

crease of 0.52 percent. The increaseequates to approximately $30 on theaverage assessed homeowner. Thebudget and the presentation can befound on the town’s websitewestfieldnj.gov.

The Special Improvement District(SID) budget was also introduced bythe council, with a $6,000 increase,totaling $416,347 in general appro-priations. The SID funds the Down-town Westfield Corporation and hasnot increased its budget in seven years,Town Administrator Jim Gildea said.

The municipal budget’s largest in-creases over last year were pensions

for the police and fire departments,up almost 15 percent. The total in-crease in non-discretionary costs,which includes, pensions, salaries,healthcare, sewerage, and more, wasabout 3.5 percent.

Councilwoman Neylan gave a listof reasons why she wouldn’t supportthe budget as presented. “Firstly, weare spending over 30 percent of thetown’s surplus for this year’s bud-get,” she said. She said unknown ex-penses such as the removal of the capon salary increases for police and fireand tax appeals after the tax revalua-tion is complete could impact futurebudgets that would need to utilize thesurplus.

“We had an unusual bump in sur-plus” due to taxpayers filing taxesearly in 2017, Ms. Neylan also noted.Surplus this year is about $14.5 mil-lion, $4.5 million is to be used to payfor budgetary items.

The town collected $27 million inpre-paid taxes at the end of 2017, Mr.Gildea said.

The budget allocates $250,000 inconsulting fees, “many of which areredundant,” Councilwoman Neylansaid. She called the current adminis-tration a “government that spends.”

The budget calls for spending over$4 million in surplus to cover ex-penses such as investing in the De-partment of Public Works aging fleetof equipment. Finance ChairwomanLinda Habgood had said the budgetincludes two years of investment inDPW’s six-year plan, which she saidis the right decision rather than hav-ing the surplus sit in the bank collect-ing less than 1 percent interest.

“You are in a safe area,” WarrenKorecky, the town’s budgeting con-sultant, said of keeping the surpluslevel at about $10,000,000, a numberthat Ms. Habgood said the councilagreed is a figure that would maintain

Westfield BOE Hears PresentationOn Upcoming New Website

By SARAH McGRAILSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader

WESTFIELD — Parents will beable to create a customized calen-dar for their own family on the newboard of education website that willbe launched on Wednesday, August1, it was revealed during Tuesday’smeeting of the Westfield Board ofEducation.

Chief Technology Officer BrianAuker said the district had consultedextensively with the people whowould use the website and noted itwould be better and more interac-tive than the existing website in

many ways.“We realized our website is an

invaluable communications tool thatis used by many, many individualsin the community,” he said.

The new website, powered byEdlio, will be more accessible forpeople with a handicap, such asimpaired vision, Mr. Auker told at-tendees at the board meeting.

There will be links to social me-dia but parents also will be able toread the board’s Facebook and Twit-ter pages on the website.

In response to parental demand,there will be buttons at the top of thewebsite that give easy access toGenesis and the district calendar.

The existing website will be re-moved on June 30 and a temporarywebsite will take its place until thenew website is in place on August 1.

The board was shown a test ver-sion of the new website and BoardPresident Gretchan Ohlig said, “Ihaven’t seen it before but it looks

wonderful, and I know you havemade an extraordinary effort to talkto all the stakeholders.”

Business Manager Dana Sullivanpresented some of the biggerprojects planned for the rest of 2018and into 2019.

More than 800 doors and firedoors are to be replaced throughoutthe district’s schools, at a cost of$4.1 million, as part of the district’songoing security initiative.

Ms. Sullivan pointed out that thereplacement of fire doors, whichwere required to incorporate a sys-tem that closed them in the event ofa fire, added significantly to theexpense.

Another security procedure hasbeen the introduction of identifica-tion cards for teachers that enablethem to gain admission to the schoolwithout the need to input a code thatcan be observed and used by othersto get into the school.

Other major expenses within thedistrict’s aging schools included thereplacement of boilers at a cost of$900,000.

The district has around one mil-lion square feet of building spaceand more than 80 acres of land tomaintain, with schools ranging inage from McKinley ElementarySchool, built in 1908, to TamaquesElementary School, built in 1963.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 10


Christina H. Hinke for The Westfield LeaderBUDGET TALKS...Westfield Mayor Shelley Brindle explains the 2018 munici-pal budget as Town Administrator Jim Gildea looks on.

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Garwood, Fanwood MayorsTo Review Shared ServicesBy MICHAEL BONACCORSO

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader

GARWOOD — Mayor CharlesLombardo on Tuesday night stated hewould meet with Fanwood MayorColleen Mahr sometime this week todiscuss the shared-service agreementmoving forward. Mayor Lombardosaid he values the relationshipGarwood has with Fanwood regard-ing shared services and expects therelationship to continue in the future.

Councilman Joseph Sarno pro-posed at the last borough councilmeeting that the borough should in-vestigate what other “deals” can bearranged with other municipalitiesregarding shared services. Mr. Sarnostated that “it would not hurt” theborough’s working relationship withFanwood “to see” if there is a “betterdeal out there” for Garwood.

Mr. Sarno said a closed-sessiondiscussion could be used to weigh thepros and cons of each service agree-ment to find the best terms forGarwood. The councilman stated thathe did not want to end the shared-service relationship with Fanwoodunless there are “better” alternatives.

Councilwoman Ileen Cuccaro, whochairs the Laws and License Com-mittee, said an amendment is beingproposed to charge a fee for aban-doned homes.

“It is a good way to keep an eye onthem, make the banks liable for theirupkeep. Fees will assure this willhappen,” said Ms. Cuccaro.

Ms. Cuccaro stated that a $500 feewill be enacted to register the homefor the first year. The fee on the sec-ond anniversary will be $1,500. Asecond annual renewal fee will be$3,000. The fee for any renewal pastthe second year will be $5,000, statedMs. Cuccaro.

“This will encourage the banks orowners of abandoned or vacant prop-erties to move in a reasonable man-ner,” said Ms. Cuccaro.

The planning board will reviewany existing fence ordinances regard-ing corner properties.

“We hope for a unanimous ap-proval. We hope to repeal this oner-ous revision that was done three yearsago to the dismay of many cornerproperty owners,” said Ms. Cuccaro.

Councilman Richard McCormacksaid as a corner property owner him-self, he does not feel it is “fair” tocollect corner property owner’s taxes“like everyone else.” Yet, corner prop-erties are entitled to less privacy thanother borough residents.

Planning board member BillNierstedt said that he could not pro-vide commentary until the ordinanceis reviewed by the planning board or“in front of him.” Planning boardcommentary will be provided beforethe next council meeting addressingthe matter, Councilwoman SaraTodisco said.

The New Jersey Department ofTransportation has awarded Garwood$216,000 to “repair various boroughstreets” in the 2018 calendar year,stated Mayor Lombardo.

Mayor Lombardo said through theUnion County Open Space, Recre-ation and Historic Preservation TrustFund, Garwood has been awarded a$25,470 Level The Playing Field play-ground grant.

The Mayor appointed planningboard member Kathy Villaggio to therecreation commission and celebra-tions committee.

“I am excited to help our commu-nity and give back. Both the recre-ation commission and the celebra-

Thursday, March 29, 2018 The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains – Fanwood TIMES A Watchung Communications, Inc. Publication

Westfield Leader only

Freeholders OK ArchitectFor New Pool In Rahway

Personalized LearningShowcased at BOE Meeting

By PAUL J. PEYTONSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader

COUNTY — The Union CountyFreeholder Board last Thursday ap-proved a professional services con-tract as well as additional funding onan existing contract for improve-ments at Rahway River Park.

Netta Architects of Mountainsidewas given a $298,600 contract fordesign services, construction admin-istration and inspection services forimprovements to the Walter E. UlrichMemorial Pool that is located in thepark. Ulrich Pool was included inthe 2017 capital budget in the amountof $3 million, $2,935,000 of whichis to be bonded.

Ron Zuber, director of parks andrecreation, said all existing build-ings for the current pool will bedemolished except one which hashistorical significance. He said workis to begin as soon as the pool shutsfor the summer after Labor Day withconstruction being completed overthe fall, winter and spring months.He said the project will include anew pool, concession stands andlocker rooms.

Mr. Zuber said if necessary tem-porary trailers will be used duringthe summer of 2019, saying the poolitself will be open that season.

In addition, Neglia EngineeringAssociates of Clark was given a$12,750 increase in its contract for anew amount of $292,752 for addi-tional engineering services for im-provements at Rahway River Park.A new sports facility, now the homefootball field for Rahway HighSchool, opened in the fall of 2017,funded by the City of Rahway andthe county despite opposition fromresidents.

The county’s other pool, Wheelerin Linden, is being converted to aspray park.

Garwood resident Bruce Patersonsaid the amount of the Netta contractcaused him “serious concern” as hewas worried the project will go overbudget.

In other business, the board ap-proved an ordinance on second read-ing for changes and/or additionalfees for recreational facilities. Mr.Zuber explained new fees are beingadded for the Watchung Sports Cen-

ter in Roselle as an artificial field hasbeen added as the building is now ayear-round facility. The turf field isavailable for rentals for time slots ofa half hour, one or two hours, withfees ranging from $100 for a halfhour to $200 for two hours for countyresidents. Batting cage rentals are$40 an hour or $25 for a half hour forcounty residents. Fees are $25 higherin each category for out-of-countyresidents.

Golf fees for Galloping Hill andAsh Brook Golf Courses are beinglowered per the ordinance for veter-ans per a discount program offeredon Mondays and Tuesdays.

The ordinance was approved byan 8-to-1 vote with Freeholder An-gel Estrada the lone dissenting vote.He said he was concerned that feeswere not taking into account the costof financing the bonds that the countyincurred for improvements made tothe golf facilities, including the newclubhouse currently under construc-tion at Ash Brook. He said the countystill needs to see what can be done so“as not to continue...subsidizingplaying golf.”

The board also voted to sell prop-erty at 502-506 Amboy Avenue inElizabeth for $400,000.

Also approved was a resolutionproclaiming Tuesday, April 10, 2018,as Equal Pay Day.

“Women on the average earn 79cents for every dollar men make andfor women of color it’s less thanthat,” Freeholder Bette JaneKowalski said. She said the resolu-tion shows the board’s support “tothe idea that everyone who performsan equal task should get equal pay.”

Nancy Piwowar of Plainfield ques-tioned a resolution to designateTrinitas Regional Medical Center inElizabeth as a Trauma II Level Cen-ter.

Freeholder Estrada explained thatthe New Jersey Department of Healthhad sought proposals from UnionCounty hospitals that would apply tobe a trauma center and Trinitas hadapplied. He said Trinitas has beenmaking improvements over the pastfour years including an extension ofits emergency room operation “toensure that it qualified for this pro-cess.”

He said the county believes it needsa designated trauma center that iscloser to its residents.

Ms. Piwowar also alerted thecounty to damage caused by the re-cent nor’easters, saying Green BrookPark in Plainfield was “devastated”from storm damage. “That park isheavily used and it (damage) is apublic safety hazard,” she said.

Freeholder Chairman SergioGranados said Freeholder LindaCarter, County Manager Ed Oatmanand Mr. Zuber are working on a planto clean up the park “as quickly aspossible.”

Mr. Paterson also questioned whyFreeholder Mohamed Jalloh is notbeing given the Democratic organi-zation line on June Primary Electionballots. Mr. Granados cut off Mr.Paterson, saying his commentsneeded to address governmental andnot political issues.

On the issue of the GatewayProject, which includes two new railtunnels from New Jersey to NewYork under the Hudson River and anew portal bridge, Freeholder BruceBergen noted that legislation ap-proved by the House and U.S. Sen-ate last week includes $541 millionfor the project.

“It’s just a start, but it’s a goodstart,” Mr. Bergen said. “This is nota New Jersey issue, it’s not a NewYork issue, it’s a regional and even anational economic issue.”

By ROBYN ORR-GIOFFRESpecially Written for The Westfield Leader

CRANFORD — PersonalizedLearning through Competency-BasedScience, Technology, Engineering,Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) wasshowcased Monday night at the regu-lar monthly meeting of the board ofeducation.

Competency-Based learning seeksto advance students from skill to skillbased on how competent they are, asopposed to advancing them based onage.

Jill Hayeck’s third-grade studentsfrom Orange Avenue School gave theboard a PowerPoint presentation high-lighting the benefits of this program.

The students compared a traditionalclassroom to one using Competency-Based learning and told the boardstudents in this environment becomeindependent and work with any stylethey choose. They further commentedthat students learn and study at theirown pace, take tests when they areready, have increased ability to meetwith teachers and peer experts andare able to move forward or staybehind in a skill even if classmatesmove on.

The program allows for InnovationHour, a time for students to exploretopics of interest during the day and atime for students to meet and discussways to be more successful in theclassroom.

Additionally, there is Teacher Time,where students can sign up to meetwith their teacher, which can be donewith a small group of learners insteadof just one-on-one. Students also canconsult with the Expert Board, madeup of students who have mastered askill.

“I like this way of learning becausewe are not pushed to learn what weare not comfortable with,” third graderRiley McGee told the board.

Orange Avenue School PrincipalMarc Edery commented to boardmembers that for teachers implement-ing the new program, “The hardestpart is letting go” and letting students

take control of their learning.Superintendent Scott Rubin, Ed.D.,

gave the students accolades for theirpresentation, commenting, “I have totell you, I think our future is in verygood hands.”

Security issues also were discussedat the meeting. The security audit willtake place soon and there is a visitplanned for each of the schools in thedistrict.

Community meetings have beenscheduled at each of the schools toaddress security concerns and socialand wellness issues with students,with a presentation and a question-and-answer segment.

Mr. Rubin told the board that, start-ing next year, he would schedule anannual meeting to provide an updateabout safety and wellness concerns.He told the board he views security as“a shared responsibility” and ex-pressed gratitude to the PTA presi-dents for allowing a dialogue witheach of the schools, further comment-ing that, “it’s very healthy to have thismutual dialogue and get to see thingsthrough multiple lenses.”

The board of education will hold apublic hearing on the budget in theboard room at Lincoln School at 7p.m. on Monday, April 30.

Courtesy of Joanne LarosaHOME SWEET HOME...Preschool teacher Gabriella LaRosa and Teal Hall, alocal carpenter, build an igaloo with last week’s snow a their home in Westfield.

Fred T. Rossi for The Westfield LeaderWORDS OF WISDOM...Former baseball star Darryl Strawberry speaks to fansyoung and old at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School on Monday night about hisprofessional triumphs and personal struggles.

Susan D. Dougherty for The Westfield LeaderSTUDENT ORGANIZED AND STUDENT LED…Saturday’s March for OurLives held in Mindowaskin Park in Westfield,and organized by student EmilyBloomfield, was a rally where people who spoke of personal reasons for marching.

Christina H. Hinke for The Westfield LeaderSAVING LIVES...Westfield Volunteer Rescue Squad members Michael Besaw,Edward Hance and David Sloan receive a proclamation from Mayor ShelleyBrindle Tuesday night. The squad is fundraising to maintain and sustain theirefforts to save lives.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Bond Vote


Westfield Budget

Public Works (DPW). Deputy MayorAnn Dooley, as well as all the mem-bers of the township committee,thanked members of the DPW andthanked members of the Cranfordcommunity for all the e-mails andthank you notes received by mem-bers of the DPW in appreciation oftheir hard work.

It also was announced that, April 1through April 21, a Distracted Driv-ing Campaign would be launchedwithin the township to further deterdrivers in Cranford from talking ontheir cell phones or texting whiledriving.

A Get Fit Cranford Day was an-nounced for the township for Sun-day, April 22, which will be held inthe main parking lot of the municipalbuilding. Activities will include aself-defense class, yoga, dancing anda Simon Says class instructed byMayor Thomas H. Hannen, Jr.

High-school athlete and distancerunner Keith Brown asked commis-sioners to look into the condition ofthe bike and walking/running pathsthroughout Cranford, noting thatthere are many potholes and rootovergrowth on these paths, causingpotential injuries to those who uti-lize them like himself and his fellowrunners.

The next township committeemeeting is scheduled for April 10, at7:30 p.m., at the municipal buildingat 8 Springfield Avenue.

the town’s AAA bond rating.Councilman Mark LoGrippo said

he had concerns with spending a quar-ter of a million dollars in consultationfees. He questioned the need for apart-time communications manager.“Our communication is better inWestfield than in Summit and theyhave a public relations officer,” Mr.LoGrippo said.

The public relations manager is tohelp alleviate the burden of commu-nicating to residents from the depart-ment heads, and the new position willalso mitigate the need for outsideconsultants for website management,Mayor Shelley Brindle said.

Councilman Frank Arena also ques-tioned hiring consultants. He wentfurther to call out the federal deficit.And then said, “I would like to see usbe the leader in New Jersey and elimi-nate county government.” He said theredundancies in New Jersey govern-ment make the state residents the“highest taxed people in the planet.”

The public portion of the meetinghad a large crowd gathered to hear thebudget, with a handful of residentswho asked questions such as the needfor hiring of new people, what wascut from the budget to alleviate thetax burden to residents, technology,and other matters.

“There is a tax fatigue,” said resi-dent Ryan Morris of Hyslip Avenue.“I challenge you guys to come backand say…this is what we cut…to saveand invest over here,” he said.

Resident Kenneth MacRitchie

asked the council to reconsider hisrequest made eight years ago to re-move the restriction of fence heightsaround equipment apparatus used forutility companies.

Prior to the council unanimouslyvoting to introduce an ordinance ban-ning the sale of cats and dogs takenfrom puppy mills in the town, LarryCohen, a volunteer Union Countylegislative leader for the HumaneSociety, spoke about how this ordi-nance is “a good deed.” So far, 120New Jersey municipalities havepassed such an ordinance, he said.

The council also introduced an or-dinance that regulates and establishescertain requirements for short-termrentals of private residences.

A cap bank was established in theamount of $321,556, which is 3.5percent over last year’s.

Gregory Talmont was appointed tothe Board of Architectural Review.

Mayor Brindle said the police de-partment had 60 citations given outduring the storm; some 4,000 peopleattended the March For Our Livesevent in Westfield, and that a newTown Hall High School intern pro-gram, has 48 high school studentsinvolved.

The DPW will be picking up brushthat resulted from downed limbs andtrees dues to the snow storms at thecurbside, and the town website is tobe updated daily on the brush pickupschedule. Also, the ConservationCenter is open Saturday and residentscan bring brush there as well.

Writing Of DowntownPlans to Start Next Week


Garwoodtions committee have a lot going onand to achieve. I am glad I can helpthem,” said Ms. Villaggio.

Mayor Lombardo additionally ap-pointed Debbie McCarthy to the cel-ebrations committee.

Ms. Todisco said a volunteer re-wards card has been established, with12 businesses participating, “Whichis really terrific for a new programlike this,” she added. The cards willbe distributed to volunteers nextmonth.

Mr. Nierstedt said during publiccommentary that he wanted to intro-duce a resolution expressing theborough’s support towards gun con-trol measures. Former mayor PatriciaQuattrocchi originally introduced theresolution in 2013.

The resolution outlines controlmeasures such as required firearmsafety training, the re-imposition of afederal ban on military assault-styleweapons, a ban of high-capacity bul-let magazines or a reduction to 10-round maximum, and the establish-ment of a regulatory and reportingprogram for ammunition sales, statedMr. Nierstedt.

By FRED T. ROSSISpecially Written for The Westfield Leader

SCOTCH PLAINS — The draft-ing of redevelopment plans for thedowntown business district is ex-pected to get underway in the nextweek, and the hope is that, in abouttwo months from now, the townshipcouncil will be in a position to ap-prove the plans and then vote on thefirst actual projects by the fall.

Last week, the council gave itsunanimous approval to a plan to de-clare 45 properties in the downtownbusiness district as being “in need ofredevelopment,” a designation thatwill give the municipal governmentgreater control over how those par-cels are redeveloped. The initial fo-cus will be on the municipal-ownedproperties that house the library andadjacent parking lot as well as themunicipal building, fire house andadjacent parking lot. Two or threenew parking structures will be neededin the downtown to accommodatethe new development, which willinclude not only retail and commer-cial space, a new library and possi-bly a new community center but alsoseveral hundred new housing units.It is likely the new parking facilitieswill be situated on each side of ParkAvenue — on the block where thelibrary now stands, in the presentmunicipal parking lot next to townhall and possibly elsewhere such asbehind the stores on Park Avenuebetween Bartle Avenue and WestfieldAvenue.

Thomas Strowe, the township’scoordinator for the revitalization ef-forts, said the redevelopment planswill include a variety of items in-cluding land use, building design,infrastructure needs, design stan-dards, density, building heights, park-ing, etc.

“We’ll then ask developers to sub-mit proposals that fit into what’s laidout in the plans,” he told TheWestfield Leader this week. “We’llget as specific as we need to but wedon’t want to be too specific,” hesaid, adding that, “we want the freemarket to work” and encourage de-velopers to be creative and come upwith their own ideas as well.

While the main focus initially willbe on the library and town hall prop-erties, Mr. Strowe said the entire areaencompassed in the Phase 1 section— 19.2 acres of public and privateproperties bounded roughly by ParkAvenue, East Second Street andWestfield Avenue, Grand Street, For-est Road and Front Street — will beincluded in the redevelopment plansthat will be written. He said the down-town may be divided into severalredevelopment zones and that devel-opers may choose to submit propos-als for a single zone, two zones or forthe entire neighborhood, dependingon their preferences. And if privateproperty owners, after evaluating theplans and developer proposals, wantto participate, they will be encour-aged to do so, Mr. Strowe said.

A subcommittee of the downtownredevelopment committee will be re-sponsible for drafting the plan andwill work with other committee mem-bers as well, said Mr. Strowe, whowill take part in the plan’s writingalong with Mayor Alexander Smith,Deputy Mayor Llewellyn Jones,Township Manager Al Mirabella,planners and attorneys along withseveral business owners and prop-erty landlords. The subcommittee’sprogress will be updated at the rede-velopment committee’s monthlymeetings, and if members of the pub-lic wish to provide comments or in-put at those meetings, they will beable to do so, Mr. Strowe told TheTimes.

He echoed the mayor’s hope thatby the end of May or early June, theredevelopment plan can be intro-duced by the township council and,if approved, requests for proposalsfrom developers can be solicitedduring the summer months. By fall,Mr. Strowe said, he hopes the gov-erning body will be voting on thefirst downtown projects.

Last week, Planning Board Chair-woman Paulette Coronato noted thatthe current downtown revitalizationefforts had come further than any ofthe previous efforts, which includedover the years numerous consultantreports and the formation of severalcommittees that sought to find a so-lution to downtown revitalization.Mr. Strowe this week said the same,adding that, “we have to get [the firstphase] right and as perfect as it canbe.”

Christina H. Hinke for The Westfield LeaderPARKINSON’S AWARENESS MONTH...Barbara Ringk receieves a proclama-tion from Mayor Shelley Brindle anonouncing Parkinson’s Awareness Month.TheParkinson’s Support Group in Westfield meets every second Monday of themonth.

Serving the community since 1959

ONE DOLLAR(908) [email protected] 59th YEAR – ISSUE NO. 13-2018 Published Every Thursday Since 1959

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PPPPPAAAAAGE INDEXGE INDEXGE INDEXGE INDEXGE INDEXRegional ........ 2-3, 18Editorial ........ 4-5, 18Police ............ 18Community ... 6-8Obituary ........ 8

Education ...... 9, 19Sports ............ 11-17Real Estate .... 11-20Classifieds ..... 17A&E .............. 19-20

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Writing Of DowntownPlans to Start Next Week

By FRED T. ROSSISpecially Written for The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Times

SCOTCH PLAINS — The draft-ing of redevelopment plans for thedowntown business district is ex-pected to get underway in the nextweek, and the hope is that, in abouttwo months from now, the townshipcouncil will be in a position to ap-prove the plans and then vote on thefirst actual projects by the fall.

Last week, the council gave itsunanimous approval to a plan to de-clare 45 properties in the downtownbusiness district as being “in need ofredevelopment,” a designation that

will give the municipal governmentgreater control over how those par-cels are redeveloped. The initial fo-cus will be on the municipal-ownedproperties that house the library andadjacent parking lot as well as themunicipal building, fire house andadjacent parking lot. Two or threenew parking structures will be neededin the downtown to accommodate thenew development, which will includenot only retail and commercial space,a new library and possibly a newcommunity center but also severalhundred new housing units. It is likelythe new parking facilities will be situ-ated on each side of Park Avenue —on the block where the library nowstands, in the present municipal park-ing lot next to town hall and possiblyelsewhere such as behind the storeson Park Avenue between Bartle Av-enue and Westfield Avenue.

Thomas Strowe, the township’scoordinator for the revitalization ef-forts, said the redevelopment plans

will include a variety of items includ-ing land use, building design, infra-structure needs, design standards,density, building heights, parking, etc.

“We’ll then ask developers to sub-mit proposals that fit into what’s laidout in the plans,” he told The ScotchPlains-Fanwood Times this week.“We’ll get as specific as we need tobut we don’t want to be too specific,”he said, adding that, “we want the freemarket to work” and encourage de-velopers to be creative and come upwith their own ideas as well.

While the main focus initially willbe on the library and town hall prop-erties, Mr. Strowe said the entire areaencompassed in the Phase 1 section— 19.2 acres of public and privateproperties bounded roughly by ParkAvenue, East Second Street andWestfield Avenue, Grand Street, For-est Road and Front Street — will beincluded in the redevelopment plansthat will be written. He said the down-town may be divided into severalredevelopment zones and that devel-opers may choose to submit propos-als for a single zone, two zones or forthe entire neighborhood, dependingon their preferences. And if privateproperty owners, after evaluating theplans and developer proposals, wantto participate, they will be encour-aged to do so, Mr. Strowe said.

Freeholders OK ArchitectFor New Pool In Rahway

By PAUL J. PEYTONSpecially Written for The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Times

COUNTY — The Union CountyFreeholder Board last Thursday ap-proved a professional services con-tract as well as additional fundingon an existing contract for improve-ments at Rahway River Park.

Netta Architects of Mountainsidewas given a $298,600 contract fordesign services, construction admin-istration and inspection services forimprovements to the Walter E.Ulrich Memorial Pool that is lo-cated in the park. Ulrich Pool wasincluded in the 2017 capital budgetin the amount of $3 million,$2,935,000 of which is to be bonded.

Ron Zuber, director of parks andrecreation, said all existing build-ings for the current pool will bedemolished except one which hashistorical significance. He said workis to begin as soon as the pool shutsfor the summer after Labor Daywith construction being completedover the fall, winter and springmonths. He said the project willinclude a new pool, concessionstands and locker rooms.

Mr. Zuber said if necessary tem-porary trailers will be used duringthe summer of 2019, saying the poolitself will be open that season.

In addition, Neglia EngineeringAssociates of Clark was given a$12,750 increase in its contract fora new amount of $292,752 for addi-tional engineering services for im-provements at Rahway River Park.A new sports facility, now the homefootball field for Rahway HighSchool, opened in the fall of 2017,funded by the City of Rahway andthe county despite opposition from

residents.The county’s other pool, Wheeler

in Linden, is being converted to aspray park.

Garwood resident Bruce Pater-son said the amount of the Nettacontract caused him “serious con-cern” as he was worried the projectwill go over budget.

In other business, the board ap-proved an ordinance on second read-ing for changes and/or additionalfees for recreational facilities. Mr.Zuber explained new fees are beingadded for the Watchung Sports Cen-ter in Roselle as an artificial fieldhas been added as the building isnow a year-round facility. The turffield is available for rentals for timeslots of a half hour, one or twohours, with fees ranging from $100for a half hour to $200 for two hoursfor county residents. Batting cagerentals are $40 an hour or $25 for ahalf hour for county residents. Feesare $25 higher in each category forout-of-county residents.

Golf fees for Galloping Hill andAsh Brook Golf Courses are beinglowered per the ordinance for vet-erans per a discount program of-fered on Mondays and Tuesdays.

The ordinance was approved byan 8-to-1 vote with Freeholder An-gel Estrada the lone dissenting vote.He said he was concerned that feeswere not taking into account thecost of financing the bonds that thecounty incurred for improvementsmade to the golf facilities, includ-ing the new clubhouse currentlyunder construction at Ash Brook.He said the county still needs to seewhat can be done so “as not to

Paul Lachenauer for The Scotch Plains-Fanwood TimesGOOD MORNING...Gayle of Troop 104 and Lance Booth serve ham at the Fanwood-Scotch Plains Rotary breakfast heldSunday at the Scotch Hills Country Club. Proceeds benefited The Frazee House.

Paul Lachenauer for The Scotch Plains-Fanwood TimesREADING IS GOOD FOR YOU...Friends of Scotch Plains Public Libraryvolunteers Daisy and Sambahvi look over stacks of books for the Scotch PlainsLibrary book sale on Thursday night.

Fred T. Rossi for The Scotch Plains-Fanwood TimesJAZZ FEST...Student musicians from 10 area high schools took part in lastFriday's 21st annual Moonglowers Jazz Festival at Scotch Plains-Fanwood HighSchool.

Fred T. Rossi for The Scotch Plains-Fanwood TimesEND OF AN ERA...It's the final curtain for the shuttered Sears Roebuck store onRoute 22 in Watchung, which closed its doors last fall. The site will be convertedinto a retail shopping center.

Rec. Commission DiscussesForest Road Master Plan

By LAUREN A. SILVASpecially Written for The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Times

FANWOOD — Recreation Direc-tor Bob Budiansky discussed the For-est Road Park master plan at Tuesdaynight’s recreation commission meet-ing. Mr. Budiansky spoke about thestatus of the project and the next stepsfor the plan.

Mr. Budiansky spoke about the For-est Road Master Plan, specificallyabout CME Associates’ contractors.CME Associates was approved bythe borough council last month forthis project. At February’s meeting,Mr. Budiansky mentioned that heasked CME Associates for a morecomprehensive proposal that includes

the total amount for all the improve-ments plus the cost of supervision. AtTuesday night’s meeting he said,“CME is reluctant to expand on theproposal because the project is in theearly stages. They don’t know howbig the project will be, (so) it’s hardfor them to give a total cost.”

In a recent letter to Mr. Budiansky,CME gave an estimated total quotefor the project of between $45,000and $55,000. Council liaison mem-ber Erin McElroy-Barker said, “Thereis a question of cost with the [bor-ough] council.” Mr. Budiansky alsomentioned getting a new design planfrom CME Associates and possiblypreserving trees in Forest Road Park

so as not to expand the basketballcourt as much. Mr. Budiansky said, “Ihave to verify with Chief FinancialOfficer Fred Tomkins that we can goforward with this.”

There was discussion about theskate park fence replacement at For-est Road Park. Mr. Budiansky spokeabout the current condition of thefence. Precision Fence Companywants to add two extra posts betweenevery 10 feet. Clint Dicksen, theborough’s public works director, ob-tained a more recent quote from Pre-cision Fence that is approximately$2,800 more than the amount Mr.Budiansky presented at February’smeeting from the company. He saidhe is waiting for quotes from twoother competing companies.

Mr. Budiansky spoke about a newpolicy that the commission be re-sponsible for the Department of Pub-lic Works (DPW) overtime pay forborough events. These events includethe Easter Egg Hunt, Party in thePark, summer movies, the Halloweenparade and contest, and the HolidayCelebration. This overtime equals$4,500 in the commission’s budget.Ms. McElroy-Barker said, “I willcheck with the borough council aboutthis, specifically how they decidedthat the recreation commission beresponsible for the DPW costs.”

There also was mention of a recent$15,000 grant from the Union CountyBoard of Chosen Freeholders to in-stall playground equipment in theborough’s parks for special-needschildren called Leveling The PlayingField. Mr. Budiansky suggested ask-ing CME Associates for ideas on howto use the grant money. CommissionChairman Joe Valente advised ob-taining a copy of the grant from theborough council.

Ms. McElroy-Barker spoke to thecommission about the new sound sys-tem at Forest Road Park. As per the





Garwood, Fanwood MayorsTo Review Shared ServicesBy MICHAEL BONACCORSO

Specially Written for The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Times

GARWOOD — Mayor CharlesLombardo on Tuesday night stated hewould meet with Fanwood MayorColleen Mahr sometime this week todiscuss the shared-service agreementmoving forward. Mayor Lombardosaid he values the relationshipGarwood has with Fanwood regard-ing shared services and expects therelationship to continue in the future.

Councilman Joseph Sarno pro-posed at the last borough councilmeeting that the borough should in-vestigate what other “deals” can bearranged with other municipalitiesregarding shared services. Mr. Sarnostated that “it would not hurt” theborough’s working relationship withFanwood “to see” if there is a “betterdeal out there” for Garwood.

Mr. Sarno said a closed-sessiondiscussion could be used to weigh thepros and cons of each service agree-ment to find the best terms forGarwood. The councilman stated thathe did not want to end the shared-service relationship with Fanwoodunless there are “better” alternatives.

Councilwoman Ileen Cuccaro, whochairs the Laws and License Com-mittee, said an amendment is beingproposed to charge a fee for aban-doned homes.

“It is a good way to keep an eye onthem, make the banks liable for theirupkeep. Fees will assure this willhappen,” said Ms. Cuccaro.

Ms. Cuccaro stated that a $500 feewill be enacted to register the homefor the first year. The fee on the sec-ond anniversary will be $1,500. Asecond annual renewal fee will be$3,000. The fee for any renewal pastthe second year will be $5,000, statedMs. Cuccaro.

“This will encourage the banks orowners of abandoned or vacant prop-erties to move in a reasonable man-ner,” said Ms. Cuccaro.

The planning board will reviewany existing fence ordinances regard-

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DowntownA subcommittee of the downtown

redevelopment committee will be re-sponsible for drafting the plan andwill work with other committee mem-bers as well, said Mr. Strowe, whowill take part in the plan’s writingalong with Mayor Alexander Smith,Deputy Mayor Llewellyn Jones,Township Manager Al Mirabella,planners and attorneys along withseveral business owners and propertylandlords. The subcommittee’sprogress will be updated at the rede-velopment committee’s monthlymeetings, and if members of the pub-lic wish to provide comments or inputat those meetings, they will be able todo so, Mr. Strowe told The Times.

He echoed the mayor’s hope thatby the end of May or early June, theredevelopment plan can be introducedby the township council and, if ap-proved, requests for proposals fromdevelopers can be solicited duringthe summer months. By fall, Mr.Strowe said, he hopes the governingbody will be voting on the first down-town projects.

Last week, Planning Board Chair-woman Paulette Coronato noted thatthe current downtown revitalizationefforts had come further than any of theprevious efforts, which included overthe years numerous consultant reportsand the formation of several commit-tees that sought to find a solution todowntown revitalization. Mr. Strowethis week said the same, adding that,“we have to get [the first phase] rightand as perfect as it can be.”

Fred T. Rossi for The Scotch Plains-Fanwood TimesWORDS OF WISDOM...Former baseball star Darryl Strawberry speaks to fansyoung and old at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School on Monday night about hisprofessional triumphs and personal struggles.

Paul Lachenauer for The Scotch Plains-Fanwood TimesPANCAKES, ANYONE?...Lance Booth serves pancakes at the Fanwood-ScotchPlains Rotary breakfast held Sunday at the Scotch Hills Country Club. Proceedsbenefited the Frazee House.


County Poolcontinue...subsidizing playinggolf.”

The board also voted to sell prop-erty at 502-506 Amboy Avenue inElizabeth for $400,000.

Also approved was a resolutionproclaiming Tuesday, April 10,2018, as Equal Pay Day.

“Women on the average earn 79cents for every dollar men makeand for women of color it’s less thanthat,” Freeholder Bette JaneKowalski said. She said the resolu-tion shows the board’s support “tothe idea that everyone who performsan equal task should get equal pay.”

Nancy Piwowar of Plainfieldquestioned a resolution to desig-nate Trinitas Regional Medical Cen-ter in Elizabeth as a Trauma II LevelCenter.

Freeholder Estrada explained thatthe New Jersey Department ofHealth had sought proposals fromUnion County hospitals that wouldapply to be a trauma center andTrinitas had applied. He saidTrinitas has been making improve-ments over the past four years in-cluding an extension of its emer-gency room operation “to ensurethat it qualified for this process.”

He said the county believes itneeds a designated trauma centerthat is closer to its residents.

Ms. Piwowar also alerted thecounty to damage caused by therecent nor’easters, saying GreenBrook Park in Plainfield was “dev-astated” from storm damage. “Thatpark is heavily used and it (damage)is a public safety hazard,” she said.

Freeholder Chairman Sergio

Granados said Freeholder LindaCarter, County Manager Ed Oatmanand Mr. Zuber are working on aplan to clean up the park “as quicklyas possible.”

Mr. Paterson also questioned whyFreeholder Mohamed Jalloh is notbeing given the Democratic organi-zation line on June Primary Elec-tion ballots. Mr. Granados cut offMr. Paterson, saying his commentsneeded to address governmental andnot political issues.

On the issue of the GatewayProject, which includes two newrail tunnels from New Jersey to NewYork under the Hudson River and anew portal bridge, Freeholder BruceBergen noted that legislation ap-proved by the House and U.S. Sen-ate last week includes $541 millionfor the project.

“It’s just a start, but it’s a goodstart,” Mr. Bergen said. “This is nota New Jersey issue, it’s not a NewYork issue, it’s a regional and evena national economic issue.”


By ROBYN ORR-GIOFFRESpecially Written for The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Times

CRANFORD — PersonalizedLearning through Competency-BasedScience, Technology, Engineering,Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) wasshowcased Monday night at the regu-lar monthly meeting of the board ofeducation.

Competency-Based learning seeksto advance students from skill to skillbased on how competent they are, asopposed to advancing them based onage.

Jill Hayeck’s third-grade studentsfrom Orange Avenue School gave theboard a PowerPoint presentation high-lighting the benefits of this program.

The students compared a traditionalclassroom to one using Competency-Based learning and told the boardstudents in this environment becomeindependent and work with any stylethey choose. They further commentedthat students learn and study at theirown pace, take tests when they areready, have increased ability to meetwith teachers and peer experts andare able to move forward or staybehind in a skill even if classmatesmove on.

The program allows for InnovationHour, a time for students to exploretopics of interest during the day and atime for students to meet and discussways to be more successful in theclassroom.

Additionally, there is Teacher Time,where students can sign up to meet withtheir teacher, which can be done with asmall group of learners instead of justone-on-one. Students also can consultwith the Expert Board, made up ofstudents who have mastered a skill.

“I like this way of learning becausewe are not pushed to learn what weare not comfortable with,” third graderRiley McGee told the board.

Orange Avenue School PrincipalMarc Edery commented to boardmembers that for teachers implement-ing the new program, “The hardestpart is letting go” and letting studentstake control of their learning.

Superintendent Scott Rubin, Ed.D.,gave the students accolades for theirpresentation, commenting, “I have totell you, I think our future is in verygood hands.”

Security issues also were discussedat the meeting. The security audit willtake place soon and there is a visitplanned for each of the schools in thedistrict.

Community meetings have beenscheduled at each of the schools to

address security concerns and socialand wellness issues with students,with a presentation and a question-and-answer segment.

Mr. Rubin told the board that, start-ing next year, he would schedule anannual meeting to provide an updateabout safety and wellness concerns.He told the board he views security as“a shared responsibility” and ex-pressed gratitude to the PTA presi-dents for allowing a dialogue witheach of the schools, further comment-ing that, “it’s very healthy to have thismutual dialogue and get to see thingsthrough multiple lenses.”

The board of education will hold apublic hearing on the budget in theboard room at Lincoln School at 7p.m. on Monday, April 30.

council, Ms. McElroy-Barker said,“The sound system was purchasedfor the seniors and can be used by therecreation commission only.”

There was some discussion of theborough’s summer movie date nightevents. The commission currently isplanning the schedule of movies. TheFanwood Easter Egg Hunt, originallyscheduled for March 24, was can-celled over safety concerns followingrecent weather conditions, and hasbeen rescheduled for this Saturday,March 31. It will take place at ForestRoad Park at 10 a.m. Mr. Valentediscussed the borough’s 5K and saida new website needs to be created forthis event.

Mr. Budiansky concluded the meet-ing with his director’s report aboutthe borough’s summer camps. Weekstwo and three of travel camp sold outquickly on registration day at the be-ginning of the month. The revenuesfor Summer 2018 are $95,026. Mr.Budiansky is encouraging residentsto continue to register their childrenfor summer camp.


Forest Rd.

ing corner properties.“We hope for a unanimous ap-

proval. We hope to repeal this oner-ous revision that was done three yearsago to the dismay of many cornerproperty owners,” said Ms. Cuccaro.

Councilman Richard McCormacksaid as a corner property owner him-self, he does not feel it is “fair” tocollect corner property owner’s taxes“like everyone else.” Yet, corner prop-erties are entitled to less privacy thanother borough residents.

Planning board member BillNierstedt said that he could not pro-vide commentary until the ordinanceis reviewed by the planning board or“in front of him.” Planning boardcommentary will be provided beforethe next council meeting addressingthe matter, Councilwoman SaraTodisco said.

The New Jersey Department ofTransportation has awarded Garwood$216,000 to “repair various boroughstreets” in the 2018 calendar year,stated Mayor Lombardo.

Mayor Lombardo said through theUnion County Open Space, Recre-ation and Historic Preservation TrustFund, Garwood has been awarded a$25,470 Level The Playing Field play-ground grant.

The Mayor appointed planningboard member Kathy Villaggio to therecreation commission and celebra-tions committee.

“I am excited to help our commu-


Shared Servicesnity and give back. Both the recre-ation commission and the celebra-tions committee have a lot going onand to achieve. I am glad I can helpthem,” said Ms. Villaggio.

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Thursday, March 29, 2018 The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains – Fanwood TIMES A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION

Kate Browne for The Westfield Leader and The TimesTOP TEACHERS...The Mountainside Board of Education last week presentedfour teachers with the Governor’s Teacher Recognition award. The award wasestablished in 1985 for the purpose of acknowledging teachers who exhibitoutstanding performance. This year’s recipients are Kathleen Goldbeck, a spe-cial-education teacher; Kristin Trentham, a PEAK teacher; Carmine Ann Casolaro,a paraprofessional at the Beechwood Elementary School, and Linda Lombardo,the school secretary at Deerfield Elementary School.

Kate Browne for The Westfield Leader and The TimesESSAY WINNERS...The Mountainside Borough Council last week acknowl-edged Deerfield Elementary School students Hannah Tao, Rachel Bataille andSarah Luckenbach, who placed first, second and third, respectively, in theVeterans of Foreign Wars’ Patriot Pen Essay competition. The theme for thisyear’s contest was “America’s Gift to My Generation.” This is the first time allthree winners in Union County were from Mountainside.

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DWC Discusses AtlanticHealth, Farmers’ MarketBy DOMINIC A. LAGANO

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

WESTFIELD — During its board ofdirectors’ meeting on Monday, the Down-town Westfield Corporation (DWC), themanagement entity of the Special Im-provement District (SID), discussed newsregarding Atlantic Health System in ad-dition to a significant change to the Farm-ers’ Market that is sponsored annually bythe Greater Westfield Area Chamber ofCommerce (GWACC).

“The Morgan Stanley space, over onCentral Avenue, it’s a large space about8,000 square feet, has been rented toAtlantic Health,” DWC Executive Direc-tor Sherry Cronin said. “It means morepeople working and visiting downtown.Since the leases were just negotiated, weare looking forward to learning moreabout how the town and the DWC cansupport them in their business model.Thus far we understand that it will have afocus on women’s health issues.”

Atlantic Health System is a non-profithealthcare company that manages hospi-tals and other healthcare facilities in NewJersey including Overlook Medical Cen-ter in Summit.

“They described it to me as a unitfocusing on women’s health,” MayorShelley Brindle said. “OB-GYN and fam-ily medicine, not an urgent care type ofplace.”

As the lease was just finalized, theDWC did not provide an estimate forwhen Atlantic Health will open.

During the liaisons’ report portion ofthe meeting, GWACC Executive Direc-tor Gene Jannotti spoke about a signifi-cant change to the Farmers’ Market, whichis held on Saturdays from June throughOctober.

“We’re very pleased the town gave usthe okay to move from the south-sidetrain station parking lot to the north side,”Mr. Jannotti said. “We’ve laid out a new

plan because of this, and we already have21 vendors who are interested in partici-pating.”

By moving the market to the north-sideparking lot, the organizers hope to in-crease visibility, foot traffic and custom-ers as the south side location is isolatedfrom most of the pedestrians downtown.

“Given the desire by many residentsand visitors to improve the market’s ven-dors and popularity, the GWACC workedwith the mayor and council to move it tothe north side this year,” Ms. Cronin said.

She said Mr. Jannotti has reported thatthe change in location already has in-creased the number and quality of ven-dors when the market opens in June.

Some discussion ensued regarding themove’s potential impact on downtownparking and street traffic. with MayorBrindle stating if issues arise the situationwould be reassessed.

During his liaison report, Town Ad-ministrator Jim Gildea said the DWCbudget proposal for 2018 was in the pro-cess of being approved.

“Tomorrow night (Tuesday, March 27)we will have our budget introduction, themunicipal budget and the DWC budget,”Mr. Gildea said. “We have a four-weekwindow so the public can comment andask questions.”

The Westfield Town Council incorpo-rates the DWC budget into its own forstate approval.According to Ms. Cronin,the operating DWC budget is $416,000this year versus $409,000 for the last sixyears reflective of some slight increasesin operating costs and increased promo-tional expenses. After review, councilmembers will vote on the final budget onTuesday, April 24, for formal adoption.

The DWC’s next board of directorsmeeting is scheduled for Monday, April23, at 7:30 p.m. The DWC office is lo-cated at 105 Elm Street on the basementlevel.

PA Raising Airport WorkersTo $19 Per Hour By 2023

Community Access OK’dTo Expand On-Site Training

MVC Facilities will beClosed on Good Friday

TRENTON – New Jersey Motor Ve-hicle Commission (MVC) customers areadvised that all MVC facilities, includingagencies, driver testing sites and inspec-tion stations, will be closed for GoodFriday on March 30. All facilities will beopen for regular operating hours as ofSaturday, March 31.

REGION – Last Thursday afternoonthe Port Authority of New York and NewJersey voted to raise wages to $19 by2023 for the 40,000 airport New Yorkand New Jersey baggage handlers, secu-rity officers, wheelchair agents, terminaland airplane cleaners and other airportworkers at JFK, LaGuardia and Newarkairports.

For New Jersey airport workers thenew wage policy will give them an $8.45raise and parity pay with New York air-port workers. It will also result in realgains for the New York airport workersthemselves, who have been making $13an hour, according to the 32BJ of theService Employees International Union.

“This is an unprecedented win for40,000 contracted airport workers in anongoing campaign led by thousands ofcabin and terminal cleaners, wheelchairattendants, baggage handlers, security andother contracted service workers who havewon $15 an hour and the union liftingfamilies and communities in both NewYork and New Jersey. They are part of anational movement of workers across thisnation that are rising to demand their fairshare and turn low-wage contracted jobsinto family-sustaining jobs. New Yorkand New Jersey airport workers have ledthe way and shown that when we worktogether in unity, we can win,” said 32BJ

President Héctor Figueroa.In the last few years, airport workers

held marches, rallies, and strikes andeven got arrested on Martin Luther KingDay to demand their rights. They wonMLK Day as a paid holiday and were ableto get the Port Authority of New York andNew Jersey to raise their wages from$7.25 an hour to $10.20.

COUNTY – The Union County Boardof Chosen Freeholders has announcedthe awarding of “Level the Playing Field”grants to all 21 municipalities in thecounty. Level The Playing Field is a newgrant program designed to help everymunicipality provide inclusive play-grounds to children with disabilities.

Letters to all 21 municipalities an-nouncing the availability of Level thePlaying Field funding were mailed lastfall, and all 21 responded. A total of$500,000 in Level the Playing Fieldawards was funded through the UnionCounty Open Space, Recreation and His-toric Preservation Trust Fund. The fol-lowing amounts were awarded to eachmunicipality:

Berkeley Heights, $25,470; Clark,$25,470; Cranford, $25,470; Elizabeth,$25,470; Fanwood, $15,000; Garwood,$25,470; Hillside, $20,000; Kenilworth,$25,470; Linden, $25,470; Mountainside,$25,470; New Providence, $25,470;Plainfield, $25,470; Rahway, $25,470;Roselle, $25,470; Roselle Park, $25,470;Scotch Plains, $25,470; Springfield,$25,470; Summit, $25,470; Union,$17,010; Westfield, $15,000, andWinfield Park, $25,470.

Last fall the Freeholder Board brokeground on Union County’s first all-inclu-sive Sensory Trial. The new 0.3 mile loopin the Watchung Reservation includes aBraille trail with rope guides and nature-themed play structures, designed to beenjoyed by all ages and abilities.

Other Union County programs forpeople with disabilities include the Sen-sory Friendly Theatre series sponsoredby the Freeholder Board at the UnionCounty Performing Arts Center, and pro-grams at the county’s Ulrich SwimmingPool, Watchung Stables and TrailsideNature and Science Center.

The Freeholder Board also providesfunding for special events such as annualfishing derbies, an ice skating social,summer carnival and barn dance, as wellas programs for popular activities includ-ing golf, karate, yoga and volleyball.

UC HEART stands for “Empowering,Advocating for, Reaching and Teachingothers.” In addition to the new Level thePlaying field grant program, UC HEARTincludes creation of the first Office forPeople with Special Needs in New Jer-sey. The new office is charged with im-proving recreational and social opportu-nities, reaching out to community groupsand other stakeholders, and identifyingnew opportunities for engaging peoplewith special needs.

More information about the Office forPeople with Special Needs is available onthe county website, ucnj.org.

By MICHAEL BONACCORSOSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

CRANFORD — The board of adjust-ment Monday night unanimously approvedCommunity Access Unlimited Inc. to des-ignate administrative office space to ex-pand on-site training and educational ser-vices at 70 Myrtle Avenue. CommunityAccess Unlimited is a non-profit providing“comprehensive support services for peoplewith disabilities and their families.” Theapplication was an amendment to a priorsite-plan approval on July 13, 2015.

Board member David Salomon in clos-ing comments stated that Community Ac-cess Unlimited does great work for thecommunity. “There is not a family nottouched (by the organization),” Mr.Salomon said.

Board member Kevin Illing said it wasa “great project” when the applicationwas initially approved in 2015.

The applicant’s attorney, Stephen Hehl,said the applicant is seeking to utilize anadditional 4,000 square feet of the buildingwith no alterations to the structure’s exterior.

“The only change reflected is in theparking requirements,” said Thomas J.Quinn, the applicant’s engineer.

Mr. Quinn said in the 2015 approvedapplication 105 parking stalls were pro-posed. In the current application 92 park-ing stalls are proposed. Mr. Quinn saidthe projected parking demand will be forroughly 80 vehicles.

Retired Cranford Police Officer PatrickFay said he sought employment withCommunity Access Unlimited upon re-tirement, noting the positive impact thenon-profit has on building communityand making families feel comfortable.

“No negative impact to the community,”said Mr. Fay in describing possible down-sides to an application approval by the board.

Resident Rita LaBrutto said she hasbeen asking the township committee since2013 “to certify affordable-housing cred-its” through negotiations with Commu-nity Access Unlimited Inc. Ms. LaBruttosaid Community Access owns sites onJohnson Avenue and Glenwood Roadwith three residential properties totaling13 bedrooms. She said because the bed-rooms assist disabled individuals or are“group homes for developmentally-dis-abled residents” the affordable-housingcredits equate to two credits for one bed-room. Ms. LaBrutto said 13 bedroomswould equate to a realized 26 extra af-fordable units or “credits” for Cranford.

To develop 26 affordable units wouldtranslate to a 180 total unit developmentin town, Ms. LaBrutto said.

“That’s a whole development or a verydense development number,” Ms.LaBrutto said. Ms. LaBrutto said shewould rather see organizations betteringthe community be bolstered or negotiatedwith instead of another high-density hous-ing negotiation.

Ms. LaBrutto said she is in favor of theapplicant, but her comments were notdirected towards the board to vote yes orno on this specific application. Ms.LaBrutto said she was advocating forspecific township committee and boardof adjustment actions moving forwardregarding affordable-housing impacts onthe community.

Applicant Florin Traistaru was unani-mously approved for a use variance toconvert a principal permitted-use space(retail) at 115 Miln Street for a dentistoffice (conditional use) on the first floor ina zone where such a use is not permitted.

Mr. Traistaru said the basement is con-nected to the first floor and will be usedfor storage. The first floor does not ex-ceed 1,000 feet with only nine square feetset aside for storage in the basement. Thetownship ordinance states that the busi-ness cannot exceed 1,000 square feet onthe first floor without a variance neededwithin the zone, stated Zoning OfficerRonald Johnson.

Mr. Johnson said when initially dis-cussing with the applicant he was not surehow much of the basement would beutilized and in what function to the dentalpractice. Mr. Johnson said with 932 squarefeet being utilized on the first floor, in-cluding the basement into the businesssquare footage, calculations would putthe business square footage above the1,000-square-foot threshold, thus requir-ing a variance.

Board member Robert Bovasso said hewould be “comfortable” with an approvalbased on a conditional agreement that thebasement would be used for storage onlyand not for additional practice space.

Mr. Traistaru said he would agree tosuch terms.

Bramnick QuestionsFunding Source forMurphy’s Tech Hub

TRENTON – Assembly MinorityLeader Jon Bramnick (R-21st, Westfield)issued the following statement in responseto Governor Phil Murphy’s plan to createa tech hub project in New Brunswick:

“Building a tech hub is a good ideaon paper, but Governor Murphy needsto tell us upfront how he plans to payfor it. Placing the cost on taxpayerswould be counter productive and shouldnot be an option. The governor hasbeen critical of the EDA (EconomicDevelopment Agency) and has calledfor an audit. It doesn’t make sense thathe wants the agency to now take on anew, huge project. We need answersbefore proceeding.”

Did You Know?Union County held 15 mobile shred-

ding events in 2017. A total of 6,800residents participated resulting in the re-cycling of over 289,000 pounds of confi-dential documents.

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MARCH FOR MEALS...State Senator Thomas Kean Jr. (R-21st, Westfield)joined the SAGE Eldercare’s Meals on Wheels team in support of the 16th annualNational March for Meals program on March 9. SAGE’s Meals on Wheels is theoldest continuously run program in New Jersey. The program provides more than46,000 meals to approximately 225 people in Union County. Picturred, from leftto right, with the Senator are: Meals on Wheels volunteers William and KarenAyers and SAGE Eldercare Executive Director Angela Sullivan.

SAGE Participates In16th March for Meals

SUMMIT – SAGE Eldercare isparticipating in the 16th annual Marchfor Meals – a month-long, nation-wide celebration of Meal on Wheelsand the homebound and vulnerableseniors who rely on its vital safetynet.

SAGE’s Meals on Wheels is theoldest continuously run program inNew Jersey. The program providesmore than 46,000 meals to about 225people in Union County (BerkeleyHeights, Mountainside, New Provi-dence, Springfield, and Summit),Essex County (Millburn and ShortHills), and Morris County (Chathamand Madison).

“The services that we provide theseniors in our area are critical; it’snot just a warm meal, but also afriendly visit, sometimes the onlyhuman contact a senior gets the wholeday,” said Marianne Kranz, SAGEdirector of Meals on Wheels andHome Support Services. “Together,we can keep seniors living indepen-dently, healthier at home and feelingmore connected to their communityas they age.”

Since 2002, Meals on WheelsAmerica has led the annual aware-ness campaign in an effort to fillthe gap between the seniors servedand those in need that is widening

due to increased demand with arapidly aging population combinedwith declining public and privateresources, and rising food, trans-portation and operational costs.This month, hundreds of localMeals on Wheels programs, likeSAGE Eldercare, reached out totheir communities to build the sup-port that enabled them to delivernutritious meals, friendly visits andsafety checks to America’s seniorsall year long.

“March is a time for us all to rallyaround Meals on Wheels,” said EllieHollander, president and CEO ofMeals on Wheels America. “Our abil-ity to meet the needs of vulnerableseniors lies in the willingness andgenerosity of businesses, governmentand concerned individuals of all agesto contribute in their own way. It notonly makes economic sense to enableseniors to stay healthy and safe athome, but it improves the health andvibrancy of our communities and ournation at large.”

For more information about theMeals on Wheels program atSAGE, or if you know someonewho could benefit from the ser-vice, contact Ms. Kranz at (908)273-5554 or emailmkranz@sageelderca.

Peggy’s House CreatesChristmas for Patient

CHRISTMAS IN FEBRUARY...Staff at Peggy’s House in Scotch Plains createdChristmas in February as a dying wish for a patient, Liz K., complete with a treeand a visit from Santa.

SCOTCH PLAINS – When a pa-tient expressed disappointment to anurse that her illness kept her fromcelebrating Christmas Eve at home,the staff at Peggy’s House spranginto action and created Christmasin February, complete with a treeand a visit from Santa. The ideacame from Jean Doyle, a registerednurse, who was attending to theneeds of Liz K., who passed awayon February 10, a week after theholiday celebration.

Liz had come to Peggy’s House inScotch Plains in late January afterseveral hospitalizations that kept herand her family from their yearly tradi-tion of having Christmas at their EastBrunswick home. She told her nurseabout how she’d missed it and in notime, the residence’s staff got to workplanning the day.

The main atrium, already deco-rated for Valentine’s Day, was com-pletely redecorated for Christmas. Thetree was erected with lights and orna-ments, gifts and food appeared, andRich Rager (whose wife, NancyRager, is the center’s director of resi-dential services) got on his Santa cos-tume to help celebrate the season.Liz, her husband Michael, their chil-dren and guests joined Peggy’s House

staff on Saturday, February 3 for thefestivities. Liz passed away one weeklater, but the Peggy’s House staff cre-ated a lasting memory for Liz’s fam-ily and all involved.

“She rose to the occasion andtook it all in,” said Ms. Doyle, Liz’snurse. “She loved every minute ofit. When I asked her if she had agood day, she told me, ‘It was anamazing day.’”

Rich Broski, communications di-rector for Center for Hope Hospice,created a moving video chroniclingthe heartwarming story. In less than24 hours after posting the video to theCenter’s Facebook page, it was shared26 times and viewed over 1,200 times.The video is also on YouTube at bit.ly/ChristmasinFeb.

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Cranford Police to CrackDown on Distracted Drivers

CRANFORD — Law enforcementofficers from the Cranford Police De-partment will be cracking down ondistracted drivers during April as partof New Jersey’s UDrive. UText. UPay.enforcement campaign.

Beginning April 1 and runningthrough April 21, the high visibilitylaw enforcement initiative will tar-get motorists who engage in danger-ous distracted driving behaviors suchas talking on hand-held cell phonesand sending text messages while driv-ing.

“Distracted driving is possibly themost serious safety issue on our road-ways today,” said Gary Poedubicky,acting director of the New JerseyDivision of Highway Traffic Safety.“The National Highway Traffic SafetyAdministration reports that in 2015alone, 3,477 people were killed in

distracted driving crashes and an es-timated 391,000 people were injuredin motor vehicle crashes involving adistracted driver.”

In New Jersey, driver inattentionwas listed as a contributing circum-stance in 52 percent of the state’scrashes in 2015. Driver inattentionwas in fact listed as a contributingfactor in crashes at a rate nine timeshigher than that of the next highestcontributing factor — speed.

The campaign is being carriedout during the month of April, whichthe National Safety Council has des-ignated as Distracted DrivingAwareness Month. The New Jerseycampaign is modeled after similarsuccessful high visibility enforce-ment programs such as Click It orTicket and Drive Sober or GetPulled Over.

Fanwood Egg HuntMoved to March 31

FANWOOD — Due to a weatherforecast of heavy snow last Wednes-day and the potential for hazardousconditions in Forest Road Park overthe weekend, the Fanwood Easter EggHunt, originally scheduled for March24, has been postponed until this Sat-urday, March 31, at 10 a.m., at ForestRoad Park.

Munoz Says MurphyFollows DEM Playbook

TRENTON -- AssemblywomanNancy Munoz (R-21st, Summit) re-leased the following statement fol-lowing last week’s budget address byGovernor Phil Murphy:

“What Governor Murphy proposedtoday is straight out of the Demo-crats’ spend and tax playbook. It’s aclassic Democrat budget loaded withtax increases and far too much spend-ing that our taxpayers cannot afford.For eight years, we balanced the statebudget while growing our economy.The governor’s plan will wipe out ourprogress. It will stifle growth and hurtfamilies and businesses still strug-gling to make ends meet.”

Cranford Supports ExpansionOf Children’s Library

By CHRISTINA M. HINKESpecially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

CRANFORD — The townshipcommittee voiced support Monday ata workshop meeting of expanding thechildren’s library by agreeing to in-clude close to $1 million in its budget.The expansion of the children’s de-partment is a project the library boardhas hoped to see achieved for morethan a decade. The other half of thecost would be kicked in by the state,should the township receive the grantfunds from the new state library con-struction bond act passed by voters inlast November’s election.

The plans for the expansion woulddouble the children’s library on thefirst floor and would do away with thetall shelving to make room for lowershelving that would be safer, LibraryDirector Michael Maziekien said. Hesaid the expansion would provideearly literacy programs for a growingnumber of children in the Cranfordpopulation, and help fill a gap madeby the lack of a mandated full-daykindergarten program in the town-ship. The project would also straightenthe handicapped ramp at the libraryentrance to make it more accessible.

The township committee also heardfrom other departments for their capi-tal items wish list for 2018. The com-mittee agreed to include $100,000for desilting Rahway River, which ishalf the amount requested by the en-gineer; $135,000 for a new buckettruck for the Department of PublicWorks (DPW); $25,000 for turnoutgear for the fire department; $600,000to replace some radios in the policedepartment, a move the state is re-quiring to make the system digital,and $50,000 to replace a basketballcourt in Adams Park. The request toreplace the over 20-year-old play-ground at Adams Park was denied bycommissioners Ann Dooley andPatrick Giblin; the committee also

denied a budget request to replacefour other trucks in an aging DPWfleet of vehicles.

The committee met in private sessionto hear the Payment in Lieu of Taxes(PILOT) plan by the proposed devel-oper of 215-235 Birchwood Avenue,where 225 apartments in a multi-story,multi-building housing development areto be built. The township over a year agopurchased the property for $18 millionin an attempt to resell the property to adeveloper who would reduce the num-ber of apartments on the site. Originally,a builder, Hekemian, won a lawsuit al-lowing the construction of 360 unitsthere to help satisfy the township’s af-fordable-housing obligation. To date,the township has not signed a contractwith the new developer, BirchwoodDevelopers Associates aka BirchwoodDevelopers Urban Renewal Associates,LLC, and will not disclose the bidsreceived for sale of the property.

The developer is expected to presentits site plan to the planning board onWednesday, April 4 at 8 p.m. Thearchitectural plans, as provided on thetownship website, depict three, four-story buildings that have parking onthe ground level, and three stories ofapartments above. The affordable-housing component makes up 15 per-cent of the units or 34 apartments.

The township has until the end ofthis year to comply with its affordablehousing obligation of 55 units thatwas spelled out in the builder’s rem-edy lawsuit won by Hekemian, alongwith a prior round need of 138 units,plus another five units, as stated in ajudgment of repose in 2013. Cranfordhas yet to settle its third-round fairshare housing obligation.

Did You Know?The Union County Clerk’s Prop-

erty Search Website trafficked over1.18 million property searches in2017.

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Classified Ad to Sell it!


State LD-22Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D)

1514 E. Saint Georges Ave.Linden, N.J. 07036(908) 587-0404

Asm. Jim Kennedy (D)34 E. Cherry St.Rahway, N.J. 07065(732) 943-2660

Asm. Jerry Green (D)17 Watchung Ave.Plainfield, N.J. 07060(908) 561-5757

State LD-21Sen. Thomas Kean, Jr. (R)

425 North Ave. E.Westfield, N.J. 07090(908) 232-3673

Asm. Jon Bramnick (R)251 North Ave. WestWestfield, N.J. 07090(908) 232-2073

Asm. Nancy Munoz (R)57 Union Place, Suite 310Summit, N.J. 07901(908) 918-0414

LD-21 includes Westfield,Mountainside, Garwood,Summit and Cranford.

7th Congressional DistrictRepresentative Leonard Lance (R)425 North Avenue E., Westfield, NJ 07090(908) 518-7733

LD-22 includes Scotch Plains,Fanwood, Plainfield, Clark andLinden.

[email protected], [email protected]@njleg.org, [email protected]@njleg.org, [email protected]

12th Congressional DistrictRep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D)850 Bear Tavern Road, Suite 201, Ewing, N.J. 08628(609) 883-0026[Fanwood, Plainfield and most of Scotch Plainsare in the 12th Congressional District]

[Westfield, Mountainside, Garwood, Summit and Cranfordare in the 7th Congressional District]

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Robert P. ConnellyBUSINESS OPERATIONS

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Letters to the EditorABCDICTIONOPQRSTDECEPTIONUVWXYZ

TM

DDDDDiction Deception

Letters tothe Editor

Union County Freeholders(908) 527-4200

Ed Oatman, Mgr., [email protected] Granados, [email protected]

Sebastian D’Elia, Public Info.(908) [email protected]

Below are four arcane words, eachwith four definitions – only one is cor-rect. The others are made up. Are yousharp enough to discern this deception ofdiction?

If you can guess one correctly – goodguess. If you get two – well-read indi-vidual. If you get three – word expert. Ifyou get all four – You must have a lot offree time!

All words and correct definitionscome from the board game DictionDeception.

Answers to last week’s arcane words.1. Tid – Tender; soft2. Thrum – The row of thread ends left

on a loom when the web is cut off3. Tercel – The male falcon4. Sanssouci – Without cares or wor-

ries

STREEL1. Unctuous sentimentalism2. To drag3. To grind with the teeth4. Snarl; growl

CLEG1. The great horsefly2. Link together; join3. To hatch; to litter4. A nickname

FERRAGINOUS1. Having the color of iron rust; red-

dish brown2. Of or containing iron3. Mixed or jumbled4. Pertaining to reeds or canes

FAITOUR1. A member of a Moslem sect who

lives by begging2. An imposter; a rogue3. A thing already done, so that oppo-

sition or argument is useless4. A fine grade of painted and glazed

pottery or porcelain

Snow Article Fails toMention Injuries

I thought The “Mayor Offers StormStatement” article was remiss in notmentioning the injuries that occurredto some of our residents during thenor’easters earlier this month.

I am not aware of all of the injuriesin town, but a dear friend to thiscommunity, a business owner, and agood friend of mine, David Weinman,was badly injured when a tree struckhis vehicle. David is lucky to be alive.I know that David and his wife, Stacy,are extremely grateful to the WestfieldPolice, Emergency Medical respond-ers and friends in the community whohave reached out to express their con-cern and support.

We all wish David a full recoveryduring this very difficult time.

Alicia BarkerWestfield

These Young PeopleLead America, I Am

Proud To Follow ThemCongratulations to the Westfield

High School students who organizedthe anti- gun violence rally on Satur-day. The turnout was quite large, run-ning the gamut from infants to seniorcitizens, all united by the fierce deter-mination to finally bring an end to therampant scourge of gun violence inour nation.

The younger generation has takenthis issue and have made it their own,and their voices must be heard by theapathetic politicians who cower infear of the NRA (Leonard Lance, areyou listening?). These young peoplewill lead America and I am proud tobe following them.

Bill GottdenkerMountainside

New Plans Set to Be UnveiledFor Tamaques Park

Marijuana Sales Highlighted inState Budget Deliberations

It’s April Fools Day“The first of April is the day we remember what we

are the other 364 days of the year.” — Mark Twain.Sunday, residents will be careful about believing

what they heard or saw because ofApril Fool’s Day. They don’t wantto get hooked by a prank.

The April Fool’s Day tradition isthought to have started in Francearound 1582. Prior to that, the NewYear was celebrated for eight days,beginning on March 25 and endingon April 1.

Charles IX changed the calendarthen. The Gregorian calendar wasintroduced, and New Year’s Daywas moved to January 1.

However, news back then trav-eled by foot, and many did not learnof the calendar change for severalyears. Others refused to accept thenew calendar and continued to cel-ebrate the New Year on April 1. The populacelabeled these people as “fools” and subjected them

Mark Twain

to ridicule. They were made the butt of practicaljokes.

This tradition of pranks on the first day of Aprilspread to England and Scotland inthe 18th century and was then intro-duced to the American colonies.

For the most part, April Fool’sDay is supposed to be a funfestwhere some carry out their brand ofhumor at the expense of others.Pranks on April Fool’s Day rangefrom simply saying, “Your shoe’suntied!” or perhaps setting aroommate’s alarm clock back anhour.

Whatever the gag, the tricksterends it by yelling to his victim,“April Fool!”

Were Samuel Langhorne Clemensalive today, he might revise his state-ment — “The mid of April is the

day everyone remembers the IRS, that residents arefools to be taxed 365 days of the year.”

N.J. Governor Phil Murphy has proposed a $37.5-billion budget for the 2018 fiscal year state budget,a nearly $3-billion increase over the previous year.Critics lambaste the Governor, saying the state isnear bankrupt now and is unable to pay its bills. Theburden will fall on the property owners. The Gover-nor counters by increasing taxes on the rich andlegalizing the sales (and taxing) of marijuana.

Wealthy residents are abandoning N.J. for reloca-tion to Florida to sidestep burdensome state taxes.Florida has none. As example, the Trenton Thunderbaseball team has recently concluded a relocationagreement with the City of Naples. In response, theGovernor plans a $33,100 per person “Escape Tax”to lessen the budget blow as a result of migration,according to informed sources.

The legalization of marijuana sales in N.J. remainscontroversial and leaves many open questions as tothe benefits and revenues. Many opportunities existfor “Weed” purveyors and for business innovation.One such area for innovation is in the newspaperindustry. Westfield Leader Publisher, also a chemi-cal engineer, has perfected integrating marijuanaformulations into newsprint. This innovation willallow premium subscribers to the newspaper to “rolltheir own” upon completing reading of the news.This will also enable everything in “pretty colors”for the subscribers.

This newsprint innovation, called “Facebunk” hasbeen tested at a pilot plant in Mile High City, Colo.,

and will go into production, tentatively planned foran optiate drug manufacturing plant in Paterson,N.J. An online version of Facebunk is planned toavoid the sales tax. The computer server will bemaintained in a homeless shelter in L.A.

The Governor has still to reveal how he plans togloss over the $80-billion deficit in the funding ofteacher retirement benefits. Gov. Murphy, formerlyof Golden Sax stated that he plans to work with JonCorzine, also formerly of Golden Sax, to manipulatethe investment portfolio to improve the appearanceof the pension funds. He also intends to removepensions from the state budget and force municipali-ties to pay the yearly cost of teachers’ benefits that upuntil now are not paid by anyone. If so, this wouldincrease the property tax by an acceptable 37percent, he said.

Former Governor Corzine could not be reachedfor comment as he was vacationing in the Domini-can Republic with Senator Menendez, neither ofwhom were in jail as of this time.

The Governor said that budget deficits will belargely ignored, as in the past by elected officials,immolated within the rampant affordable housingstatewide scam, and will not come to pass until afterhis term expires.

The Governor concluded the interview by quotingthe well-known nuclear power plant control roomidiom, “Will the last one out the door, please turn offthe lights.”

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By LAUREN S. BARRSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader

WESTFIELD – Touting it as theirfirst bipartisan effort Mayor ShelleyBrindle and the entire council are setto unveil their new plan for TamaquesPark on Sunday, April 1.

The plan calls for a 34,000-square-foot, six-story structure to be built inthe center of the 106-acre park. Withinthe structure will be two stories ofparking to accommodate 322 vehicleson the lower floors. The new struc-ture will eliminate the need for cars topark on the grass and current unsafeconditions during peak field usage.

On the four upper floors will be astate of the art athletic center, includ-ing a rooftop driving range. The restof the interior will feature an Olym-pic- size swimming pool, two regula-tion basketball courts, batting cagesand four indoor turf fields for soccerand lacrosse; along with a full servicegym and spa.

The mayor and council say that thissolves the problems with lack of fieldsand the need for lighting. As the newindoor facility can be used year-round,there will also be no games canceleddue to poor weather conditions orfield issues.

The project is estimated to cost $35million, which officials were quick topoint out is $21 million less than theproposed “Mind and Body” complexproposed in Roselle. Officials addedthat with Westfield’s excellent bondrating it is a good time to borrow largesums of money.

A rough calculation by TheWestfield Leader shows the actualcost of the project will likely total amere $86 million with compound in-terest.

More information on this story willbe reported as it becomes available,or when pigs fly over the Statehouse,whichever comes first. April foolsdear readers!

Mayor Smith, ‘It’s Really HappeningIn Scotch Plains’

On Tuesday, March 20, 2018, theTownship Council made history byvoting unanimously to declare a sig-nificant portion of our downtown asan “area in need of redevelopment.”This is a major first step to bringScotch Plains’ downtown into the 21stcentury and to help stabilize our taxes.

The Township Council acted on aPlanning Board recommendation that45 of the 63 properties studied in thefirst phase of our redevelopment areaqualify to be included as an “area inneed of redevelopment.” The 45 prop-erties consist of 51 percent publiclyowned land, and 49 percent privatelyowned land.

With this public property, the town-ship can lead the public/private en-deavor to redevelop this designatedarea. See the link below for the prop-erties included in the study and infor-mation on downtown redevelopment.https://www.scotchplainsnj.gov/de-partments/downtown-redevelop-ment-committee/

I would like to thank my colleagueson the Township Council for this his-toric bipartisan vote, and the mem-bers of the Planning Board, espe-cially Chairwoman Paulette Coronatoand Vice-Chairman Joe Doyle fortheir experience and leadership. Andof course, I would like to thank all theTownship, business, residential, andvolunteer members of the ScotchPlains Downtown RedevelopmentCommittee (SPDRC) for their work

and support. This accomplishmentwould not be possible without them.A special shout out to the Business/Landlord Subcommittee and its Chair-man, Steve Goldberg, for the workcommunicating with businesses andlandlords during the process.

The SPDRC has been tasked withcreating one or more redevelopmentplans for this phase. I expect thatSPDRC recommended plan(s) willbe available for the Township Coun-cil to review and adopt in the next fewmonths. The redevelopment plan(s)will specify our town’s vision for thisphase of redevelopment includingmodern, efficient facilities for ourfirst responders, new mixed-use com-mercial and residential developmentincluding affordable housing units toprovide the “critical mass” necessaryto sustain and grow our current andfuture businesses, and most impor-tantly ample parking and infrastruc-ture to support this essential public/private endeavor.

Once the Township Council ap-proves one or more redevelopmentplans, it will issue a request for pro-posal (RFP) for developers to givethe Township their proposals to makeour vision a reality.

When it comes to downtown rede-velopment, it’s really happening inScotch Plains!

Al SmithScotch Plains Mayor

Kudos to Everyone Who GotUs Through a Stormy Season

The four nor’easters that pummeledour region in a span of just threeweeks tested all of us this month.Wind gusts, sleet and sometimesdouble-digit snow totals proved ex-tremely challenging, creating treach-erous road conditions and bringingdown trees and limbs along with elec-trical wires. Many area residents alsohad to cope with power outages andschool closings.

During tumultuous times, naturalor otherwise, our communities un-failingly pull together — neighborshelping neighbors — and this par-ticularly difficult winter was no dif-ferent. Our towns did their best tokeep residents up to date on thestorms while providing places whereresidents lacking power could go toget warm.

Local emergency responders andpublic works personnel deserve spe-cial kudos for their efforts in themidst of the March storms, as well asduring previous bouts of inclementweather, as when Arctic blasts buf-feted the northeast during the mostrecent holiday season and early partof this year. The dedicated men andwomen who form the ranks of ourpolice, fire, rescue squad and DPWdivisions logged long stretches bat-tling Mother Nature’s fury while com-ing to the aid of fellow residents,sometimes finding themselves inharm’s way. Many of these individu-als are volunteers. All deserve ourheartfelt thanks.

Our mayors and governing bodieshave lauded the collective efforts oflocal emergency responders, DPW

crews and residents in coping withthe storms and their aftermath.Westfield Mayor Shelley Brindle re-ported that her town sustained themost damage it had seen sinceSuperstorm Sandy from dual stormsin the first half of March, as 3,000homes were left without power andmore than 40 roads were closed dueto fallen trees and wires. She alsonoted how local merchants suppliedfood to responders as they dealt withthe storms.

In Mountainside, officials reportedthat police answered 169 requestsfor service during the March 8 stormand that fire and rescue squad unitsalso responded to a series of emer-gencies. In addition to half a dozenmotor vehicle accidents, a boroughresident had to be hospitalized afterbeing struck by a tree branch whileclearing snow.

Fanwood Mayor Colleen Mahr like-wise praised emergency respondersand residents alike for helping theborough get through the round ofstorms. Five local homes were leftuninhabitable following one nor’easter,while the borough also wrestled withpower outages, a tree limb that fell ona person and a hot wire that camedown on an ambulance.

In neighboring towns as well thesame community spirit could be seenfrom every sector. Even local utilitycompanies, which were criticized bymany for their response to poweroutages, deserve praise for workingday and night to restore electricity tothousands, with help from utilityworkers from outside New Jersey.

In a sure sign of spring, the majorleague baseball season begins today.Soon we’ll see the first flowers ofthe spring when yellow forsythia,always an early bloomer, waken fromtheir winter slumber. It’s said thatApril can be the cruelest month, butafter the month we’ve just endured,anything will be an improvement!

Get Out Of Jail FreeCard

In the editorial “It Is Time to LimitPayouts for Lawsuits Against Gov-ernment,” The [SP-F] Times assertsthat “payouts against governmentshould be ... limited to physical harmcaused to an individual by a govern-ment employee.” As examples of thepayouts you would eliminate, youdescribe one for 60 improper days injail and one for racial slurs by em-ployees’ supervisors.

How would the editors of The Timesfeel about spending 60 days in jailwithout proper cause, or being sub-jected to racial slurs in their work-place. Taxpayers would be right to beunhappy with the payouts you describe.However, the solution is not to denycompensation to the innocent victims,but to institute procedures that preventgovernment officials from engaging inracial slurs or improper incarceration.

If those in charge receive a “get outof jail free” card for allowing situa-tions like these, they will have noincentive to prevent recurrences.

David HarrisFanwood


Garwood DEM Chairman AnnouncesParty Line for Election

Why Did Rep. Lance Signed Off ToRepeal Net Neutrality?

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Not As Many Services To Offer ItsResidents As Westfield, Yet Chatham..I recently read the article of March

18th in The Westfield Leader aboutplans for maintaining the vitality ofour local downtowns, with Westfieldin particular. The ideas presented weregood, but overlooked the basic un-derpinning of a thriving commercialcommunity, which is Parking, with acapital P.

I am quite familiar with downtownWestfield, having grown up in thetown; my father’s business was in thedowntown area. As an adult and liv-ing nearby, I continued to shop inWestfield. It was familiar and moreconvenient than driving to a mall.

But over the years, as the popula-tion of the town increased, parkingbecame a problem. Several times,after searching for a space and notfinding one, I’d give up and park on a

residential street and walk into thecenter of town.

A yarn shop I frequented decidedto move to another town because theirpatrons found it too difficult to park,and worried about getting a parkingticket if they browsed for too long.And really, how many people browsewhen they’re thinking about the num-ber of minutes are left on their meters?

For solutions, we should look totowns like Chatham. It has a verysmall downtown, not nearly as manygoods and services to offer its resi-dents as Westfield, yet its downtownis bustling. Despite their limitations,they know how to invite customers’patronage. They have Free Parking.

Of course, placing limits on timeuse of parking spaces is necessary outof fairness to all and as a source ofrevenue to the town, and permit park-ing is necessary near the train station,but the current rigidity that is in placecombined with a shortage of parkingspaces, creates a feeling of tensionthat shoppers want to avoid. (Thinkof the mall before the holidays, onlyevery day.)

My shopping in Westfield is nowlimited to one store, Lord & Taylor,and for obvious reasons. They offerample parking, and it’s free!

Mollie MallettNorth Plainfield

PUBLIC NOTICETOWNSHIP OF SCOTCH PLAINS

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVENthat the following Ordinances were finallyadopted by the Township Council of theTownship of Scotch Plains, County ofUnion, New Jersey, on the 20th of MARCH2018.

ORDINANCE 2018-2

ORDINANCE AMENDINGCHAPTER XII “SEWER ANDWATER” OF THETOWNSHIP’S GENERAL OR-DINANCES.

ORDINANCE 2018-3

ORDINANCE REPEALINGAND REPLACING CHAPTERXVII ENTITLED FIRE PRE-VENTION IN ITS ENTIRETY.

ORDINANCE 2018-4

ORDINANCE TO AMENDSCHEDULE IV (TIME LIMITEDPARKING) IN CHAPTER VII(TRAFFIC) OF THE REVISEDGENERAL ORDINANCES OFTHE TOWNSHIP OF SCOTCHPLAINS TO AMEND THE TIMELIMIT BARTLE AVENUE,PARK AVENUE ANDWESTFIELD AVENUE.

ORDINANCE 2018-5

ORDINANCE TO AMENDSCHEDULE I (PROHIBITEDPARKING) IN CHAPTER VII(TRAFFIC) OF THE REVISEDGENERAL ORDINANCES OFTHE TOWNSHIP OF SCOTCHPLAINS TO INCLUDECHURCH AVENUE.

ORDINANCE 2018-6

ORDINANCE TO AMEND ANDSUPPLEMENT CHAPTERXXIV (HEALTH) OF THE RE-VISED GENERAL ORDI-NANCES OF THE TOWNSHIPOF SCOTCH PLAINS TO ADDA NEW CHAPTER 12 EN-TITLED “SPECIAL NEEDSREGISTRY”.

ORDINANCE 2018-7

ORDINANCE TO AMENDSECTION 2-25, FEES FORSERVICES, AT SUBSECTION2-25.5, “FEES FOR POLICESERVICE,” OF THE REVISEDGENERAL ORDINANCES OFTHE TOWNSHIP OF SCOTCHPLAINS.

ORDINANCE 2018-8

ORDINANCE TO AMEND AR-TICLE 2-19A.6 (TRAFFICCONTROL FOR CONSTRUC-TION – OFF DUTY POLICEOFFICERS REQUIRED) OFTHE REVISED GENERALORDINANCES OF THETOWNSHIP OF SCOTCHPLAINS.

BOZENA LACINA, RMCMUNICIPAL CLERK

1 T - 3/29/18, The Times Fee: $63.75

I am excited to announce that In-cumbent Mayor Charles Lombardo,and his running mates JennyferGuerrero and Vincent Kearney, havebeen chosen as the candidates of theofficial Democratic Party of Garwoodin the Primary Election.

Mayor Charles Lombardo, formercouncilman for 21 years and Mayorfor the last three and a half years, isrunning for re-election with JennyferGuerrero, a PSE&G executive withchildren in our school system. VincentKearney, who will have children inschool this fall, fills out the ticketwith his strong police experienceworking for the Union CountySheriff’s Office. Jenn and Vincenthave never run for public office be-fore. They both are homeowners, bothironically have twins and both havechosen our Small Town with the BigHeart to raise their families.

The motto of the Lombardo-Guerrero-Kearney team is “GarwoodForward” and we would have it noother way. Garwood is moving to-ward much change and we embracethat change for the betterment of ourresidents. Yes, we look to the past tobuild on the future, but we do notdwell on it. If Garwood is to remain aviable and vibrant community, wemust change and continue to moveforward, otherwise we stagnate. How-ever, it should not be “out with the oldand in with the new.” We, as a com-munity, will continue to thrive with abroad range of ideas from all of ourresidents. Our team has the energy,vision, and determination to continuewhat was begun 10 years ago, underthe former two Mayors, and was con-tinued under the leadership of MayorLombardo with regard to redevelop-ment, bringing it to completion. Un-

der Mayor Lombardo’s leadership,he has re-energized the HistoricalCommittee so we do not forget ourpast as we look to our future. But wedo not stop there – our team is com-mitted to meet every challenge be-fore us, no matter how small, withvigor and fairness to all constituentsin our community. This team is di-verse and knowledgeable and ourgroup is one. There is no “I” in ourteam.

Mayor Lombardo has forged manyrelationships within our communityand with other nearby towns, and metwith government leaders of the stateand county, with Garwood in mind,not to grab headlines, or for personalgain, but only for the furtherance ofGarwood and its residents. MayorLombardo brings experience, integ-rity, fortitude and civility to whateverhe does for the Borough. His runningmates bring their own strong valuesand principles and will be an asset toGarwood’s current and future viabil-ity while we move forward as a com-munity. It is our belief, as GarwoodDemocrats, that integrity and loyaltyare the most valuable and respectedqualities of leadership. That is thefoundation for the bonds of trust.

To learn more about Mayor Charlesand Council Candidates Jenn andVince, please visit Facebook under@GarwoodForward and their websiteGarwoodForward.com. Our candi-dates look forward to engaging withtheir fellow residents during this cam-paign, as they demonstrate that theirteam is the best choice to moveGarwood Forward.

Hugh Sinclair,Chairman

Garwood Democratic Committee

NRA Is Political Weapon TargetingLiberal And Moderate Officials

Congressman Lance continues toassert his position as a moderate, aposition he established while servingin the New Jersey State Assembly.However, a review of his Congres-sional voting record no longer sup-ports a moderate stance. It appearsthat his conscience has moved sharplyto the right and does not reflect thedesires of his constituency.

According to the FCC’s Enforce-ment Bureau, The Northeast (Hurri-cane Corridor) has long been home toillegal pirate radio operations. Illegaluse of the airwaves results in harmfulinterference to nearby licensed sta-tions, and the delivery of emergencyannouncements to the public.

On March 22, 2018 Congressman.Lance introduced bi-partisan legisla-tion that would strengthen the FCC’senforcement process in preventingillegal radio abuse. Implementationof the regulatory amendment, coupledwith maximum fines, would limit thedisruption of emergency announce-ment content and protect the end user,the consumer.

If one considers the need to deliverunfettered information to constitu-ents, regardless of category or impor-tance, you might ask why Congress-man Lance signed off on the unpopu-lar position to repeal Net Neutrality.The Internet has become an essentialpart of our lives and the Net Neutral-ity guarantee ensures that Internet

Service Providers cannot discrimi-nate against the end user regardingcontent delivery offered by govern-ment, universities, charities, and non-profit organizations.

Congressman Lance’s support ofthe FCC’s proposed repeal of NetNeutrality directly harms the con-sumer by allowing Internet ServiceProviders to censure content by charg-ing additional fees and subjectivelyslowing the speed of delivery.

In a December 12, 2017, telephonecall to his D.C. office, I was advisedthat Congressman. Lance had takenno position on Net Neutrality. OnDecember 13, 2017, the House Com-mittee on Energy and Commerce andits Subcommittee on Communicationsand Technology, of which Lance isVice-Chair, released the letter signedby lawmakers supporting the repealof Net Neutrality. Congressman Lancewas one of 107 signatures. The letterwas also clearly posted to the FCCwebsite. It should be noted that 132House Republicans did not sign theletter supporting the repeal.

Perhaps those members who didnot sign the letter, were swayed by arecent study that showed an over-whelming majority of Republicanvoters were not in favor of the FCC’srepeal proposal.

Christine MosqueraCranford

Thank you for the coverage ofWestfield High School Students wholike students from other U.S. schoolsparticipated in Standing TogetherAgainst Gun Violence. More than3,000 schools were involved in thisdemand for gun reform in one of thelargest student-led days of protest inthe U.S.

NRA’s response has been only todistract from the real threat of guns –and the usual attack on the victims.

Politics affect our lives every mo-ment of our lives – and that includesthe lives of our children.

As parents and towns come togetherto protect children/youth, rememberthat members of Congress usually haveoffices in those same towns and somedoor-banging might be included. Citi-zens’ demands for Gun Control andfor National Health Care for All mustbecome battering rams on those doorsto ensure that the will of the people isno longer ignored.

We are beyond a simple call for“Gun Control” – just as we are be-yond believing that America cannotafford a National Health Care Sys-tem for All while our President shopsfor “Walls” to shut in Americans inthe delusion that it will shut out illegalimmigrants.

This “Wall” craze costing billionscontinues on while our governmentignores the simplest way to controlillegal immigrants and our jobs is byan “Instant Social Security Check”which other nations all use to protecttheir workers.

America must return to a time whenit was rare for any American citizen toown a gun by permit/licensing.

And certainly no one owned an AR15to protect their home or to hunt with.

The NRA has been used as a politi-cal weapon targeting liberal and mod-erate government officials of bothnational parties over the last decades.The political power of the NRA issuspect as those liberal and moderatemembers of government were themost likely to call for accountabilityof government agencies and for con-sumer protections. NRA is alsobacked by the Koch Bros./John BirchSociety which invested $40 millionin the 2016 elections and plans toincrease their investment to $400million in the next election.

The Koch model is one of corpo-rate-fascism.

Let’s support the children of thiscommunity and other towns andschools by coming out to join them in“Standing Together.”

Barbara BriemerWestfield

PUBLIC NOTICETOWNSHIP OF CRANFORD

ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

In accordance with the ordinances of theTownship of Cranford and the statutes ofthe State of New Jersey, Notice is herebyserved that an application for develop-ment, Application No. ZBA-17-031 to belocated in Neighborhood CommercialDistrict on the premises known as theAddress: 496 Centennial Avenue,Cranford, New Jersey 07016, Block No.594, Lot No. 8, has been submitted byApplicant: Emanuel Nimrud of 12Hickory Street, Cranford, New Jersey07016.

Applicant is applying for preliminary andfinal site plan approval for a mixed usestructure consisting of two (2) bedroomapartments, two (2) one bedroom apart-ments and one store. Eleven parkingspaces are provided.

The application requires the followingvariances:

1. Section 255-39 B (22) (a) (7) D-3. Thepermitted residential density is 3.65 units.Applicant is proposing 4 units which is adeviation from the standards of a condi-tional use.

2. Section 255-34 Attachment 1, Sched-ule 1. Variance for side yard setback. Theordinance requires each side to be at least12 feet. The Applicant is proposing 3 feeton the east side of the property.

3. Section 255-34 Attachment 1, Sched-ule 1. Variance for both side yard set-backs. The ordinance requires a com-bined side yard setback of 24 feet. TheApplicant is proposing 18 feet.

4. Section 255-34 Attachment 1, Sched-ule 1. Variance for maximum lot impervi-ous coverage. The ordinance limits imper-vious coverage to 75%. The Applicantproposed 84.9% impervious coverage.

5. Section 255-39.B (2) (g) D-5 variancefor density – Applicant is proposing toincrease the use to 4 units.

6. Section 255-39 B (22) (h). D-3 and/orD-5 variance for residential on first floorwhere the use does not meet the condi-tions and/or the use on the first floor is notdefined.

There are two pre-existing non-conform-ing conditions existing:

1. Section 255-34. Attachment 1, Sched-ule 1. The minimum lot area required is15,000 square feet. The property is 7,960

square feet.2. Section 255-34. Attachment 1, Sched-

ule 1. Minimum lot width. The required lotwidth is 100 feet. The property is 60 feetwide.

Applicant also requests the followingdesign waivers:

1. Section 255.26 G.3 (a). Waiver forparking setback from street right-of-way.The ordinance requires parking setbackequal to the building setback of 7.5 feet.The Applicant is proposing no parking set-back from the Cranford Terrace right-of-way.

2. Section 255-26 G.3 (a). Waiver forparking setback from the principal build-ing. The ordinance requires a 5 foot set-back. The Applicant proposes to have 4parking spaces under the second floor ofthe building.

3. Section 255-26 G.3 (a). Waiver forparking setback from a Residential Zoneboundary. The ordinance requires 25 feet.The Applicant proposed less.

4. Section 255-26 G. (8) (a). Waiver forparking lot landscaping. The ordinancerequires 10%. The Applicant proposes less.

5. Section 255-26 G. (a). Waiver forparking lot lighting.

6. Section 255-26 G. (11) (a). Waiver foroff street loading space.

7. Section 255-26 I. (1) & (2). Waiver forfaçade materials.

Applicant also requests any other vari-ances, waivers or relief that the Board mayrequire.

The Zoning Board will conduct a publichearing on this matter on Monday, April9, 2018 at 8:15 p.m., in Room 107 of theCranford Township Municipal Build-ing, 8 Springfield Avenue, Cranford,New Jersey 07016. Any person or per-sons affected by this application will havean opportunity to present any objections tothe proposed development. The Boarddoes, however, have the right to excluderepetitious testimony.

All documents relating to this applicationmay be inspected by the public Mondaythrough Friday between the hours of 8:30a.m. and 4:00 p.m. in the Zoning/Plan-ning Department, Cranford TownshipMunicipal Building, 8 Springfield Av-enue, Cranford, New Jersey 07016.

Gary S. Goodman, Esq.23 North Avenue East

Cranford, New Jersey 07016Attorney for: Emanuel Nimrud

1 T - 3/29/18, The Leader Fee: $95.88

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICENOTICE OF AWARD OF CONTRACTFOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES BY

THE BOROUGH OF FANWOODRESOLUTION 18-03-65

CONTRACTOR: CME Associates,3141 Bordentown Avenue, Parlin, NewJersey 08859

NATURE OF SERVICE: To providesurveying, permitting, design and bid docu-mentation for Forest Road Park

DURATION: Period ending February28, 2019

AMOUNT: Not to exceed $48,400.00A copy of this resolution and contract

relating to the services are on file andavailable for public inspection in the Mu-nicipal Clerk’s office.

Eleanor McGovernBorough Administrator/Clerk

1 T - 3/29/18, The Times Fee: $18.36

Legal AdvertisingMORE IN BACK SECTION

Commentary: School, County TaxesMaking New Jersey Less Affordable

With Governor Phil Murphyreleasing his budget calling for alarge increase in state funding,towns and school boards werehoping for big increases in stateaid to help soften the impact ontaxpayers. But a look at school aidshows that while increases arebetween 5 to 10 percent over lastyear, the bulk of school budgets –90 percent –will continue to befunded through local propertytaxes. The Governor also has keptaid to towns flat over 2017.

Westfield will see an increaseof $355,000 to $3,604,871 in itsschool aid, a hike of 10.9 percent;Cranford’s aid will rise $187,300for a total of $2,624,844, up 7.7percent; Scotch Plains-Fanwoodis to receive $3,527,217, an in-crease of $327,337, up 10.2 per-cent; Garwood is to receive$504,445, an increase over lastyear of $35,000 or 7.5 percent,and Mountainside is receiving$613,011, up $43,427 or 7.6 per-cent. By comparison, Elizabethwill get $390,553,502, an increaseof $17,238,687 or 4.6 percent,with Plainfield garnering$132,241,297, up $5,772,958 or4.6 percent.

Municipal aid numbers are asfollows: Westfield, $3,073,326;Scotch Plains, $2,227,587;Fanwood, $755,288; Cranford,$2,900,712; Garwood, $490,186,and Mountainside, $767,600.

According to the website http://www.njspotlight.com, “Over thepast eight years, while municipalaid has remained stable for nearlyevery town, inflation as measuredby the change in the Consumer

Price Index has risen by 15 per-cent.” For instance, Westfield re-ceived $4.6 million in 2007 whileCranford received $4 million andScotch Plains $3.2 million. Eventhe county seat, Elizabeth, hasseen aid decline from $35.9 mil-lion to $29.2 million during thattime period.

In our view, the aid picture mustbe addressed as well as the ratio ofpublic salaries versus those in theprivate sector if we are truly goingto get property taxes under con-trol in New Jersey. We also call onthe Governor and Legislature toreinstate the 2-percent cap on in-terest arbitration on police andfirefighter contracts.

In terms of county taxes, theUnion County Freeholders willintroduce their budget on Thurs-day, April 19. As we said last year,the county should use more of itssurplus to lower the tax impact intowns. The executive budget pro-posed $24 million to be used fromsurplus in the 2018 budget out oftotal surplus of $57.4 million.County taxes in that plan wouldgo up $8.7 million for a totalcounty tax levy of $363.5 million.

Something needs to change onschool and county taxes or NewJersey will continue to see resi-dents moving out due to the highcost of living.


Christopher Dean Band DueAt Westfield Library April 4WESTFIELD — The Christopher

Dean Band will play at the WestfieldMemorial Library on Wednesday,April 4, at 7 p.m. The library is lo-cated at 550 East Broad Street.

The Christopher Dean Band is aregional blues/soul band based out ofthe Central New Jersey area, workingup and down the East Coast year round.Christopher Dean fronts the group,playing guitar and singing lead vocals.

Mr. Dean, who was taught by hisolder brother and bass player, David,has been playing professionally forthe past eight years. Since he gradu-ated high school in 1992, he has stud-ied various styles of guitar rangingfrom Delta, Chicago and Texas bluesto jazz, folk, country, rhythm andblues and pop.

After he toured worldwide and re-corded two albums with Big JackJohnson and The Oilers, including“All The Way Back” in 1997 and“Roots Stew” in 2000, he recordedhis first solo release in 2000, “Doggedn’ Driven.” Taking his new band andshow on the road soon afterward, theband has continually toured the EastCoast for the past four years.

Well-known for its rhythm and

blues and blues style, the ChristopherDean Band will play a mix of familiarand unique songs. They will take theaudience through “Red Cadillac” and“Share Your Love with Me.”

This program is open to WestfieldMemorial Library and MURALcardholders. MURAL cardholdersbelong to the 43 libraries that are partof the Middlesex Union ReciprocalAgreement Libraries. Interested per-sons are asked to visit the WestfieldMemorial Library website, wmlnj.org,and click on the “About Us” tab to seeif their library is a MURAL partici-pant. To register for the ChristopherDean Band program, visit wmlnj.organd click on the Online Calendar, orcall (908) 789-4090, option 0.

Westfield Memorial Library hoursare 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Mondaythrough Thursday; 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.,Friday and Saturday, and 1 to 5 p.m.on Sunday.

For more information on libraryprograms and services, call (908) 789-4090, visit wmlnj.org and sign up forthe monthly e-newsletter, “LibraryLoop,” or stop into the library for acopy of its award-winning, quarterlynewsletter, “Take Note.”

RACE AND THE MILITARY...Michael Maziekien, director of the CranfordPublic Library, accepts the book “Blacks in the Army Air Force During WorldWar II,” donated by the Cranford DAR. Presenting the book to Mr. Maziekien areJudith Lannin Panagakos, left, chapter librarian and Cranford Library Boardmember, and Barbara Krause, chapter historian and former regent.

DAR Donates Book AboutRace Relations In WW II

CRANFORD — The Crane’sFord chapter of the Daughters ofthe American Revolution (DAR)recently donated a book entitled“Blacks in the Army Air ForcesDuring World War II: The Problemof Race Relations” to the CranfordPublic Library.

The book had been presented toCranford’s DAR chapter by fiveTuskegee Airmen who were guestsof the chapter at a past meeting.

The book, from the Office of AirForce History, United States AirForce, is based upon a Ph.D. disser-tation written by Major Alan M.Osur (retired), a former associateprofessor of history at the Air ForceAcademy.

John W. Huston, Major GeneralUSAF, Chief of Air Force History,1977, wrote in the book’s forward,“Major Osur’s account relates howthe leadership in the War Depart-ment and the U.S. Army Air Forces(USAAF) tried to deal with theproblem of race and the prejudiceswhich were reflected in the bulk ofAmerican society.”

The author describes many of thediscriminatory actions taken againstblack airmen, whose goal was equal-ity of treatment and opportunities asAmerican citizens. He describes therole of black pilots as they fought inthe Mediterranean Theater againstthe Axis powers. The author alsoexamines racial frictions within theArmy Air Forces that led to protestsin 1945. Despite these problems, theauthor concludes that the Army AirForces made substantial progress inrace relations and in opening up ca-reer opportunities for black airmen

in the post-1945 period.The book is part of the Special Stud-

ies unit of the U.S. Army Air HistorySeries. Cranford Public Library Di-rector Michael Maziekien acceptedthe book donation from Judith LanninPanagakos and Barbara Krause, rep-resenting the Crane’s Ford DAR.

Dr. Shukla and Her Team TeachGood Dental Health at Schools

In honor of National Children’sDental Health Month, Dr. ShrutiShukla along with her hygienist,Donna, and her dental assistants, Joyand Priscilla, recently visited Wash-ington and Franklin ElementarySchools in Westfield as well as TheCompass School House.

During their visits Dr. Shukla andher team shared a video, played den-tal-related games and taught the chil-

dren the importance of dental hygieneto their general health and well-being.The children enjoyed Dr. Shukla’s visitand they were very enthusiastic andreceptive to learning ways to preventearly childhood tooth decay, when toexpect changes from primary to per-manent teeth, plus proper brushingand flossing techniques. Thumb suck-ing, dental sealants and choosing theright mouth protector for children whoare active in sports also was a part ofthe discussion.

At Great Smiles General Dentistry,Dr. Shukla feels teeth are meant tolast a lifetime, and a healthy smile isimportant to a child and to all adults’self-esteem. Please visit Dr. Shukla’swebsite at greatsmilesdr.com. If youwould like to schedule an appoint-ment, please call her friendly staff at(908) 232-6132. New patients of allages are always welcome.

Paid Bulletin Boardgoleader.com/form/bulletin

Mountainside Library PostsVarious Events For April

MOUNTAINSIDE — TheMountainside Public Library hasannounced its program schedule forthe beginning to middle of April.

Tuesday Night Movies this monthwill include Battle of the Sexes(2017, PG-13) on April 3 and Hero(2017, R) on April 10, both begin-ning at 6:30 p.m. Due to the Friendsof the Mountainside Library BookSale, there will be no movies shownon April 17 and 24.

Brown Bag Academy: The GreatCourses series will continue onMondays, April 2, 9 and 30, at 1:15p.m., with “How to Listen To andUnderstand Great Music.” Narratedby Professor Robert Greenberg,Music Historian-in-Residence at theSan Francisco Performances, thiscourse teaches participants how toappreciate the beauty, genius andpower of concert music. Attendeesare invited to bring their lunch.Coffee, tea and cookies will beserved.

“Pipsqueak Players” will be fea-tured on Thursdays, April 5, 12 and26, at 3:45 p.m. Mountainside-basedPipsqueak Players is a youth lit-eracy enrichment program designed

to boost fluency, comprehension andconfidence by integrating theatri-cal concepts in a supportive and funworkshop-style environment. Eachweekly session will explore a dif-ferent picture book culminating in aperformance at the end of each class.Classes are designed for 5- to 7-year-olds and are open toMountainside residents only. Pre-registration is required.

“Come Read to Kalee” will takeplace on Friday, April 6, at 3:30p.m. Youngsters are invited tocuddle up and read to Kalee, aMountainside therapy dog, for fiveto 10 minutes. Participants are askedto bring two favorite books withthem to read when they come. Thisprogram is especially designed foremergent and beginning readers inkindergarten through grade 1. At-tendees must reserve a spot for thisprogram. Kalee will be at the li-brary monthly through June.

Additional programs will be an-nounced for later in the month. Toregister for library programs, stop intothe library or call (908) 233-0115. TheMountainside Public Library is lo-cated at 1 Constitution Plaza.

Scotch Plains Library SlatesRain Barrel Workshop

SCOTCH PLAINS — ChelseaMoxley, a New Jersey Department ofEnvironmental ProtectionAmeriCorps Watershed Ambassador,will lead a workshop Sunday, April22, at the Scotch Plains Public Li-brary on constructing a rain barrellike the ones outside the library. Rainbarrels capture water from a roof forlater use on lawns or gardens. Theworkshop will begin at 1:30 p.m.

While they work, participants willlearn about the environmental ben-efits of rain barrels and how they canbe used in one’s own yard.

This workshop will be led and as-sisted by representatives from theAmeriCorps New Jersey WatershedAmbassadors Program. All partici-pants will need to bring their ownsafety glasses and this specifieddiverter kit: EarthMinded DIY RainBarrel Diverter and Parts Kit-RBK-0001. Options for purchasing can befound online at Amazon and HomeDepot. The library will supply the 55-gallon, industrial-grade containers.Those who have an electric or bat-tery-operated drill are asked to bringthat as well.

Participants must have a down-spout at home in order to installthese barrels, and should be pre-pared to follow the written instruc-tions that come with the kit in orderto complete the installation at homeon their own. This includes drilling ahole in one’s downspout.

This workshop is limited to the first10 individuals or families; one barrel

Concert to SpotlightDuruflé and Fauré

PLAINFIELD — Crescent Concertswill present the Crescent Choral Soci-ety performing Duruflé’s “Requiem”and Fauré’s “Cantique de Jean Racine”on Saturday, April 14, at 4 p.m. Theconcert will be held at the CrescentAvenue Presbyterian Church.

Joining the Choral Society for thisspecial spring concert are the NewarkArts High School Advanced Chorusand the Newark Boys’ Chorus Tour-ing Choir. This collaborative concert,which also features the Crescent Con-certs Orchestra, will be conducted byArtistic Director Deborah SimpkinKing, Ph.D.

Tickets are $20 for general admis-sion, $15 for senior citizens and $5for students, and will be available atthe door. The church is located inPlainfield at Watchung Avenue andEast Seventh Street. Ample free se-cure parking is available. For moreinformation, call (908) 756-2468, visitcrescentconcerts.org or follow Cres-cent Concerts on Facebook.

Snyder Acad. ExhibitTo Celebrate FreedomAREA — The Snyder Academy of

Elizabethtown will present an art ex-hibition during April entitled “Ech-oes of Freedom: Artistic Voices ofElizabeth.” It will feature 13 artistswho give voice to the call for freedomby the Reverend James Caldwell, apatriot and Presbyterian minister dur-ing the Revolutionary War.

The public is invited to an exhibi-tion opening and sale at the SnyderAcademy on Friday, April 6, from 6 to9 p.m. This event will include a wineand cheese reception, with artistsspeaking about their work starting at 7p.m. Selected works will be availablefor sale. The Snyder Academy is lo-cated at 42 Broad Street, Elizabeth.

Artists represented in the exhibitionwill include Marcelo Dos Santos, JoaoPereira, Jose Carlos Miguel, KamilPolicht, Celia Feliciano, MichelleGreene, Daniel De La Fe, MarcoMuñoz Jaramillo, Ed D’Alessandro,Beth Barber, Ana Pineiro, WilliamHartz and Roger Gonzalez.

To attend the opening, interestedpersons are asked to RSVP to ElliotDee at [email protected] by Sun-day, April 1. After April 6, the exhibi-tion will be open for viewing by ap-pointment arranged through Mr. Dee.

per family will be provided.For more information or to regis-

ter, go to scotlib.org, [email protected], call (908) 322-5007, extension no. 204, or stop bythe library Reference Desk. TheScotch Plains Public Library is lo-cated at 1927 Bartle Avenue, oneblock from Park Avenue, in the centerof the township.

Rev. Jane McCready JoinsImagine Board of Trustees

Rev. Jane McCready

MOUNTAINSIDE — The Rever-end Jane McCready, pastor at theFaith Lutheran Church of New Provi-dence, recently joined the board oftrustees of Imagine, ACenter for Coping withLoss. Located inMountainside, Imagineis a free, year-round,peer grief support cen-ter serving all of UnionCounty and beyond.

A member of FaithLutheran Church since1996, ReverendMcCready has a Bach-elor of Arts degree fromIndiana University inBloomington, Ind., andreceived her Master ofDivinity from The Lutheran Theologi-cal Seminary at Philadelphia. Prior toattending the Seminary, she worked inNew York City for the 55th StreetDance Theater Foundation at CityCenter Theater and as a legal assistantfor 16 years.

Reverend McCready was intro-duced to Imagine in 2013 when sheattended an Imagine Annual Break-fast. When her brother died suddenlywhen she was 11, there were no griefsupport organizations that existedwhich could have helped her. She feltinstantly connected to the mission ofImagine and it has been an importantpart of her ministry.

Faith Lutheran has hosted multipleeducation and support programs ledby Imagine, and is recognized as aGood Mourning site. Through herministry Reverend McCready has re-ferred families to Imagine and mem-bers of her congregation serve as vol-unteers.

Reverend McCready currentlychairs the Family Promise UnionCounty Community Board; the NewProvidence-Berkeley Heights Inter-faith Clergy Group, and First Con-tact, and serves as coordinator of theNew Providence-Berkeley HeightsCommunity Emergency Group.

She and her husband, Gary, lived in

Westfield for 20 years, where theyraised their family, and currently re-side in New Providence. ReverendMcCready has been an active commu-

nity volunteer and hasbeen recognized for herleadership. In additionto spending time withher husband and threechildren, she enjoystraveling, New YorkCity, the theater, muse-ums, music and sports.

Imagine serves chil-dren, young adults andparents/guardians whohave had a parent, sib-ling or child die. Sup-port groups forcaregivers of a person

living with a life-altering physicalillness also are available. To learnmore about Imagine, visitimaginenj.org or call (908) 264-3100.

ADS PLACED IN

THE LEADER/TIMES

BRING RESULTS

Local Service Clubs MakeDonations to Tiny Tim FundFANWOOD/SCOTCH PLAINS

— The Fanwood-Scotch Plains TinyTim Fund recently received checksfrom the Fanwood Community Foun-dation and the Rotary Club ofFanwood-Scotch Plains in the amountof $1,000 each.

The Tiny Tim Fund is a non-profitcorporation organized and operatedexclusively for the charitable pur-pose of providing financial assistancefor medical needs to local familiesand has been doing so since 1983.

Volunteers solicit donations dur-

ing the annual Tiny Tim Fund CarolNight. Donations from private citi-zens, civic and service clubs such asthe Fanwood Community Founda-tion and The Fanwood-Scotch PlainsRotary Club make it possible for theTiny Tim Fund to continue its mis-sion of assisting children of localfamilies.

For further information, to requesta referral application or to make adonation, send correspondence to:The Tiny Tim Fund, P.O. Box 181,Fanwood, N.J. 07023.

SUPPORT FOR TINY TIM...Two local service organizations recently showedtheir support for the Tiny Tim Fund with presentations of checks for $1,000 each.In top photo, Rotary Club of Fanwood-Scotch Plains President Steve Goldbergpresents the club’s check to Flavia Blechinger, Tiny Tim Fund trustee. Alsopictured, from left to right, are: Bernadette Hoyer, Tiny Tim Fund trustee; WayneZuhl, Fanwood-Scotch Plains Rotary Club secretary, and Jerome McDevitt, TinyTim Fund trustee. In the bottom photo, Peter Chemidlin, Fanwood CommunityFoundation president, far left, and Neil Schembre, treasurer, far right, present theFoundation’s check to Tiny Tim Fund trustees, from left to right, Barbara Anilo,Mari McDevitt and Carol Kiley.

Tech Help AvailableTo Older Adults

WESTFIELD — A free “Technol-ogy Workshop for Older Adults” willbe offered by teen volunteers from theWAYVE (Westfield Area Youth Vol-unteer Experience) Program and theWestfield High School Key Club onWednesday, April 18, from 3:30 to 5p.m. This activity will take place at theLavy House, located at 748 East BroadStreet, Westfield.

The WAYVE Program is made pos-sible through a grant from the WestfieldFoundation and is coordinated by Jew-ish Family Service of Central NewJersey (JFSCNJ), a non-profit, non-sectarian health and social serviceagency serving all residents of UnionCounty.

The Senior Resource Center at theLavy House is a joint venture betweenJewish Family Service of Central NewJersey, Temple Emanu-El of Westfieldand the Westfield United Fund.

For reservations for the technologyworkshop, [email protected] or call JillDispenza at (908) 352-8375.

Teens are encouraged to visit theWAYVE Facebook and Instagrampage and search the hashtag#ridethewayve to learn more aboutvolunteer opportunities in the program.

PUBLIC NOTICEBOROUGH OF GARWOOD

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that thefollowing proposed ordinance was intro-duced and passed on first reading at ameeting of the Borough Council of theBorough of Garwood, in the County ofUnion, State of New Jersey, held on the27th day of March, 2018, and that saidordinance will be taken up for further con-sideration for final passage at the meetingof said Borough Council to be held at itsmeeting room in the Municipal Building,403 South Avenue, Garwood, New Jer-sey, on the 10th day of April, 2018, at 7:15P.M., or as soon thereafter as said mattercan be reached, at which time and place allpersons who may be interested therein willbe given an opportunity to be heard con-cerning the same.

A copy of this ordinance has been postedon the Bulletin Board upon which publicnotices are customarily posted in the Mu-nicipal Building of the Borough, and a copyis available up to and including the time ofsuch meeting to the members of the gen-eral public of the Borough who shall re-quest such copies, at the office of the Clerkin said Municipal Building in Garwood,New Jersey.

Christina M Ariemma, RMCMunicipal Clerk

Borough of GarwoodCounty of Union

State of New Jersey

ORDINANCE NO. 18-06

ORDINANCE OF THE BOR-OUGH OF GARWOOD, IN THECOUNTY OF UNION, NEWJERSEY AUTHORIZING ASPECIAL EMERGENCY AP-PROPRIATION IN THEAMOUNT OF $140,000 FORTHE PREPARATION OF ANAPPROVED TAX MAP AND APROGRAM OF REVALUA-TION OF REAL PROPERTY

IN, BY AND FOR THE BOR-OUGH.

BE IT ORDAINED by the Borough Coun-cil of the Borough of Garwood, in the Countyof Union, New Jersey, as follows:

Section 1. Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:4-53, the sum of $140,000 is hereby appro-priated for the preparation of an approvedtax map and the preparation and execu-tion of a program of revaluation of realproperty and shall be deemed a specialemergency appropriation as defined andprovided for in N.J.S.A. 40A:4-53 and40A:4-55.

Section 2. The amount to finance theappropriation shall be provided for in suc-ceeding annual budgets by the inclusion ofat least 1/5 of the amount authorized, pur-suant to N.J.S.A. 40A:4-55.

Section 3. A certified copy of this ordi-nance shall be filed with the Director of theDivision of Local Government Services.

Section 4. This ordinance shall takeeffect at the time and in the manner pro-vided by law.

NOTICE

Notice is hereby given that OrdinanceNo. 18-06, was introduced and passed onfirst reading at a meeting of the BoroughCouncil of the Borough of Garwood, in theCounty of Union, State of New Jersey, heldon the 27th DAY OF MARCH 2018, andthat Ordinance No. 18-06, will be taken upfor further consideration for final passageat the meeting of said Borough Council tobe held at its meeting room in the Munici-pal Building, 403 South Avenue, Garwood,New Jersey, on the 10th DAY OF APRIL2018, at 7:15 p.m., or as soon thereafter assaid matter can be heard, at which timeand place all persons who may be inter-ested therein will be given an opportunityto be heard concerning the same.

ATTEST:Christina Ariemma

Municipal Clerk1 T - 3/29/18, The Leader Fee: $78.54

PUBLIC NOTICE


PLANNING BOARD

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that thePlanning Board of the Township of ScotchPlains will hold a public hearing on April 9,2018, at 7:30 p.m., at the Municipal Build-ing, 430 Park Avenue, First Floor CouncilChambers to consider the application ofAscot Partners, LLC for Major Subdivisionapproval for property located at 2216 and2222 Westfield Avenue, Block 3201, Lots13 and 14, R-3A Zone, to consolidate theexisting lots, and demolish all of the exist-ing structures on those two lots to create 7new lots with a new road proposed. Ascurrently filed the application is conform-ing to the Township’s standards for devel-opment of single family residential homesin the R-3A Zone. However, the Applicantis also requesting that should any vari-ances be deemed to be necessary at thetime of the hearing, including any waivers,exceptions, interpretations and other reliefnecessary to allow the Applicant’s pro-posed use of the property, such relief willbe considered at the time for the hearing.

The application, plans and related pa-pers are on file in the Office of the PlanningBoard and are available for inspectionduring regular office hours (Mondaythrough Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.). Allinterested persons may be present and beheard at said hearing in accordance withthe rules of the Planning Board.

Shannon RapantSecretary to the Planning Board

1 T - 3/29/18, The Times Fee: $31.62

PUBLIC NOTICETOWNSHIP OF CRANFORD

PLANNING BOARD

TAKE NOTICE that due to a State ofEmergency on March 21, 2018, the appli-cation for Birchwood Developers, LLC hasbeen rescheduled to be heard at the nextregularly scheduled meeting of the Plan-ning Board on Wednesday, April 4, 2018 at8:00 P.M.

Donna PeddeSecretary

1 T - 3/29/18, The Leader Fee: $11.73

Legal AdvertisingMORE IN BACK SECTION


Harvey Wang, Episcopal Relief & DevelopmentLIFE-SUSTAINING WATER...The Trinity Episcopal Church of Cranford israising funds through Easter Sunday to benefit the Episcopal Relief & Develop-ment “Clean Water” program. The program supports projects that provide cleanwater to people like these children pictured at a well in Ghana.

First Presbyterian InvitesCommunity For Holy WeekCRANFORD — The First Pres-

byterian Church of Cranford, locatedat 11 Springfield Avenue, welcomesthe community to observe Holy Weekleading up to the celebration of Eas-ter. Holy Week began with PalmSunday worship last Sunday. FirstPresbyterian’s Easter worship cal-endar will include traditional andunique worship experiences.

Maundy Thursday will be ob-served today, March 29, at 6:30 p.m.,in the Thomson Youth Center. At-tendees are asked to enter throughthe church office door on Spring-field Avenue. This worship servicewill commemorate Jesus’ last sup-per with His disciples through dra-matic readings that incorporate re-flections on the traditional PassoverSeder.

An Easter “Son Rise” service willbe held on Sunday, April 1, at 8 a.m.,in the Narthex. Weather permitting,worship will take place outside. Par-ticipants are invited to celebrateChrist’s resurrection during an “un-plugged” acoustic version of Easterworship.

A traditional Easter service willbe offered at 10 a.m. on April 1 in themain sanctuary. Full choirs, musicand flowers symbolizing rebirth willenrich the celebration of Christ’s res-urrection. Attendees will singHandel’s “Hallelujah” Chorus andorganist Robert Grube will playWidor’s “Toccata.”

The community also is invited toAn Easter Cantata — “Hallelujah!Christ Arose!” on Sunday, April 15,at 10 a.m., in the main sanctuary. TheChancel Choir, under the directionof Alison Nead and accompanied byRobert Grube on piano and KathleenDaly on violin, will continue the

Easter celebration singing “Hallelu-jah! Christ Arose!”, created and ar-ranged by Luke Woodard.

For more information, visit thechurch website,firstprescranford.org. Individualsalso are invited to like the church onFacebook at facebook.com/firstprescranford/ and to follow thechurch on Twitter at http://twitter.com/fpcc.

As the body of Christ inspired bythe Holy Spirit, First PresbyterianChurch congregants seek to be faith-ful disciples living their lives as atestimony of Christ’s love for all.The church welcomes diversity andrespects and cares for all of God’screation. Members seek to spreadthe word and invite others to liveJesus’ command to love one anotheras the Lord first loved them.

FAMILY OF FAITH...Third grader Sophie Buchbinder displays her prayer bookwith her father, Seth Buchbinder, and her grandmother, Gail Beckman Buchbinder,education director at Congregation Beth Israel in Scotch Plains.

Local Synagogue StudentsReceive Prayer Books

SCOTCH PLAINS — Thirdgraders in the religious school atCongregation Beth Israel receivedtheir own prayer books (siddurim)at a ceremony for their families onMarch 11. The families participatedin a short program, with the stu-dents leading some of the prayersthey had learned and explainingthe meaning of their Hebrew names.

Rabbi Howard Tilman led the par-ents in reciting a blessing over the

children, and parents and grandpar-ents presented the prayer books to thestudents in celebration of their learn-ing to read Hebrew. The parents andgrandparents had created personal-ized covers for their children’s prayerbooks in January as part of a FamilyEducation program.

Congregation Beth Israel’saward-winning religious school of-fers classes from pre-school through11th grade, as well as special-needsinstruction. Third graders meet onSunday and Wednesday for instruc-tion in Hebrew language, Torahstudy, holidays and Mitzvot (doinggood deeds). Congregation BethIsrael’s religious school also offersstudent-led prayer services, grade-specific Family Education programsand online learning opportunities.

Congregation Beth Israel is anegalitarian Conservative synagogue,serving the religious, cultural, educa-tional and social needs of congregantsfrom Scotch Plains, Fanwood,Westfield and surrounding towns.

For more information about the re-ligious school, contact Gail BeckmanBuchbinder, education director, at(908) 889-1830 or [email protected].

Congregation Beth Israel is locatedat 18 Shalom Way, Scotch Plains, atthe corner of Martine Avenue.

Moving MeditationTo Resume at FCC

WESTFIELD — Moving Medita-tion classes will resume this springon Monday evenings from April 2through May 28, from 6:30 to 7:15p.m., at the First CongregationalChurch, located at 125 Elmer Street,Westfield. A suggested donation of$15 to $20 will benefit the summermission trip for the church’s middle-and senior-high youth.

Moving Meditation is a simple,graceful movement based on ancientAsian Qigong wellness systems. Ben-efits include stress reduction, flexibil-ity and enhanced wellness. The prac-tice is performed standing up and ordi-nary street clothing is appropriate.

The classes are led by LauraBerzofsky, a certified Integral Tai Chiand Qigong instructor with the Inter-national Integral Qigong and Tai ChiInstitute at Santa Barbara College ofOriental Medicine and a member ofthe National Qigong Association.

For more information or to register,call Ms. Berzofsky at (908) 232-0169.Drop-in students also are welcome.

Rev. Belden AdvocatesReturn to Worship

MOUNTAINSIDE — The Rever-end Christopher Belden, pastor of theCommunity Presbyterian Church,encourages people of all faiths whomay not have been to their house ofworship recently to consider attend-ing this week.

“It doesn’t matter what your reli-gion might be, the sanctuary of yourchurch or temple is a special placeand you will find comfort there,”Reverend Belden said. “God wel-comes everyone. Share his open armsthis weekend.”

The Community PresbyterianChurch is located at 1459 Deer Path,Mountainside. Sunday worship ser-vices begin at 10:30 a.m. For moreinformation, visitcpcmountainside.com.

MLK Association to Hold50th Anniversary Vigil

WESTFIELD — The Dr. MartinLuther King, Jr. Association ofWestfield invites the community toparticipate in a vigil on Wednesday,April 4, commemorating the 50thanniversary of the assassination ofDr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Participants will gather at the Mar-tin Luther King monument, locatedadjacent to the South Avenue Circlein Westfield, at 6:30 p.m. The half-hour vigil will be held in remem-brance of Dr. King and other martyrsof the civil rights movement whowent before him, with attendees en-couraged to reflect on the work andlives of those who made the ultimatesacrifice for the movement.

“The Dr. MLK Association hasserved our local community for over

30 years, promoting the principlesand ideals of Dr. King,” said Eliza-beth Wolf, the association’s new presi-dent. “It is our hope that we willcontinue to do this for many yearsinto the future.”

The MLK Association is onFacebook @MLKWestfieldNJ andcan be contacted [email protected].

Youth to Present‘Living Stations’

SPRINGFIELD — The YouthGroup of St. James the Apostle Ro-man Catholic Church, located at 45South Springfield Avenue, Spring-field, will pray the Living Stations ofthe Cross at 7 p.m. tomorrow, GoodFriday, March 30, in the church.

Dressed as those Jesus encounteredand interacted with on the way to hiscrucifixion, youth group members willaccurately portray what occurred ateach Station. There will be musicalaccompaniment as well.

The St. James Youth Group is un-der the direction of Ann MarieGesualdo, youth minister. All arewelcome to this presentation. Formore information, call St. JamesChurch at (973) 376-3044.

Adoption ConferenceOn Tap For May 5

AREA — A statewide adoptionconference will be held on Saturday,May 5, at the Rutgers University cam-pus in Piscataway. This event is de-signed for pre- and post-adoptiveparents, foster parents, adult adopteesand social workers. Full conferenceinformation and online registration isavailable at cpfanj.org.

Floraphile Club PlansBenefit Garage Sale

CRANFORD — The FloraphileGarden Club will host a garage salefundraiser on Saturday, April 28, from9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at 469 BrooksideCourt, Cranford.

The sale will feature an array ofhousehold goods, plants, clothes, toys,books and other merchandise. Pro-ceeds from this fundraiser will sup-port the Floraphile Garden Club andits involvement in numerous commu-nity service projects, beautificationprograms, charitable donations andhorticultural therapy.

Founded in 1950, Floraphile hasbeen an active and integral part of theCranford community for more than65 years. Members participate in vari-ous workshops, presentations, chari-table projects and garden tours.

To learn more about the FloraphileGarden Club, like the club onFacebook at facebook.com/floraphilegardenclub.

Calvary Lutheran Church

invites you to worship

this Easter

Good Friday Tenebrae Service March 30 @ 7:30pm

Children's Service @ 8:30am

Festival Worship @ 9:30am

Easter Sunday April 1

followed by an Easter Egg hunt

w/special choral and instrumental music

Calvary Lutheran Church 108 Eastman Street, Cranford NJ

www.calvarycranford.com Everyone’s Welcome – Especially You!

Celebrate Easter at First Congregational Church

Member of the United Church of Christ

Maundy Thursday

Good Friday

Easter Sunday

Westfield PediatricDental Group

Dentistry for Infants, ChildrenAdolescents, and Special Needs

555 Westfield Avenue, Westfieldwww.kidsandsmiles.com

908-232-1231

Julie Jong, D.M.D.Board Certified

Timothy P. McCabe, D.M.D.Board Certified

Kelly Walk, D.D.S.Board Certified

John Chang, D.D.S.Board Certified

• New Patients Welcome• Laser Dentistry• In Office General Anesthesia

Spring Assembly to FeatureSinger/Raconteur April 12

Trinity Collecting Funds ToAid Clean Water Program

CRANFORD — The Trinity Epis-copal Church, located at 119 ForestAvenue, Cranford, is collectingmoney for the Episcopal Relief &Development “Clean Water” pro-gram through Sunday, April 1.

“Every 15 seconds a child diesfrom a water-related disease some-where in the world,” said MarionNechuta, Trinity’s Outreach Com-mittee chairwoman. “The ERD CleanWater program constructs wells, wa-ter systems, and stations that bothreduce the spread of disease whilepromoting overall community health,well-being and economic viability.”

Donations, made payable to “Epis-copal Relief and Development,” canbe mailed to Trinity Church ordropped off at the church on Sundaymorning. For more information, call(908) 276-4047.

Episcopal Relief & Development,started in 1940, is the compassionateresponse of the Episcopal Church to

human suffering in the world. Hear-ing God’s call to seek and serve Christin all persons and to respect the dig-nity of every human being, EpiscopalRelief & Development serves to bringtogether the generosity of Episcopa-lians and others with the needs of theworld. For more information aboutEpiscopal Relief & Development,visit episcopalrelief.org/.

Trinity Episcopal Church, foundedin 1872, is a faith-based family churchthat welcomes all people and strivesto “know Christ and to make the Lordknown through faith, fellowship, andservice.” Sunday services, celebratedby the Reverend Andy Kruger,Trinity’s Priest-in-Charge, are at 8a.m. and 10 a.m. For more informa-tion about Trinity, call (908) 276-4047 or visit trinitycranford.org/.

Trinity also provides Trinity Epis-copal Day School (TEDS), a state-licensed facility serving childrenfrom age 2½ through Kindergarten.Further information about TEDS isavailable by calling (908) 276-2881or at tedscranford.org.

WESTFIELD — The Spring As-sembly, an annual gathering of thehistorical groups of Westfield, will beheld on Thursday, April 12, begin-ning at 7:30 p.m. It will take place inthe meeting hall of The PresbyterianChurch in Westfield.

Open to the public at no charge,the Spring Assembly is presentedeach year by the church, the Genea-logical Society of the West Fields,the Daughters of the AmericanRevolution, the Sons of the Ameri-can Revolution, the Miller-CoryHouse Museum and the WestfieldHistorical Society.

This year’s program will include amulti-faceted performance by singer/songwriter, storyteller and radio hostGordon Thomas Ward. Mr. Ward willimmerse the audience in tales, songs,poetry and ghost stories concerningthe history of New Jersey. Attendeeswill have an opportunity to reconnectwith the Lenape who roamed the for-ests of New Jersey before the discov-

ery of America; hear the harrowingbut brave story of the encampment atJockey Hollow, and follow the devel-opment of this crossroads statethrough farming and industry to thepresent day.

Based on his book, “A Bit of Earth,”Mr. Ward will celebrate the layers ofhistory in the landscapes where “thepast is very much alive and entwinedwith the present.”

Mr. Ward employs his experienceas a teacher, writer, storyteller andradio host to inspire his audience. Hissongs have led him to work withnotable musicians such as Eric Troyer,William J. Hall (Frostwater and PeteSeeger) and Carolann Solebello. Hehas shared a stage with Natalie Mer-chant and Christine Lavin as well asopening for The Boxcar Lilies – oneof his favorite Americana bands.

The Presbyterian Church inWestfield is located at 140 MountainAvenue, Westfield. Light refresh-ments will follow the performance.

Wednesday Morning ClubLists April Program Guests

CRANFORD — The WednesdayMorning Club will hold its businessmeeting on Wednesday, April 4, at10 a.m. Club President Sue Driscollwill introduce Colleen Hintz. Ms.Hintz will present a program entitled“The Secret Quilt Code of the Un-derground Railroad.” Attendees willlearn about the sewing of quilt blocksto create visual messages that wereinterpreted by slaves looking to gaintheir freedom in Canada via the Un-derground Railroad. The meeting willtake place at the Cranford Commu-nity Center, located at 220 WalnutAvenue. All are welcome.

On Tuesday, April 10, the club’sPublic Affairs Department willmeet at the home of Sue Driscoll toplan for next year. The meetingwill begin at 12:30 p.m. Interestedpersons are asked to bring a sand-wich and to call Ms. Driscoll ifthey plan to attend.

The American Arts and Crafts De-partment will meet on Tuesday, April17, at 10 a.m., in the Cranford Com-munity Center to plan their projectsfor next year. If planning to attend,call Joan Davis.

The club will gather on Wednes-day, April 18, for a luncheon atGiovanna’s Restaurant featuringwriter, singer-songwriter and actorVal Emmich. Giovanna’s Restaurantis located at 1462 South Avenue,Plainfield. The luncheon begins at12:30 p.m. and the cost is $21. Tomake a reservation, call Jane Reilly.

Mr. Emmich is known for his workas an actor on HBO’s “Vinyl,” NBC’s“30 Rock,” Showtime’s “The Big C”and ABC’s “Ugly Betty.” He alsohas written a very well-received firstnovel entitled “The Reminders.” TheHuffington Post said of his novel,“Emmich performs a bit of magic inhis warm and winning debut novel.”

On Monday, April 23, the Litera-ture Department will meet at thehome of Dot Conheeney at 12:30p.m. to select the books the groupwill read next year. Participants areasked to bring a sandwich and callDot if they plan to attend.

For more information about TheWednesday Morning Club, callVice-President Carol Moran at(908) 233-5635 or e-mail her [email protected].

AARP to Hear TalkOn Solar Energy

SCOTCH PLAINS — TheWestfield Area AARP Chapter 4137will hold its next meeting on Mon-day, April 2. The meeting will takeplace at the Scotch Hills CountryClub, located at Jerusalem Road andPlainfield Avenue, Scotch Plains.

Guest speaker Sarah Weber willdiscuss “The Truth About Solar En-ergy” and will receive questions af-terwards. Refreshments and fellow-ship will follow the business meeting.

Reservations will be taken forthe chapter’s Monday, June 4 lun-cheon. For luncheon questions, callChris Weiss at (908) 322-6198. Foradditional questions, call IlseHeinemeyer at (908) 322-1788.


PUBLIC NOTICETOWN OF WESTFIELD

WESTFIELD, NEW JERSEY

GENERAL ORDINANCE NO. 2103

AN ORDINANCE TO AMENDCHAPTER 6 (ANIMALS ANDFOUL) OF THE REVISEDGENERAL ORDINANCES OFTHE TOWN OF WESTFIELDTO ENACT A NEW SECTION,ARTICLE IV, TO DEFINE CER-TAIN TERMS AND TO PRO-HIBIT THE SALE OF DOGSOR CATS FROM “PUPPYMILLS.”

WHEREAS, a significant number of pup-pies and kittens sold at pet shops comefrom large-scale, commercial breedingfacilities where the health and welfare ofthe animals are not adequately providedfor (“puppy mills” and “kitten mills,” respec-tively). According to The Humane Societyof the United States, it is estimated that10,000 puppy mills produce more than2,400,000 puppies a year in the UnitedStates and that most pet shop dogs andcats come from puppy mills and kittenmills.

WHEREAS, the documented abusesendemic to puppy and kitten mills includeover-breeding; inbreeding; minimal to non-existent veterinary care; lack of adequateand nutritious food, water and shelter; lackof socialization; lack of adequate space;and lack of adequate exercise.

WHEREAS, the inhumane conditions inpuppy and kitten mill facilities lead to healthand behavioral issues in the animals bredin those facilities, which many consumersare unaware of when purchasing animalsfrom pet shops. These health and behav-ioral issues, which may not present them-selves until sometime after the purchaseof the animals, can impose financial andemotional costs on consumers.

WHEREAS, restricting the retail sale ofpuppies and kittens to only those that aresourced from shelters or rescue organiza-tions is likely to decrease the demand forpuppies and kittens bred in puppy andkitten mills, and is likely to increase de-mand for animals from animal shelters andrescue organizations.

WHEREAS, according to the New Jer-sey Department of Health Animal Intakeand Disposition Survey, thousands of dogsand cats are euthanized in New Jerseyanimal shelters annually. Restricting theretail sale of puppies and kittens to onlythose that are sourced from animal shel-ters and rescue organizations will likelyreduce pet overpopulation and thus theburden on such agencies and financial

costs on local taxpayers.WHEREAS, this Ordinance will not af-

fect a consumer’s ability to obtain a dog orcat of his or her choice directly from abreed-specific rescue organization or shel-ter, or from a hobby breeder where theconsumer can see directly the conditionsin which the dogs and cats are bred or canconfer directly with the hobby breeder con-cerning those conditions; and

WHEREAS, this governing body be-lieves it is in the best interests of the Townto adopt reasonable regulations to reducecosts to the Town of Westfield and itsresidents, protect the citizens of the mu-nicipality who may purchase cats or dogsfrom a pet shop or other business estab-lishment, help prevent inhumane breedingconditions, promote community awarenessof animal welfare and foster a more hu-mane environment in the Town of Westfield.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINEDby the Mayor and Town Council of theTown of Westfield:

A new Section, Article VI, is added to theRevised General Ordinances of the Townof Westfield, as follows:

Article VI. Restrictions on Sales ofCats and Dogs by Pet Shops.

Section 6-13. Definitions:For the purposes of this Article, the fol-

lowing words and phrases shall have themeanings respectively ascribed to themby this section:

Animal care facility means an animalcontrol center or animal shelter, main-tained by or under contract with any state,county or municipality, whose mission andpractice is, in whole, or significant part, therescue and placement of animals in per-manent homes or rescue organizations.

Animal rescue organization meansany not-for-profit organization which hastax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3)of the United States Internal RevenueCode, whose mission and practice is, inwhole or in significant part, the rescue andplacement of animals in permanent homes.

Cat means a member of a species ofdomestic cat, Felis catus.

Dog means a member of a species ofdomestic dog, Canis familiaris.

Offer for sale means to sell, offer forsale or adoption, advertise for the sale of,barter, auction, give away or otherwisedispose of a dog or cat.

Pet shop means a retail establishmentwhere dogs and cats are sold, exchanged,bartered or offered for sale as pet animalsto the general public at retail. Such defini-tion shall not include an animal care facilityor animal rescue organization, as defined.

Section 6-14. Restrictions on theSale of Animals.

(a) A pet shop may offer for sale onlythose dogs and cats that the pet shop hasobtained from or displays in cooperationwith:

(1) An animal care facility; or(2) An animal rescue organization.(b) Nothing in this section shall prohibit

pet shops from collaborating with animalcare facilities or animal rescue organiza-tions to offer space for such entities toshowcase adoptable dogs and cats.

Section 6-15. Record Keeping andDisclosure.

A pet shop shall maintain records statingthe name and address of the animal carefacility or animal rescue organization thateach cat or dog was obtained from for atleast two years following the date of acqui-sition. Such records shall be made avail-able, immediately upon request, to theTown’s police and submitted annually, andno later than May of each year, to the Townof Westfield. Each pet shop shall displayon each cage a label stating the name andaddress of the animal care facility or ani-mal rescue organization of each animalkept in the cage.

Section 6-16. Severability.Section 6-16. Severability.If any section, subsection, paragraph,

sentence, clause or phrase of this Ordi-nance shall be declared invalid for anyreason whatsoever, such decision shallnot affect the remaining portions of thisOrdinance, which shall continue in full forceand effect, and to this end, the provisionsof this Ordinance are hereby declared tobe severable.

Section 6-17. Effective Date.This ordinance shall take effect upon

final passage and publication in accor-dance with law.

NOTICE

The foregoing ordinance was introducedat a Regular Meeting of the Town Councilof the Town of Westfield held on March 27,2018 and was read for the first time. Thisordinance will be further considered forfinal passage by said Town Council at theWestfield Municipal Building, CouncilChambers, 425 East Broad Street,Westfield, New Jersey 07090 at a meetingbeginning at 8:00 PM on April 10, 2018 orat any time and place to which such meet-ing may be adjourned. All persons inter-ested will be given the opportunity to beheard concerning such ordinance. Copiesof this ordinance are available at the Officeof the Town Clerk, Westfield MunicipalBuilding, 425 East Broad Street, Westfield,New Jersey 07090.

Tara Rowley, RMCTown Clerk

1 T - 3/29/18, The Leader Fee: $156.57

PUBLIC NOTICE PUBLIC NOTICE


WESTFIELD, NEW JERSEY

GENERAL ORDINANCE NO. 2102

CALENDAR YEAR 2018MODEL ORDINANCE TO EXCEEDTHE MUNICIPAL BUDGET APPRO-PRIATION LIMITS AND TO ESTAB-

LISH A CAP BANK (N.J.S.A. 40A: 4-45.14)

WHEREAS, the Local Government CapLaw, N.J.S. 40A: 4-45.1 et seq., providesthat in the preparation of its annual budget,a municipality shall limit any increase insaid budget up to 2.5% unless authorizedby ordinance to increase it to 3.5% over theprevious year’s final appropriations, sub-ject to certain exceptions; and,

WHEREAS, N.J.S.A. 40A: 4-45.15a pro-vides that a municipality may, when autho-rized by ordinance, appropriate the differ-ence between the amount of its actual finalappropriation and the 3.5% percentagerate as an exception to its final appropria-tions in either of the next two succeedingyears; and,

WHEREAS, the Town Council of theTown of Westfield in the County of Unionfinds it advisable and necessary to in-crease its CY 2018 budget by up to 3.5%over the previous year’s final appropria-tions, in the interest of promoting the health,safety and welfare of the citizens; and,

WHEREAS, the Town Council herebydetermines that a 3.5% increase in thebudget for said year, amounting to$321,556 in excess of the increase in finalappropriations otherwise permitted by theLocal Government Cap Law, is advisableand necessary; and,

WHEREAS, the Town Council herebydetermines that any amount authorizedhereinabove that is not appropriated aspart of the final budget shall be retained asan exception to final appropriation in eitherof the next two succeeding years.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT ORDAINED,that any amount authorized hereinabovethat is not appropriated as part of the finalbudget shall be retained as an exception tofinal appropriation in either of the next twosucceeding years; and,

BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED, that acertified copy of this ordinance as intro-duced be filed with the Director of theDivision of Local Government Serviceswithin 5 days of introduction; and,

BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED, that acertified copy of this ordinance upon adop-tion, with the recorded vote includedthereon, be filed with said Director within 5days after such adoption.

NOTICE

The foregoing ordinance was introducedat a Regular Meeting of the Town Councilof the Town of Westfield held on March 27,2018 and was read for the first time. Thisordinance will be further considered forfinal passage by said Town Council at theWestfield Municipal Building, CouncilChambers, 425 East Broad Street,Westfield, New Jersey 07090 at a meetingbeginning at 8:00 PM on April 10, 2018 orat any time and place to which such meet-ing may be adjourned. All persons inter-ested will be given the opportunity to beheard concerning such ordinance. Copiesof this ordinance are available at the Officeof the Town Clerk, Westfield MunicipalBuilding, 425 East Broad Street, Westfield,New Jersey 07090.

Tara Rowley, RMCTown Clerk

1 T - 3/29/18, The Leader Fee: $69.87


ORDINANCE NO. 18-04

AN ORDINANCE TO PROVIDEFOR A REVISED RATESCHEDULE FOR 2018 PUR-SUANT TO §134-16 (RATESCHEDULE) IN ARTICLE V(INDUSTRIAL WASTE &FEES) IN CHAPTER 134(SEWERS) OF THE CODE OFTHE BOROUGH OFGARWOOD, FOR THE INDUS-TRIAL USER CHARGE PRO-VIDED FOR IN §134-15.

WHEREAS, §134-15 of the Code of theBorough of Garwood provides for an in-dustrial user charge; and

WHEREAS, §134-16 of the Code of theBorough of Garwood, provides for the adop-tion by ordinance of the Mayor and Councilof the rate schedule for said industrial usercharge;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINEDby the Mayor and Council of the Boroughof Garwood as follows:

SECTION 1. The rate schedule for theindustrial user charge established under§134-16 of the Code of the Borough ofGarwood, for the year 2018 and until suchtime as the new rate schedule shall beadopted by ordinance shall be as follows:

FLOW:Per Million Gallons $3,768.50SECTION 2. All ordinances or parts of

ordinances inconsistent herewith arehereby repealed to the extent of suchinconsistency.

SECTION 3. If any portion of this ordi-nance shall be determined to be invalid,such determination shall not affect thevalidity of the remaining portions of saidordinance.

SECTION 4. This ordinance shall takeeffect upon final passage and publicationin accordance with law.

NOTICE





BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT

The Board of Adjustment of the Townof Westfield, New Jersey will meet onApril 9, 2018, in the Council Chambers atthe Municipal Building, 425 East BroadStreet, Westfield, New Jersey at 7:30 p.m.to hear and consider the following appealsfor bulk (c) and/or (d) variance relief fromrequirements of the Westfield Land UseOrdinance.

Thomas & Emily Reichart, 420 Colo-nial Avenue. Applicants are seeking ap-proval to construct a 1st floor addition &2nd floor addition contrary to Sections12.04F1, 12.04F2, and 11.08E13 of theLand Use Ordinance. Ordinance allows amaximum building coverage of 20%. Pro-posed is 21.1%. Ordinance allows a maxi-mum building coverage with a deck of22%. Proposed is 22.9%. Ordinance al-lows a maximum continuous wall length of25 feet. Proposed is 32 feet 8 inches.

Matthew & Virginia Quinn, 914 Moun-tain View Circle. Applicants are seekingapproval to construct a one-story additioncontrary to Section 12.04F1 and 12.04E1of the Land Use Ordinance. Ordinanceallows a maximum building coverage of20%. Proposed is 20.86%. Ordinance al-lows a maximum floor area ratio of 30%.Proposed is 30.86%.

Sabrina & Simon Kelner, 315 KimballAvenue. Applicants are seeking approvalto construct a one-story addition contraryto Sections 11.08E6, 12.04F1, 12.04F2,12.04E1, 12.04F3 of the Land Use Ordi-nance. Ordinance requires a minimum sideyard setback of 10 feet. Proposed is 7.3feet. Ordinance allows a maximum build-ing coverage of 20%. Proposed is 23.5%.Ordinance allows a maximum buildingcoverage with a deck of 22%. Proposed is24.23%. Ordinance allows a maximumfloor area ratio of 37%. Proposed is 39.75%.Ordinance allows a maximum buildingcoverage with a deck and porch of 24%.Proposed is 24.7%.

Kyungsuk Bae & Peilin Wu, 708 Bou-levard. Applicants are seeking approvalto construct an addition contrary to Section11.07E6 and 11.07E13 of the Land UseOrdinance. Ordinance requires a minimumside yard setback of 10 feet. Proposed is6.34 feet. Ordinance allows a maximumcontinuous side wall of 25 feet. Proposedis 27 feet & 36 feet 3 inches.

David & Sylvia Chandler, 78Tamaques Way. Applicants are seekingapproval to construct a deck contrary toSections 12.04F1, 12.04F2, and 12.04F3of the Land Use Ordinance. Ordinanceallows a maximum building coverage of20%. Proposed is 23.4%. Ordinance al-lows a maximum building coverage with adeck of 22%. Proposed is 24.3%. Ordi-nance allows a maximum building cover-age with deck & porch of 24%. Proposed is26.5%.

Variances, waivers or exceptions fromcertain site plan details or relief from re-quirements may be sought as appropriate.Plans and application are on file in theoffice of the Town Engineer, 959 NorthAvenue West, Westfield, New Jersey andmay be seen Monday through Friday from8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Linda JacusBoard Secretary

1 T - 3/29/18, The Leader Fee: $68.34

Library Events to FeatureMeditation and Poetry

WESTFIELD — The WestfieldMemorial Library will present“Meditation: An Antidote for Stress”on Wednesday, April 4, at 7 p.m.,and on Saturday, April 14, at 2 p.m.,there will be a poetry reading byvarious poets. The library is locatedat 550 East Broad Street.

“Meditation” will be presentedby Jim Rose, a retired Johnson &Johnson executive. In this session,participants will explore the heal-ing power of meditation and learnhow to create peace in their life inspite of the stress around them.

“The stresses and tensions of lifedo not just affect our mind,” wroteMr. Rose about his program. “Thissimple technique can be practiceddaily for health, serenity and joy.Meditation helps us to physicallyrelax and it puts us in a state wherewe feel more peaceful. The prob-lems of the world no longer havethe same effect on us.”

Mr. Rose has 35 years of experi-ence in human resources manage-ment, employee development andconflict resolution. He was recog-nized by Human Resource Execu-tive magazine as one of the tophuman resource executives in theUnited States.

He currently provides workshopsand training to groups throughoutthe world, where he connects medi-tation and spiritual development toimportant aspects of people’s lives.Mr. Rose himself has been meditat-ing for more than 30 years and nowfocuses much of his time on his ownspiritual development and on help-ing others who wish to do the same.

The poetry reading will featureseven poets who have been pub-

lished in New-Jersey based TiferetJournal. Tiferet publishes high-quality prose, poetry and art thatfurther meaningful dialogue aboutwhat it is to be humane and con-scious in today’s often divisiveworld.

Readers will include RobertCarnevale, Nancy Lubarsky,Michelle Ortega, Bob Rosenbloom,John McDermott, Donna Baier Steinand Adele Kenny. Free and open tothe public, the reading will be fol-lowed by a reception and open mic.

The meditation program is opento Westfield Memorial Library andMURAL cardholders. MURALcardholders belong to the 43 librar-ies that are part of the MiddlesexUnion Reciprocal Agreement Li-braries. Interested persons are ad-vised to visit the Westfield Memo-rial Library website, wmlnj.org, andclick on the “About Us” tab to see iftheir library is a MURAL partici-pant. To register for the meditationprogram, visit wmlnj.org and clickon the Online Calendar, or call (908)789-4090, option 0. The poetry pro-gram is open to the public and re-quires no advance signup.

JUNIOR CHEFS...Noah Rodrigues and Delilah Baginski, students in the Morefor Fours preschool class located at the Westfield Area YMCA’s Bauer Branch,add more fun and learning to their day by participating in the World Chefs class.This enrichment class is one of the many offered to preschoolers at the YMCA.Registration is going on now for all Westfield Area YMCA Early Learningprograms for the 2018-2019 school year. For more information, contact MariaNierstedt, Westfield Area YMCA Preschool Site director, [email protected] or (908) 317-YMCA (9622), extension no. 423.

– Obituaries –

McAloon ReceivesFaculty Honors

HARTFORD, Conn. – Sean R.McAloon, of Mountainside, wasawarded Faculty Honors for the Fall2017 semester at Trinity College inHartford, Conn.

Faculty Honors are awarded to stu-dents with a semester GPA of at least3.667 on four graded courses, with noindividual grade below B-, and noincomplete grades pending.

Scotch Plains Library PostsFriday Films For April

Union Catholic to HostBusiness Networking Lunch

Mother Seton High SchoolHosts Easter Bunny Event

SCOTCH PLAINS — The ScotchPlains Public Library invites mem-bers of the community to come to thelibrary on Fridays at noon duringApril for movies that are based onbooks. The schedule is as follows:

April 6: Wonder (PG, 113 min-utes), based on the book by R.J.Palacio. A 10-year-old boy with afacial deformity attends school forthe first time when he begins the fifthgrade, learning how to make friendsand adjust to his new environment.

April 13: Crooked House (PG-13,115 minutes), based on the novel byAgatha Christie. A private detectiveheads to an English manor to investi-gate the murder of a wealthy patriarch,but soon realizes that everyone is asuspect — including his former lover.

April 20: Same Kind of Different asMe (PG-13, 119 minutes), based onthe book by Ron Hall and DenverMoore. A wealthy man befriends avagrant after his wife requests that hedo so.

April 27: Thank You For Your Ser-vice (R, 108 minutes), based on thebook by David Finkel. A group ofU.S. soldiers attempts to reintegrateinto civilian life after serving in Iraq.

These events are free and open toall. Registration is not required. Formore information, visit scotlib.org,call (908) 322-5007, extension no.204, or e-mail [email protected].

The Scotch Plains Public Libraryis located at 1927 Bartle Avenue, oneblock from Park Avenue, in the centerof the township.

SCOTCH PLAINS – UnionCatholic High School will host itsfourth annual Business NetworkingLuncheon on Tuesday, April 24, atthe Shackamaxon Country Club inScotch Plains. The program willfeature a panel discussion and willonce again be moderated by JoeConnolly, a WCBS Newsradio 880business reporter.

This year’s panelists are: DougChristensen, president and CEO ofTrihawk Capital; Jaclyn Civins,owner, Evalyn Dunn Gallery; and

Terry Viney, president, The PlusFactor in Your Business, LLC.

The event will begin at 11 a.m.with networking; lunch is at 11:45a.m. followed by the panel discus-sion at 12:15 p.m.

This special event is open to thepublic. Tickets are $37 each. Inter-ested persons may purchase ticketsat genesis.unioncatholic.org/se-cure/ucbnl18.html.

To sponsor or for further informa-tion about this event, contact SusanDyckman, Union Catholic’s direc-tor of development, at (908) 889-1600, extension no. 309, or [email protected].

CLARK – Alumnae and theirfamilies did not have to look furtherthan the Mother Seton RegionalHigh School gym to find the EasterBunny and her bunny trail. Morethan 150 adults and children par-ticipated in the Egg Hunt sponsoredby the Alumnae Association.

Children were divided into fourage groups to find the candy-filledcolored eggs hidden in the hay do-nated by Schieferstein’s Farm. Onelucky child, from each group, un-earthed the Golden Egg to win asolid chocolate bunny.

The Easter Bunny herself was por-trayed by Student Council Presi-dent Katherine Blum, a senior, whoposed at the photo booth for pic-tures with children and their fami-lies. The elegant costume Katherine

wore was created by alumna LydiaRuiz Hull (’67).

Bagels, doughnuts and beverageswere served and the children weredelighted to fill bags from the col-orful candy bar to take some good-ies home after they tried their skillat pin-the-tail-on-the-bunny game.

Patricia Lynn (née Britton) Kopp, 70,Loving Wife, Sister and Aunt

Patricia Lynn (Britton) Kopp, 70,of Scotch Plains died at 4:30 p.m.on Monday, March 26,2018, at Center ForHope, Peggy’s Housein Scotch Plains, N.J.She was the wife ofRobert W. Kopp. BothRobert and Patriciahave been ScotchPlains residents forover 39 years. Therewill be no viewing. Cre-mation will be arrangedby Gray Funeral Homein Westfield and willtake place at theRosehill Crematory inLinden. A Celebration of Life gath-ering will be held at a date to beannounced later.

Patricia was born on March 19,1948, in Plainfield, N.J., and grewup with her family in Mountainside,N.J. She was the sixth of seven chil-dren of the late Josiah A. and Flo-rence E. (McLaughlin) Britton. Shewas employed at The Austin Co. fornine years and with The BaywayRefinery in Linden, N.J., for 30-plusyears. Her final position at the refin-ery was as buyer of rotating equip-ment. She was a graduate of Gover-

nor Livingston Regional High SchoolClass of 1966 and a graduate of the

Berkley School.Patricia L. Kopp was

preceded in death by hersister, Marian Crawford,and is survived by herhusband, Robert; foursisters, Alice Seidel,Phyllis Weinstein,Eleanor Landry andMaureen Warren, andtheir husbands; onebrother, J. James Britton,and his wife; thirteennieces and nephews andtheir spouses and manygreat and great-great

nieces and nephews. Patricia andRobert had no children but they bothdearly love their siblings and theirfamilies. They both are also loversof all shapes and sizes of dogs. Inlieu of flowers, memorial contribu-tions may be made in the name ofPatricia L. Kopp to Center For Hope,1900 Raritan Road, Scotch Plains,N.J. 07076, (908) 889-7780(www.cfhh.org) or to your local ani-mal rescue organization or ASPCA.

To leaves condolences, please goto: www.grayfuneralhomes.com.

March 29, 2018

Patricia L. Kopp

Blood Drives to Take PlaceAt Union County LocationsAREA — The American Red

Cross has announced the dates forthree upcoming blood drives inUnion County. In Eastern Pennsyl-vania and New Jersey, more than40 blood drives were canceled dueto winter weather in March, caus-ing close to 2,000 donations to gouncollected.

No matter the weather, the needfor blood to help cancer patients,those undergoing surgeries, traumapatients and others remains. Theschedule for the Union Countydrives is as follows:

Summit — Friday, March 30, 1to 7 p.m., St. Teresa of AvilaChurch, 306 Morris Avenue.

Berkeley Heights — Friday, April6, 1:30 to 6:30 p.m., Summit Medi-cal Group, 1 Diamond Hill Road.

Plainfield — Friday, April 13, 8a.m. to 2 p.m., Plainfield HighSchool, 950 Park Avenue.

Volunteer blood donors areneeded to help ensure life-savingblood products are available forpatients this spring. To make anappointment or for more informa-tion, download the American RedCross Blood Donor App, visitRedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

All blood types are needed toensure a reliable supply for pa-tients. A blood donor card ordriver’s license or two other formsof identification are required atcheck-in. Individuals who are 17years old in most states (16 withparental consent where allowed bystate law), weigh at least 110pounds and are in generally goodhealth may be eligible to donateblood. High-school students andother donors age 18 and youngeralso have to meet certain heightand weight requirements.

Blood and platelet donors cansave time at their next donation byusing RapidPass® to complete theirpre-donation reading and healthhistory questionnaire online, on theday of their donation, before arriv-ing at the blood drive. To getstarted, follow the instructions atRedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass oruse the Blood Donor App.

Cerchio StudentsTo Display Art

SCOTCH PLAINS — The public isinvited to the Scotch Plains PublicLibrary to view the artwork of SandraCerchio’s adult students. Working in avariety of media, the artists have cre-ated dozens of works that will be onview in the library gallery from Thurs-day, April 5, through Friday, April 27.

An artists’ reception, which thepublic is welcome to attend, will takeplace on April 5 at 7 p.m. Registrationis not required for the reception. TheScotch Plains Public Library is lo-cated at 1927 Bartle Avenue, oneblock from Park Avenue, in the centerof the township.

Hypertension ClinicIs Set at Library

SCOTCH PLAINS — The town-ship nurse will be available at theScotch Plains Public Library for bloodpressure checks on Tuesday, April10, from 10 a.m. to noon. No registra-tion is required.

The Scotch Plains Public Libraryis located at 1927 Bartle Avenue, oneblock from Park Avenue, in the centerof the township.


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FBLA State LeadershipConference 2018

FUTURE LEADERS...The Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School’s Future Busi-ness Leaders of America (SPFHS FBLA) chapter competed in Atlantic Cityagainst over 50 schools. Pictured from left to right are: Zachary Labush, CherylSchneider, Ava Buttigheri, Alexa Anselmo, Nicole Alvarez, Lauren Eck, Mrs.Bethany Henry, Shannon Persaud, Sandra Abdelmalak, Noah Samms, JanAndreCastro, and Ryan Eng.

Bernstein EarnsDean's Award at

Colgate UniversityHAMILTON, N.Y.– Noah

Bernstein, a member of the ColgateUniversity Class of 2020, has earnedthe Dean's Award for Academic Ex-cellence. Mr. Bernstein is a graduateof Scotch Plains-Fanwood HighSchool and is from Fanwood. Hiscurrent major is economics.

Students who receive a term gradepoint average of 3.3 or higher whilecompleting at least three courses earnthe fall 2017 Dean's Award for Aca-demic Excellence.

Legally Blonde MarksDebut Performance at RIS

LEGAL PERFORMANCE...The cast of Legally Blonde performed in the newlyrenovated Roosevelt Intermediate School auditorium (inset). Performance photoby Donna Pace.

WESTFIELD – Huge excitementgreeted the first musical in one ofthe middle school auditoriums thatrecently reopened following their$3-million refurbishment.

Ticket sales for Legally Blonde atRoosevelt Intermediate School(RIS) rocketed by 20 per cent com-pared to last year’s production asWestfield residents flocked to seethe results of months of work.

Excited students, parents andteachers filled the auditorium forthree nights to hear the story, basedon a popular movie, of a Californiagirl who follows her ex-boyfriendto Harvard to try to win him backand finds there is much more to herthan just a pretty face.

Mother-of-three Krista Pinkin,who is in her ninth year of musicalsat Roosevelt, said: “After eight yearsof sitting in creaky wooden seats, itwas such a pleasure to sit back andenjoy a Roosevelt production in acomfortable chair. The upgradedsound system made it possible tohear all of the performers on stagefrom all the seats in the newly-reno-vated auditorium. I am so pleasedthat our students now have a propervenue to show off all their talents.”

Mrs. Pinkin said those samecreaky seats had been in the audito-rium when her husband, Steve, at-

tended the school in the late 1970sand her mother-in-law, Lois Pinkinin the early 1960s.

Eight-graders Meredith Shepherdand Lexie Pace, who were appear-ing in their third musical at theschool, were enthusiastic about thechanges.

“The auditorium looks beautifuland I am proud to have participatedin the first RIS production on thenew stage!” said Meredith.

And Lexie added: “I think thatthe sound in the new auditorium is alot better and it’s nicer because theold one had writing all over theseats!”

Drama teacher and director KimJonny commented: “The cast andcrew enjoyed performing in thenewly renovated auditorium! Thenew audio system has improvedacoustics. Additionally, audiencemembers liked the new seats andhouse lighting.”

The Board of Education raised$4-million by the issue of a bond tofinance the much-needed refurbish-ments at Roosevelt and at EdisonIntermediate School but the finalcost was just over $3.3-million.

Musical fans will be able to seethe Edison auditorium in actionwhen students present The Sound ofMusic.

Holocaust Survivor SharesJourney With UC Students

ATLANTIC CITY – From March7 to 9, the Scotch Plains-FanwoodHigh School’s Future Business Lead-ers of America (SPFHS FBLA) chap-ter competed in Atlantic City againstover 50 schools.

The SPFHS FBLA chapter had 11members compete in business topicsvarying from financial math, helpdesk, and more.

As a chapter, the SPFHS FBLAwas recognized for the followingchapter awards: Website Award ofMerit, March of Dimes Volunteer,Membership Equalization and anaward for Membership Expansion.

Three students nominated admin-istrators for awards as well: Mrs.Fitzgibbon was awarded with Out-standing Local Chapter Volunteer andthe adviser of the SPFHS FBLA, Mrs.Henry, received the Outstanding Lo-cal Chapter Adviser Award as well asher five years of service award.

The conference held workshops inaddition to competitions where stu-dents were able to pick a career trackto listen to professionals and collegemajors of the given career.

The chapter was also proud to holda campaign for sophomore SandraAbdelmalak who ran for State Secre-tary. Although she did not win theposition, it was a great way to involveall of the chapter and learn moreabout leadership positions availablein FBLA.

The conference attendees included:Nicole Alvarez (Word Processing andAmerican Enterprise Project), LaurenEck (Help Desk and American Enter-prise Project), Cheryl Schneider (In-surance and Risk Management), Alexa

Anselmo (Client Services), Ryan Eng.(Intro to Information Technology),Shannon Persaud (Business Ethics),Ava Buttigheri (Client Services),Noah Samms (Intro to Business Pre-sentation), Sandra Abdelmalak (Introto Business Presentation), ZacharyLabush (Accounting One), and JohnCastro (Introduction to Public Speak-ing).

The chapter had four people placein team and individual events, as wellas three participants making it to thefinal round.

Lauren Eck and Nicole Alvarezplaced third in American EnterpriseDay, a project which included writinga 15-page paper and 10-minute pre-sentation about the American enter-prise system and the annual Entrepre-neurship Breakfast held by DECAand FBLA on November 15.

Cheryl Schneider placed fourth inInsurance and Risk and also receivedthe Gold Officer Award. For this event,she had to complete a 100-questiontest on insurance and risk manage-ment in an hour or less.

Alexa Anselmo placed fifth in ClientServices, an interactive role-playingevent. She was an employee on thephone with the judges who were askingquestions about the given case study.

Nicole Alvarez placed second inWord Processing and received theGold Member Award. For her indi-vidual event, she completed a pro-duction test using Word Documentswith specific jobs to complete (i.e.memos, agendas, business report for-matting) in under an hour. She wasthe only student from SPFHS FBLAto qualify for nationals.

RIT Students Named toDean's List for Fall Semester

SCOTCH PLAINS – Holocaustsurvivor Peter Fleischmann told hispersonal story to Mrs. KathleenWebber’s English class at UnionCatholic

Holocaust survivor PeterFleischmann shared his extraordinaryjourney on Thursday when gave aheartfelt, enlightening, and educa-tional presenation to a group of stu-dents at Union Catholic as he detailedhis remarkable path to freedom fromCzechoslovakia to the United States77 years ago.

Speaking to Kathleen Webber’sEnglish class, Mr. Fleischmann, now91 years old, told the story about howhe and his Jewish family avoidedcapture and persecution when theyescaped from Nazi-occupied Europeduring the Holocaust, the deadliestgenocide in history.

Mr. Fleischmann was 14 year oldwhen his parents (Paul and Helene)and older brother (Henry) left Pragueon March 31, 1941 and embarked ona 70-day journey that took them fromPrague to France, Spain, Portugal,Cuba and finally to New York City onJuly 11.

During the long ordeal, that in-cluded several different train rides

and a voyage on a cramped ship toCuba, Mr. Fleischmann and his fam-ily had just arrived in Spain whenthey were nearly sent back to homebecause Paul Fleischmann’s nameappeared on a list of people whofought against the Nationalists dur-ing the Spanish Civil War.

“The key to our survival was acomplete stranger who heard whatwas happening and came to our assis-tance,’’ said Mr. Fleischmann, whoraised his family in Scotch Plains andnow lives with is wife Bernice inClark. “This stranger put us up for thenight and explained to the police thatweren’t the same family that was onthat list. He was able to convincethem and we remained free. Thatstranger saved our lives.’’

Mr. Fleischmann stressed how im-portant it is to help those in need.

“The important part of my wholestory is to be an upstander and not abystander,’’ said Mr. Fleischmann.“Don’t turn a blind eye or a deaf earwhen you see something that isn’tright. I tell my story to the next gen-eration so that they understand theimportance of taking on responsibil-ity and acting against wrongs in thisworld.”

Mrs. Webber said it’s important forstudents to hear Mr. Fleischmann’sstory and message.

“We stress to our students to standup for those that need help, and he(Mr. Fleischmann) emphasizes that,’’said Mrs. Webber. “So I think it’simportant for the students to hearfrom someone who experienced hav-ing someone stand up for him and hisfamily.’’

To further educate students aboutthe Holocaust, Mrs. Webber is a coor-dinating a trip for several UC stu-dents to the Holocaust MemorialMuseum in Washington, D.C. on April23. The trip is being sponsored byHolocaust Remembrance Journeyswww.rubellholocaustfoundation.org.

Piatkowski Inducted IntoHon. Soc. of Phi Kappa Phi

Kennedy Enrolls atDelaware Valley Univ.DOYLESTOWN, Penn. – Dela-

ware Valley University is pleased toannounce that Garrett Kennedy, ofCranford, has enrolled as a new stu-dent for fall 2018.

The university will welcome a di-verse and talented group of new stu-dents to campus this fall.

Colgate Announces Dean'sAward with Distinction

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The follow-ing students at the Rochester Instituteof Technology made the Dean's Listfor the fall semester:

Delaney Sciascia of Cranford, whois in the packaging science program.

Sam Finston of Cranford, who is inthe game design and developmentprogram.

Elise Lloyd of Westfield, who is in

the illustration program.Drew Russo of Westfield, who is in

the mechanical engineering technol-ogy program.

Georgiy Rozenshteyn of Cranford,who is in the computer science pro-gram.

Hayley Howell of Scotch Plains,who is in the diagnostic medicalsonography program.

Alan Richman of Fanwood, who isin the computing security program.

Degree-seeking undergraduate stu-dents are eligible for Dean's List iftheir term GPA is greater than orequal to 3.400; they do not have anygrades of "Incomplete", "D" or "F";and they have registered for, and com-pleted, at least 12 credit hours.

Simmons CollegeTells Dean’s List

BOSTON, Mass. – Charlotte Esteves,a Cranford resident, was named to the2017 fall semester dean’s list atSimmons College in Boston. Theirmajor is arts administration and music.

To qualify for dean’s list status, un-dergraduate students must obtain a gradepoint average of 3.5 or higher, based on12 or more credit hours of work inclasses using the letter grade system.

HAMILTON, N.Y. – Students whoreceive a term grade point average of3.6 or higher while completing atleast three courses during the fall2017 semester earn the Dean's Awardwith Distinction at Colgate Univer-sity.

Courtney Casale, a member of theColgate University Class of 2020, isa graduate of Westfield High School,from Westfield. Ms. Casale's currentmajor is neuroscience.

Lucy Allen, a member of theColgate University Class of 2018, isa graduate of Cranford High School,

from Cranford. Ms. Allen's currentmajor is mathematical economics.

Jacob Wasserman, a member of theColgate University Class of 2018, isa graduate of Westfield High School,from Westfield. Mr. Wasserman's cur-rent major is geography.

Colgate University is a highly se-lective residential liberal arts institu-tion distinguished by its commitmentto global engagement, student-fac-ulty research, off-campus study, sus-tainable practices, and utilizing tech-nology to enhance the teaching andlearning experience.

BATON ROUGE, Lous. – KaylaPiatkowski of Cranford, was re-cently initiated into The Honor So-ciety of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation'soldest and most selective all-disci-pline collegiate honor society. Ms.Piatkowski is pursuing a degree inBiology at James Madison Univer-sity.

Piatkowski is among approxi-mately 30,000 students, faculty, pro-fessional staff and alumni to be ini-

tiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year.Membership is by invitation onlyand requires nomination and ap-proval by a chapter. Only the top 10percent of seniors and 7.5 percentof juniors are eligible for member-ship. Graduate students in the top10 percent of the number of candi-dates for graduate degrees may alsoqualify, as do faculty, professionalstaff and alumni who have achievedscholarly distinction.

Scotch Plains ResidentsEarn Dean’s List at BU

BOSTON, Mass. – Three ScotchPlains residents have recently beennamed to the Dean's List at BostonUniversity for the Fall semester. Stu-dents recognized for this honor in-clude: Hailey L. Rachko, Sabrina J.Shih and Monica L. Squeri.

Each school and college at BostonUniversity has their own criterion forthe Dean's List, but students gener-ally must attain a 3.5 grade pointaverage (on a 4.0 scale), or be in thetop 30 percent of their class, as wellas a full course load as a full timestudent.

Local Residents InductedInto Phi Kappa Phi

BATON ROUGE, Louis. – Thefollowing Westield residents were re-cently initiated at Fordham Univer-sity into The Honor Society of PhiKappa Phi, the nation's oldest andmost selective collegiate honor soci-ety for all academic disciplines.

Helen Keating, Michelle Lugo andMegan Pinna.

These residents are among approxi-mately 30,000 students, faculty, pro-fessional staff and alumni to be initi-

ated into Phi Kappa Phi each year.Membership is by invitation only andrequires nomination and approval bya chapter. Only the top 10 percent ofseniors and 7.5 percent of juniors areeligible for membership. Graduatestudents in the top 10 percent of thenumber of candidates for graduatedegrees may also qualify, as do fac-ulty, professional staff and alumniwho have achieved scholarly distinc-tion.


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Sports Section Pages 11-17

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TEAM CAPTAINS – BOND, PAOLETTI, MORIARTY, SHIELDS

Lady Blue Devils Aim to TakeAnother Step Up in Lacrosse

By ALEX LOWESpecially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

The Westfield High School girlslacrosse team returns for the 2018season hoping to build on the successof last year. The Lady Blue Devilsfinished 10-8 in 2017 under first-yearHead Coach Abby Cohn and wereranked among the top-20 teams in the

state for much of the season. The BlueDevils advanced to the semis of theUnion County Tournament where theylost to Summit, ranked No. 2 in thestate at the time. They also reachedthe semis in the North 2, Group 4 stateplayoffs before losing to Bridgewater-Raritan, another top-5 ranked teamand eventual Tournament of Champi-

ons winner.The Blue Devils will try to better

those accomplishments without theservices of a number of talented play-ers lost to graduation. Hannah Liddy(47 goals, 36 assists) will take her actto the University of Denver. LilaHutchins will play at Bates College

GRACEFFO ACE ON MOUND, McGHEE BEHIND PLATE

Cougar Nine Looking to LearnFrom Last Year, Move Forward

By DAVID B. CORBINSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

Experience can be a good teacherand Head Coach Dennis McCafferyhopes that this year’s Cranford HighSchool baseball team will learn fromthe experience of falling just short inthe Union County Tournament (UCT)finals and the Group 3 Champion-ships game. After losing to Westfieldin the UCT Championship, the Cou-gars went on to win the North 2,Group 3 title and Group 3 semifinalbefore bowing in an eight-inning clas-sic to Allentown in the Group 3 Cham-pionship after a seven-inning score-less deadlock at Toms River SouthHigh School.

“Last year we were able to havesomewhat of a successful season. Weleft two championships on the board,the counties and the state final, whichis always difficult to have to dealwith. Last year is over. We try to learn

from it and move forward,” CoachMcCaffery stated.

In order to have a successful sea-son, a sturdy relationship between thepitching staff and the catchers wouldbe essential. Senior Gordon Graceffowill head a group on the mound, whichconsists of senior Kevin Donovanand juniors Jeremy Ruka, JakeVanDamm, Jack Jarrosz and AndrewDonovan.

“Gordon had a good year last year.He did a nice job and we have acouple of other pitchers, who havevarsity experience, so we are hopingthat we are able to be successful. Anytype of success you have during theseason starts with pitching. We arehoping that our pitchers can throwstrikes, work ahead and be able towork on both sides of the plate andhave command of the game,” CoachMcCaffery said.

In that classic game against Allen-

town, Graceffo, who will play forVillanova next year, pitched magnifi-cently for seven innings, allowing onlya two-out triple in the first, hitting abatter in the fourth and yielding a two-out double in the seventh.

“Gordon is going to be going toVillanova and I am sure he’s veryexcited about that. Gordon is a hardworking young man and he’s reallyput in a lot of time on and off theseason in the classroom and in theweight room. Hopefully he has a suc-cessful season here at Cranford and Iam sure when the time presents itselffor Villanova, he will put his focusthere,” Coach McCaffery said.

The Cougars do have two experi-enced catchers in junior Mike McGheeand senior Pat Connolly, althoughConnolly has and will be expected toplay first base.

“Obviously the catching we are for


SRS – SAM OUTTEN, BILLINGS, LENIART, BEN OUTTEN

Blue Devils Look to CompeteAt High Level in Boys V-Ball


First year teams usually experiencea rocky road but this year’s WestfieldHigh School (WHS) boys volleyballteam is looking to compete at a highlevel and have good reason to feelthat way. The Blue Devils will beguided by Head Coach Jay Cook(WHS Class of 2002), a three-sportathlete — football, basketball, base-ball — who just happened to be quiteproficient in all three.

“Like I spoke to these guys whenwe had our entrance meetings andsign-up meetings, we are behind theeightball in a sense that a lot of teamshave had this for three, four, fiveyears, some a little bit longer but my

expectations will never waiver. Anyteam that I am ever associated with,the goal is to win, to win at a high leveland compete at a high level,” CoachCook emphasized.

This may be Coach Cook’s firstexperience working with a boys vol-leyball team but he has gained expe-rience working with the girls’ pro-gram headed by Bev Torok.

“On the boys side, it’s definitely anew experience. The girls side withcoach Torok and coach [David]Tarullo — now the boys JV coach andthe freshman girls coach — it wasreally great but now to bring it over tothe boys’ side, it’s a lot faster. There’sa little more flow to the girls’ gamebut this is a lot more explosive and a

lot more powerful,” Coach Cook ex-plained.

This year’s team consists of 14players, so the addition of coachingsupport is much appreciated.

“Coach Tarullo does a great job,especially when I am working withthe hitters and he’s working with thedefensive specialists or visa versa.We also have Grace Serafin, who wasa setter on our girls team, who workswith our setters on a daily basis. Theseguys really accelerate the learningproccess at their positions,” CoachCook said.

Not all of Coach Cook’s players arebrand new to the game.

“Right now for half the team that



David B. Corbin for The Westfield Leader and The Times

CRANFORD COUGAR BASEBALL SENIORS...Pictured, left to right, are: John Markese, Pat Connelly, Gordon Graceffoand Sean Petrucci. The Cougars open their season at Scotch Plains-Fanwood this Saturday, March 31, at 1 p.m.


PUTTING PRESSURE ON THE DEFENSE...Left, a Westfield Blue Devil Lady Laxer puts pressure on several ScotchPlains-Fanwood Raider defenders and the goalkeeper during a scrimmage game at Kehler Stadium last week.


BLUE DEVIL VOLLEYBALL SENIORS...Pictured, left to right, are seniors Sam Outten, Cory Billings, Mike Leniart andBen Outten, who will lead the first-year Westfield High School boys volleyball team.


CAPTAINS – WEIGAND, MEUSEL, SANGIACOMO, BROWN

Blue Devil Track Boys HaveVeterans to Lead in All Events


Optimism with good reasons shouldgive the Westfield High School boystrack & field team a quick boost thisseason. The Blue Devils return a hostof veterans in every event and arebacked by a promising group of un-derclassmen. Part of that reason foroptimism is the presence of the mem-bers of the cross-county team that notonly won the Union County Tourna-ment but also the group section title.Additionally, two stalwarts, Spencer

Weigand and James McCutcheon,from the winning distance medleyrelay team at last year’s Blue DevilInvitational return.

“We had a terrific indoor season, sowe are excited for what we can ac-complish this outdoor season,” BlueDevil Head Coach Chris Tafelski said.“All of our event areas are led bystrong veterans as well as newcomerslooking to make an impact on thevarsity level.”

The distance group is loaded and

led by senior captains SpencerWeigand, who placed fourth at theindoor Meet of Champions (MOC),Matt Meusel, and junior JamesMcCutcheon. Other key contributorsin the group will be seniors StuartPollock, Daniel Scalia and JackJohnson, juniors Ronnie Melao andCooper Brennan, sophomores JonGivelber, Will Loggia, Zach Spergeland Kevin Yucetepe, and freshmanWill McGlynn.

Senior co-captain Rob Brown willhead the sprint crew.

“We have a great group of juniorsin Jake Saltzer, Steve Zucker, AjayOlson and Jackson O’Brien, whostepped up big for us this winter,placing sixth in the Group 4 4x400relay to advance to the MOC,” CoachTafelski added.

Seniors Chris Calimano and NickSavorgiannakis will head the hurdleevents.

A lot of new faces will be present-ing themselves in the jumping events,however the top returners in the hori-

zontal jumps will be sophomoresQuinn Priscoe and Nick Rubinetti inthe high jump.

The Blue Devils do have severalveterans leading the throwing events.

“Our throws are led by senior cap-tain Joe SanGiacomo, who is our topjavelin thrower. He is joined by dis-cus returners Bennie Buontempo andDeclan McCauley. Tim Alliegro isour top returning shot putter. Wehave a lot of new faces in this eventarea, so we’re excited to get theseguys competing to see what kind of

impact they can make,” CoachTafelski said.

The Blue Devils will begin theirseason on Wednesday, April 4, in ameet against AL Johnson andRoselle. Next will be a meet withGovernor Livingston and UnionCatholic on Monday, April 9, thenwith Cranford and David Brearleyon Monday, April 16. But the bigevent will be the Annual Blue DevilInvitational on Saturday, April 21,beginning at 9 a.m.

BRADY LEADS ON ATTACK, PARADA LEADS DEFENSE

Raiders Looking for MaturityIn Boys Lacrosse This Season


Another step up the ladder of qual-ity was witnessed last year by fans asthe Scotch Plains-Fanwood HighSchool Raider lacrosse boys, with anenhanced schedule, proved that theywere able to hold their own againstthe stiffest of competition. This year,however, with the graduation of anumber of talented athletes, the Raid-ers are looking to mature rapidly witha large group of underclassmen, whowill be inserted into a lineup headedby a small number of seniors.

“I am looking forward to the sea-son with a very young group. We havea small batch of seniors with a heavydose of juniors and sophomores. Wewill need to mature and mesh to besuccessful,” Raider Head Coach NickMiceli said.

Last year the Raiders, who finishedwith an 11-9 record, proved that theycould compete with the big boys. Thebest example of that came in the UnionCounty Tournament (UCT) semifi-nals when they took the WestfieldBlue Devils to the limit in an 11-10thriller. The Blue Devils went on towin their third straight UCT title. TheRaiders also advanced to the NorthGroup 3 Tournament semifinals wherethey were finally stopped by the Sum-mit Hilltoppers.

But now, the young Raiders mustlook for guidance from seniors Jack

Brady, Harrison Parada, Nick Route,Tom Bruckman and Tommy Ryan.

Brady, who has committed to playfor Wagner College next year, wasthe “Master of the Attack”. Last yearhe really set the season on fire offen-sively with a team-leading 49 goalsand 28 assists for 77 points and added53 ground balls. For his performances,Brady was named First Team All-Division.

Parada, a leader on defense,scooped 69 ground balls last year andwas selected Second Team All-Divi-sion. Route will also be on defense.Bruckman, as the backup goalkeeperlast year, made 26 saves. This yearRyan will be his backup.

Working with Brady on the attackwill be juniors Noah Costanzo andMatt Monroy, a midfielder last year,and sophomore Aidan Guma. Lastyear, Costanzo netted 26 goals and apair of assists for 28 points andscooped 24 ground balls.

A junior strong group will make upthe midfield, led by Anthony Porterand Alex Oslislo, both three-sportathletes. As a linebacker and runningback on the football team and twoyears of varsity on the wrestling team,Oslislo, as well as Porter, a receiveron the football team, are well sea-soned for the action offered in la-crosse. Last year, Porter was selectedto the Second Team All-Division. Alsoin the midfield are Tommy

Nakonechny, Ryan Walsh and JakeMurphy.

Handling the faceoffs will be jun-ior Martin Rogoff and sophomoreBobby Root.

According to Coach Miceli,“Midfield should be our strength aswe try to control games between thelines. We are looking to learn and getbetter everyday we are out there.”

In addition to Parada and Route,juniors Eddie Smith, Gianni Caro-Esposito and Ryan Johnson, andsophomore Mike Difrancesco willsolidify the defense.

“Jack Brady will lead our attack,three-sport athlete (soccer and hoops).He will have help from our two topmidfielders Anthony Porter and AlexOslislo, who are also two tough three-sport athletes for our school. Ourdefense will be led by four-year starterHarrison Parada and highly soughtafter junior Ryan Johnson, who hasbeen a three-year starter,” CoachMiceli said.

The Raiders opened their seasonyesterday, March 28, at AL Johnsonthen they will host the Millburn Mill-ers on Tuesday, April 3, at 4 p.m. Nextwould be a trip to Cranford’s Memo-rial Field to do battle with the Cou-gars on Thursday, April 5, at 4:30.

Lady Laxer Blue Devils Aim to Take Step UpCONTINUED FROM PAGE 11

and Haley Farella is playing at theUniversity of Colorado at Boulder.

“We lost eight seniors, five of whichplayed significant roles on our teamand were a part of our starting lineup,”said Coach Cohn. “Other than thosefive, the rest of our starting lineup arereturners, who will be joined by avery talented group of newcomers,some of which are freshman.”

Senior midfielder, Natalie Bond isexpected to lead the way for Westfieldthis season. Bound for Stanford aftergraduation, Bond is a co-captain, whoscored 17 goals and had one assist asa junior on her way to second teamAll-Conference honors.

Bond will be joined at midfield bysenior Lucy Gretsky and juniorMcKenna Edmondson (9 goals, 2 as-sists). Junior Erin McDonald andsophomore Mikaela Buoscio providedepth here.

Senior Paige Radice and juniors

Olivia Shields and Carley Farella,along with freshman Liz Healy willhead up the attack. Senior co-captainSydney Paoletti returns, as well, afterearning Honorable Mention All-SouthDivision recognition as a junior. Jun-ior Kellie Leuthold and freshman EllieKate Brown will look to earn playingtime at a crowded and talented posi-tion.

The defense will be manned byseniors Paige Dumont, CatherineMoriarty, Grace Cash and juniorClaire Yamano. Senior Ashley Gigonis also in the mix on defense. Fresh-man Brooke Scheuermann will lookto crack the lineup on defense.

Junior Carlee Swanson will playgoalkeeper. Swanson posted a 9-7record, while recording 128 savesand allowing 133 goals between thepipes last year. Swanson will bebacked by freshman Mia Fleming.

“This season I expect our upper-classmen, specifically our captains,to lead our team,” said Cohn. “Theyhave experience on the field and aregreat communicators with their team-mates. I think that many of our play-ers are able to lead with great commu-nication but also are able to lead byexample, by making plays and usingteamwork. They also have the abilityto encourage each other to be theabsolute best that they can be eachday at practice and in games. Ourcaptains this season are Natalie Bond,Catherine Moriarty, Sydney Paoletti,

and Olivia Shields.”In 2017, Westfield scored its share

of quality wins with victories overteams like Saddle River Day, Moun-tain Lakes, Montclair, West Essexand Chatham. But it was the losses totop tier teams like Bridgewater-Raritan and Summit, as well as sev-eral close losses that Cohn will use tomotivate her troops for the comingseason.

“One main goal that I have for theteam this year to strive to improvesince last season, in the sense that weare need to be able to defeat oppo-nents that we lost by a just a fewgoals. I want this team to show howtalented they truly are against oppo-nents that may seem, on the surface,tough to face. I don’t want this team toback down from any opponent be-cause of their program’s history orcurrent rank. I want them to keep theirconfidence high. I know that this groupwill be able to achieve this goal.”

Cohn expects a pair of familiarfoes to provide the primary competi-tion in county and conference playagain this season.

“In the Union County conference,we will face both Summit and OakKnoll, which are our two top com-petitors. In our conference, Summitis the top competitor.”

Westfield kicked of the season onMarch 28 with a visit to Oak Knoll.The home opener is set for Tuesday,April 3, at 4 p.m. against Moorestown.




GEARING UP FOR THE COMPETITION...The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Raider lacrosse boys work on their skills toprepare for their season opener against the AL Johnson Crusaders in Clark on March 28.

Probitas Verus Honos


JUST WARMING UP...The Blue Devil boys track & field team warms up with a few laps around the track before gettinginto the thick of practice at Gary Kehler Stadium on March 23. The Annual Blue Devil Invitational is set for April 21.


ALSO JUST WARMING UP...The Blue Devil girls track & field team warms up with a few laps around the track and appearto be having some fun before getting into the thick of practice at Gary Kehler Stadium on March 23. As always, the LadyBlue Devils have plenty of numbers and plenty of talent across the board.

David B. Corbin (April 2015 files) for The Westfield Leader and The Times

STEALING THIRD BASE...Cougar Pat Knight, No. 8, steals third base in the first inning as Blue Devil Chris Rinaldi catchesthe throw. Knight had a key two-run single, made a saving catch in centerfield and stole three bases (April 2, 2015).

From the archives of The WestfieldLeader and The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Times

April 1, 2015: It is early in thetrack and field season but theWestfield High School boys scoredthe first blow in earning a 74-65 vic-tory over hosting Scotch Plains-Fanwood on April 1. In a meet whichalso included Plainfield, the Westfieldboys 4x400 team played a major rolein catapulting the Blue Devils to vic-tory. Josh Capistrano, NicholasAntonelli, Will Chandler and Chris-topher Prasek turned in a great per-formance in stunning the Raider team

that featured Kobe White and MerlinEdmonds.

April 1, 2014: April Fools Dayproved to be no joke as offensivemuscle molded the outcome of theWestfield High School baseballteam’s 9-6 season-opening victoryover host Scotch Plains-Fanwood.The power hitting came off the bat ofsenior shortstop Matt Storcks, themajor contributor at the plate withseven RBI, including a grand slamhome run in the third inning, a two-run triple in the fourth inning andfinishing with a RBI sacrifice fly inthe fifth inning.

D. Blair Corbin’s

Walk Down Memory Lane

RaidersBlue Devils

Cougars

April 2, 2013: Nine innings on themound was not quite enough for jun-ior pitcher Elena Scarano to pick upthe win, so she decided to blast a solohome run in the bottom of the ninthinning to give the softball Blue Devilsa 4-3 victory over the Cranford Cou-gars in their home opener. JuliaCriscuolo led the Blue Devils withthree singles and an RBI in her fourplate appearances, and ChrissyFerraro went 2-for-3 with a doubleand two runs scored. Sarah Seitz went2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.Shortstop Allison Verrelli, who went3-for-4, drove in all the Cougars’ runs.Catcher Victoria Mettlin ripped a pairof singles in four at-bats

April 4, 2013: Great defensiveplays highlighted a fierce rivalry, butthe hosting Summit Hilltoppers heldon to stop the Blue Devil boys la-crosse team, 4-3, in Summit. BlueDevil senior attacker Jack Flaherty(one assist), along with junior mid-dies Patrick Decker and Dane Huber,each netted one goal. Seniormidfielder Matt Webb provided twoassists. Garrett Williamson registered12 saves.



RETURN SCORERS ROMAN, GANLEY, POWER, GESSLIN

Cougar Lady Laxers ReturnPlenty of Speed With Talent


The 2018 Cranford High Schoolgirls lacrosse team returns hoping toimprove on a 6-11 record posted in2017 that included a trip to thequarterfinal round of the NJSIAANorth Jersey, Section 2, Group IIIplayoffs. Once there, the Cougars wereno match for Summit but the 2018edition will be better for the experi-ence. This year’s team features a highnumber of young but experienced re-turning players, a handful of All-Con-ference honorees and a good supplyof athleticism and speed.

“We lost four seniors so most of theteam is returning,” said third yearCranford Head Coach Samantha Berk.“We have talent and speed. We have astrong midfield line with a lot of ex-perience. Our defense also has a lot ofexperience and Anna Horne, ourgoaltender, looks very strong. Thegirls all have a great bond on and offthe field making for good chemistryon the field.”

The Cougars feature a quartet ofAll-Conference honorees returning thisseason. Senior midfielders MaggieRoman and Abby Ganley, along with

super sophomores Grace Power (cen-ter) and Alyssa Gesslin (attack) givethe Cougars a nice base of scorersaround which to build their team.

Roman (31 goals 17 assists) andGanley (23 goals, 23 assists, 15 groundballs) anchor the midfield. As a fresh-man, Power was the unquestionedstar of the offense scoring 43 goalsand contributing 16 assists from hercenter position on the field. She scoredthree goals and had one assist inCranford’s thrilling 12-11 victory overWest Windsor-Plainsboro in th StateTournament opener last season. Powerfigures to be a force in Union Countyfor the remainder of her career.

Gesslin leads a deep group at theattack positions. As a freshman,Gesslin scored 23 goals and had 10assists. Gesslin will be joined by se-niors Caroline Kelly, Lucia Rinaldi,junior Ellie Rokicki and freshmenDelaney Bertrand and KarenaAndreassen. These cats can definitelyscore but can they be good enough ondefense to compete?

On defense seniors Laura Feeney,Erin Trojan, Brooke Mason and Brit-tany Triano are in the mix, along withjunior Sofia Prata. They will be joined

by incoming freshman Erin Espositoas Berk looks to configure her defen-sive alignments.

Key to the hopes of any defense issolid play by its goaltender. Cranfordhas junior Anna Horne returning be-tween the pipes. As a sophomoreHorne played every game posting a 6-11 record, while recording 220 savesand allowing 209 goals against.

Cranford sets up as a team to watchin the conference this season. Despiteall the positive signs pointing to im-provement this season, Berk knowsthat there are areas her players mustimprove in of they are to realize theirpotential.

“Staying organized on offense,”says Berk. “We have a ton of talentbut we need to start working and startplaying up each other’s strengths. Ibelieve that will come as the girls startplaying together more. Every day wewant to get better as a team. We lookat every day as a learning experienceand we want to keep progressingthroughout the season.”

Cranford opened the season againstanother conference foe which couldbe much improved when they visitScotch Plains-Fanwood on March 28.

BRETZ, DiLOLLO, MEHORTER, FRIAS TO LEAD CHARGE

Lady Raider Laxers EnvisionBetter Days on the Horizon


On the surface, the 2017 girls la-crosse season was nothing to writehome about for first year ScotchPlains-Fanwood High School HeadCoach Virginia Weber. The teamposted a 5-13 record, which includedfirst round exits in both the countyand state tournaments. But if one diga little deeper there are signs that theseeds planted last year could bearfruit in 2018.

The Lady Raiders lost just fourplayers to graduation from lastseason’s team and feature a surpris-

ingly high total of returning All-Con-ference performers for a team thatwon just five games. This indicatesthat the team has talent and that therest of the conference knows it. Get-ting that talent to come together into acohesive unit will be key in the hopesfor a successful season.

The Lady Raiders will be led byAll-Conference honorees AmberBretz (sr., midfield), Sabrina DiLollo(sr., midfield), Kelly Mehorter (sr.,defense) and Sofia Frias (jr., midfield).With an experienced group of return-ing players around them, there is ev-ery reason to think that Scotch Plains-

Fanwood could move up in this year’sstandings.

“We have a strong senior class wewill look to as well as we hope to seeimpacts from a few freshman thathave been brought up to the Varsityteam, as well as transfer studentMaggie Lapolla from Union Catho-lic,” said Coach Weber. “The leaderson this year’s team will come fromAmber Bretz, Sabrina Di Lollo andKelly Mehorter.”

Bretz had a strong junior season inwhich she scored 25 goals, had twoassists and collected 36 ground balls.

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BLUE DEVIL BOYS LACROSSE CAPTAINS...Pictured, left to right, are seniors Pat McIlroy, Nicky Bond, Jack McCauleyand Jake Wornow, who have been selected team captains of the Westfield High School boys lacrosse team. The Blue Devilsjust opened their season yesterday, March 28, against the Delbarton Green Wave at Gary Kehler Stadium in Westfield andwill travel to face Pingry this Saturday, March 31, at 11 a.m. for the Bristol Cup.

McILROY, BOND, McCAULEY, WORNOW NAMED CAPTAINS

Blue Devil Boys Lacrosse TeamGets Ready for Plenty of Action

The Westfield High School boyslacrosse team has been preparing foran action-packed season that just be-gun on March 28 against the DelbartonGreen Wave at Gary Kehler Stadium.This Saturday at 11 a.m. the BlueDevils will be hosted by Pingry in abattle for the Bristol Cup.

Last year the Blue Devils trailedPingry, 5-1, in the third period untilDevon McLane found a chink inPingry’s defensive armor and ex-ploited it from that point onward withthree goals and a pair of assists toeventually give the Blue Devils a 7-6overtime victory. McLane scored thewinning goal.

The Blue Devils, who finished witha 10-7 record, also recorded a sting-ing win over the Summit Hilltoppersfor their third straight Union CountyTournament (UCT) title. In that game,goalkeeper Jack McCauley made a

key save with two seconds remainingto preserve the victory. McLane net-ted a pair of goals and added an assistand midfielder Nicky Bond contrib-uted a goal and an assist.

This season seniors Pat McIlroy(defender), Nicky Bond (midfield),Jack McCauley (goalkeeper) and JakeWornow (midfeld) have been selectedteam captains and the focus will bethe team working as a single unit witha very stingy defensive mindset, al-though they do return several offen-sive threats.

Last year McLane led in scoringwith 32 goals and 41 assists for 73points. He also had 19 ground balls.Bond finished with a team-leading 35goals and had eight assists for 43points and added 12 ground balls.Wornow netted 33 goals and five as-sists for 38 points and scooped 11ground balls. Attacker Matt

Rittendale, now a senior, scored 22goals and added 11 assists for 33points and scooped 16 ground ballsand midfielder Griffin Aslanian net-ted nine goals and three assists

In goal last year, McCauley fin-ished with 117 saves and backupkeeper Theo Dardia had 19 saves.

As it has been in the past, there willbe no easy pushover games for theBlue Devils. After the Pingry show-down, the Blue Devils host the Co-lumbia Cougars on Monday, April 2,at 4:30 p.m. then they go on the roadto face Rumson-Fair Haven onWednesday, April 4, at 6 p.m. A rug-ged home game against Ridgewood ison Saturday, April 7, at 11 a.m. thenanother road trip to do battle withSeton Hall Prep is slated for Wednes-day, April 11, at 4:30. West MorrisCentral will visit Kehler Stadium onSaturday, April 14, at 2:30 p.m.


FINDING THE CHINK IN THE ARMOR...With his team trailing, 5-1, Blue Devil sophomore Devon McLane found thechink in Pingry’s defensive armor to score three goals and add a pair of assists in a 7-6 Westfield victory (April 2017).


BRINGING IT UPFIELD...A Lady Raider laxer brings the ball upfield during a scrimmage game with the Westfield BlueDevils at Gary Kehler Stadium last week. The Raiders envision better days on the horizon this season.


Blue Devils to Compete at High Level in V-ballCONTINUED FROM PAGE 11

went to play club, it’s more aboutnailing down the technique. For theother half that is picking up the sportfor the first time is still technique butit’s also rules of the game, strategyand how to utilize their skill sets andunderstanding their positions,” saidCoach Cook, who added, “Some areused to playing Phys Ed where it’s Istay in one position and play every-where. Now it’s specified that you area middle blocker, you are a outsidehitter and understanding what thoseare. That’s where having coach Tarulloand Grace too is great because we candivide and conquer and take six, sevenkids at a time instead of 14 kids.”

Some of the club players are: junioroutside hitter (OH) Julian Trott,sophomore setter Doug DeFigueiredo,junior outside hitter Alfredo Cardenas-Caceres and sophomore setter/defen-sive specialist (DS) David Broughtonto name a few.

“Julian Trott played for AtlanticValley as well as Doug DiFigueiredo.Alfredo Cardenas-Caderes and DavidBroughton have all taken the initia-tive and and got better. They reallyimproved their skills from last year.It’s made a huge difference. The goalis hopefully we get 10 kids who wantto play club because they go from notknowing anything to it becoming amatter of reacting,” Coach Cook ex-plained.

Others on the roster vying for posi-tions are: middle blockers (MB) se-niors Cory Billings and Sam Outten,sophomore Liam Jackson and fresh-

man Benton Cummings. Defensivespecialists are junior Alan Souza andsophomores Danny Andrade, AlexJoseph, Colm Slevin and Elijah Soh.Opposites (right side hitter) are se-niors Mike Leniart and Ben Outtenand sophomores Tyler Devitt and AlanSolovey. Setters are junior MiguelGallego-Carvajal and Etan Zeller-MacLean. Freshman Dan Shakal willbe an outside hitter.

The Blue Devils performed well ina recent scrimmage, winning two ofthree games, but an unavailability ofpractice locations due to weather hasimpeded progress.

“We have really taken a lot of strides

since Day 1 of practice. Unfortunatelywith the weather being what it hasbeen, our first day of practice wascancelled then we had three days ofpractice cancelled in between then.We are struggling with that but everyday they come, they are willing to learnand are giving us a whole lot of effort.I certainly think that will help us thenwe will see what the competition is likearound the county,” Coach Cook said.

The Blue Devils open their seasonwith an away trip on Tuesday, April 3,to face the Summit Hilltoppers at 4p.m. Their home opener will be againstScotch Plains-Fanwood on Thursday,April 5, at 4 p.m.

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Jim Lincoln was the starting centeron the 1963 WHS football team, anda better-than-average swimmer, fin-ishing third in the state in the 100butterfly and swimming on a statechampion relay for the 1964 statechampions that winter.

But there was a time when he con-sidered diving as his sport. He wasamong the dozens of Westfield, andarea, kids who came under the influ-ence of Bill Cant, the Westfield Y’sdiving coach from the mid-1950s intothe 1970s. Lincoln even dove in somemeets for WHS as a sophomore in1962.

“He was my first coach in anyaquatic event,” Lincoln said via emaillast week after learning that Cant hadpassed away at age 95 on March16. “I always felt that coach Cantwas the first mentor I had whotruly cared about his athletes. Hemade them not only better diversbut better young men as well.”

Among those who stayed in con-stant contact with their old coachwas Steve McCoy, a two-time statechampion who graduated in 1965.As Cant’s condition deterioratedover the years, McCoy and formerteammates Bruce McLay and DonMutz visited their old coach inTexas. McCoy last saw him inFebruary 2017.

“He’d been in poor conditionfor a long while, so he’s on to abetter place,” McCoy said. “Hisdaughter Barbara said that my lastvisit was one of the last times hereally seemed in good spirits.”

“It’s a sad day,” Mutz said.Back in another lifetime,

McCoy was part of a quartet ofCant’s divers who almost won the1965 Eastern InterscholasticChampionships by themselves. OnFriday of the two-day meet, McCoy,Terry Gass, Mike Ward and JeffSchaub finished an unheard-of 1-2-3-4, giving WHS’s swimmers a huge

Devil’s Den

By BRUCE JOHNSONSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

Could Cant Coach?Yes, Cant Could

jump start in their eventual 40-pointvictory the next day.

And that was not the only sweep forCant’s crew at a major competition.They swept the top three places atstates in 1965 (McCoy, Gass, Schaub),1966 (Mutz, McLay, Schaub), 1967(Mutz, McLay, Ward), and 1976(Steve Schramm, Ron Posyton, JohnKrakora).

And in 1968, WHS’s Mutz and EricVan Leuven were 1-3 with BerkeleyHeights’ Rob Collins (who trainedwith Cant) second. Again in 1975,Schramm and Krakora were 1-3 andPlainfield’s Bob Hone (another Cantprotégé) was second.

“Bill was the best fundamentalcoach I ever had,” said Schramm, a

three-time state champion. “Bill’sdaughter Barbara and I are Facebookfriends. The Cants actually lived di-rectly behind our house.”

The list of high-caliber diverscoached by Cant is staggering. Thefollowing WHS divers were coachedfor at least part – if not all – of theircareer by Cant, and placed top threeat counties and/or states:

Pete Wilday (’58), county runnerupJack Smart (’59), county runnerupRick Wells (’60), state and county

champBob Schreck (’61), state runnerup

and county champSteve McCoy (’65), two-time state

and county champ; Y National champTerry Gass (’65), two-time state and

county runnerupJeff Schaub (’66), county champ

and two-time state third placeGibby Gibson (’66), county

runnerupBruce McLay (’67), Eastern

runnerup, two-time state runnerup; YNational champ

Mike Ward (’67), two-time countychamp

Don Mutz (’68), three-time statechamp; Y National runnerup

Eric Van Leuven (’70), countychamp and state runnerup

Morgan Harrison (’70), two-timecounty runnerup

Ham Riddle (’70), state champBruce Cant (’72), two-time county

champ and state runnerupSteve Tourtellotte (’73), county

champ and state runnerupGlenn Buttermore (’75), county

runnerupChab Betz (’75), county third placeSteve Schramm (’76), three-time

state champ; Y National champJohn Krakora (’77), state champ

and two-time county runnerupRon Posyton (’78), state champ and

two-time county champMike Smith (’79), county champ and

state runnerupDoug Brugger (’81), county

runnerupMcCoy, Mutz and Schramm are in

the Westfield Athletic Hall of Fame asindividuals. Gass, Schaub, Gibson,McLay, Ward, Van Leuven, Harrison,Riddle and Bruce Cant are all onteams that are in the WAHOF (or willbe after the Nov. 19 induction of the1969 and 1970 teams).

Cant coached 12 divers who wonstate championships. That’s on a parwith Hall of Fame wrestling coachGary Kehler, who had 11 state cham-pions.

The 1-meter diving boards in theYMCA’s Rooke and Wallace poolsare long gone, as is the 3-meter divingtower in Wallace. That’s where Cantspent thousands of tireless, after-workhours fine-tuning a generation ofdivers for competition all over theEastern seaboard. Sadly, he is un-known to current WHS sports fans,and long forgotten by most others.There are literally hundreds of peoplewho have attended meets at the Ysince the boards came down that haveno idea the diving powerhouse thatWHS and WY was; they were trulythe lords of the boards.

But Bill Cant, who moved intoWestfield the year after BobClotworthy took WHS diving to theultimate – an Olympic gold medal inAustralia – continues to be on theminds of those he coached.

“I’m sure all of Bill’s divers willforever be indebted for all he did forus,” McCoy said. “He truly shapedour lives.”

KAPNER ON THE BRINKGeorge Kapner will pick up a his-

toric victory soon. The veteran boystennis coach should get his 600thtennis win either next Tuesday at Sum-mit, next Wednesday at MountainLakes or a week from today againstScotch Plains in the home opener atTamaques Park.

The only other WHS coach with600 coaching W’s in one sport isbaseball’s Bob Brewster, who passedthat milestone last spring and brings611 wins into this season, his 36th.

Since starting the girls soccer pro-gram in the fall of 1980, Kapner hasbecome the winningest coach inschool history with 1,157 W’s in fivesports over 69 seasons. In addition to

599 in boys tennis, he has 280 in boyssoccer, 194 in girls soccer, and 42each in girls basketball and boys swim-ming.

This will be Kapner’s 28th boystennis team. They’ve won five stateGroup 4 titles, including a magicalrun from 2007-10, when they won121 of 127 matches, captured fourstraight Group 4 titles, and reachedfour straight MOC finals, winningtwice. Last year’s team was 24-3.

Damien Ruparel, a battle-testedsenior with two years at No. 2 singlesand a strong junior year at No. 1, willlead this year’s squad. Matt Bartok,who played first doubles as a fresh-man but missed last year with an in-jury, is battling Matt Su, JacobTananbaum and freshman SebastianWroe for the other two singles spots.The doubles lineup will definitelyinclude veterans Rob Faktor and DaveSprung, with Jai Sharma and BradHornbeck in the mix.

“This team expects to repeat assectional champions and believes itcan recapture the Group 4 title,” saidKapner, whose most recent Group 4title was in 2016.

MURRAY RETIRESAJ Murray’s dream of being a ma-

jor leaguer ended last month after hewas released by the Biloxi Schuckersof the Class AA Southern League. Heis now working in New York City’sFlatiron District.

After playing four years at GeorgiaTech, he was signed as an undraftedfree agent by the Minnesota Twins in2015. He was released by the Twinsafter the 2017 season and picked upby the Milwaukee Brewers. After onlyplaying three games last summer, hewas reassigned to the Schuckers andreleased earlier this month.

He was a Midwest League All-Starin 2016, hitting a home run in the all-star game. Murray had a three-yearminor league batting average of .244,with 14 home runs.

A four-year starter at WHS for coachBob Brewster, Murray graduated in2011 with a career .461 batting aver-age. He set school records for runs(52), hits (54) and home runs (9) in aseason, and runs (125) and doubles(39) for a career. (Most of the otherschool hitting records were set by hisolder brother Mike.)

AJ was all-state three years in base-ball, including New Jersey Player ofthe Year as a senior, and also firstteam all-state in football.

NEW SPORT DEBUTSThe first-year boys volleyball team

will play its first varsity game nextTuesday at Summit. The first homematch for coach Jay Cook’s guys is aweek from today against ScotchPlains; first serve is at 4 p.m.

Blue Devil Head Coach Kapner on VergeOf Win Number 600 in Boys Tennis:

See Bruce Johnson’s Devils Den

PUBLIC NOTICE PUBLIC NOTICETOWNSHIP OF SCOTCH PLAINS

NOTICE OF PENDING BOND ORDINANCE AND SUMMARY

ORDINANCE NO. 2018-11

The bond ordinance, the summary terms of which are included herein, was introducedand passed upon first reading at a meeting of the Township Council of the Township ofScotch Plains, in the County of Union, State of New Jersey, on March 20, 2018. It will befurther considered for final passage, after public hearing thereon, at a meeting of theTownship Council to be held at its meeting room in the Township Hall, 430 Park Avenue,Scotch Plains, New Jersey, on April 17, 2018 at 7:00 P.M. During the week prior to andup to and including the date of such meeting copies of the full ordinance will be availableat no cost and during regular business hours, at the Clerk’s office for the members of thegeneral public who shall request the same. The summary of the terms of such bondordinance follows:

TITLE: BOND ORDINANCE TO AUTHORIZE THE MAKING OF VARIOUSPUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS AND THE ACQUISITION OF NEW ADDITIONALOR REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT AND MACHINERY, NEW INFORMA-TION TECHNOLOGY EQUIPMENT, NEW ADDITIONAL FURNISHINGSAND NEW AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLES, INCLUDING ORIGINAL APPARA-TUS AND EQUIPMENT, IN, BY AND FOR THE TOWNSHIP OF SCOTCHPLAINS, IN THE COUNTY OF UNION, STATE OF NEW JERSEY, TOAPPROPRIATE THE SUM OF $1,811,000 TO PAY THE COST THEREOF,TO MAKE A DOWN PAYMENT, TO AUTHORIZE THE ISSUANCE OFBONDS TO FINANCE SUCH APPROPRIATION AND TO PROVIDE FORTHE ISSUANCE OF BOND ANTICIPATION NOTES IN ANTICIPATION OFTHE ISSUANCE OF SUCH BONDS.

The purposes, appropriations and bonds/notes authorized in this multipurposebond ordinance are as follows:

SCHEDULE OF IMPROVEMENTS, PURPOSES AND AMOUNTS

A. Undertaking of the following improvements: (i) planning and design phase for roadimprovements and (ii) the 2018 Road Improvement Program at various locations, as setforth on a list on file with the Township Clerk and hereby approved and incorporated hereinby this reference thereto. Depending upon the contract price and other exigentcircumstances, and upon approval by the Township Council, there may be additions toor deletions from the list referred to in clause (ii) of the preceding sentence. It is herebydetermined and stated that the roads being improved are of “Class B” or equivalentconstruction as defined in Section 22 of the Local Bond Law (Chapter 2 of Title 40A of theNew Jersey Statutes Annotated, as amended; the “Local Bond Law”).

Appropriation and Estimated Cost $ 585,000Down Payment Appropriated $ 27,860Bonds and Notes Authorized $ 557,140Period of Usefulness 10 years

B. Undertaking of electrical system improvements at Town Hall in order to allow for useof generator power. It is hereby determined and stated that said public building beingimproved is of “Class B” or equivalent construction as defined in Section 22 of the LocalBond Law.


C. Acquisition of new automotive vehicles, including original apparatus and equipment,for the use of the Department of Public Works (“DPW”) consisting of (i) a dump truck withplow and (ii) a pickup truck with plow.


D. Acquisition of new additional or replacement equipment and machinery for the useof the DPW consisting of (i) an air compressor, (ii) a tractor with brush mower attachmentand (iii) a heavy duty mower.

Appropriation and Estimated Cost $ 215,000

Down Payment Appropriated $ 10,250Bonds and Notes Authorized $ 204,750Period of Usefulness 15 years

E. Acquisition of new traffic calming signs and signals, and undertaking of traffic calmingimprovements at various locations, for pedestrian safety.


F. Undertaking of the following building improvements: (i) Southside Fire House –HVAC and building security improvements, interior renovations; and (ii) Northside FireHouse – building security improvements, interior renovations. It is hereby determinedand stated that said public buildings being improved are of “Class B” or equivalentconstruction as defined in Section 22 of the Local Bond Law.


G. Acquisition of new additional or replacement equipment and machinery for the useof the Fire Department consisting of (i) extrication equipment and (ii) self-containedbreathing apparatus equipment.


H. Acquisition of new information technology equipment and new additional furnishingsfor the use of the Fire Department consisting of (i) computers, (ii) office furniture and (iii)printers.


I. Installation of a prefabricated bathroom building at Brookside Park. It is herebydetermined and stated that said public building being installed will be of “Class B” orequivalent construction as defined in Section 22 of the Local Bond Law.


J. Undertaking of the following park and recreation improvements: (i) construction ofpathways and parking lot improvements at Frazee House Park and (ii) installation of anADA-compliant playground area at Brookside Park.


———————————————————————————

Aggregate Appropriation and Estimated Cost $1,811,000Aggregate Down Payment Appropriated $ 87,000Aggregate Amount of Bonds and Notes Authorized $1,724,000

Grants (if any) Appropriated: $-0-Section 20 Costs: $112,600Useful Life: 12.60 years

This Notice is published pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:2-17.BOZENA LACINA, RMC

Township ClerkTownship of Scotch Plains

County of UnionState of New Jersey

1 T - 3/29/18, The Times Fee: $220.32


(May 2017 files) Courtesy of a Friend of Westfield Tennis

RETURNING UNION COUNTY TOURNAMENT FIRST SINGLES CHAMP...Blue Devil Damien Ruparel defeatedHilltopper Tom Shurg, 6-3, 6-2, for the UCT first singles crown last year. Ruparel and the Blue Devils will open their seasonat Summit on Tuesday, April 3, and hope to return with Coach Kapner’s 600 victory.

Bretz, an aggressive player, sets up asthe top returnee in a very strongmidfield position. She will be joinedby DiLollo, who tallied 36 goals andscooped up 32 ground balls to givethe Raiders a formidable scoringcombo. Frias rounds out the talent atthe position. Frias scored 14 goalsand had one assist last season.

While the midfield is loaded withtalent, the Raiders can boast of vet-eran experience at the attack posi-tions. Senior Erica Paprocki (18 goals,4 assists) and Kerry Regan (7 goals, 1ground ball) return, along with juniorAnna Ciarrocca (7 goals, 3 assists).Sophomores Catherine Buren and

Brigit Jacob also figure prominentlyat the position.

The defense will be led by Mehorter.As a junior Mehorter won 28 groundballs on her way to All-Conferencerecognition. Juniors Kate Jackmin andAbby Saperstein will join Mehorteron the defense. Junior Libby Daniskaswill set up in goal for Scotch Plains-Fanwood this season. As a sopho-more, Daniskas gained valuable ex-perience in posting a 1-1 mark, whilerecording 16 saves and allowing threegoals. Daniskas appears ready to stepinto the full time role as lead goal-keeper this season.

Weber helped establish some ba-

sics in her first year at the helm of theRaider program. Now in her secondyear at the wheel, Weber has somespecific goals for her team movingforward.

“Some goals include improving ourrecord from last season, working to-gether as a team with the drive andintensity to win games, giving 100percent effort all the time, makingeveryone feel a part of the team. All ofthe teams in our conference give usgood games, so we are always chal-lenged and see them all as a threat.”

The Raiders opened their seasonon March 28 when they hosted theCranford Cougars.

Westfield Y diving coach Bill Cant instructs Bob Schreck at the Rooke Poole. Schreckwas the 1961 Union County champion and finished second in the state. Also pictured(from left) are future standouts Jeff Schaub, Don Mutz, Kip Reed, Rob Collins, SteveMcCoy, Tom Smith and Mike Ward.

SPF Lady Raider Laxers Envision Better DaysCONTINUED FROM PAGE 13




WILKINSON NO. 1 ACE ON MOUND, SPEED ON BASES

Baseball Raiders to Face HugeChallenges Right off the ‘Bat’


“Be Prepared” has been a BoysScout motto and this year’s ScotchPlains-Fanwood High School base-ball team must take heed with a sched-ule that begins with face-to-face show-downs against three of the toughestrivals in the state. Poor weather hasnot helped but the Raiders must beprepared to open their season at homethis Saturday, March 31, at 1 p.m.against the Cranford Cougars, whowon the North Jersey, Section 2, Group3 title last year and the Group 3 semi-final before losing an eight-inningthriller to No. 2 Allentown in theGroup 3 Championship game.

But that is not all! Next the Raiderstravel to Westfield on Tuesday, April3, to battle with the Blue Devils, whowon the Union County Tournament(UCT) last year. Then on Thursday,April 5, at 4 p.m. the Raiders will hostthe Governor Livingston Highland-ers, last year’s Central Jersey, Group2 Champions.

Last year the Raiders advanced tothe UCT semifinals and the NorthJersey, Section 2, Group 4quarterfinals and finished with a 17-10 record. The Raiders recorded somekey victories, such as a 9-3 win overWestfield, a 3-2 win over WatchungHills and a 6-0 win over HunterdonCentral but did experience a pair ofheartbreaking, 3-2, setbacks to theCranford Cougars, the second onebeing in the UCT semis.

This year’s Raiders will have sometough shoes to fill with the graduationof a host of seniors, including standoutshortstop Peter Warren, standoutcatcher Peter Yarem, speedster JakeCanavan and ace pitcher TimmyGeissel.

“Replacing Peter Yarem and PeterWarren will be no small task. Behindthe plate junior Michael Dieu [whosaw some time last year] and fresh-man Matt Syvertsen are giving eachother some great competition. Atshortstop, senior Sam Schetelich andjunior Jonathan Ramos are compet-

ing,” Raider Head Coach Joe Higginssaid.

Last year, Schetelich was prettymuch a regular in the starting lineupand went 13-for-51 for a .255 battingaverage (BA), had four doubles andboth team’s home runs, while adding12 RBI and 10 runs scored. Ramossaw limited time and finished with a.333 BA with nine hits, seven runsscored and four RBI. Dieu had a .273BA. Also in the mix for catcher isjunior Eric Refinski.

“Ramos is just returning from aninjury. Each of them is looking goodat short, and whoever does not playshort will compete with juniors JoshCanavan [who also plays outfield]and Tyler Stines at third. Most ofthese guys are interchangeable to adegree and could compete with sopho-more Dean Kirian at second base,”Coach Higgins explained.

Returning starter junior PatrickDowney will occupy an outfield posi-tion. Last year Downey went 16-for-


Cougar Nine Looking to Learn from Last YearCONTINUED FROM PAGE 11

tunate enough to have several whoare good catchers. We are hopingbetween our pitching and catching,we will be able to keep us in all theball games,” Coach McCaffery said.

Several veterans return to occupythe infield positions, which includesConnolly (first), junior Tyler Szczech(shortstop) and junior Mike Meola(third).

“We had a bunch of kids who wereon that team that played in the countyfinal and the state final. We are hop-ing that type of experience they cancarry over to this year. Pat Connollyhas two years, Tyler Szczech had agood year last year and Mike Meola,as well. Here at Cranford, we wanteverybody to contribute. We wantthem to know that they have value,that everybody has a role here. That’sthe way we’ve always done it andthat’s the way we will continue todo,” Coach McCaffery expressed.

Senior Sean Petrucci and sopho-more Jake DeClerico will play sec-ond. Also in the mix are sophomoreJack Jarrosz (shortstop) and juniorChris Guiditta (third).

“We want them to really stress mak-ing routine plays consistently, givethem three outs in an inning and justmaking sure that we play fundamen-

tally sound baseball. Focus on know-ing where the ball goes when the ballis hit to you and in the infield knowingwhat to do. And give each team thatwe are playing only 21 outs per game,”Coach McCaffery added.

Junior Jamie Shriner, known as anoffensive threat in his third year var-sity, will occupy right field.

“Jimmy is a three-sport athlete, re-ally a good kid, a hard-working kidand we are hoping he will continue tohave success on the baseball field.He’s a gamer,” Coach McCafferycommented.

In centerfield would be juniorDeandre Fieldhouse and sophomoreMike Murphy. Senior John Markeseand sophomores Connor Katz (alsothird base) and Joe Meola are ex-pected to patrol leftfield.

The turf field has its advantages,especially early in the season, but arethere any disadvantages?

“I know we are able to practicewhen there’s snow on other fields, soI would take the situation where weplay on a field where we have toadjust only one time. I know wherethere are other teams that are strug-gling to get outside. We are fortunateto get this field. It was a communityeffort that a lot of people worked

together to make this field a possibil-ity. We are very appreciative of it andwe are very happy. We will adjust toany field we have to play on when thetime presents itself,” CoachMcCaffery said.

The Cougars will not be shy offen-sively.

“We are hoping that everybody hasproductive at-bats and are good in situ-ational hitting. We want to make surethat we put the ball in play and we arealways putting pressure on the oppo-nent,” Coach McCaffery commented.

Speaking of pressure, “We are go-ing to be aggressive. You don’t scorefrom first base. You have to be active.We have some kids who can run. Tobe a good baserunner, you don’t haveto be fast. You have good instincts.You have to be able to read,” CoachMcCaffery pointed out.

The Cougars will plunge right intothe rivalry thing with a road trip toScotch Plains-Fanwood on Saturday,March 31, at 4 p.m. for the seasonopener then they will host Westfieldon Thursday, April 5, at 4 p.m.

“This year’s team so far has beenworking hard and we are trying to getready for our first game this seasonwith Scotch Plains on March 31,”Coach McCaffery said.


KEEPING THE RUNNER HONEST...Cougar first baseman Pat Connelly keeps a Millburn Miller base runner honestduring a scrimmage game at Memorial Field in Cranford last week.


MOVING OVER TO SHORTSTOP...Raider senior Sam Schetelich, center, who played second base last year will shift toplay shortstop this season (May 2017 files against New Providence).

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928 Columbus Avenue, Westfield $600,000 This charming 3 bedroom Dutch Colonial has many notable upgrades. Featuring a spacious living room with functioning wood burning fireplace, formal dining room, a kitchen that includes custom butcher block counters and stainless steel appliances, custom french doors leading to the private backyard patio.Close to Manor Park Pool and centrally located between Garwood and Westfield Train Stations.

33 Merker Drive, Edison $429,000 Nestled in the desired Heights section of Edison lies a bright and spacious 4 bedroom home with hardwood floors flowing throughout, featuring 2 and a half bathrooms, large family room & eat in kitchen. The sizeable backyard is perfect for entertaining guests all summer long.

227 Kings Court, Mountainside Boro $848,000 Sunlit and spacious Colonial with lovely first floor master suite and three second floor bedrooms with en-suite baths. Well laid-out first floor: the generous Living Room with fireplace opens to the family room with a wall of windows. There are three second floor bedroom suites, all with full baths and walk-in closets. Adding to your living space is a finished basement with rec, exercise & game rooms and much more!

834 Johnston Drive, Watchung $2,200,000 This architectural masterpiece offers sweeping views of the NYC skyline. Within, a new State of The Art Kitchen appliances design complements an open floor plan creates a resort style ambiance, sustained by endless washes of natural sunlight and old world craftsmanship. There are too many amenities to list. Endless possibilities for entertaining. Nearby shopping, golf, and gourmet dining. Minutes to NYC.

366 New Dover Road, Colonia $659,000 Beautiful timeless details the interior is composed of a quiet elegance mingled with gracious indulgences. Newer hardwood floors lay a foundation highlighted by classic molding, handsome window arrangement and period details such as Dutch and “peek-a-boo” doors. The generous master suite boasts a dressing area with three closets and a full bath. There are three additional bedrooms with en-suite baths, all on the second floor and too many features to list.

640 Fairfield Ave, Kenilworth $312,000 This cozy, nicely landscaped and well maintained Cape Cod home is a perfect condo alternative. With updated electric, gas furnace, hot water heater, vinyl siding and windows the over-sized lot is on a dead-end street close to local schools, shopping, dining and major highways. Large deck, double size blacktop driveway and shed included.


Raiders Face Huge Challenges Right off ‘Bat’CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15

57 (.281 BA) with two doubles, twotriples, six RBI and nine runs scored.He also swiped seven bases, so headds some speed.

“In the outfield, our frontrunnersfor playing time are junior WillieGale, who is having a great March, aswell as senior Patrick Downey, whowas a regular starter last year,Canavan, and junior PatrickCuccurullo, who may be ourprogram’s most improved player, aswell as senior Matt Zucker and junior

Angelo DiNizo,” Coach Higgins said.Senior Anthony DiNizo is return-

ing from a knee injury that has forcedhim to give up catching, so he isexpected to play first base. JuniorPatrick Dembiec, who is injured,should return in late April.

The Raiders’ ace pitcher will bejunior Danny Wilkinson, who in 49innings, had a 1.31 ERA, walked 22,struck out 46 and finished with a 4-3record last year. Wilkinson was se-lected for the Union-Essex Underclass-man All-Star Game and the GardenState Underclassman All-Star game.

“Danny Wilkinson, our number 1pitcher, is swinging a good bat andshould see time there as well,” CoachHiggins added.

Senior Nick McCormack also sawplenty of action on the mound with 23innings and finished with a 4-1 record(3.65 ERA), which included 11 walksand 14 strikeouts. Other expereincedpitchers include seniors Matt Kipp,Erik Kaufman, Jake Friedman andDerek Cappadoccia, who according

to Coach Higgins, “has shown tre-mendous improvement on the moundas well and may earn a spot in therotation.”

Competing for innings will also bejuniors Charles Widder, Miles Owens,and Nick Merkel.

As far as a batting order, “Gale orCanavan will likely lead off. Kirian hasbeen hitting 2 in the scrimmages, andRamos may be 2 or 3. If I had to guessright now, I’d say DiNizo, Dieu,Wilkinson and Schetelich could be hit-ting in the middle of the order, whileDowney is in the mix at the top as well.”

Once on the base paths, “JoshCanavan might be as fast as his brotherbut it is close. Willie Gale is just asfast if not faster. Downey, Kirian,Ramos and Zucker all have great speedas well. Speed is going to be a strengthfor us,” Coach Higgins expressed.

(Scotch Plains) It may not havebeen a foregone conclusion, but the2017-18 Fanwood-Scotch Plains “Y”Men’s 30+ Basketball League titlegame figured to be a coronation forthe top-seeded team in the tourna-ment, who had galavanted through itsfirst 14 games nearly unscathed (theironly blemish being a Week 7 forfei-ture). However, as a wise sports sageonce said, “that’s why they play thegame.”

Team 8 54, Throwbacks 49: In adramatic, and somewhat unpredictedconclusion to another scintillatingseason of hoops, the upstart No. 6seed Team 8 thrilled a standing roomonly gymnasium, by knocking off thevaunted 1 ranked Throwbacks to cap-ture the FSPY CHIP.

The two opponents had met twiceduring the regular campaign, with theThrowbacks prevailing by double dig-its on each occasion. From the open-ing tip on Championship Sunday,though, it was evident that Team 8was prepared to spoil TB’s antici-pated celebration, and create astorybook ending of its own.

Behind the all-around tenacious-ness of “OG” Omar Glover (15 pts, 6rebs), marksmanship of diaper dandyBrendan Ryan (13 and 5), and insidepresence of super soph Chris Burke(12 and 5), the underdog T8 shot outto a 32-28 margin at the intermission.Throwbacks Capt. Jamal Berry, theleague’s ultimate warrior, seeking histhird 30-and-over crown, helped keepmatters close, as did teammate TerryStephens, who dropped in all 8 of histallies during the first half.

Defense reigned in stanza two, asTeam 8 took advantage of a leg injuryto the Throwbacks’ second-leadingscorer, sharpshooter Jason Shann, bydouble-teaming Berry. Without thesupport of his left-hand man Shann,and despite falling behind by as muchas 10 points in the final 20 minutes,Berry (27 pts, 9 boards) left every-thing but his mouthpiece on the floor,willing his men to within two, 51-49,with 50 ticks remaining. Two clutch

free throws by Glover, and one free-bie by T8 Capt. Blake Sonnek-Schmelz, however, gave T8 enoughcushion to seal its victory.

If you had told Capt. Sonnek-Schmelz back in December that he

would be hoisting the championshiptrophy over his headband in March,he probably would have referred youto his resident doctor, Allen Maizes,


WORKING INTO THE ROTATION...Raider senior Jake Friedman, who experienced mound time last year, looks to workhis way into the rotation again this season (May 2017 files against New Providence).

Team 8 Tosses ThrowbacksFor FSPY Men’s 30+ Crown

to get your skull examined. After all,his group of 8 had gotten off to aninauspicious 0-3 beginning, and wasstaring at the prospects of a long,bleak winter. As the old saying goes,though, “It’s not where you start, but

where you finish”. And, Team 8 hit itsstride at just the right time, winningtwo of its last three to position itselffor the post-season, then eliminatingthe 3 and 7 seeds in fairly convincingfashion to reach the Final Two.

Sonnek-Schmelz contributed 6 ptsand 5 caroms, the dependable AnandDesai chipped in with 5 and 5, andFrank Vallejo, Matt Adams andMaizes filled their roles admirablyfor the champions.

The Throwbacks’ Orlando Jean-Charles closed out a solid rookie sea-son with 8 pts and 4 assists, andveteran Jason Holley added 4 pts and6 rebounds in a losing effort.

RED DIVISION HOOPS CHAMPS...Holy Trinity and St. Helen’s 8th gradeCYO teams battled in the semifinals of the Varsity Red Division. Holy Ttinity wenton to win the championship over St. Michael’s Union. Pictured, left to right, are:bottom row; Andrew McCabe, Matt Fuccillo, Jonathan Giglio, Mason Galindo,Alex Elghoul and Aidan Sheppard; top row, Al Ferrara, Jonathan Schaeffer,Daniel Riccardi, Jack Walter, Kieran Koenke, James Csorba and Steven Angeli.The coaches were Michael Csorba, Jim Riccardi and Mike Galindo.

PUBLIC NOTICE PUBLIC NOTICE PUBLIC NOTICE

2018 MUNICIPAL BUDGETTOWNSHIP OF SCOTCH PLAINS

COUNTY OF UNIONFOR THE CALENDAR YEAR ENDING

DECEMBER 31, 2018Revenue and Appropriation Summaries

SUMMARY OF REVENUES ANTICIPATED2018 2017

1. Surplus $3,400,000.00 $3,400,000.002. Total Miscellaneous Revenues $4,908,665.54 $4,814,065.543. Receipts from Delinquent Taxes $925,000.00 $900,000.004. Local Tax for Municipal Purposes $16,432,356.98 $16,294,943.98 Total General Revenues $25,666,022.52 $25,409,009.52

SUMMARY OF APPROPRIATIONS 2018 20171. Operating Expenses: Salaries & Wages $9,572,238.22 $9,739,405.00

Other Expenses $9,990,712.04 $9,532,081.522. Deferred Charges & Other Appropriations $2,183,741.00 $2,159,223.003. Capital Improvements $78,250.00 $5,000.004. Debt Service $1,941,081.26 $2,073,300.005. Reserve for Uncollected Taxes $1,900,000.00 $1,900,000.00

Total General Appropriations $25,666,022.52 $25,409,009.52

Total Number of Employees 167 169

2018 DEDICATED SEWER UTILITY BUDGET

SUMMARY OF REVENUES ANTICIPATED2018 2017

1. Surplus $658,335.00 $608,335.002. Miscellaneous Revenues $2,300,000.00 $2,300,000.003. Deficit (General Budget) $0.00 $0.00

Total Revenues $2,958,335.00 $2,908,335.00

SUMMARY OF APPROPRIATIONS 2018 20171. Operating Expenses: Salaries & Wages $320,000.00 $330,000.00

Other Expenses $2,563,718.00 $2,503,335.002. Capital Improvements $50,000.00 $50,000.003. Debt Service $0.00 $0.004. Deferred Charges & Other Appropriations $24,617.00 $25,000.005. Surplus (General Budget) $0.00 $0.00

Total Appropriations $2,958,335.00 $2,908,335.00

Total Number of Employees 4 4

BALANCE OF OUTSTANDING DEBT AS OF 12/31/2017BONDS

nterest $1,848,850.00Principal $15,770,000.00Outstanding Balance $17,618,850.00

Notice is hereby given that the budget and tax resolution was approved by the Township Council of theTownship of Scotch Plains, County of Union, on March 20, 2018.

A hearing on the budget and tax resolution will be held at the Municipal Building on April 17, 2018 at 7:00o’clock P.M., at which time and place objections to the Budget and Tax Resolution for the year 2018 maybe presented by the taxpayers or other interested persons.

Copies of the budget are available in the office of Bozena Lacina, Township Clerk, at the MunicipalBuilding, 430 Park Avenue, Scotch Plains, New Jersey 07076, (908) 322-6700, during the hours of 8:30 A.M.to 4:00 P.M.1 T - 3/29/18, The Times Fee: $172.89

PUBLIC NOTICESCOTCH PLAINS-FANWOOD

BOARD OF EDUCATIONCOUNTY OF UNION, NEW JERSEY

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS

PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given thatsealed bids will be received by the ScotchPlains-Fanwood Board of Education (TheDistrict), in the County of Union, for thefurnishing of the hereinafter described la-bor, material and equipment for ProposedRoofing Replacements - Coles ES,McGinn ES, Park MS, and Terrill MS,Scotch Plains, New Jersey 07076 (here-inafter, the “Project”) and opened and readin public at the Scotch Plains-FanwoodBoard of Education Offices, 512 CedarStreet, Scotch Plains, New Jersey 07076on April 13, 2018, at 10:00 a.m. prevail-ing time. Bids to be received for this workshall be Combined/Lump Sum Bids for allthe work required.

Bidding Documents may be examinedat the office of Potter Architects, L.L.C.,410 Colonial Avenue, Union, New Jersey07083, during business hours. A copythereof may be procured in person only onor after March 29, 2018, at the Architect’soffice for the purpose of bidding. Biddersshall notify the Architect in advance prior toobtaining bidding documents (Plans andProject Manual) by calling Potter Archi-tects (908-686-2547). Documents will notbe mailed. Cash or check to the order ofsaid Architect in the sum of $100 (com-pact disk) or $175 (hard copy) is re-quired, which is non-refundable. NeitherOwner nor Architect assumes any respon-sibility for errors, omissions, or misinter-pretations resulting from the use of incom-plete sets of Bidding Documents, or copiesof Bidding Documents obtained in elec-tronic media form, internet plan rooms orother internet plan sites, or copies of Bid-ding Documents obtained from any sourceother than the Architect’s Office.

All bids must conform to the ProjectManual. Bids must be made on standardbid forms in the manner designated by theProject Manual, must be enclosed in sealedenvelopes bearing the name and addressof the bidder, the contract being bid on theoutside thereof, addressed to Owner andshould be delivered in person to the Owner.Owner will not be responsible for bids sentby mail or delivery service.

There will be a Pre-Bid Meeting atColes Elementary School located at 16Kevin Road, Scotch Plains, New Jer-sey on April 2, 2018 at 9:00 a.m. prevail-ing time, for the purpose of observing thework site, discussing the bid documentsand expected procedures, and to reviewquestions posed by Bidders. Following themeeting at Coles Elementary School, allschools in this bid will be visited. Atten-dance at the Pre-Bid Meeting is stronglyencouraged, but not mandatory.

Each bid shall be accompanied by thefollowing:

1. The District shall require that all Bid-ders submit with their Bids an uncondi-tional certified check, cashier’s check, orbid guarantee in an amount of ten percent(10%) of the Bidder’s Base Bid, but not inexcess of $20,000. Such bid guaranteeserves as a guarantee that, should aBidder’s bid be accepted, the Bidder willexecute and comply with the Contract.Within ten (10) Days after delivery to theDistrict of a Contract executed by the se-lected Bidder, together with all other itemsthat may be required to be submitted there-with, the District shall return the Bid guar-antee to each unsuccessful Bidder.

If the selected Bidder fails to execute theContract or to provide all guarantees, in-surance and other items required, the fundsrepresented by such Bidder’s Bid guaran-tee shall be released to the District andbecome and remain the property of theDistrict. Delivery of the Bid guarantee con-stitutes the Agreement of the Bidder andthe surety or other entity that issued theBid guarantee that such amount shall bereleased to the District in such event.

All Bid guarantees must be issued by asurety licensed to issue such guaranteesin the State of NJ. Certified or cashier’schecks shall be drawn on a state or na-tional bank rated “A” by at least two nation-ally recognized agencies. Checks shall bemade payable to the District.

2. Bidders must include a Certificatefrom a surety company stating that it willprovide the Bidder with a Performance,Payment Bond and Maintenance Bond insuch sum and form as is required in theSpecifications.

3. Affidavit showing Notice of Classifica-tion in accordance with the standards ofand by the New Jersey Department of theTreasury, Division of Property Manage-ment and Construction, for bids $20,000and over, for prime Bidders and all sub-contractors, prior to the date that Bids arereceived.

Bid proposals for the above work will bereceived from bidders registered with theDivision of Revenue and Department ofLabor, and classified by the Department ofTreasury, Division of Property Manage-ment and Construction in the followingtrade(s):

Notices of Classification MUST in-clude:

Prime Bidder:Roofing Work (C068-Roofing Mem-

brane - Modified Bitumen)Subcontractors:1. Masonry Work (C019 Concrete/

Foundation/Footings/Masonry Work)and

2. HVAC Work (C032 HVACR) and3. Gas Piping (C030 Plumbing, C031

Oil and Gas Burners, C032 HVACR orC033 Boilers - New/Repair) and

4. Electrical (C047 Electrical)Any other General Construction,

Structural Steel, or other Plumbing

Work is considered incidental, andtherefore, Notice of Classification inthose trades is not required.

4. A statement setting forth the namesand addresses of all stockholders owning10% or more of the stock in the case of acorporation, or 10% or greater interest inthe case of a partnership, or acknowledg-ment that no person or entity has 10% orgreater proprietary interest in the Bidder.

5. Other documentation as outlined inthe bid documents.

Bidders are notified as follows:Addendum may be issued by the Owner

in accordance with the Project Manual upto seven (7) business days prior to receiptof Bids.

Bidders are notified that they must com-ply with the provisions of N.J.S.A. 34:11-56.37 and 34:11-56.38 et seq. (Wages onPublic Works) and that the contract to beawarded in the case shall contain a stipu-lation that the wage rate must be paid toworkmen employed in the performance ofthe contracts shall not be less than theprevailing wage rate as determined by theCommissioner of the Department of Laborand Industry of the State of New Jersey.

Bidders are notified that they must com-ply with the provisions of P.L. 1999, c.238(The Public Works Contractor Registra-tion Act), which became effective on April11, 2000, and P.L. 2004, c.57 (BusinessRegistration of Public Contractors) whichbecame effective on September 1, 2004.

Bidders are notified that they must com-ply with the provisions of N.J.S.A. 52:31-1to 52:33-4, the statutes on the use ofdomestic materials on public work.

Bidders are notified that the Owner is anexempt organization under the provisionsof the New Jersey State Sales and UseTax (N.J.S.A. 54:32B-1 et. seq.) and is notrequired to pay sales tax.

Bidders are notified that they are re-quired to comply with all rules and regula-tions and orders promulgated by the StateTreasurer pursuant to N.J.S.A. 10:5-31 et.seq. and with all provisions of N.J.S.A.10:2-1 through 10:2-4 (Affirmative Action),and N.J.A.C. 17:27.

No Bidder may withdraw his Bid for aperiod of sixty (60) days after the date setfor the opening thereof. The Owner re-serves the right to consider the Bids forsixty (60) days after receipt thereof, andfurther reserves the right to reject any andall Bids and to waive any informalities inany Bid or Bids, and to make such awardsas may be in the best interest of the Owner,pursuant to applicable law.

By order of the Scotch Plains-FanwoodBoard of Education, in the County of Union,New Jersey.

Mrs. Deborah Saridaki,Business Administrator

Scotch Plains-Fanwood Board of EducationEvergreen Avenue and Cedar Street,

Scotch Plains, New Jersey 070761 T - 3/29/18, The Times Fee: $170.85


FRIENDS AFTER THE GAME...Holy Trinity and St. Helen’s 8th grade CYOteams huddle together after the semifinal game of the Varsity Red Division.


PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVENthat the following Ordinances were passedon first reading by the Township Council ofthe Township of Scotch Plains, County ofUnion, New Jersey on the 20th of March2018, and that said Ordinances will beconsidered for final adoption at a meetingof the said Township Council to be held inthe Council Chambers, 430 Park Avenue,on the 17th day of April 2018 at 7:00 p.m.,at which time and place a public hearingwill be held prior to final passage of saidOrdinances and all interested persons willbe given an opportunity to be heard con-cerning the same. Copies of said Ordi-nances can be obtained from the Town-ship Clerk’s Office at any time prior to finaladoption at no cost to any member of thegeneral public who requests same.

ORDINANCE 2018-9

ORDINANCE TO EXCEEDTHE MUNICIPAL BUDGETCOST OF LIVING ALLOW-ANCE AND TO ESTABLISH ACAP BANK WHEN THE COLAIS EQUAL TO OR LESS THAN2.50 PERCENT (N.J.S.A.40A:4-45.14)

ORDINANCE 2018-10

ORDINANCE AMENDINGSECTION 7.3 (BILLING) INCHAPTER XII (SEWER ANDWATER) OF THE REVISEDGENERAL ORDINANCES OFTHE TOWNSHIP OF SCOTCHPLAINS.

BOZENA LACINA, RMCMunicipal Clerk

1 T - 3/29/18, The Times Fee: $36.21

PUBLIC NOTICEBOROUGH OF MOUNTAINSIDE

BOARD OF EDUCATION

A special meeting of the MountainsideBoard of Education has been scheduledfor 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 3, 2018, atthe Beechwood School Susan O. CollierMedia Center located at 1497 WoodacresDrive, Mountainside, New Jersey 07092.This meeting is being held for the purposeof an Executive Session regarding per-sonnel. No action will be taken.

A special meeting of the MountainsideBoard of Education has been scheduledfor 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 17, 2018, atthe Deerfield School Media Center, lo-cated at 302 Central Ave., Mountainside,New Jersey 07092. This meeting is beingheld for the purpose of a community forumto share results of the school climate sur-vey.

1 T - 3/29/18, The Leader Fee: $19.38

FSPY CHAMPS...Team 8 threw back the Throw Backs for the FSPY Crown.






ORDINANCE NO. 18-05

AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND ARTICLE XIV (AFFORDABLE HOUSING) INCHAPTER 106 (LAND USE) OF THE CODE OF THE BOROUGH OFGARWOOD TO FURTHER ADDRESS THE REQUIREMENTS OF THEFAIR HOUSING ACT AND THE UNIFORM HOUSING AFFORDABILITYCONTROLS (UHAC) REGARDING COMPLIANCE WITH THE BOROUGH’SAFFORDABLE HOUSING OBLIGATIONS

WHEREAS, by Ordinance Number 17-21, the Governing Body of the Borough ofGarwood enacted Article XIV (Affordable Housing) in Chapter 106 (Land Use) of the Codeof the Borough of Garwood to address the requirements of the Fair Housing Act and theUniform Housing Affordability Controls (UHAC) regarding compliance with the Borough’saffordable housing obligations; and

WHEREAS, certain amendments to the affordable housing provisions are required bythe Special Master serving in the declaratory judgment action entitled In re Borough ofGarwood, Docket No. UNN-L-2406-15; and

WHEREAS, this Ordinance and addresses the requirements of N.J.A.C. 5:93-1, etseq., as amended and supplemented, N.J.A.C.5:80-26.1, et seq. as amended andsupplemented, and the New Jersey Fair Housing Act of 1985;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by the Mayor and Council of the Borough ofGarwood as follows:

SECTION 1. The following sections of Article XIV (Affordable Housing) in Chapter 106(Land Use) of the Code of the Borough of Garwood are hereby amended to read asfollows:

§ 106-172 ApplicabilityThe provisions of this Ordinance shall apply to all affordable housing developments and

affordable housing units that currently exist and that are proposed to be created within theBorough of Garwood pursuant to the Borough’s most recently adopted Housing Elementand Fair Share Plan, including those that are funded through Low Income Tax Credits.

§ 106-175 New Construction1. Low/Moderate Split and Bedroom Distribution of Affordable Housing Units:The set aside requirement shall be divided equally between low- and moderate-income

units, except that where there is an odd number of affordable housing units, the extra unitshall be a low income unit. At least 13 percent of all affordable rental units in anydevelopment shall be affordable to very low income households. The very low incomeunits shall be counted as part of the required number of low income units within thedevelopment.

2. No change3. No change4. No change5. Multi-Family Developments Not Anticipated in Fair Share Plan and Multi-Family Units

in Mixed Use Developments in the Central Business Zone:a. With the exception of mixed use developments containing multi-family residential

units in the Central Business Zone, this Section does not affect the requirements for theproduction of affordable housing on sites that are zoned for inclusionary development aspart of the Fair Share Plan, for which the affordable housing set-aside requirements havebeen established by the zoning regulations and for which any calculated fraction of anobligation shall be rounded up. In the Central Business Zone and in all other cases, amandatory set-aside requirement of 20% (if the affordable units will be for sale) and 15%(if the affordable units will be for rent) shall be imposed on any townhouse, gardenapartment or other multi-family residential development or multi-family units in a mixeduse development created through any Borough or Board action involving a rezoning, usevariance, density variance, redevelopment plan or rehabilitation plan permitting develop-ment or redevelopment that provides an incentive in the form of an increase in the densityon a site, provided the new density is at least twice the previously permitted density andresults in the construction or creation of five or more new dwelling units over the numberof dwelling units previously permitted to be built. This requirement does not give anydeveloper the right to any such rezoning, redevelopment plan or rehabilitation plan,variance or other relief, or establish any obligation on the part of the Borough of Garwoodto grant such rezoning, redevelopment or rehabilitation plan approval, variance or otherrelief. All affordable units created by this mechanism shall be family affordable housingunits (i.e., non-age-restricted) and shall comply with all other requirements of theBorough’s Affordable Housing Ordinance, including the requirement that at least 50percent of the affordable units be affordable to low income households and that at least13 percent of the affordable units shall be affordable to very low income households(earning 30 percent or less of the regional median household income by household size),which very low income requirement shall be included as part of the low income housingrequirement; the remaining affordable units may be moderate income units.

b. For any developments to which paragraph a. above applies, if the calculation of thetotal number of affordable units required to be provided yields a fraction that is less than0.5 percent of a whole unit, then the developer shall have the option of either making apayment in lieu of the fraction of one unit or providing one additional unit. If the calculationof the total number of affordable units required yields a fraction that is greater than 0.5,the obligation shall be rounded up to the next whole unit. The option of making a paymentin lieu or providing an additional whole unit shall not apply to any parameter other thanthe total number of affordable units required to be provided.

c. For any payment in lieu of a fraction of an affordable unit authorized by § 106-175(5)(b) above, the payment for the fraction of the affordable unit shall be pro-ratedbased upon the Subsidy Required/Payment In Lieu Amount set forth for COAH Region2 in N.J.A.C. 5:97-6.4(c), unless the developer can demonstrate to the reasonablesatisfaction of the Borough of Garwood that the payment amount, using the methodologyset forth in N.J.A.C. 5:97-6.4(c), should be a different amount. All payments in lieu ofconstructing fractions of affordable units shall be placed in the Borough’s affordablehousing trust fund and shall be used for the creation of additional affordable housing units,subject to the regulations and restrictions pertaining to same.

6. No Subdivision Permitted:The subdivision of properties proposed for multi-family residential developments or

mixed use developments that will include multi-family housing and are thus required to

provide an affordable housing set-aside is prohibited as a means to circumvent themandatory set-aside requirement in § 106-175(5)(a).

§ 106-178 Control Periods for Restricted Ownership Units and EnforcementMechanisms

1. Control periods for restricted ownership units shall be in accordance with N.J.A.C.5:80-26.5, as may be amended and supplemented, and each restricted ownership unitshall remain subject to the requirements of this Ordinance for a period of at least thirty (30)years, until Garwood takes action to release the unit from such requirements. Prior to suchaction, a restricted ownership unit must remain subject to the requirements of N.J.A.C.5:80-26.1, as may be amended and supplemented, for a period of at least 30 years.

§ 106-183 Control Periods for Restricted Rental Units1. Control periods for restricted rental units shall be in accordance with N.J.A.C. 5:80-

26.11, as may be amended and supplemented, and each restricted rental unit shallremain subject to the requirements of this Ordinance for a period of at least 30 years, untilGarwood takes action to release the unit from such requirements. Prior to such action, arestricted rental unit must remain subject to the requirements of N.J.A.C. 5:80-26.1, asmay be amended and supplemented, for a period of at least 30 years.

§ 106-188 Affirmative Marketing Requirements2. The Affirmative Marketing Plan is a regional marketing strategy designed to attract

buyers and/or renters of all majority and minority groups, regardless of race, creed, color,national origin, ancestry, marital or familial status, gender, affectional or sexual orienta-tion, disability, age or number of children to housing units which are being marketed bya developer, sponsor or owner of affordable housing. The Affirmative Marketing Plan isintended to target those potentially eligible persons who are least likely to apply foraffordable units in that region. It is a continuing program that directs marketing activitiestoward Housing Region 2 and is required to be followed throughout the period ofrestriction. The Borough shall add to the list of the community and regional organizationsin its affirmative marketing plan, pursuant to N.J.A.C. 5:80-26.15(f)(5): Fair ShareHousing Center, the New Jersey State Conference of the NAACP, the Latino ActionNetwork, the Supportive Housing Association of New Jersey, and the New JerseyHousing Resource Center, and shall, as part of its regional affirmative marketingstrategies, provide direct notice to those organizations of all available affordable housingunits, along with copies of affordable housing application forms. The Borough shallrequire any other entities, including developers or persons or companies, retained to doaffirmative marketing, to comply with this Section.

§ 106-191 Monitoring and reporting requirements1. The Borough shall provide annual reporting of trust fund activity to the New Jersey

Department of Community Affairs, Council on Affordable Housing, or Local GovernmentServices, or other entity designated by the State of New Jersey, with a copy provided toFair Share Housing Center and posted on the municipal website, using forms developedfor this purpose by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Council onAffordable Housing, or Local Government Services. The reporting shall include anaccounting of all housing trust fund activity, including the source and amount of fundscollected and the amount and purpose for which any funds have been expended.

2. The Borough shall provide annual reporting of the status of all affordable housingactivity within the municipality through posting on the municipal website with a copy ofsuch posting provided to Fair Share Housing Center, using forms previously developedfor this purpose by the Council on Affordable Housing or any other forms endorsed by theSpecial Master and FSHC.

3. For the midpoint realistic opportunity review due on July 1, 2020, as requiredpursuant to N.J.S.A. 52:27D-313, the Borough will post on its municipal website, with acopy provided to Fair Share Housing Center, a status report as to its implementation ofits Plan and an analysis of whether any unbuilt sites or unfulfilled mechanisms continueto present a realistic opportunity and whether any mechanisms to meet unmet needshould be revised or supplemented. Such posting shall invite any interested party tosubmit comments to the municipality, with a copy to Fair Share Housing Center, regardingwhether any sites no longer present a realistic opportunity and should be replaced andwhether any mechanisms to meet unmet need should be revised or supplemented. Anyinterested party may by motion request a hearing before the court regarding these issues.

4. For the review of very low income housing requirements required by N.J.S.A. 52:27D-329.1, within 30 days of March 28, 2020, and every third year thereafter, the Borough willpost on its municipal website, with a copy provided to Fair Share Housing Center, a statusreport as to its satisfaction of its very low income requirements, including the family verylow income requirements referenced herein. Such posting shall invite any interestedparty to submit comments to the municipality and Fair Share Housing Center on the issueof whether the municipality has complied with its very low income housing obligationunder the terms of this settlement.

SECTION 2. All ordinances or parts of ordinances inconsistent herewith are herebyrepealed to the extent of such inconsistency, provided that all provisions of Article XIV(Affordable Housing) in Chapter 106 (Land Use) of the Code of the Borough of Garwoodnot amended herein shall remain in effect.

SECTION 3. If any portion of this ordinance shall be determined to be invalid, suchdetermination shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of said ordinance.

SECTION 4. This ordinance shall take effect upon final passage and publication inaccordance with law and upon filing with the Union County Planning Board.

NOTICE

Notice is hereby given that Ordinance No. 18-05, was introduced and passed on firstreading at a meeting of the Borough Council of the Borough of Garwood, in the Countyof Union, State of New Jersey, held on the 27th DAY OF MARCH 2018, and thatOrdinance No. 18-05, will be taken up for further consideration for final passage at themeeting of said Borough Council to be held at its meeting room in the Municipal Building,403 South Avenue, Garwood, New Jersey, on the 10th DAY OF APRIL 2018, at 7:15p.m., or as soon thereafter as said matter can be heard, at which time and place allpersons who may be interested therein will be given an opportunity to be heardconcerning the same.



PUBLIC NOTICE

CHS Boosters to Host Whiffle Ball TourneyThe Cranford High School Booster Club will be hosting its first annual

wiffle ball tournament on May 6 at 11 a.m. at Orange Avenue School. Teamscomprised of three to five players will compete in either the 5-12 year olddivision or the 13 years and older division.

Cost per team is $150. Sponsorship opportunities are available. For moreinformation contact Mike Plick at [email protected] or register onlineat chs.cranfordschools.org/athletics/boosterdonations.shtml.


OUT AT THIRD...Blue Devil Julia Criscuolo gets tagged out at third by CougarCandice Durant in the second inning (April 2014).

PUBLIC NOTICEBOROUGH OF GARWOODBOARD OF EDUCATION

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that theGarwood Board of Education RegularMeeting posted for 7:30 pm Tuesday, April17th will now take place at 6:30pm.

Eric LarsonSBA/BS

1 T - 3/29/18, The Leader Fee: $9.69

D. Blair Corbin’s

Walk Down Memory Lane

RaidersBlue Devils

Cougars

April 3, 2012: Capitalizing withfour runs in the first and a seven-runbreakout inning in the third was allthat was required as the hosting Gov-ernor Livingston softball team earnedan 11-4 victory over the Raiders.Raider Amanda Schroder (RBI) went2-for-3, Lindsay Wilkinson (RBI),Arielle Zuaro and Amanda Raphaeleach went 2-for-4, and Marcus had atriple. Liz Gallo and Sara Killeeneach contributed a hit, and KellyYeager added a run.

April 1, 2011: The Blue Devil girlslacrosse team opened it season with a17-4 trouncing of Union Catholic inWestfield. Senior captain Ally Rosefired in three goals and added sixassists. Elizabeth Cusick notched fourgoals and Emily Gretsky scored threegoals, while Courtney Weisse andJenna Sharkey each scored twice andadded three assists.

April 1, 2010: April Fools Dayproved to be no joke as strong pitch-ing combined with offensive musclemolded the outcome of the Raiderbaseball team’s 16-0 season-openingvictory over visiting Plainfield. Raiderstarting pitcher Gary Binkiewiczturned in an outstanding no-hit, pitch-ing performance, fanning three Car-dinals through three innings. Fresh-

man James D’Angelo tossed a two-hitter, fanned one, walked one and hita batter in his two innings of relief topreserve the shutout. The Raiders tooka 4-0 lead in the bottom of the firstinning on a bases-loaded two-RBIsingle by Mike Ridge (2-for-4, triple,5 RBI, run scored), an RBI sacrificefly by Marcus Rivera and an RBIsingle by Rick Shevlin.

April 1, 2006: April Fools Dayoffered no jokes but did offer thelearning experience when the visitingHillsborough Raiders baseball team,

FARMWORKERS NEEDED

6 Temp Fruit Farmworkers needed5/8/18 – 12/5/18. Workers willperform various duties associatedwith planting, pruning, cultivating& hand harvesting crops accordingto supervisor’s instructions.Workers will have extensiveperiods of sitting, standing,walking, pushing, pulling, repetitivemovement, frequent stopping andlifting 75lbs. Must have 3 monthsverifiable experience pruning fruittrees on a commercial farm &affirmative, verifiable jobreferences. May random drug testat employer’s expense.Guaranteed at least 3/4 of contracthours but hours will vary accordingto weather and crop conditions.Hours may exceed or be less than40 hours. Work tools, supplies,equipment provided at no cost.Housing provided for non-commuting workers at no cost.Transportation & subsistencereimbursed to worker uponcompletion of 50% of contract orearlier if appropriate. $12.83/hr,applicable piece rate dependingon crop activity, or currentapplicable AEWR. Raise/bonus atemployer discretion. EOE.Worksite in Monroe & OrleansCo. NY. Applicants report/send aresume to the nearest NJ CareerCenter office or call 908-412-7980& ref job order #NY1244273.Brightly Farms LLC- Hamlin, NY

FARM WORKERS NEEDED

9 temp farm workers needed5/14/18 – 8/27/18. Workers willperform various tasks associatedwith planting vegetables accordingto supervisor’s instructions.Workers will have extensiveperiods of sitting, standing,walking, pushing, pulling, repetitivemovement, frequent stopping andlifting 75lbs. Must have 3 months’verifiable experience handharvesting a perishable crop &affirmative verifiable jobreferences. May random drug testat employer’s expense.Guaranteed at least 3/4 of contracthours but hours will vary accordingto weather and crop conditions.Hours may exceed or be less than36 hours. Work tools, supplies,equipment provided at no cost.Housing provided for non-commuting workers at no cost.Transportation & subsistencereimbursed to worker uponcompletion of 50% of contract orearlier if appropriate. $12.83/hr orcurrent applicable AEWR. Raise/bonus at employer discretion.EOE. Worksite in Monroe, Wayne,Livingston, Erie & Geness Co’s.,NY. Report or send a resume tonearest local NJ One Stop CareerCenter office or call 908-412-7980& reference Job # NY-1243851.Kreher Enterprises LLC: ClarenceNY

FREELANCERS WANTEDStrong, detail-oriented writerswith professional demeanorneeded to cover localgovernment meetings. Must beable to meet deadlines, knowhow to write a lead, and takean active interest in their beatsin order to develop newsstories. Please emailresume and clips to:

[email protected]

FITNESS EQUIPMENT FOR SALE

Body By Jake FIRMFLEX TotalBody Trainer. Complete WorkoutExercise Machine. Space SavingDesign. Padded Bench.Adjustable Height and Resistence.Perfect For Home or Dorm!Excellent Condition, $30.

Call (908) 654-6091

VERMONT HOME FOR SALE

Contemporary Victorian Home. 15minutes to Killington/Pico. Top ofdead end road. Rutland Town, 10acres, 15 minutes walk to waterfall.1639 Mckinley Ave. 4 beds, 3 &1/2 baths Some pictures on line.Priced to sell.$599,999. Avoidthe 6% Realtor fee (802) 775-6961

BRIGHT OFFICE FOR LEASE

Multi-windowed, in the heartof Westfield. $950/month,

minutes by foot from NJT RailPlease contact Steven

[email protected](212) 563-6140 or (917) 519-6140

MEDICAL SPACE FOR LEASE

Downtown Westfield!1,350/SF Multiple exam rooms,reception area ..., minutes by footto NJT Rail. Please call [email protected](212) 563-6140 or (917) 519-6140

FOR RENT WESTFIELD

House to share, one privatebedroom with new oak floor, newpaint and window treatments,shared bathroom with one adult.Living room with fireplace, formaldining room, eat in large kitchen,full laundry room, off streetparking, large fenced in yard inquiet, prestigous neighborhood,10 minute walk to train. $950 amonth and partial utilities.Non smoking, no pets. Musthave references. (908) 377-6761


ORDINANCE NO. 18-07

CALENDAR YEAR 2018ORDINANCE TO ESTABLISH

A CAP BANK(N.J.S.A. 40A:4-45.14)

WHEREAS, the Local Government CapLaw, N.J.S. 40A:4-45.1 et.seq., providesthat in the preparation of its annual budget,a municipality shall limit any increase insaid final budget appropriations to 2.50%unless authorized by ordinance to increaseit to 3.5% over the previous years finalappropriations; and,

WHEREAS, a municipality may, by ordi-nance, bank the difference between itsfinal budget appropriations and the 3.5%increase authorized by this ordinance whensaid difference is not appropriated as partof the final budget; and,

WHEREAS, the Borough Council of theBorough of Garwood, County of Union,hereby determines that this difference inthe amount of $62,225.78 that is not ap-propriated as part of the final 2018 budgetshall be retained as an exception to thefinal appropriations in either of the next twosucceeding years.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT ORDAINED,that any amount authorized herein abovethat is not appropriated as part of the finalbudget shall be retained as an exception tofinal appropriation in either of the next twosucceeding years; and,

BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED, that acertified copy of this ordinance as intro-duced be filed with the Director of theDivision of Local Government Serviceswithin 5 days of introduction; and

BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED, that acertified copy of this ordinance upon adop-tion, with the recorded vote includedthereon, be filed with said Director within 5days after such adoption.

NOTICE




Fred Lecomte (April 2013 files) for The Westfield Leader and The TimesSTRONG DEFENSE…The Blue Devil defense, including Christian Burgdorf,No. 17, Garrett Williamson, No. 1, Jack Simcox and Mike Fitzhenry played a verystubborn game against the Summit Hilltoppers in a 4-3 loss (April 2013).

last year’s Group 4 champions, dem-onstrated its offensive muscle with a16-hit attack, including three homeruns – one a grand slam – to defeatWestfield, 16-4. Mike Diaz, who alsosingled, and Jay Anderson eachwhacked a two-run homer.

April 4, 2005: The Blue Devilsoftball team upped its record to 2-0by topping Cranford, 2-1, in Cranford.Blue Devil pitcher Lauren Gelmettifanned 11 Cougars while walkingnone and allowing seven hits.

April 3, 2003: Mistakes may havebeen the reason for a 10-5, opening-season loss to the hosting Cranfordbaseball team but the Blue Devils,featuring an entirely new starting lineupfrom last year, did show poise. Fresh-man catcher Mike Murray smackedtwo singles and had two RBI. Seniorfirst baseman Mike Dubitsky rippedtwo singles, senior second basemanTyler Patla singled and scored threetimes and Brian Butts drilled a double,scored a run and had an RBI.

David B. Corbin (April 2011 files) for The Westfield Leader and The TimesFLOWING OVER THE HURDLE…Raider Leah Salituro gracefully glides overthe hurdle during the shuttle hurdle event at the Summit Relays. The Raidersplaced fourth in the event (April 2, 2011).

David B. Corbin for The Westfield Leader and The TimesREACHING A MILESTONE…Blue Devil Head Coach Bob Brewster is pre-sented with a cake to celebrate his 500th career victory after a dramatic, 8-7, 10-inning victory over the SPF Raiders on April 3, 2012 at Bob Brewster, Sr. Field.After a 2-2, pitchers’ duel, the Raiders scored five runs in the top of the 10th.However, the Blue Devils reached into their bag of tricks left over from last year’smagical season and found the solution. The Blue Devils staged a two-out rally,when James O-Rourke, on his birthday, ripped an RBI single, Matt Varakianthumped an two-run triple, and after the bases were loaded, Jon Gribbin slasheda two-run double to deep left-center to pull the rabbit conpletely out of the hat.

CLASSIFIEDS

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep.Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-12th, Tren-ton) released the following statementafter voting against the Fiscal Year 2018(FY18) omnibus spending bill:

“Congress has passed the buck onimmigration time and again, even asthis administration has taken continu-ous, aggressive and harmful actionagainst hundreds of thousands of im-migrants, including Dreamers who’veknown no other country than this one.I made a commitment that I would notsupport a funding package until weaddressed the glaring shortcomings inour immigration system and providedpermanent protections for recipientsof the Deferred Action for ChildhoodArrivals (DACA) program. I’ve stayedtrue to that commitment today.

“The final spending package in-cluded a number of investments thatwill directly benefit our communitiesand that I support wholeheartedly.But it also had enduring flaws, in-cluding the continued funding of mili-tary activities without any new autho-rization for use of military force —essentially funding war with no fo-cus, direction, or end. Most impor-tantly, with the passage of this omni-bus Congress loses vital momentumand most of its incentive to provide apermanent solution for Dreamers andto fix the gaping holes in our immi-gration law. Acknowledging this seri-ous dilemma, I could not support it.”

Rep. Watson ColemanStatement on Omnibus

Spending Package




SHERIFF’S SALESHERIFF’S FILE NO.: CH-18000622

SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEYCHANCERY DIVISION

UNION COUNTYDOCKET NO. F-027643-14

Plaintiff: U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIA-TION AS SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE TO BANKOF AMERICA N.A. AS SUCCESSOR BYMERGER TO LASALLE BANK N.A. ASTRUSTEE FOR WASHINGTON MUTUAL PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES WMALT SERIES2007-OA2

VS.Defendant: DAVID H. CAHN; SUSAN G.

CAHN; TD BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION F/K/A TD BANK, F/K/A TD BANKNORTH N.A., ASSUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO HUDSONUNITED BANK; CACH OF NJ LLC; AND BANKOF AMERICA, N.A.

Sale Date: 04/18/2018Writ of Execution: 01/02/2018By virtue of the above-stated writ of execution

to me directed I shall expose for sale by publicvendue, at the Union County Administration Build-ing, 1st Floor, 10 Elizabethtown Plaza, Eliza-beth, New Jersey on Wednesday, at two o’clockin the afternoon of said day. All successful bid-ders must have 20% of their bid available in cashor certified check at the conclusion of the sales.

The judgment amount is: ***Eight HundredThree Thousand Two Hundred Six and 06/100***$803,206.06.

PROPERTY TO BE SOLD IS LOCATED IN:Township of Scotch Plains, County of Union,State of New Jersey.

PREMISES COMMONLY KNOWN AS: 54Highlander Drive, Scotch Plains, New Jersey07076.

TAX LOT #33, BLOCK # 15005.NEAREST CROSS STREET: Scotchwood

Glen.APPROXIMATE DIMENSIONS: 0.928 Acres.Total Upset: ***Eight Hundred Twenty-One

Thousand Nine Hundred and 54/100***$821,900.54 together with lawful interest andcosts.

The sale is subject to any unpaid taxes andassessments, tax, water, and sewer liens andother municipal assessments. The amount duecan be obtained from the local taxing authority.

All interested parties are to conduct and relyupon their own independent investigation to as-certain whether or not any outstanding interestsremain of record and/or have priority over the lienbeing foreclosed and, if so, the current amountdue thereon. **If the sale is set aside for anyreason, the Purchaser at the sale shall only beentitled to a return of the deposit paid. ThePurchaser shall have no further recourse againstthe Mortgagee or the Mortgagee’s attorney.**

Surplus Money: If after the sale and satisfac-tion of the mortgage debt, including costs andexpenses, there remains any surplus money, themoney will be deposited into the Superior CourtTrust Fund and any person claiming the surplus,or any part thereof, may file a motion pursuant toCourt Rules 4:64-3 and 4:57-2 stating the natureand extent of that person’s claim and asking foran order directing payment of the surplus money.The Sheriff or other person conducting the salewill have information regarding the surplus, ifany.

There is a full legal description on file in theUnion County Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff reserves the right to adjourn thissale for any length of time without further adver-tisement.

Peter CorvelliSheriff

Attorney:MILSTEAD & ASSOCIATES, LLC1 EAST STOW ROADMARLETON, NEW JERSEY 08053(856) 482-14004 T - 03/22, 03/29, 04/05& 04/12/18 Fee: $212.16




Plaintiff: FEDERAL NATIONAL MORTGAGEASSOCIATION

VS.Defendant: VALLEY NATIONAL BANK;

GIACOMO ORTIS AND ROSEANN SPALLINOORTIS, HIS WIFE, JPMORGAN CHASE BANK,NATIONAL ASSOCIATION; THE STATE OFNEW JERSEY



The judgment amount is: ***Five HundredEleven Thousand Five Hundred Sixty-Six and25/100*** $511,566.25.

The property to be sold is located in the TOWNof WESTFIELD, County of UNION and State ofNew Jersey.

Commonly known as: 1512 CENTRAL AV-ENUE, WESTFIELD, NEW JERSEY 07090.

Tax Lot No. 2 in Block No. 5601.Dimension of Lot Approximately: 70 X 161Nearest Cross Street: VERNON AVENUE.BEGINNING at a point on the Southwesterly

side of Central Avenue said paint being distant85 feet Northwesterly from the intersection ofsaid Southwesterly side of Central Avenue withthe Northwesterly side of Vernon Terrace; thence

PRIOR LIENS/ENCUMBRANCES: TOTAL ASOF January 17, 2018.

For more information, please visitWWW.AUCTION.COM or call (800) 280-2832.

Total Upset: ***Five Hundred Twenty-EightThousand One Hundred Twenty-Nine and 65/100*** $528,129.65 together with lawful interestand costs.





Attorney:FEIN, SUCH, KAHN & SHEPARD, PC7 CENTURY DRIVESUITE 201PARSIPPANY, NEW JERSEY 07054(973) 538-47004 T - 03/22, 03/29, 04/05& 04/12/18 Fee: $183.60




Plaintiff: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONALASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CA-PACITY BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEE FOR MFRATRUST 2014-2

VS.Defendant: LAWRENCE LEON AND

MARITZA LEON, HUSBAND AND WIFE, ANDEACH OF THEIR HEIRS, DEVISEES, AND PER-SONAL REPRESENTATIVES, AND HIS, HER,THEIR OR ANY OF THEIR SUCCESSORS INRIGHT, TITLE AND INTEREST; TRINITY FI-NANCIAL SERVICES, LLC; WELDON ASPHALTCO.; MIDLAND FUNDING LLC; AND MELISSAPECORARO, DMD



The judgment amount is: ***One Million OneHundred Fifty-One Thousand Ninety-Eight and82/100*** $1,151,098.82.

Property to be sold is located in the Townshipof Scotch Plains, County of Union and State ofNew Jersey.

Commonly known as: 18 Essex Road, ScotchPlains, New Jersey 07076.

Tax Lot(s): 22, in Block: 12001.Dimensions (Approximately): 0.9910 ACNearest Cross Street: Huron PathTotal Upset: ***One Million One Hundred

Sixty-Eight Thousand Two Hundred Thirty-Twoand 06/100*** $1,168,232.06 together with law-ful interest and costs.





Attorney:FRIEDMAN VARTOLO LLP85 BROAD STREETNEW YORK NEW YORK 10004(212) 471-51004 T - 03/15, 03/22, 03/29& 04/05/18 Fee: $175.44




Plaintiff: JP MORGAN CHASE BANK, NA-TIONAL ASSOCIATION

VS.Defendant: ALFRED WELLES SUMNER;

UNITED STATES OF AMERICASale Date: 04/04/2018Writ of Execution: 12/18/2017By virtue of the above-stated writ of execution


The judgment amount is: ***Three HundredThirty-Six Thousand Six Hundred Thirty-Nine***$336,639.00.

The property to be sold is located in SCOTCHPLAINS TOWNSHIP, County of UNION andState of New Jersey.

Commonly known as: 1660 RAHWAY ROAD,SCOTCH PLAINS, NEW JERSEY 07076.

Tax Lot No. 13 in Block No. 16001.Dimension of Lot Approximately: 0.918.Nearest Cross Street: Raritan Road.BEGINNING at a point on the southwesterly

side of Rahway Road, which point is distant thefollowing two courses from the intersection of thecenter line of Raritan Road with the center line ofRahway Road; thence running along the centerline of Rahway Road South 34 degrees 36 min-utes 30 seconds East 594.94 feet to a point;thence South 49 degrees 9 minutes 30 secondsWest 25.15 feet to a point in the southwesterlyside line of Rahway Road and the Place ofBEGINNING; from said beginning point runningthence (1) South 49 degrees 9 minutes 30 sec-onds West 250 feet to a point; thence (2) South34 degrees 36 minutes 30 seconds East 150 feetto a point; thence (3) North 49 degrees 9 minutes30 seconds East 252.13 feet to a point in thesouthwesterly side line of Rahway Road; thence(4) along the same North 35 degrees 25 minutes30 seconds West 150.78 feet to an angle point;thence (5) North 34 degrees 36 minutes 30seconds West a distance of 9 feet to an iron bar,the point and place of BEGINNING.

PRIOR LIENS/ENCUMBRANCESTaxes Open with Penalty: $14,079.02.Sewer Open with Penalty: $175.00.Miscellaneous Penalty: $404.02.TOTAL AS OF December 29, 2017:

$14,658.04.Total Upset: ***Three Hundred Forty-Five

Thousand Eight Hundred Thirty-Nine and 92/100*** $345,839.92 together with lawful interestand costs.





Attorney:FEIN, SUCH, KAHN & SHEPARD, PC7 CENTURY DRIVESUITE 201PARSIPPANY, NEW JERSEY 07054(973) 538-47004 T - 03/08, 03/15, 03/22& 03/29/18 Fee: $222.36




Plaintiff: MTGLQ INVESTORS, L.P.VS.Defendant: JOSE M. RIOS; DONNA M.

VALLARIO; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA;LIBERTY MUTUAL INSURANCE; ATLANTICCITY ELECTRIC; LARIDAN CONSULTING LLC;MIDLAND FUNDING LLC; AMERICAN EX-PRESS CENTURION BANK; HILLTOP FUEL;STATE OF NEW JERSEY



The judgment amount is: ***Four HundredFifty-Two Thousand Six Hundred Forty-Nine and10/100*** $452,649.10.

PROPERTY TO BE SOLD IS LOCATED IN:Town of Westfield, County of Union, in the Stateof New Jersey.

PREMISES COMMONLY KNOWN AS: 712Embree Crescent, Westfield, New Jersey 07090.

TAX LOT # 2, Block # 707.PRIOR LOT# 27, Prior Block# 135.APPROXIMATE DIMENSIONS: 70 feet x 113

feet.NEAREST CROSS STREET: UnknownTaxes: 1st, 2nd 3rd and 4th Quarter of 2017

open balance amount of $13,834.66*Other: Sewer open balance amount of $166.50**Plus interest on these figures through date of

payoff and any and all subsequent taxes, waterand sewer amounts.

Total Upset: ***Four Hundred Sixty-Five Thou-sand Nine Hundred Twenty-Five and 77/100***$465,925.77 together with lawful interest andcosts.





Attorney:STERN & EISENBERG, PC1040 N. KINGS HIGHWAYSUITE 407CHERRY HILL NEW JERSEY 08034(609) 397-92004 T - 03/15, 03/22, 03/29& 04/05/18 Fee: $183.60




Plaintiff: WILMINGTON SAVINGS FUND SO-CIETY, FSB D/B/A CHRISTIANA TRUST, NOTIN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELYAS TRUSTEE FOR WINSTED FUNDING TRUST2016-1

VS.Defendant: TRICIA CHRISTIANSEN;

SANTANDER BANK,N.A., F/K/A SOVEREIGNBANK; STATE OF NEW JERSEY



The judgment amount is: ***Three HundredFifty-Five Thousand Seven Hundred Twenty-One and 71/100*** $355,721.71.

MUNICIPALITY: Borough of Fanwood.COUNTY AND STATE: County of Union, State

of New Jersey.STREET AND STREET NUMBER: 11 Helen

Street.TAX LOT AND BLOCK NUMBERS: Lot: 2;

Block: 83.DIMENSIONS: Approximately 70 X 137.NEAREST CROSS STREET: Lindy Avenue.Beginning at a point in the Northeasterly side-

line of Helen Street, said point being distant230.0 feet in a Northwesterly direction from theintersection of the Northeasterly sideline of HelenStreet and the Northwesterly sideline of LindyAvenue; thence

Pursuant to a tax search of 01/18/2018; 2018QTR 1 Taxes Due: 02/01/2018: $3,930.80 Open;2018 QTR 2 Taxes Due: 05/01/2018: $3,930.79Open; 2018 QTR 3 Taxes Due 08/01/2018: Tobe determined; 2018 QTR 4 Taxes Due 11/01/2018: To be determined; Water Account#: Pri-vate - NJ American Water Co. 131 WoodcrestRoad Cherry Hill, New Jersey 08034 800-652-6987; Sewer Account#: Included with taxes

Total Upset: ***Three Hundred Sixty-NineThousand Six Hundred One and 15/100***$369,601.15 together with lawful interest andcosts.





Attorney:FRENKEL LAMBERT WEISS WEISMAN &GORDON, LLP80 MAIN STREETSUITE 460WEST ORANGE NEW JERSEY 07052(973) 325-88004 T - 03/22, 03/29, 04/05& 04/12/18 Fee: $206.04




Plaintiff: WELLS FARGO BANK N.A.VS.Defendant: DAVID K. BARKER; KAREN L.

BARKER; SKYLANDS ENERGY SERVICE INC.;CITY MUSIC CENTER; AVE BARKER A/K/AAVE SAMBLA BARKER N/K/A AVE BLITHE;COMPLETE CARE; UVTNGSTON FINANCIALLLC



The judgment amount is: ***One HundredThirty-Nine Thousand Two Hundred Fifty-Fiveand 84/100*** $139,255.84.

The property to be sold is located in the TOWN-SHIP OF SCOTCH PLAINS in the County ofUNION, and the State of New Jersey.

Tax Lot 22, Block 302 f/k/a Lot 6, Block 28.Commonly known as 515 Cicilia Place a/k/a

515 Cecilia Place, Scotch Plains, New Jersey07076.

Dimensions of the Lot are (Approximately)000.143 AC.

Nearest Cross Street: Situated on the side ofCecelia Place, near East Second Street.

The sale is subject to any unpaid taxes andassessments, tax, water, and sewer liens andother municipal assessments. The amount duecan be obtained from the local taxing authority.Pursuant to NJSA 46:8B-21 the sale may also besubject to the limited lien priority of any Condo-minium/Homeowner Association liens which mayexist.

Total Upset: ***One Hundred Forty-Five Thou-sand Seven Hundred Forty-Two and 57/100***$145,742.57 together with lawful interest andcosts.





Attorney:SHAPIRO & DENARDO, LLP - ATTORNEYS14000 COMMERCE PARKWAYSUITE BMOUNT LAUREL, NEW JERSEY 08054(856) 793-30804 T - 03/29, 04/05, 04/12& 04/19/18 Fee: $189.72

Letters to the EditorThanks To Russia’s Regime-Controlled

Media That Glorifies PutinPresident Trump despite the warn-

ing of his national security advisorscongratulated Putin on his recentpresidential election victory!

Press Secretary Sanders made mat-ters worse! “What we do know isthat Putin has been elected in theircountry, and that’s not somethingthat we can dictate to them how tooperate.”

But the President of the UnitedStates as the leader of the free worldshould not be acquiescing in Putin’selectoral victory!

The 57-country Organization forSecurity and Co-Operation in Eu-rope commented. “A choice withouta real competition, as we have seenin this election, unfortunately is nota real choice.”

Human Rights Watch, “Russianpolice have systemically interferedwith the presidential campaign ofRussia’s leading political oppositionfigure Alexei Navalny…Navalny, ananti-corruption activist, is formallydisqualified from the presidentialrace due to an outstanding criminalconviction, the result of a politi-cized, unfair trial.”

Michael J. Abramowitz the Presi-dent of Freedom House, “VladimirPutin will win by an overwhelmingmargin thanks to regime-controlledmedia that glorifies the leader anddemonizes his critics, the regime’smonopoly of all sources of economicpower and wealth, and the removalof all serious candidates throughfraudulent legal maneuvers or byassassination… Russia’s fake elec-tions are now a model for autocratsin other countries, from Egypt toVenezuela-authoritarians who mimicPutin in deploying new strategies ofrepression.”

Freedom House in 2017 rankedRussia a “least democratic” coun-try! “The regime sought to perfect itsauthoritarian control over Russiancitizens and the economy in order toprevent any real democratic changes.As in previous years, the trajectoryis the entrenchment of a long-termdictatorship.”

President Trump was not alone incongratulating Putin. North Korea’sdespot Kim Jung Un sent “heartfeltcongratulations” and wished himwell “in your work to build powerfulRussia”! Iran’s terrorist leaderHassan Rouhani also congratulatedhim!

Putin the former KGB operativeand recipient of communistVietnam’s Order of Ho Chi Minh,Cuba’s Order of Jose Marti given byRaul Castro, and Venezuela’s Orderof the Liberator given by HugoChavez is malevolent!

He interferes in our elections andthose of our allies!

He consolidates his despotic powerin Russia!

He represses all opposition!He daily bombs the Syrian people!He occupies Crimea!He destabilizes Ukraine!He resurrects the Soviet Union.He tightens his grip on former

Soviet states!He restores former Soviet influ-

ence in Asia, Latin America, andAfrica!

He forges closer military ties withCommunist China!

He threatens the Baltic countriesand other NATO countries!

He seeks to weaken NATO!He harasses our planes and ships!He backs terrorist state Iran!He vastly expands Russian mili-

tary power!He boasts “invincible” new

nuclear-armed missiles undetectableby us!

He increases Russia’s militarypresence in the oil and gas rich Artic!

This is the man whom PresidentTrump congratulated on his electionvictory?

Boggles the mind!We must heed the words of John

Stuart Mill! “Bad men need nothingmore to compass their ends, thanthat good men should look on and donothing.”

Stephen SchoemanWestfield

WESTFIELDTuesday, March 13, Maurice Boyd,

46, of Somerset was arrested on anoutstanding traffic warrant fromWestfield Municipal Court, in theamount of $500, after surrendering atpolice headquarters. Further investi-gation revealed he had a no-bail war-rant from the Union County Sheriff’sDepartment. Boyd was processed andheld awaiting transport to the UnionCounty jail.

Thursday, March 15, MarionBethea, 56, of Roselle was arrested onan outstanding traffic warrant fromKnowlton Municipal Court, in theamount of $500, pursuant to a motorvehicle stop on East South Avenue inGarwood. Bethea was processed andreleased on her own recognizance.

Friday, March 16, Blas Barquin, 34,of Cranford was arrested on outstand-ing traffic warrants from WestfieldMunicipal Court and Cranford Mu-nicipal Court, each in the amount of$500, pursuant to a motor vehicle stopat Springfield Avenue and MohicanDrive. He was transported to policeheadquarters and processed. Barquinwas released after posting bail on theWestfield warrant. He was released on

his own recognizance on the Cranfordwarrant.

Saturday, March 17, two people werearrested on outstanding warrants pur-suant to a motor vehicle stop at Elmand East Broad Streets. The driver,Kwadwo Frimpong, 22, of Maplewood,was arrested on a traffic warrant fromBloomfield Municipal Court. BryalWilliams, 21, of South Orange, a pas-senger in the vehicle, was arrested on acriminal warrant from Irvington Mu-nicipal Court. Both were transportedto police headquarters and processed.Frimpong was released after posting$358 bail in full. Williams was re-leased after posting $150 bail in full.

Saturday, March 17, a resident of the300 block of Landsdowne Avenue re-ported being the victim of a motorvehicle burglary and a theft. The vic-tim reported that between 4:30 p.m. onMarch 16 and 9 a.m. on March 17, oneor more unknown suspects entered hermotor vehicle and removed $260 worthof items from the vehicle. The victimwas unsure if the vehicle was unlockedat the time of the burglary.

Sunday, March 18, Marino Garcia,25, of Lyndhurst was arrested oncharges of possession of less than 50

grams of suspected marijuana and pos-session of drug paraphernalia pursuantto an investigation on the 900 block ofEverts Avenue. He was transported topolice headquarters, where he was pro-cessed and released on a summons.

Sunday, March 18, Jeffrey Pate, 31,of Westfield was arrested and chargedwith driving while intoxicated (DWI)subsequent to the investigation of amotor vehicle accident on the 1000block of Rahway Avenue. Pate wastransported to police headquarters andprocessed. He was released to a re-sponsible adult after being issued mo-tor vehicle summonses.

Sunday, March 18, the managementof a business on the 200 block of EastBroad Street reported a shoplifting inwhich one or more unknown suspectsstole 46 items from the business. Thetotal amount reported stolen was $2,003.

Monday, March 19, Kevin Johnson,46, of Springfield was arrested on anoutstanding Union Township Munici-pal Court traffic warrant, in the amountof $250, pursuant to a motor vehiclestop at Westfield Avenue and WestGrove Street. He was transported topolice headquarters, processed and re-leased on his own recognizance.

FANWOODSaturday, March 10, Theodore

Robinson, III, 61, of Plainfield wasarrested following a hit-and-run motorvehicle accident on the 200 block ofSouth Avenue. Officers spoke with theother driver, who wrote down the li-cense plate of the vehicle that fled.Police responded to a house and spokewith the suspect driver, who admittedthat he hit the vehicle. A check of thisdriver showed an active warrant out ofSomerville. Robinson was arrested,processed, posted bail and released.He also was charged with several mo-tor vehicle violations.

Thursday, March 15, Tera Allen, 45,of Plainfield was arrested on an activewarrant out of Orange following amotor vehicle stop at East 7th Street

and Terrill Road for a motor vehicleviolation. Allen was processed, postedbail and released.

Thursday, March 15, Robert Butler,56, of Pennsauken was arrested on anactive warrant out of the BurlingtonCounty Sheriff’s Office following amotor vehicle stop on the 50 block ofSouth Avenue for a motor vehicle vio-lation. Butler was processed and turnedover to the Burlington County SheriffOffice.

Monday, March 19, a resident of the20 block of Tower Place reported thather motor vehicle was the target ofcriminal mischief while parked in thedriveway.

Friday, March 23, Lance Louison,38, of Scotch Plains was arrested on anactive warrant out of Westfield follow-ing a motor vehicle stop at MidwayAvenue and Russell Road for a motorvehicle violation. Louison was pro-cessed, posted bail and released.

GARWOODSunday, March 18, Alberto Vital, 57,

of Elizabeth was arrested following amotor vehicle stop for improper use ofmultiple beam headlights on the 10 blockof South Avenue. Police could smell anodor of burnt marijuana coming fromthe vehicle. Police asked for and weregiven consent to search the vehicle.Subsequent to the search police recov-ered paraphernalia containing marijuanafrom the center console of the vehicle.During the investigation it was deter-mined that Vital was operating the ve-hicle with a suspended license and hadan active arrest warrant out of Lindenfor $250. Vital was transported to policeheadquarters where he was processedfor the arrest and issued several sum-monses including possession of a con-trolled dangerous substance (CDS) un-der 50 grams, possession of CDS para-phernalia, operating a motor vehiclewith a suspended license and improperuse of multiple beam headlights. Lin-den police were contacted and approvedhis release pending court in Linden.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Con-gressmen Leonard Lance (R-7th,Westfield, NJ) and Joseph P. KennedyIII (D-4th, Mass.) have teamed up onbipartisan legislation that would com-bat the spread of infectious diseasesrelated to the opioid crisis. The Elimi-nating Opioid-Related Infectious Dis-eases Act will confront the rising casesof HIV, hepatitis C and other infec-tions that stem from drug-use. TheLance-Kennedy bill tasks the Centersfor Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) with implementing an infec-tious disease elimination initiative.

“We must do more to stop the spread

of infectious diseases that stem fromthe opioid crisis. This is not just abouthelping those with addiction. Fami-lies and children are being exposed toterrible infections at an alarming rate.The Centers for Disease Control andPrevention must implement a plan toturn this tide and combat the publichealth consequences of these deadlytrends. I am pleased to join Congress-man Kennedy in this bipartisan en-deavor to make sure the CDC has thetools it needs and that those facing anopioid addiction are educated for thesafety of themselves and their fami-lies. Those who have fallen victim toaddiction must be able to reclaim theirlives. Stopping the spread of deadlyinfections is one less hurdle to over-come,” said Mr. Lance, a member ofthe Energy and Commerce HealthSubcommittee.

“...With Congressman Lance andthe bipartisan support of our col-leagues, I know we can treat this epi-demic as the public health crisis that itis and ensure the CDC has the re-sources to respond,” added Congress-man Kennedy.

The Eliminating Opioid-RelatedInfectious Diseases Act (H.R. 5353)will authorize the CDC to undertakean injection drug use-associated in-fection elimination initiative and workwith states to improve education, sur-veillance and treatment of infectionsassociated with injection drug-use.Injection drug use is a well-knownroute for the transmission of bloodborne infections, particularly humanimmunodeficiency virus (HIV) andhepatitis. According to the CDC, inthe United States, approximately 7percent of new HIV cases, 50 percentof new hepatitis C virus (HCV) cases,and two percent of hepatitis A casesare associated with illicit injection ofdrugs. The White House Council ofEconomic Advisers recently estimatedthe economic burden of the opioidcrisis, inclusive of the value of liveslost, to be over $500 billion.

The measure will be introduced in theU.S. Senate by Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.).

Gateway Chamber toLaunch Warehouse Assoc.

ELIZABETH — The Gateway Re-gional Chamber of Commerce will launchthe Gateway Warehouse Association at akick-off event today, March 29, from 3 to5 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Clark.

The Gateway Warehouse Associa-tion is open to companies in the ware-housing and logistics sectors through-out Northern and Central New Jerseyand will have a mission of connecting,educating and advocating for its mem-bers and the industry as a whole. TheMarch 29 event will feature a paneldiscussion on the tightening of themarket for warehouse space in NewJersey, as well as updates on NewJersey legislative and regulatory is-sues that can impact the industry.

New Jersey has become a nationalpowerhouse in warehousing and logis-tics, trailing only California and theChicago area, according to experts.According to the North Jersey Trans-portation Authority (NJTA), as of 2017,New Jersey had more than one billionsquare feet of industrial property, withan additional eight million square feetunder construction in the region.

NJTA reports that more than450,000 workers are directly employedin transportation, logistics and distri-bution activities in New Jersey. Inaddition, the state’s storage and ful-fillment industry has accounted for 11percent of job growth in the state since2016, according to NJ Spotlight.

Union County to Hold FreeRecycling Events In April

COUNTY — The Union CountyBoard of Chosen Freeholders will beholding several free recycling eventscoming up the month of April.

Mobile Paper Shredding Eventswill be held on Saturday, April 7 at theUnion County Vocational TechnicalSchool, located at 1776 Raritan Roadin Scotch Plains, and on Friday, April27 at Cedar Brook Park in Plainfield.Both events run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.or until the truck get filled. Residentscan bring up to four bags of confiden-tial documents for shredding.

On Saturday, April 14 there will bea Household Hazardous Waste Pro-gram at the Union County Vo-TechSchool located at 1776 Raritan Roadin Scotch Plains. The event will beheld from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Items fordrop off include old pesticides andherbicides, pool chemicals, gasoline,

oil-based paints and deck stain.Union County’s Scrap Metal Re-

cycling program also starts up againthis month. The events are the firstThursday and Third Saturday of eachmonth so for April the collectionswill be on Thursday, April 5 andSaturday, April 21. There are twolocations in Union County for resi-dents to drop off their metal for recy-cling, one in Cranford and Rahway.All locations will be open from 9a.m. to noon. Residents can drop offold appliances, microwaves, air con-ditioners, and metal lawn furnitureto name a few.

The county is also sponsoring anon-line compost bin and rain barrelsale through earth day, please visith t t p s : / /unioncompostersale.ecwid.com/ formore information. Visitwww.ucnj.org/recycling for more in-formation or directions.

Celebrate Earth Day With NewCompost Bin or Rain Barrel

COUNTY – Union County garden-ers looking for a good Earth Dayproject can visit the new Union CountyMeans Green online shop now andorder a new compost bin or rain barrelat 50 percent off the retail price.

Earth Day 2018 falls on Sunday,April 22. A limited number of newcompost bins and rain barrels are be-ing offered on a first come, first servedbasis. The first 250 customers to pur-chase a compost bin will also receivea free kitchen scrap pail, and the Free-holder Board will donate one compostbin to a local community garden forevery 25 compost bins sold.

The new discount program is part ofUnion County Plant a Seed initiativethat includes the Union County KidsDig In and Union County Means Greengarden grant programs. The onlinestore is available now through the

Plant A Seed web page or by visitingunioncompostersale.ecwid.com. Or-ders will be accepted until 5 p.m. onMonday, April 23. Customers shouldplan to pick up their orders on Sunday,April 29 at Oak Ridge Park, located at139 Oak Ridge Road in Clark, between10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

The benefits of composting includeimproving or maintaining high qual-ity soil, growing healthy plants, re-ducing the use of fertilizer and pesti-cides, improving water quality andprotecting the environment. By add-ing compost residents can conservewater and help improve soil to helphold water in the root zone.

For all Union County recycling pro-grams and services visit ucnj.org/re-cycle. For quick links to all UnionCounty environmental programs andactivities visit The Green Connection,ucnj.org/green-connection.

Lance, Kennedy Team UpTo Fight Infectious Diseases


APRIL 2018 WESTFIELD MEMORIAL LIBRARY EVENTS

550 East Broad Street, Westfield 908.789.4090 www.wmlnj.org Hours: Mon-Thurs 9:30 am - 9:00 pm Fri & Sat 9:30 am - 5:00 pm

Sunday 1:00-5:00 pm

Closed March 30 for Good Friday and April 1 for Easter Friends of the Library Giant Book Sale April 24-28

Check website for all dates and times

PROGRAMS FOR ADULTS CHECK WEBSITE FOR ALL SIGN UP INFORMATION-SOME RESTRICTIONS*

PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN-CHECK WEBSITE FOR SIGN UP INFO

4/4 7:00 pm Christopher Dean Band

4/5 10:00 am Zumba Gold for Adults*

4/6 1:30 pm Norman Lear (video)

4/9 2 & 6:30 pm Foreign Film: Frantz German 113 minutes

4/11 7:00 pm Meditation: A Stress Antidote

4/13 1:30 pm TGIF! Movie: The Producers

4/14 2:00 pm Celebrate Poetry w/ Tiferet Journal

4/6, 13 10:00 am Playgroup for Babies 0-23 mos.

4/6 3:45 pm Chess Club for Kids-No age limit but players must know how to move pieces

4/7 10:00 am Paws to Read-Beginning readers read to library dogs in ten-minute segments

4/10 6:30 pm Evening LEGO Club 5+ years

4/3, 10, 17 10:30 am 2’s on Tuesday Storytime

4/3, 10, 17 1:00 pm Crafternoon Storytime 3½-5 yrs

4/5, 12, 19 10:30 am 3’s on Thursday Storytime

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Each of 52 editions include communityhappenings, regional sports, editorialcommentary, arts & entertainment,educational matters, birth and weddingannouncements, local merchant andclassified Ads and the best local newscoverage around. It's a great way towelcome a newcomer to the area or keepan established resident in the know!

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One Popcorn, Poor — Two Popcorns, Fair — Three Popcorns, Good — Four Popcorns, Excellent

Love, SimonYou’ve Got Blackmail

3 popcorns

Franklin Fifth GradersPerform Shrek the Musical, Jr. Fanwood Library Teen Photo

Contest Winners Announced

By MICHAEL S. GOLDBERGERfilm critic

While director Greg Berlanti’sLove, Simon is at once funny, seri-ous and important, it’s a darn shamethat it is so very apt…that this as-tute tale about a teenage boy’sstruggle to make his gayness knownis revolutionary at all. Memo ofinquiry to American civilization: It’sthe spring of 2018, and this fact oflife is just making the mainstream?Well, better late than never. Truthis, attitudinal changes come slowly,especially to the narrow-minded.But the seed of tolerant reforma-tion, boosted during the enlighten-ment of the ‘60’s, has finally gainedpragmatic traction.

Today’s kids, who have of lateheroically evidenced that they’ll befully capable of steering our ship ofstate - and the sooner the better, ifyou ask me - see the currentsociopolitical landscape throughmendacity-proof glasses. They’vethus far resisted forsaking their juiceboxes for the Kool-Aid. And as such,they’re hardly threatened by thehate-mongering, homophobic pur-veyors of prejudice who, for themost part, they consider as antiqueas the dial telephone in granny’skitchen. It’s simple math. Cut some-one out because they’re this or thatand you have less friends.

Still, it isn’t yet all Nirvana andacceptance at Creekwood HighSchool, where Simon Spier, win-ningly portrayed by Nick Robinson,will play out his coming-of-age storycourtesy of a romantic triangle ortwo that collide and force the issuehe wasn’t ready to confront. He’sgay, but neither his parents nor hiscircle of best friends know. He’sbeen planning to keep it that wayuntil next year, when he goes tocollege. However, when his pal Leah(Katherine Langford) tells him ofan online coming-out by a gay stu-dent who calls himself Blue,Simon’s interest is piqued.

Using the alias, Jacques, he makescontact and soon, via mutual com-miseration and joyful, cathartic truthtelling, a cyber tête-à-tête devel-ops. It’s You’ve Got Mail (1998)revisited, but with a dark kicker.Borrowing from the playbook ofcurrent events down Foggy Bottomway, when Simon doesn’t logoff atone of the school’s communal com-puters, a snooping party not op-posed to blackmail if it’ll serve hisselfish interests, tells Simon that heknows what he knows.

Since Simon isn’t about to sic thealready overloaded and lately ha-rassed FBI on the jerk, he figureshis only option is to concede to theextortionist. It’ll entail some ill-advised matchmaking. Of course, ifSir Walter Scott went to Creekwood,he might have warned Simon, “Ohwhat a tangled web we weave whenwe first practice to deceive.” In-creasingly, due to these dubiousmachinations, Simon, whose integ-rity was heretofore unimpeachable,comes under increasing scrutiny. Inthe vernacular, some of his homiesare wondering, “What the…?”

While all of this is quite seriouson several levels, it is a credit todirector Berlanti that his interpreta-tion of the witty screenplay by Eliza-beth Berger and Isaac Aptaker,adapted from Becky Albertalli’snovel, “Simon vs. the Homo Sapi-ens Agenda,” remains quite buoy-ant. Mixing various modes of com-edy with its more solemn erudi-tions, including a healthy smatter-ing of sophisticated sarcasm, themovie charmingly promotes the al-

truistic aura that comes of sheddingthe bigotry that, since time imme-morial, has shamefully engenderedmisery for untold millions.

But the gravity is never lost on us.Mulling this injustice while Simontries to extricate himself from thecorner he has been painted into, weland on the philosophical squarethat asks, why can’t people just giveeach other a break already? We dis-dain the root venality of the life-ruining repressiveness that servesonly the misdirected and sanctimo-nious vanities of the sadly insecure.In confiding his plight to a pal, ourtitle character opines, “Why justus…why don’t heteros have to comeout?” Fantasy scenes comically il-lustrate the proposition.

Complementing the intelligentmeditations on the cause célèbre, abright-eyed and bushy-tailed en-semble cast of fellow classmatesentertainingly creates the sociologythat is Creekwood High. A tellingthumbnail sketch of Americana, itis both reminiscent and profoundlycontemporizing, from the cliquishcafeteria coteries, to the time-hon-ored camaraderies you will cherishforever, to vice principal Worth’s(Tony Hale) humorously good-na-tured confiscation of cellphones. Icould practically taste the delicious,frosting-topped cake served in myown lunchroom, only 10 cents ex-tra.

Apportioning superbly blendedladles of honey and vinegar in itselucidations, this is the first moviefrom a major studio about gay teenromance. As significant as it is en-gaging, it is a fine example of theAmerican muckrake petitioning ourbetter instincts. While institutions,jurisdictions, courts and the greatunwashed are bound to follow solong as our democracy remains in-tact, again it is left to art to be thepathfinder, the arbiter betweenprimitive fear and our humanisticnature to progress. All of which iswhy you’ll at least like, if not Love,Simon.

***Love, Simon, rated PG-13, is a

Twentieth Century Fox release di-rected by Greg Berlanti and starsNick Robinson, Katherine Langfordand Alexandra Shipp. Running time:110 minutes.

PHOTO FINISH...The winners of the Fanwood Memorial Library’s first annualTeen Photography Contest are pictured with Mayor Colleen Mahr and LibraryDirector Dan Weiss. All the award-winning photographs are currently on displayat the Fanwood Library and are available to view online atwww.fanwoodlibrary.org/your-town-through-your-eyes.


GoodbyeSubordinate themes of bullying,

abuse and eating disorders providesubstantial food for thought.

At the end of the show, the directorErik Bloomquist, the cast and Mr.Bullock himself provided a talk backin which they fielded questions fromthe high school students in the audi-ence. “For how many of you did oneor more of the characters resonatewith you or someone you know?”asked Mr. Bloomquist. Almost allhands shot up. Pressures of being thebest in school, being jealous of an-other teen and bullying all enter themix at one point or another. Humaninteraction and acceptance of eachother was the collective attitude theactors said brought them together inthis piece. “Theater is therapy,” saidChris Cherin who played Ben’s bestfriend.

The intent of the playwright, heshared with the audience, is to takethis show with an important messageon the road to schools all over NewJersey and beyond.

Event to Benefit SpecialNeeds Community

WESTFIELD – The public is invitedto join Savory Spice Westfield andChef Christine Migton of ChezCatherine on Monday, April 16 from 7to 9 p.m. for a night of cooking andgiving.

The evening will benefit the John M.Migton Foundation's Boxwood Junc-tion, an organization striving to providean inclusive community for those withdisabilities. Attendees will experiencea cooking demonstration and enjoyappetizers and wine.

The event will take place at SavorySpice, 138 East Broad Street, Westfield.Tickets are $30. All tickets sales will godirectly to Boxwood Junction. Reserva-tions are required and spots are limited.

To make reservations, visit SavorySpice Westfield, call (908) 264-8947,or [email protected]. Formore info about Boxwood Junction,visit boxwoodjunction.org

FANWOOD – The Fanwood Me-morial Library has announced the win-ners of its first annual Teen Photogra-phy Contest. The contest category was“Your Town through Your Eyes,” and itwas open to Scotch Plains-Fanwoodstudents in grades six through 12. Thelibrary was overwhelmed by the entriesit received and selecting the two win-ners (one high school student, and onefrom the middle school) was a difficultdecision.

The 2018 winners are:Grand Prize: High School: “Grow-

ing Up in Fanwood”• by SophiaRosahl, grade 12, Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School.

Grand Prize Middle School: “Con-nections”• by Thomas Metzger, gradeseven, Park Middle School.

Honorable mentions: “There’s NoPlace Like Home” by Nic Turner, gradeeight, Park Middle School. “Night Life”by Ryan Eng grade nine, Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School. “GrasshopperShadow Duality”• by Peter Shih, gradenine, Academy of Allied Health Sci-ences. “The Joy of our Neighbor-hood”• by Catie Wilson, grade 8, ParkMiddle School. “We Come as a Com-munity and Leave as a Family”• byErica Lee, grade 8, Park Middle School.“Coloring Rain”• by Mia Schmidt,grade nine, Scotch Plains-FanwoodHigh School. “Mystic Morning”• byDelaney Connolly, grade eight, ParkMiddle School.

Mayor Colleen Mahr, Library Direc-tor Dan Weiss and library staff andtrustees were on hand, along with thefamilies of the recipients, as the awards

were presented by the Fanwood Li-brary Board of Trustees at their Marchmeeting. All the award-winning photo-graphs are currently on display at theFanwood Library, and are available toview online atwww.fanwoodlibrary.org/your-town-through-your-eyes. Each grand prizewinner received $50, and $10 wasawarded for each honorable mention.Students will also be presented withtheir photo printed on canvas to takehome once the display is over.

AN OGRE OF A TIME...The cast of Shrek at Franklin Elementary School inWestfield performed together on March 2 and 3.

Five Engaging Films PlannedFor Jewish Film Festival

WESTFIELD – All of our differ-ences make us unique. That themepervaded the third annual fifth-gradeshow at Franklin Elementary Schoolin Westfield, Shrek the Musical Jr.,performed on March 2 and 3.

“I’m so proud of our cast and crewfor all their hard work and dedicationto making this year’s show such asuccess,” said Emma Schwartz, di-rector and producer of the show.

The production, now an establishedtradition at Franklin School, begins assoon as the winter break ends, withrehearsals, set building, costume mak-ing, audio/visual technology, and learn-ing the songs and choreography. RonitHorowitz, musical director, and GailBrickman, choreographer, broughttheir talents to the production, making

the show once again a success.The cast featured Devon Brickman

as Shrek, Sophia Schwartz as theDonkey, Lily Dalgliesh as PrincessFiona, Dev Daswani as LordFarquaad, and Mia Ebel as the Dragon.

The show is funded by the FranklinSchool PTO. “It’s wonderful to workwith the students, whose enthusiasm,hard work and devotion to the pro-duction and performance is second tonone,” concluded Ms. Schwartz. “I’malso grateful to their parents, whosehelp is critical to the success of theperformance. And, of course, we’regrateful for the ongoing support ofPrincipal Cambria and her staff, whotogether with the Franklin Schoolcommunity, make this such a reward-ing experience for our children.”

WESTFIELD – The Jewish FilmFestival of Central NJ will presentfive films this spring at the RialtoNewVision Theater, 250 East BroadStreet in Westfield. Screenings beginTuesday, April 10 and run throughMonday, May 7. All films start at 7:30p.m.

The spring series begins with TheTestament on Tuesday, April 10. InThe Testament, an uncompromisingHolocaust researcher uncovers highlyclassified evidence that suggests along-buried secret in this Best Filmwinner at the Haifa International FilmFestival.

On Monday, April 16, Bye ByeGermany will be presented. In thisbittersweet and engaging salute toEuropean Jews who chose to reclaimtheir lives, the audience meets a Ho-locaust survivor who winds his waythrough post-war Frankfurt.

Next up is Ben Gurion: Epilogueon Wednesday, April 25. This docu-

mentary is a rare and fortuitous pieceof cinematic archeology, which im-parts new insights into David BenGurion, a treasured historic figure.Amir Sagie, New York-based DeputyConsul General of Israel, will join theaudience for a post-film discussion.

Humor Me, showing on Tuesday,May 1, stars Elliot Gould. It is aheartfelt father-son comedy about astruggling playwright who is forcedto move in with his joke-telling dad ina New Jersey retirement community.

Closing night on Monday, May 7features The Last Suit about an agingJewish tailor who leaves his life inArgentina to journey back throughtime and halfway around the world tofind the man who saved him fromdeath at Auschwitz in this bittersweetroad trip movie.

Visit www.jccnj.org for more in-formation, movie trailers and pric-ing. Tickets can be purchased onlineat www.jccnj.org, by mail or in per-son at the JCC in Scotch Plains.

The Jewish Film Festival of Cen-tral NJ is made possible by fundsfrom the Union County Office ofCultural and Heritage Affairs, a part-ner of the New Jersey State Councilon the Arts.

The JCC of Central New Jersey islocated at 1391 Martine Avenue inScotch Plains. The JCC of CentralNew Jersey is a constituent agency ofthe Jewish Federation of GreaterMetroWest NJ, United Way of GreaterUnion County and the WestfieldUnited Fund. Financial assistance isavailable for membership and vari-ous programs.


ConfessionsThese new in-laws have easy, be-

lievable banter and an onstage rela-tionship that we buy into immedi-ately. Ms. Sullivan plays the role ofCandice comfortably, handling con-cern for her off-stage drunk husbandwith aplomb. She has captured theright mix of angst, joy and frustrationof a wedding day when emotions rollercoaster around sharp curves and dips.

Mr. Gandy, as Martin, is a gentlegiant whose remembrances of his re-cently deceased wife are shared ten-derly. Playwright Kelner has giventhe actors funny, wry, lovely, poi-gnant dialogue that rings true.

Top-notch acting made this playzip along like a stone skipping onLake Placid. Director Lynn Polanmoved the show along at a beautifulpace, not rushing the tender spots, butletting it ride the waves of emotion.

Through humor and pathos,Kelner’s Cocktail Hour Confessionsreveals not only the characters’ atti-tudes toward grief, disability and racerelations, but asks the audience toexplore its own unspoken feelings onthese topics.

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Monday, May 7

7:30 p.m.

Spring 2018April 10 - May 7Rialto NewVision Theater

Plenty of seating...screening in 2 auditoriums

Wednesday, April 25

7:30 p.m.

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Anything But Goodbye OffersRefreshing Look at Troubling Themes

SUSAN MYRILL DOUGHERTYSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

RAHWAY – The opening scene ofAnything But Goodbye is a stark cem-etery. Friends and relatives of Ben, ateen who succumbed to suicide,huddle under umbrellas to fend offthe drizzling rain. But they are notsheltered from the pervasive chill ofdeath that touches each of them in adifferent way. That’s what this oneact, 50-minute production is all about.It’s the aftermath of what the authorcalls the “sonic boom” of tragic, need-less death.

The Union County Performing ArtsCenter (UCPAC) in Rahway is light-ing up their three stages: the maintheatre, the Loft and the HamiltonTheatre. Their latest production, Any-thing But Goodbye by Wayne N.Bullock, had its World Premiere atthe Hamilton Theatre last weekend.

Geared to young adult and teen audi-ences, 10 a.m. weekday performancesincluded students from Westfield HighSchool. Westfield crisis hotline work-ers were also at one of the perfor-mances to glean more informationabout the effects of suicide.

Because suicide is the third leadingcause of death among youth, ages 10to 24, Mr. Bullock, as a middle schoolteacher and a preacher with a churchin Roselle, felt he had to write thispiece. He explained in his programnotes that “a good story coupled withgood music has the power to draw,captivate, educate and inspire…it canpermeate the mind and spirit of aperson without them consciously al-lowing it to happen.” He is not onlythe playwright, but producer andsongwriter with musical composerShaun A. Darling.

The opening performance of the

show of 14 short scenes with musicalnumbers did just what it intended: itshowed raw emotion, confusion, re-gret and anger. The play focuses onthe reactions of the father, the sisterand the best friend who look for an-swers and express their feelings. Itdoesn’t focus on the why of the trag-edy, but the effect it has on the friends,family and school mates.

Scene after scene show how thesister and best friend try to cope. It’sa thin storyline with the heaviness ofweighty topics. Nine songs share poi-gnant stories and feelings of teensdesperate to belong, to fit in, to beunderstood. Presented in a non-preaching way, the interaction of theactors helps to propel the authenticaspect of the story. Powerful voices,reminiscent of those in Rent, bringthe audience to tears.


Cocktail Hour Confessions ProvesThat Sometimes the Truth Hurts

By SUSAN MYRILL DOUGHERTYSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

RAHWAY – It’s always thrilling tosee a new play. And when it is pro-duced by Fearless Productions ofUnion County Performing Arts Cen-ter (UCPAC) in Rahway, and writtenby Jared Kelner, you know it’s goingto be good.

Playwright Kelner’s newest work,that was presented for four perfor-mances during the weekend of March16 to 18, is a 90-minute intriguingpiece titled Cocktail Hour Confes-sions. The audience was greeted bythe wait staff (attired in tuxes, no less)who offered non-alcoholic mimosas.It’s a cute touch for a celebratorymood of a wedding. We never see thebride and groom, a mixed-race couple,

but we meet the bride’s motherCandice (Mary Sullivan), the bride’sbrother Larry (Ross Pohling) and thegroom’s father Martin (Di ShawnGandy).

But before we see them, the bride’sco-worker Katherine (Mary ElizabethGiamonde) and the groom’s friendFreddie (Scott Tyler) meet in the outerroom of the reception area. The stage(of the intimate Loft Theatre atUCPAC) is dressed appropriately forthe reception with flower garlandsand subdued colors of lavender andsilver. (The set design is by HowardGoldberg, an Event Planning special-ist). On stage left is the requisite tablethat houses the place cards for dinnerand in the opposite corner is a cozybar tended by Terrance (nicely played

by Russ Ortiz).Freddie (Scott Tyler), an overly

friendly attendee who is there by him-self, wants to meet single guestKatherine (Mary ElizabethGismonde) to whom he immediatelyattaches himself. She’s quirky, so-cially uncomfortable and feels invis-ible to the other guests. Freddie sayshe’s in the “people business.” As anentrepreneur, he says he observespeople and reads their body language.

This garrulous guy makes inaneconversation, but we excuse him be-cause he’s trying to score points withKatherine. He asks her what she’spassionate about and is somewhatfloored when she says “words.” Theywould never be a match onMatch.com., but their relationship isnot the primary focus of the play.

Delicately, the play starts to peelback layers of information about themotives of characters both seen andunseen. When the bride’s brotherLarry breaks onto the scene, he’s atornado of emotion. Ross Pohlingdoes an amazing job in fleshing outthe character of Larry in speech pat-tern, pacing, as well as body lan-guage. Larry is “on the spectrum” andhis mother tries to calm him down byreminding him to do his breathingexercises or “that tapping thing onyour face.”

He may appear to have the emo-tional barometer of an eight-year-old,but he’s insightful and bright. He’sthe truth teller at the wedding recep-tion and is rarely politically correct.Through his interactions with bothTerrance and Martin, the audiencelearns of the family and spoken andunspoken prejudices.

The frustrated mom Candicedrowns her exasperation in a waterglass full of bourbon while trying toassist Martin on writing his toast.

Susan M. Dougherty for The Westfield Leader and The TimesTOUGH TALK...Last week at the Thursday morning performance of AnythingBut Goodbye• on the Hamilton Stage, the cast and director Erik Bloomquist (withmic), hold a talkback for audience members. Hamilton Stage is a part of UnionCounty Performing Arts Center (UCPAC) in Rahway. Playwright, producer andsongwriter Wayne N. Bullock was on hand to lend insight and speak about plansfor the future of his work. CONTINUED ON PAGE 19

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GRACEFFO ACE ON MOUND, McGHEE BEHIND PLATE, SHRINER OF, SZCZECH AT SHORT

Cougar Nine Looking to Learn From Last Year, Move ForwardBy DAVID B. CORBIN

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

Experience can be a goodteacher and Head Coach DennisMcCaffery hopes that this year’sCranford High School baseballteam will learn from the experi-ence of falling just short in theUnion County Tournament (UCT)finals and the Group 3 Champi-onships game. After losing toWestfield in the UCT Champion-ship, the Cougars went on to winthe North 2, Group 3 title andGroup 3 semifinal before bowingin an eight-inning classic to Allen-town in the Group 3 Champion-ship after a seven-inning score-less deadlock at Toms River SouthHigh School.

“Last year we were able to havesomewhat of a successful sea-son. We left two championshipson the board, the counties andthe state final, which is alwaysdifficult to have to deal with. Lastyear is over. We try to learn fromit and move forward,” CoachMcCaffery stated.

In order to have a successfulseason, a sturdy relationshipbetween the pitching staff andthe catchers would be essential.Senior Gordon Graceffo will heada group on the mound, whichconsists of senior Kevin Donovanand juniors Jeremy Ruka, JakeVanDamm, Jack Jarrosz and An-drew Donovan.

“Gordon had a good year lastyear. He did a nice job and wehave a couple of other pitchers,who have varsity experience, sowe are hoping that we are able to

be successful. Any type of suc-cess you have during the seasonstarts with pitching. We are hop-ing that our pitchers can throwstrikes, work ahead and be ableto work on both sides of the plateand have command of the game,”Coach McCaffery said.

In that classic game againstAllentown, Graceffo, who will playfor Villanova next year, pitched

magnificently for seven innings,allowing only a two-out triple inthe first, hitting a batter in thefourth and yielding a two-outdouble in the seventh.

“Gordon is going to be going toVillanova and I am sure he’s veryexcited about that. Gordon is a

hard working young man and he’sreally put in a lot of time on and offthe season in the classroom andin the weight room. Hopefully hehas a successful season here atCranford and I am sure when thetime presents itself for Villanova,he will put his focus there,” CoachMcCaffery said.

The Cougars do have two expe-rienced catchers in junior Mike

McGhee and senior Pat Connolly,although Connolly has and will beexpected to play first base.

“Obviously the catching we arefortunate enough to have sev-eral who are good catchers. Weare hoping between our pitchingand catching, we will be able tokeep us in all the ball games,”Coach McCaffery said.

Several veterans return to oc-cupy the infield positions, which

includes Connolly (first), juniorTyler Szczech (shortstop) andjunior Mike Meola (third).

“We had a bunch of kids whowere on that team that played inthe county final and the statefinal. We are hoping that type ofexperience they can carry overto this year. Pat Connolly has twoyears, Tyler Szczech had a goodyear last year and Mike Meola, aswell. Here at Cranford, we wanteverybody to contribute. We wantthem to know that they havevalue, that everybody has a rolehere. That’s the way we’ve al-ways done it and that’s the waywe will continue to do,” CoachMcCaffery expressed.

Senior Sean Petrucci and sopho-more Jake DeClerico will playsecond. Also in the mix are sopho-more Jack Jarrosz (shortstop)and junior Chris Guiditta (third).

“We want them to really stressmaking routine plays consistently,give them three outs in an inningand just making sure that we playfundamentally sound baseball.Focus on knowing where the ballgoes when the ball is hit to youand in the infield knowing what todo. And give each team that weare playing only 21 outs pergame,” Coach McCaffery added.

Junior Jamie Shriner, known asan offensive threat in his thirdyear varsity, will occupy right field.

“Jimmy is a three-sport athlete,really a good kid, a hard-workingkid and we are hoping he willcontinue to have success on thebaseball field. He’s a gamer,”Coach McCaffery commented.

In centerfield would be juniorDeandre Fieldhouse and sopho-more Mike Murphy. Senior JohnMarkese and sophomores ConnorKatz (also third base) and JoeMeola are expected to patrolleftfield.

The turf field has its advan-tages, especially early in the sea-son, but are there any disadvan-tages?

“I know we are able to practicewhen there’s snow on other fields,so I would take the situation wherewe play on a field where we haveto adjust only one time. I knowwhere there are other teams thatare struggling to get outside. Weare fortunate to get this field. Itwas a community effort that a lotof people worked together tomake this field a possibility. Weare very appreciative of it and weare very happy. We will adjust toany field we have to play on whenthe time presents itself,” CoachMcCaffery said.

The Cougars will not be shyoffensively.

“We are hoping that everybodyhas productive at-bats and aregood in situational hitting. We wantto make sure that we put the ball inplay and we are always puttingpressure on the opponent,” CoachMcCaffery commented.

Speaking of pressure, “We aregoing to be aggressive. You don’tscore from first base. You haveto be active. We have some kidswho can run. To be a goodbaserunner, you don’t have tobe fast. You have good instincts.You have to be able to read,”Coach McCaffery pointed out.

The Cougars will plunge rightinto the rivalry thing with a roadtrip to Scotch Plains-Fanwood onSaturday, March 31, at 4 p.m.for the season opener then theywill host Westfield on Thursday,April 5, at 4 p.m.

“This year’s team so far hasbeen working hard and we aretrying to get ready for our firstgame this season with ScotchPlains on March 31,” CoachMcCaffery said.


CRANFORD COUGAR BASEBALL SENIORS...Pictured, left to right, are:John Markese, Pat Connelly, Gordon Graceffo and Sean Petrucci.





Cranford Defers Vote OnBond Ord. Until April 10

By KIMBERLY A. BROADWELLSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader

CRANFORD — The townshipcommittee on Tuesday night de-ferred a second and final motionto approve reading of an ordi-nance to refund monies from a2006 bond to an April meeting.Commissioners voted to movethe second reading of the ordi-nance until the committee’s Tues-day, April 10 meeting.

According to CommissionerMary O’Connor, the ordinance isstructured to save the townshipmore than $500,000 in bond pay-ments over a period of 20 years.She stated, “Hopefully this ordi-nance will go forward.”

Resolutions that were heard andpassed included: approving aleave of absence for an employeeof the police department, pursu-ant to the federal Family MedicalLeave Act, authorizing an awardcontract to Harbor Consultants,Inc. for planning services, autho-rizing an amendment to the con-tract awarded to CommunityGrants, Planning and Housing(CGP and H) for administrativeagent services, authorizing a con-tract to Best Cleaning BuildingServices, Inc. for custodial ser-vices for the municipal buildingand grounds, authorizing to awarda contract to Bagel Giant for 2018Concession Rights for the Cen-tennial Avenue and Orange Av-enue Pools, and authorizing taxrefunds and complying with theUnited States Equal OpportunityEmployment Commission’s “En-forcement Guidance on the Con-sideration of Arrest and Convic-tion Records in Employment De-cisions Under Title VII of the CivilRights Act of 1964.”

In other business, it was an-nounced that today, March 29,would be the last tree debriscollection from the recent stormsby the Department of Public

Works (DPW). Deputy Mayor AnnDooley, as well as all the mem-bers of the township committee,thanked members of the DPWand thanked members of theCranford community for all thee-mails and thank you notes re-ceived by members of the DPWin appreciation of their hard work.

It also was announced that, April1 through April 21, a DistractedDriving Campaign would belaunched within the township tofurther deter drivers in Cranfordfrom talking on their cell phonesor texting while driving.

A Get Fit Cranford Day wasannounced for the township forSunday, April 22, which will beheld in the main parking lot of themunicipal building. Activities willinclude a self-defense class, yoga,dancing and a Simon Says classinstructed by Mayor Thomas H.Hannen, Jr.

High-school athlete and distancerunner Keith Brown asked com-missioners to look into the condi-tion of the bike and walking/run-ning paths throughout Cranford,noting that there are many pot-holes and root overgrowth on thesepaths, causing potential injuriesto those who utilize them likehimself and his fellow runners.

The next township committeemeeting is scheduled for April 10,at 7:30 p.m., at the municipalbuilding at 8 Springfield Avenue.

By MICHAEL BONACCORSOSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader

GARWOOD — Mayor CharlesLombardo on Tuesday nightstated he would meet withFanwood Mayor Colleen Mahrsometime this week to discussthe shared-service agreementmoving forward. MayorLombardo said he values the re-lationship Garwood has withFanwood regarding shared ser-vices and expects the relation-ship to continue in the future.

Councilman Joseph Sarno pro-posed at the last borough councilmeeting that the borough shouldinvestigate what other “deals”can be arranged with other mu-nicipalities regarding shared ser-vices. Mr. Sarno stated that “itwould not hurt” the borough’sworking relationship withFanwood “to see” if there is a“better deal out there” forGarwood.

Mr. Sarno said a closed-sessiondiscussion could be used to weighthe pros and cons of each serviceagreement to find the best termsfor Garwood. The councilmanstated that he did not want toend the shared-service relation-ship with Fanwood unless thereare “better” alternatives.

Councilwoman Ileen Cuccaro,who chairs the Laws and LicenseCommittee, said an amendmentis being proposed to charge a feefor abandoned homes.

“It is a good way to keep an eyeon them, make the banks liablefor their upkeep. Fees will assurethis will happen,” said Ms.Cuccaro.

Ms. Cuccaro stated that a $500fee will be enacted to register thehome for the first year. The feeon the second anniversary will be$1,500. A second annual renewalfee will be $3,000. The fee forany renewal past the second yearwill be $5,000, stated Ms.

Cuccaro.“This will encourage the banks

or owners of abandoned or va-cant properties to move in areasonable manner,” said Ms.Cuccaro.

The planning board will reviewany existing fence ordinances re-garding corner properties.

“We hope for a unanimous ap-proval. We hope to repeal thisonerous revision that was donethree years ago to the dismay ofmany corner property owners,”said Ms. Cuccaro.

Councilman RichardMcCormack said as a corner prop-erty owner himself, he does notfeel it is “fair” to collect cornerproperty owner’s taxes “like ev-eryone else.” Yet, corner proper-ties are entitled to less privacythan other borough residents.

Planning board member Bill

Nierstedt said that he could notprovide commentary until theordinance is reviewed by the plan-ning board or “in front of him.”Planning board commentary willbe provided before the next coun-cil meeting addressing the mat-ter, Councilwoman Sara Todiscosaid.

The New Jersey Department ofTransportation has awardedGarwood $216,000 to “repairvarious borough streets” in the2018 calendar year, stated MayorLombardo.

Mayor Lombardo said throughthe Union County Open Space,Recreation and Historic Preser-vation Trust Fund, Garwood hasbeen awarded a $25,470 LevelThe Playing Field playgroundgrant.

The Mayor appointed planning

Garwood, Fanwood MayorsTo Review Shared Services

Community Access OK’dTo Expand On-Site Training

By MICHAEL BONACCORSOSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

CRANFORD — The board of ad-justment Monday night unani-mously approved Community Ac-cess Unlimited Inc. to designateadministrative office space to ex-pand on-site training and educa-tional services at 70 Myrtle Av-enue. Community Access Unlim-ited is a non-profit providing“comprehensive support servicesfor people with disabilities andtheir families.” The applicationwas an amendment to a priorsite-plan approval on July 13,2015.

Board member David Salomonin closing comments stated thatCommunity Access Unlimiteddoes great work for the commu-nity. “There is not a family not

touched (by the organization),”Mr. Salomon said.

Board member Kevin Illing saidit was a “great project” when theapplication was initially approvedin 2015.

The applicant’s attorney,Stephen Hehl, said the applicantis seeking to utilize an additional4,000 square feet of the buildingwith no alterations to thestructure’s exterior.

“The only change reflected is inthe parking requirements,” saidThomas J. Quinn, the applicant’sengineer.

Mr. Quinn said in the 2015 ap-proved application 105 parkingstalls were proposed. In the cur-rent application 92 parking stallsare proposed. Mr. Quinn said the

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By ROBYN ORR-GIOFFRESpecially Written for The Westfield Leader

CRANFORD — PersonalizedLearning through Competency-Based Science, Technology, En-gineering, Arts and Mathematics(STEAM) was showcased Mon-day night at the regular monthlymeeting of the board of educa-tion.

Competency-Based learningseeks to advance students fromskill to skill based on how compe-tent they are, as opposed toadvancing them based on age.

Jill Hayeck’s third-grade stu-dents from Orange AvenueSchool gave the board aPowerPoint presentation high-lighting the benefits of this pro-gram.

The students compared a tra-ditional classroom to one usingCompetency-Based learning andtold the board students in thisenvironment become indepen-dent and work with any stylethey choose. They further com-mented that students learn andstudy at their own pace, taketests when they are ready, haveincreased ability to meet withteachers and peer experts andare able to move forward or staybehind in a skill even if class-mates move on.

The program allows for Inno-vation Hour, a time for studentsto explore topics of interest dur-ing the day and a time for stu-dents to meet and discuss waysto be more successful in theclassroom.

Additionally, there is TeacherTime, where students can signup to meet with their teacher,which can be done with a smallgroup of learners instead of justone-on-one. Students also canconsult with the Expert Board,made up of students who havemastered a skill.

“I like this way of learning be-

cause we are not pushed to learnwhat we are not comfortablewith,” third grader Riley McGeetold the board.

Orange Avenue School Princi-pal Marc Edery commented toboard members that for teach-ers implementing the new pro-gram, “The hardest part is let-ting go” and letting studentstake control of their learning.

Superintendent Scott Rubin,Ed.D., gave the students acco-lades for their presentation,commenting, “I have to tell you,I think our future is in very goodhands.”

Security issues also were dis-cussed at the meeting. The se-curity audit will take place soonand there is a visit planned foreach of the schools in the dis-trict.

Community meetings havebeen scheduled at each of theschools to address security con-cerns and social and wellnessissues with students, with a pre-sentation and a question-and-answer segment.

Mr. Rubin told the board that,starting next year, he wouldschedule an annual meeting toprovide an update about safetyand wellness concerns. He toldthe board he views security as“a shared responsibility” and ex-pressed gratitude to the PTApresidents for allowing a dia-logue with each of the schools,further commenting that, “it’svery healthy to have this mutualdialogue and get to see thingsthrough multiple lenses.”

The board of education willhold a public hearing on thebudget in the board room atLincoln School at 7 p.m. on Mon-day, April 30.

projected parking demand willbe for roughly 80 vehicles.

Retired Cranford Police OfficerPatrick Fay said he sought em-ployment with Community Ac-cess Unlimited upon retirement,noting the positive impact thenon-profit has on building com-munity and making families feelcomfortable.

“No negative impact to the com-munity,” said Mr. Fay in describ-ing possible downsides to an ap-plication approval by the board.

Resident Rita LaBrutto said shehas been asking the townshipcommittee since 2013 “to certifyaffordable-housing credits”through negotiations with Com-munity Access Unlimited Inc. Ms.LaBrutto said Community Accessowns sites on Johnson Avenueand Glenwood Road with threeresidential properties totaling 13bedrooms. She said because thebedrooms assist disabled indi-viduals or are “group homes fordevelopmentally-disabled resi-dents” the affordable-housingcredits equate to two credits forone bedroom. Ms. LaBrutto said13 bedrooms would equate to arealized 26 extra affordable unitsor “credits” for Cranford.

To develop 26 affordable unitswould translate to a 180 totalunit development in town, Ms.LaBrutto said.

“That’s a whole developmentor a very dense developmentnumber,” Ms. LaBrutto said. Ms.LaBrutto said she would rathersee organizations bettering thecommunity be bolstered or ne-gotiated with instead of anotherhigh-density housing negotiation.

Ms. LaBrutto said she is in favorof the applicant, but her com-ments were not directed towardsthe board to vote yes or no onthis specific application. Ms.LaBrutto said she was advocat-ing for specific township com-mittee and board of adjustmentactions moving forward regard-ing affordable-housing impacts

on the community. Applicant Florin Traistaru was

unanimously approved for a usevariance to convert a principalpermitted-use space (retail) at115 Miln Street for a dentist of-fice (conditional use) on the firstfloor in a zone where such a useis not permitted.

Mr. Traistaru said the base-ment is connected to the firstfloor and will be used for storage.The first floor does not exceed1,000 feet with only nine squarefeet set aside for storage in thebasement. The township ordi-nance states that the businesscannot exceed 1,000 square feeton the first floor without a vari-ance needed within the zone,stated Zoning Officer RonaldJohnson.

Mr. Johnson said when initiallydiscussing with the applicant hewas not sure how much of thebasement would be utilized andin what function to the dentalpractice. Mr. Johnson said with932 square feet being utilized onthe first floor, including the base-ment into the business square

board member Kathy Villaggio tothe recreation commission andcelebrations committee.

“I am excited to help our com-munity and give back. Both therecreation commission and thecelebrations committee have alot going on and to achieve. I amglad I can help them,” said Ms.Villaggio.

Mayor Lombardo additionallyappointed Debbie McCarthy tothe celebrations committee.

Ms. Todisco said a volunteerrewards card has been estab-lished, with 12 businesses par-ticipating, “Which is really ter-rific for a new program like this,”she added. The cards will bedistributed to volunteers next

footage, calculations would putthe business square footageabove the 1,000-square-footthreshold, thus requiring a vari-ance.

Board member Robert Bovassosaid he would be “comfortable”with an approval based on a con-ditional agreement that the base-ment would be used for storageonly and not for additional prac-tice space.

Mr. Traistaru said he wouldagree to such terms.

Comm. Access OK’d to Expand On-Site Training

month.Mr. Nierstedt said during public

commentary that he wanted tointroduce a resolution express-ing the borough’s support to-wards gun control measures.Former mayor PatriciaQuattrocchi originally introducedthe resolution in 2013.

The resolution outlines controlmeasures such as required fire-arm safety training, the re-im-position of a federal ban on mili-tary assault-style weapons, a banof high-capacity bullet magazinesor a reduction to 10-round maxi-mum, and the establishment of aregulatory and reporting programfor ammunition sales, stated Mr.Nierstedt.

GW, Fanwood on Shared Services

Simmons CollegeTells Dean’s List

BOSTON, Mass. – CharlotteEsteves, a Cranford resident, wasnamed to the 2017 fall semesterdean’s list at Simmons College inBoston. Their major is arts ad-ministration and music.

To qualify for dean’s list status,undergraduate students must ob-tain a grade point average of 3.5or higher, based on 12 or morecredit hours of work in classesusing the letter grade system.






Cranford Police to CrackDown on Distracted DriversCRANFORD — Law enforce-

ment officers from the CranfordPolice Department will be crack-ing down on distracted driversduring April as part of NewJersey’s UDrive. UText. UPay.enforcement campaign.

Beginning April 1 and runningthrough April 21, the high vis-ibility law enforcement initia-tive will target motorists whoengage in dangerous distracteddriving behaviors such as talk-ing on hand-held cell phones

and sending text messageswhile driving.

“Distracted driving is possiblythe most serious safety issueon our roadways today,” saidGary Poedubicky, acting direc-tor of the New Jersey Division ofHighway Traffic Safety. “The Na-tional Highway Traffic SafetyAdministration reports that in2015 alone, 3,477 people werekilled in distracted drivingcrashes and an estimated391,000 people were injured inmotor vehicle crashes involvinga distracted driver.”

In New Jersey, driver inatten-tion was listed as a contributingcircumstance in 52 percent ofthe state’s crashes in 2015.Driver inattention was in factlisted as a contributing factor incrashes at a rate nine timeshigher than that of the nexthighest contributing factor —speed.

The campaign is being carriedout during the month of April,which the National Safety Coun-cil has designated as DistractedDriving Awareness Month. TheNew Jersey campaign is mod-eled after similar successful highvisibility enforcement programssuch as Click It or Ticket andDrive Sober or Get Pulled Over.

By CHRISTINA M. HINKESpecially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

CRANFORD — The townshipcommittee voiced support Mon-day at a workshop meeting ofexpanding the children’s libraryby agreeing to include close to$1 million in its budget. The ex-pansion of the children’s depart-ment is a project the library boardhas hoped to see achieved formore than a decade. The otherhalf of the cost would be kicked inby the state, should the town-ship receive the grant funds fromthe new state library construc-tion bond act passed by voters inlast November’s election.

The plans for the expansionwould double the children’s li-brary on the first floor and woulddo away with the tall shelving tomake room for lower shelvingthat would be safer, Library Di-rector Michael Maziekien said.He said the expansion would pro-vide early literacy programs for agrowing number of children inthe Cranford population, and helpfill a gap made by the lack of amandated full-day kindergartenprogram in the township. Theproject would also straighten thehandicapped ramp at the libraryentrance to make it more acces-sible.

The township committee alsoheard from other departmentsfor their capital items wish list for2018. The committee agreed toinclude $100,000 for desiltingRahway River, which is half theamount requested by the engi-neer; $135,000 for a new buckettruck for the Department of Pub-lic Works (DPW); $25,000 forturnout gear for the fire depart-ment; $600,000 to replace someradios in the police department,a move the state is requiring tomake the system digital, and$50,000 to replace a basketball

court in Adams Park. The requestto replace the over 20-year-oldplayground at Adams Park wasdenied by commissioners AnnDooley and Patrick Giblin; thecommittee also denied a budgetrequest to replace four othertrucks in an aging DPW fleet ofvehicles.

The committee met in privatesession to hear the Payment inLieu of Taxes (PILOT) plan bythe proposed developer of 215-235 Birchwood Avenue, where225 apartments in a multi-story,multi-building housing develop-ment are to be built. The town-ship over a year ago purchasedthe property for $18 million inan attempt to resell the prop-erty to a developer who wouldreduce the number of apart-ments on the site. Originally, abuilder, Hekemian, won a law-suit allowing the construction of360 units there to help satisfythe township’s affordable-hous-ing obligation. To date, the town-ship has not signed a contractwith the new developer,Birchwood Developers Associ-ates aka Birchwood DevelopersUrban Renewal Associates, LLC,and will not disclose the bidsreceived for sale of the prop-erty.

The developer is expected topresent its site plan to the plan-ning board on Wednesday, April4 at 8 p.m. The architecturalplans, as provided on the town-ship website, depict three, four-story buildings that have park-ing on the ground level, andthree stories of apartmentsabove. The affordable-housingcomponent makes up 15 per-cent of the units or 34 apart-

ments.The township has until the end

of this year to comply with itsaffordable housing obligation of55 units that was spelled out inthe builder’s remedy lawsuit wonby Hekemian, along with a priorround need of 138 units, plusanother five units, as stated in ajudgment of repose in 2013.Cranford has yet to settle itsthird-round fair share housingobligation.

Wednesday Morning ClubLists April Program Guests

CRANFORD — The WednesdayMorning Club will hold its busi-ness meeting on Wednesday,April 4, at 10 a.m. Club PresidentSue Driscoll will introduce Col-leen Hintz. Ms. Hintz will presenta program entitled “The SecretQuilt Code of the UndergroundRailroad.” Attendees will learnabout the sewing of quilt blocksto create visual messages thatwere interpreted by slaves look-ing to gain their freedom inCanada via the UndergroundRailroad. The meeting will takeplace at the Cranford Commu-nity Center, located at 220 Wal-nut Avenue. All are welcome.

On Tuesday, April 10, the club’sPublic Affairs Department willmeet at the home of Sue Driscollto plan for next year. The meet-ing will begin at 12:30 p.m. In-terested persons are asked tobring a sandwich and to call Ms.Driscoll if they plan to attend.

The American Arts and CraftsDepartment will meet on Tues-day, April 17, at 10 a.m., in theCranford Community Center toplan their projects for next year. Ifplanning to attend, call Joan Davis.

The club will gather on Wednes-day, April 18, for a luncheon atGiovanna’s Restaurant featuringwriter, singer-songwriter andactor Val Emmich. Giovanna’sRestaurant is located at 1462South Avenue, Plainfield. Theluncheon begins at 12:30 p.m.and the cost is $21. To make areservation, call Jane Reilly.

Mr. Emmich is known for hiswork as an actor on HBO’s “Vi-nyl,” NBC’s “30 Rock,” Showtime’s“The Big C” and ABC’s “Ugly Betty.”He also has written a very well-received first novel entitled “TheReminders.” The Huffington Postsaid of his novel, “Emmich per-forms a bit of magic in his warmand winning debut novel.”

On Monday, April 23, the Litera-ture Department will meet at thehome of Dot Conheeney at 12:30p.m. to select the books the groupwill read next year. Participantsare asked to bring a sandwich andcall Dot if they plan to attend.

For more information about TheWednesday Morning Club, callVice-President Carol Moran at(908) 233-5635 or e-mail her [email protected].


Cranford Comm. Supports ExpansionOf Children’s Library Department







RACE AND THE MILITARY...Michael Maziekien, director of the CranfordPublic Library, accepts the book “Blacks in the Army Air Force During WorldWar II,” donated by the Cranford DAR. Presenting the book to Mr. Maziekienare Judith Lannin Panagakos, left, chapter librarian and Cranford LibraryBoard member, and Barbara Krause, chapter historian and former regent.

CRANFORD — The Crane’s Fordchapter of the Daughters of theAmerican Revolution (DAR) re-cently donated a book entitled“Blacks in the Army Air ForcesDuring World War II: The Prob-lem of Race Relations” to theCranford Public Library.

The book had been presentedto Cranford’s DAR chapter by fiveTuskegee Airmen who wereguests of the chapter at a pastmeeting.

The book, from the Office of AirForce History, United States AirForce, is based upon a Ph.D.dissertation written by Major AlanM. Osur (retired), a former asso-ciate professor of history at the

Air Force Academy.John W. Huston, Major General

USAF, Chief of Air Force History,1977, wrote in the book’s for-ward, “Major Osur’s account re-lates how the leadership in theWar Department and the U.S.Army Air Forces (USAAF) tried todeal with the problem of race andthe prejudices which were re-flected in the bulk of Americansociety.”

The author describes many ofthe discriminatory actions takenagainst black airmen, whosegoal was equality of treatmentand opportunities as Americancitizens. He describes the roleof black pilots as they fought in

the Mediterranean Theateragainst the Axis powers. Theauthor also examines racial fric-tions within the Army Air Forcesthat led to protests in 1945.Despite these problems, theauthor concludes that the ArmyAir Forces made substantialprogress in race relations andin opening up career opportuni-ties for black airmen in the post-1945 period.

The book is part of the SpecialStudies unit of the U.S. ArmyAir History Series. Cranford Pub-lic Library Director MichaelMaziekien accepted the bookdonation from Judith LanninPanagakos and Barbara Krause,representing the Crane’s FordDAR.

First Presbyterian InvitesCommunity For Holy WeekCRANFORD — The First Presby-

terian Church of Cranford, lo-cated at 11 Springfield Avenue,welcomes the community to ob-serve Holy Week leading up tothe celebration of Easter. HolyWeek began with Palm Sundayworship last Sunday. FirstPresbyterian’s Easter worship cal-endar will include traditional andunique worship experiences.

Maundy Thursday will be ob-served today, March 29, at 6:30p.m., in the Thomson Youth Cen-ter. Attendees are asked to enterthrough the church office dooron Springfield Avenue. This wor-ship service will commemorateJesus’ last supper with His dis-ciples through dramatic readingsthat incorporate reflections onthe traditional Passover Seder.

An Easter “Son Rise” servicewill be held on Sunday, April 1, at8 a.m., in the Narthex. Weather

permitting, worship will takeplace outside. Participants areinvited to celebrate Christ’s res-urrection during an “unplugged”acoustic version of Easter wor-ship.

A traditional Easter service willbe offered at 10 a.m. on April 1 inthe main sanctuary. Full choirs,music and flowers symbolizingrebirth will enrich the celebra-tion of Christ’s resurrection. At-tendees will sing Handel’s “Hal-lelujah” Chorus and organist Rob-ert Grube will play Widor’s“Toccata.”

The community also is invitedto An Easter Cantata — “Hallelu-jah! Christ Arose!” on Sunday,April 15, at 10 a.m., in the mainsanctuary. The Chancel Choir,under the direction of AlisonNead and accompanied by Rob-ert Grube on piano and KathleenDaly on violin, will continue theEaster celebration singing “Hal-lelujah! Christ Arose!”, createdand arranged by Luke Woodard.

For more information, visit thechurch website,firstprescranford.org. Individu-als also are invited to like thechurch on Facebook atfacebook.com/firstprescranford/and to follow the church on Twit-ter at http://twitter.com/fpcc.

As the body of Christ inspiredby the Holy Spirit, First Presby-terian Church congregants seekto be faithful disciples living theirlives as a testimony of Christ’slove for all. The church wel-comes diversity and respects andcares for all of God’s creation.Members seek to spread theword and invite others to liveJesus’ command to love oneanother as the Lord first lovedthem.

Legal Newspaper for Union CountyLegal Newspaper for Union CountyLegal Newspaper for Union CountyLegal Newspaper for Union CountyLegal Newspaper for Union County, Cranfor, Cranfor, Cranfor, Cranfor, Cranforddddd

RIT Students Named toDean's List for Fall SemesterROCHESTER, N.Y. – The follow-

ing students at the RochesterInstitute of Technology made theDean's List for the fall semester:

Delaney Sciascia of Cranford,who is in the packaging scienceprogram.

Sam Finston of Cranford, whois in the game design and devel-opment program.

Elise Lloyd of Westfield, who isin the illustration program.

Drew Russo of Westfield, whois in the mechanical engineeringtechnology program.

Georgiy Rozenshteyn of

Cranford, who is in the computerscience program.

Hayley Howell of Scotch Plains,who is in the diagnostic medicalsonography program.

Alan Richman of Fanwood, whois in the computing security pro-gram.

Degree-seeking undergraduatestudents are eligible for Dean'sList if their term GPA is greaterthan or equal to 3.400; they donot have any grades of "Incom-plete", "D" or "F"; and they haveregistered for, and completed, atleast 12 credit hours.


Cranford DAR Donates Book AboutRace Relations In World War II





CRANFORD — The Trinity Epis-copal Church, located at 119 For-est Avenue, Cranford, is collect-ing money for the Episcopal Re-lief & Development “Clean Wa-ter” program through Sunday,April 1.

“Every 15 seconds a child diesfrom a water-related diseasesomewhere in the world,” saidMarion Nechuta, Trinity’s Out-reach Committee chairwoman.“The ERD Clean Water programconstructs wells, water systems,and stations that both reducethe spread of disease while pro-moting overall community health,well-being and economic viabil-ity.”

Donations, made payable to“Episcopal Relief and Develop-ment,” can be mailed to TrinityChurch or dropped off at thechurch on Sunday morning. Formore information, call (908) 276-4047.

Episcopal Relief & Develop-ment, started in 1940, is thecompassionate response of theEpiscopal Church to human suf-fering in the world. Hearing God’scall to seek and serve Christ in allpersons and to respect the dig-nity of every human being, Epis-copal Relief & Developmentserves to bring together the gen-erosity of Episcopalians and oth-ers with the needs of the world.For more information about Epis-copal Relief & Development, visitepiscopalrelief.org/.

Trinity Episcopal Church,founded in 1872, is a faith-basedfamily church that welcomes allpeople and strives to “know Christand to make the Lord knownthrough faith, fellowship, andservice.” Sunday services, cel-ebrated by the Reverend AndyKruger, Trinity’s Priest-in-Charge, are at 8 a.m. and 10a.m. For more information about

Harvey Wang, Episcopal Relief & DevelopmentLIFE-SUSTAINING WATER...The Trinity Episcopal Church of Cranford israising funds through Easter Sunday to benefit the Episcopal Relief & Develop-ment “Clean Water” program. The program supports projects that provideclean water to people like these children pictured at a well in Ghana.

Trinity, call (908) 276-4047 orvisit trinitycranford.org/.

Trinity also provides TrinityEpiscopal Day School (TEDS), astate-licensed facility servingchildren from age 2½ throughKindergarten. Further informa-tion about TEDS is available bycalling (908) 276-2881 or attedscranford.org.

Colgate Announces Dean'sAward with Distinction

HAMILTON, N.Y. – Students whoreceive a term grade point aver-age of 3.6 or higher while com-pleting at least three coursesduring the fall 2017 semesterearn the Dean's Award with Dis-tinction at Colgate University.

Courtney Casale, a member ofthe Colgate University Class of2020, is a graduate of WestfieldHigh School, from Westfield. Ms.Casale's current major is neuro-science.

Lucy Allen, a member of theColgate University Class of 2018,is a graduate of Cranford HighSchool, from Cranford. Ms. Allen'scurrent major is mathematicaleconomics.

Jacob Wasserman, a memberof the Colgate University Class of2018, is a graduate of WestfieldHigh School, from Westfield. Mr.Wasserman's current major isgeography.

Piatkowski Inducted IntoHon. Soc. of Phi Kappa PhiBATON ROUGE, Lous. – Kayla

Piatkowski of Cranford, was re-cently initiated into The HonorSociety of Phi Kappa Phi, thenation's oldest and most selec-tive all-discipline collegiate honorsociety. Ms. Piatkowski is pursu-ing a degree in Biology at JamesMadison University.

Piatkowski is among approxi-mately 30,000 students, faculty,

professional staff and alumni tobe initiated into Phi Kappa Phieach year. Membership is byinvitation only and requiresnomination and approval by achapter. Only the top 10 per-cent of seniors and 7.5 percentof juniors are eligible for mem-bership. Graduate students inthe top 10 percent of the num-ber of candidates for graduatedegrees may also qualify, as dofaculty, professional staff andalumni who have achievedscholarly distinction.

Mother Seton High SchoolHosts Easter Bunny Event

CLARK – Alumnae and theirfamilies did not have to lookfurther than the Mother SetonRegional High School gym to findthe Easter Bunny and her bunnytrail. More than 150 adults andchildren participated in the EggHunt sponsored by the AlumnaeAssociation.

Children were divided into fourage groups to find the candy-filled colored eggs hidden in thehay donated by Schieferstein’sFarm. One lucky child, from eachgroup, unearthed the Golden Eggto win a solid chocolate bunny.

The Easter Bunny herself wasportrayed by Student CouncilPresident Katherine Blum, a se-nior, who posed at the photobooth for pictures with childrenand their families. The elegantcostume Katherine wore was cre-ated by alumna Lydia Ruiz Hull(’67).

Bagels, doughnuts and bever-ages were served and the chil-dren were delighted to fill bagsfrom the colorful candy bar totake some goodies home afterthey tried their skill at pin-the-tail-on-the-bunny game.

GARWOODSunday, March 18, Alberto Vi-

tal, 57, of Elizabeth was arrestedfollowing a motor vehicle stop forimproper use of multiple beamheadlights on the 10 block ofSouth Avenue. Police could smellan odor of burnt marijuana com-ing from the vehicle. Police askedfor and were given consent tosearch the vehicle. Subsequentto the search police recoveredparaphernalia containing mari-juana from the center console ofthe vehicle. During the investi-gation it was determined thatVital was operating the vehiclewith a suspended license andhad an active arrest warrant outof Linden for $250. Vital wastransported to police headquar-ters where he was processed forthe arrest and issued severalsummonses including possessionof a controlled dangerous sub-stance (CDS) under 50 grams,possession of CDS parapherna-lia, operating a motor vehiclewith a suspended license andimproper use of multiple beamheadlights. Linden police werecontacted and approved his re-lease pending court in Linden.

Trinity Church Collecting Funds ToAid Clean Water Program Sunday





Local Letters to the EditorGarwood DEM Chairman Announces

Party Line for ElectionI am excited to announce that

Incumbent Mayor CharlesLombardo, and his running matesJennyfer Guerrero and VincentKearney, have been chosen asthe candidates of the officialDemocratic Party of Garwood inthe Primary Election.

Mayor Charles Lombardo, formercouncilman for 21 years and Mayorfor the last three and a half years,is running for re-election withJennyfer Guerrero, a PSE&G ex-ecutive with children in our schoolsystem. Vincent Kearney, who willhave children in school this fall,fills out the ticket with his strongpolice experience working for theUnion County Sheriff’s Office. Jennand Vincent have never run forpublic office before. They both arehomeowners, both ironically havetwins and both have chosen ourSmall Town with the Big Heart toraise their families.

The motto of the Lombardo-Guerrero-Kearney team is“Garwood Forward” and we wouldhave it no other way. Garwood ismoving toward much change andwe embrace that change for thebetterment of our residents. Yes,we look to the past to build on thefuture, but we do not dwell on it.If Garwood is to remain a viableand vibrant community, we mustchange and continue to moveforward, otherwise we stagnate.However, it should not be “outwith the old and in with the new.”We, as a community, will con-tinue to thrive with a broad rangeof ideas from all of our residents.Our team has the energy, vision,and determination to continuewhat was begun 10 years ago,under the former two Mayors,and was continued under the lead-ership of Mayor Lombardo withregard to redevelopment, bring-ing it to completion. Under Mayor

Lombardo’s leadership, he hasre-energized the Historical Com-mittee so we do not forget ourpast as we look to our future. Butwe do not stop there – our teamis committed to meet every chal-lenge before us, no matter howsmall, with vigor and fairness toall constituents in our commu-nity. This team is diverse andknowledgeable and our group isone. There is no “I” in our team.

Mayor Lombardo has forgedmany relationships within ourcommunity and with other nearbytowns, and met with governmentleaders of the state and county,with Garwood in mind, not tograb headlines, or for personalgain, but only for the furtheranceof Garwood and its residents.Mayor Lombardo brings experi-ence, integrity, fortitude and ci-vility to whatever he does for theBorough. His running mates bringtheir own strong values and prin-ciples and will be an asset toGarwood’s current and future vi-ability while we move forward asa community. It is our belief, asGarwood Democrats, that integ-rity and loyalty are the most valu-able and respected qualities ofleadership. That is the founda-tion for the bonds of trust.

To learn more about MayorCharles and Council CandidatesJenn and Vince, please visitFacebook under@GarwoodForward and theirwebsite GarwoodForward.com.Our candidates look forward toengaging with their fellow resi-dents during this campaign, asthey demonstrate that their teamis the best choice to moveGarwood Forward.

Hugh Sinclair,Chairman

Garwood Democratic Committee

Why Did Rep. Lance Signed Off ToRepeal Net Neutrality?

Congressman Lance continuesto assert his position as a moder-ate, a position he establishedwhile serving in the New JerseyState Assembly. However, a re-view of his Congressional votingrecord no longer supports a mod-erate stance. It appears that hisconscience has moved sharply tothe right and does not reflect thedesires of his constituency.

According to the FCC’s Enforce-ment Bureau, The Northeast (Hur-ricane Corridor) has long beenhome to illegal pirate radio op-erations. Illegal use of the air-waves results in harmful interfer-ence to nearby licensed stations,and the delivery of emergencyannouncements to the public.

On March 22, 2018 Congress-man. Lance introduced bi-parti-san legislation that wouldstrengthen the FCC’s enforce-ment process in preventing ille-gal radio abuse. Implementationof the regulatory amendment,coupled with maximum fines,would limit the disruption ofemergency announcement con-tent and protect the end user,the consumer.

If one considers the need todeliver unfettered information toconstituents, regardless of cat-egory or importance, you mightask why Congressman Lancesigned off on the unpopular posi-tion to repeal Net Neutrality. TheInternet has become an essen-tial part of our lives and the Net

Neutrality guarantee ensures thatInternet Service Providers can-not discriminate against the enduser regarding content deliveryoffered by government, univer-sities, charities, and non-profitorganizations.

Congressman Lance’s supportof the FCC’s proposed repeal ofNet Neutrality directly harms theconsumer by allowing InternetService Providers to censure con-tent by charging additional feesand subjectively slowing thespeed of delivery.

In a December 12, 2017, tele-phone call to his D.C. office, I wasadvised that Congressman. Lancehad taken no position on Net Neu-trality. On December 13, 2017,the House Committee on Energyand Commerce and its Subcom-mittee on Communications andTechnology, of which Lance is Vice-Chair, released the letter signedby lawmakers supporting the re-peal of Net Neutrality. Congress-man Lance was one of 107 signa-tures. The letter was also clearlyposted to the FCC website. Itshould be noted that 132 HouseRepublicans did not sign the lettersupporting the repeal.

Perhaps those members whodid not sign the letter, wereswayed by a recent study thatshowed an overwhelming ma-jority of Republican voters werenot in favor of the FCC’s repealproposal.

Christine MosqueraCranford

Floraphile Club PlansBenefit Garage Sale

CRANFORD — The FloraphileGarden Club will host a garagesale fundraiser on Saturday, April28, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at 469Brookside Court, Cranford.

The sale will feature an array ofhousehold goods, plants, clothes,toys, books and other merchan-dise. Proceeds from this fundraiserwill support the Floraphile Gar-den Club and its involvement innumerous community serviceprojects, beautification programs,charitable donations and horti-cultural therapy.

Founded in 1950, Floraphile hasbeen an active and integral partof the Cranford community formore than 65 years. Membersparticipate in various workshops,presentations, charitable projectsand garden tours.

To learn more about theFloraphile Garden Club, like theclub on Facebook atf a c e b o o k . c o m /floraphilegardenclub.

Youth to Present‘Living Stations’

SPRINGFIELD — The YouthGroup of St. James the ApostleRoman Catholic Church, locatedat 45 South Springfield Avenue,Springfield, will pray the LivingStations of the Cross at 7 p.m.tomorrow, Good Friday, March30, in the church.

Dressed as those Jesus encoun-tered and interacted with on theway to his crucifixion, youth groupmembers will accurately portraywhat occurred at each Station.There will be musical accompa-niment as well.

The St. James Youth Group isunder the direction of Ann MarieGesualdo, youth minister. All arewelcome to this presentation. Formore information, call St. JamesChurch at (973) 376-3044.

Kennedy Enrolls atDelaware Valley Univ.DOYLESTOWN, Penn. – Dela-

ware Valley University is pleasedto announce that Garrett Kennedy,of Cranford, has enrolled as a newstudent for fall 2018.

The university will welcome adiverse and talented group ofnew students to campus this fall.




Westfield Introduces $48.2 Mill. 2018 Municipal Budget

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