Volume116 Number 48 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2003 75 Cents Committee gives DMDA nod on budget tor Pat Holden and President By Patricia Harris Paul Gomperz brought in budget of The Item figures that showed the organiza- The Township Committee tion anticipates revenues of unanimously adopted the 2004 $160,000 through the township’s budget for the Downtown Mill- assessment, $23,000 through burn Development Alliance general sponsorships, $28,000 (DMDA) at its meeting Tuesday, from shopping and dining guide but not before members of the ad sales, $10,000 in grants, business community directed $4,000 from the Farmers Market pointed questions at the organi- fees and almost $12,000 from zation’s officials and Committee special events. Gomperz also members. projected the organization would About 20 business and proper- end up this year with a surplus of ty owners showed up for the $20,000. budget hearing, which lasted When Committeeman Salva- about 45 minutes and became tore J. Bate asked the representa- heated at times. As the organiza- tives how they measure their or- Staff photos/ Eveline Speedie and Patricia Harris tion charged with managing the ganization’s success, Holden re- COURTYARD COMING TO LIFE—As renovation of the ed this month. Inset, landscape architect Jan Saltiel Rafel, downtown, the DMDA receives sponded by citing the 1 percent Courtyard continues, construction workers pour concrete left, who is overseeing the project, describes progress to a portion of its revenues from a vacancy rate in the downtown walkways around the perimeter. With the exception of land- Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Carrie Lemer- tax levied through the township the DMDA has been able to scaping and lighting fixtures, the project is to be complet- man. on business and property achieve. owners, and the Township Com- Bate also asked what the orga- mittee must approve its budget. nization’s ratio of administrative The DMDA has requested costs to revenue will be in the New Courtyard taking shape $237,000 for 2004. upcoming year, and Gomperz Before public discussion answered that the ratio stands at effort of the township and the Main Street entrance to the Edgewater Design, said the next began, DMDA Executive Direc- Continued on Page B15 By Patricia Harris Chamber, funded in part by the Courtyard is still needed. step will be the pouring of of The Item township and in part by local The project, begun after Labor stamped concrete around the As major structural work on property owners and merchants. Day, removed buckled brick basin area in the center. Large, The Courtyard nears completion “From the beginning, the plan pavers and cement walls of an randomly placed boulders are al- Board knocks in the next few weeks, township was to involve local talent and inoperative fountain, as well as ready in place throughout the officials and the Chamber of get people with local interests in- trees that attracted birds and cre- courtyard, and all underground Commerce are asking individu- volved,” said Carrie Lemerman, ated debris, from the area. In the electrical and plumbing work has als and businesses to donate sig- executive director of the Mill- new design, a concrete path been completed, she said. down cell plan nage, benches and landscaping burn-Short Hills Chamber of stamped in a stone pattern will With the exception of land- to put the finishing touches on Commerce, last week as she sur- lead from Main Street into the scaping and lighting fixtures, agreed with critics who claimed the project. veyed the work in progress. The courtyard, which will feature a Rafel said, the project could be By Harry Trumbore the monopole was not the “least Renovation is taking place on Chamber first suggested the pro- dry basin lined with stones. completed this month, weather of The Item obtrusive means” of addressing a the north side of the Courtyard ject to the Township Committee Three bubbling fountains, which permitting. Landscaping consist- A small but determined group gap in cellular phone service in office building, situated just west on behalf of the Millburn Court- will circulate water in the basin, ing of low shrubs and plants will of Millburn and Maplewood res- the area. of Main Street, on Millburn yard Committee in March 2001. are features of the design. be added in the spring. idents burst into cheers and ap- A stronger argument against Avenue. Plans call for creating a As further enticement to Last week and this week, con- The contractor for the project plause as the Maplewood the tower made, ironically, by soothing, waterscape environ- donors, Lemerman noted spon- struction workers were pouring is Let It Grow, Inc. of River Zoning Board of Adjustment one of Verizon’s own expert wit- ment in the space that connects sors’ names will be inscribed on brown concrete walkways Edge, and the expected cost is Monday night rejected a propos- nesses was seized upon by resi- parking lots east of Town Hall a commemorative plaque to be around the perimeter of the $183,495. To cover the cost in al to build a cell phone tower on dents and board members alike: with the main downtown area. placed in the area. In particular, space. Landscape architect for the grounds of the Maplewood A real estate appraiser present- The project has been a joint she said, a large sign marking the the project, Jan Saltiel Rafel of Continued on Page B15 Country Club. ed by Verizon at the hearings in Members of the board ended February testified a tower would the year-long hearings with a 4- not have an appreciable impact to-3 vote against a site plan ap- on surrounding properties unless Accidents plague intersection plication by Verizon Wireless to it devalues them by 5 percent or build a 110-foot monopole in a more. Jon Campbell, an attorney The police investigation, ure to yield to an emergency ve- dents were recorded at the Mill- mulch area in the western por- who represented a Maplewood By Harry Trumbore which took place under the su- hicle but, for the first time since burn Avenue intersection with tion of the golf course, approxi- resident opposing the tower, re- of The Item pervision of the Essex County 1995, the intersection of Mill- Spring Street. mately 120 feet from township called that testimony in his sum- mation before the board. A traffic accident last week has Prosecutor’s Office, determined burn Avenue and Spring Street By contrast, police Sgt. Peter property lines on Cypress Street. Zelazko pulled out from Spring and possible changes to the traf- Eakley this week said 20 motor The tower would have been Verizon failed to demonstrate focused attention once again on a that the tower would not have a particularly busy downtown in- Street on the north side of the fic flow may be considered. vehicle accidents have occurred camouflaged as a tree. Sympa- tersection. avenue and crossed two lanes of Township Committeewoman at the latter intersection during thetic board members apparently Continued on Page B15 According to police reports, traffic before his car struck the Elaine Becker recalls the inter- the current year alone. Officer Anthony Magnotta was patrol car. section came under scrutiny The options for possible reme- responding to a reported bur- The accident sent Magnotta to eight years ago due to the diation are the same now as were glary in progress Nov. 24 at 2 St. Barnabas Medical Center number of accidents occurring in considered in 1995, according to p.m., driving east on Millburn where he was treated for head in- the area. both Eakley and Becker: the in- Avenue. Police said the officer juries before being discharged. Studies at the time showed stallation of a traffic light, or reportedly had his emergency He currently is on medical leave. 4,000 cars a day traveled on making Spring Street a one-way lights and sirens activated when Zelazko and his wife, a passen- Spring Street between Essex thoroughfare. his car collided at the intersec- ger in the car, were treated for Street and Millburn Avenue, According to Becker, the most tion with Spring Street with a leg and head injuries, respective- Becker said. Over a three-year viable option might be to make station wagon driven by town- ly, at Morristown Memorial Hos- period, according to a study pro- Spring Street above Millburn ship resident Wladyslaw Ze- pital and subsequently were dis- duced at the time, 15 accidents Avenue one-way going north. In lazko. charged, according to police. occurred at the junction of Essex 1995, however, shop owners Zelazko was charged with fail- and Spring streets, while 28 acci- Continued on Page B15 Convention yields few answers to state’s property tax dilemma “There are no compromises,” gether of its kind in the state, the lem,” he said. “There might be By Eveline Speedie said Timothy P. Gordon, the annual convention draws up to something to looking at the of The Item township’s business administra- 8,000 municipal officials in addi- number of school districts, if Local officials attending the tor. “The leaders are not working tion to legislators, lobbyists and there are some that are without annual New Jersey State League together. They just go after each exhibitors. schools, as Gov. McGreevey of Municipalities convention in other.” McDermott and Gordon said said. But they didn’t talk about Atlantic City in mid-November The reason for the frustration the topic was in the limelight at the mandates. They talked about have returned feeling frustrated expressed by the two officials the convention, but solutions property taxes but not about over lack of progress in one area stems from the long-debated were not forthcoming.