Celebrating New Year's Eve in Style Traffic Committee Hears Reports On
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Back to the mat Shop Classified Westfield set to host Celebrating New Year's Eve in style Guides to autos, annual wrestling tournament, See this week's real estate begin See Sports, page B-l Weekend on page B-4 o • -i o Ihe Wesmeld Kecora Vt K » £ Thursday, December 24, 1992 A Forbes Newspaper 25 cents igaway Traffic Committee hears reports on local parking and roadwork By ELIZABETH OWOMEK tailed the plans which will include the ad- and a blueprint for the further devel- dition of several traffic lights to control the opment of town, which has been devised THE RECORD flow of cars through the intersection. The by a special committee. Foot dragging on the proposed down- plans call for signals at Watterson Street The Crossway Place underpass will town parking deck may result in a nine to and South Avenue and at the point in the hopefully be added to the county's Trans- 12 percent increase in the price of the circle where traffic coming from East portation Improvement Plan next spring. estimated $2.2 million structure. Broad Street, heading east toward Cran- The narrow stone underpass, a vital link The Transportation, Parking, and Traf- ford, meets South Avenue. between North and South avenues, has fic Committee received a quote from the Another major part of the plan calls for seemed on the verge of crumbling but Vincentsen architectural firm in Westfield a traffic signal at West Broad Street and failed to make it on the county's planning stating the increase is because of the rise Rahway Avenue. This is meant to control list Bids will be taken this summer to in the prices of materials since the plans the flow of traffic onto South Avenue. improve the curve on Lamberts Mill Road were originally drafted in 1989. The com- Traffic on South Avenue will go in both approaching Rahway Avenue near St. mittee and the town council are currently directions, eliminating the need to go Helen's Church. in the process of attempting to arrange around the circle when heading toward The committee also discussed the sug- for the financing for the deck, which is Scotch Plains. gestion of Fourth Ward Councilman Jim high on Mayor Garland "Bud" Boothe's The plans arc- now in the hands of the Hely to install signs throughout the down- agenda for the new year. county, awaiting the necessary approval town area which state it is a New Jersey In addition, plans for the South Avenue before it moves to the state level. law for motorists to yield to pedestrians in traffic circle are shaping up as they make In its discussion of the circulation ele- a crosswalk. These signs reflect the town their way through the county system for ment of the master plan, the committee is friendly to shoppers and are prominent approval. covered topics like the widening of Lam- in Princeton's shopping district. At last Wednesday night's meeting of berts MU1 Road and the intersection of "If we want to make this a shopper wel- the Transportation, Parking and Traffic South and Central avenues. The master come town, we need to let people know it," Committee, town engineer Ed Gottko de- olan is a wish )t..t of projfct.s for the future Mr. Hely said. Smith a leader in school finance plan By ELIZABETH GROMEK posed funding plans: place restrictions on how the money can • Westfield must have adequate funds to be spent. THE RECORD maintain the programs and services it re- "Money does not equal mandates," Dr. Perhaps the best gift for Westfield Su- quires for a quality education. Smith said. perintendent of Schools Mark Smith this • The state nuist pay its share of pension • Funding laws which pro\ :de for all chil- year is the compromise reached for next and social security costs. This amounts to dren in the state. Dr. Smith called it a "moral imperative" for all children to have year's allocation of state money for $3.0 million Tor Westfield. a proper education, rejoin lie:-..-: of where schools. The plan, which was more than • A cap law, which limits budget growth, they were bom, or where they live. five months in the making, has the ap- that allows Westfield to provide the pro- • The potenti.'il for the development of a AUGUSTO F. MENEZE8m« RECORO proval of the many disparate groups in- grams the community jwnnls, .vhile still consistent -^iie iv'uy on funding, unlike W«ttfl«M Boy Scout Troop 70 recently spent a Sunday afternoon build- volved in the education of New Jetrfv's maintaining control over gov* rnnu>nt the roller confer of the past few years. Ing a cathedral out of a block of Ice during the Westfield Winter Festi- children. spending. As the fourth funding law passed in val. Here Dr. John Kmetz (kneeling) carves a door into the 'church' Dr. Smith called the plan, which was • The exclusion of stile laws which si- three years, the last provision in the law while 17-year-old Tom Kenny helps keep the 'building' from tipping signed into law last week, both unique multaneously provide for funding, but (Please turn to page A-2) over. Also looking on are 11-year-old Scott Kenny, scout master Paul and historic because all the groups in- Malak, and 15-year-old John Ruvolo. volved were satisfied with it. As the presi- dent of the Garden State Coalition of Schools, Dr. Smith wns instrumental in representing the interests of the wealthy districts - called transition districts by the School Aid 1993-94 'Student charity fund-raiser state - in the many meetings and hearings on the subject. Although, Westfield profits 1992-33 1993-94 1993-94 1993-94 »Doing chores at home aids the less fortunate from the new plan, the superintendent DISTRICT Q£A AID GOP AID (9/92) NJAPS AID COMPROMISE was also looking to find a way to equitably Cranford $2,373,082 $2,050,000 $2,352,490 EUZABETH QROMEK lars" to spend in stores like Bradlees or finance all school districts throughout New $2,348,953 RECORD Caldor, a family can find many of things Jersey. Scotch Plains $3,929,884 $3,949,350 $3,698,631 $3,940,664 they need. r>> "It doesn't help Westfield if our urban Westfield $3,584,031 $3,602,198 $3,230,000 $3,592,546 What does taking out the trash and The key to the program is maintaining areas deteriorate," Dr. Smith said. cleaning the litter box have to do with the anonymity of the receiving families Garwood $370,747 $374,002 $333,672 $370,987 helping someone have brighter holidays? because all are from Westfield. It could be According to Dr. Smith, the suburban To Tamaques School students, doing anyone's neighbor who is merely having a areas have to realize that it is to the entire Kenilworth $542,880 $542,630 $488,912 $543,108' state's benefit for all children £et a proper odd jobs around the house helps thorn rough time financially because of maybe Union County $2,894,993 $2,894,993 $2,605,494 $2,910,790 earn the money to buy gills and food for unemployment or illness. Thanks to the education because the lack of it docs effect Regional families registered with the Westfield So- number of classes who adopt the families, everyone through crime, high welfare cial Services Department Welfare director Mrs. Corsi is able to make sure that the costs, and the expense of prisons. SOURCE NEW JERSFTV DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Lillian Corsi organizes the yearly distribu- givers and receivers are not classmates in Dr. Smith kept this list of criteria in tion of gifts, food gift certificates, and gift the same school. mind as he considered any of the pro- certificates from other stores that classes "People in WestfiHd are proud. They in four of the schools donate. will do anything to stay in town and to The tradition _____ make sure no one Co-generation plant in court for ruling reversal began 16 years ago t- , • , , , really knows they when a Tamaques Eacn c'ass adopts One Of the are having a hard By BOB SULLIVAN favor of construction of the facility. Five of bounds." time," Mrs. Corsi votes were necessary for approval, accord- Mr. Frizcll also said a letter from Dean School teacher, families and decides to buy THE RECORD ing to the board — so the application Boon nan, who drafted Clark's master plan, said indiratod the co-fiencration facility was a presents When the program Just when you thought it wns safe to go failed. Mr. Fn/ell said not only do the facts permitted use of the limited industrial her class and left it started many chil- into Clark... area. anonymously out- dren asked her, In October, the Clark Board of Adjust- support iiis client's application, but four side Mrs. Corsi's door in the municipal "What (Chairman Daniel) Green based "Mrs. Corsi, what do they look like?" but ment rejected a proposal to build a co- affirmative votes should have been his decision on (wns) contradicted by the building. From that point, the tradition she maintains that "they" look like anyone generation facility next to the USGypsum enough to gain approval. grew and this year approximately 90 fami- Utter from the planner," Mr. Frizell said. else in town. Appearance is especially im- plant on Rnritnn Road. Cranford residents, "(The appeal) asks the judge to declare E.F1A. Development Inc. is looking to lies will benefit from the anonymous dona- portant to the parents when the children tions of the school children of Westfield.