Ice, Winds, Snow Departments Present Restrained Budgets Parents Pushing

Volume118 Number 11 THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2005 75 Cents Ice, Departments present winds, restrained budgets snow increase in last year’s budget cov- enues for this year are $63,000, up By Patricia Harris ered the increased cost of fire from last year’s $52,000. The prin- of The Item Emergency hydrant service from the New Jer- sey American Water Co. The cur- Continued on Page B10 services put As they presented their budget rent charge per hydrant for the requests to the Township Commit- township’s 642 hydrants is Ordinance focus to the test tee Tuesday evening, heads of the $433.20 annually. fire, police and public works Roberts did, however, ask for of meeting today departments demonstrated their two items in his 2005 capital bud- The proposed ordinance reg- efforts to hold down costs and get. One item is the replacement of ulating the size of houses being By Harry Trumbore acquire funding from outside a 1997 command vehicle, as spec- built in the township—the so- of The Item sources. ified in the department’s 20-year called McMansions ordinance— The presentations marked the improvement plan, at a cost of will be the topic of a forum Last week’s snow storm beginning of the governing body’s $85,000. tonight at 7 p.m. at the Millburn dumped less snow in the township deliberations on this year’s budget. Roberts’ second request is to Free Public Library. than other storms this winter, but The township will introduce its update firefighters’ respiratory pro- Members of the subcommit- the combination of snow, wind final budget for adoption in June, tection equipment. He said as a tee of the Planning Board who and ice made conditions treacher- at which time the Committee can result of regulatory changes and have been drafting the new reg- ous for motorists and a heavy Adam Anik/staff photographer set its 2005 tax rate. updates to meet the needs for a ulations will be on hand to workload for township workers. The climate of belt-tightening chemical, biological, radiological answer questions from the pub- A balmy March 7 gave no hint WORTHY ENDEAVOR—David Gelband, 14, above, was indicated by the comments of or nuclear incident, the depart- lic. of the blizzard-like conditions that served as student coordinator Sunday at the Sports-A- Police Chief Paul Boegershausen ment’s self contained breathing The new zoning ordinance arrived late Tuesday morning. Thon fund-raiser held at the Sports Academy on East who, when asked if he was sub- apparatus has become obsolete. seeks to restrict homes deemed “It was barely a dusting,” Tim Willow Street in memory of township resident Eric Muld- mitting a capital budget, quipped, Fire Capt. Jeff Cort, who heads to be overly large and massive. Monahan, supervisor of the town- berg. David shows a signed sneaker donated by “No, the township administrator the mask service unit, described a The measure imposes new ship Department of Public Works Shaquille O’Neal as a raffle prize. Below, Hartshorn asked me not to bring in one, so we replacement plan that would cost restrictions on side and rear (DPW), said of Tuesday’s weather. School kindergartner Drew Cohn tackles the loop at hole didn’t.” the township $185,702. The yard setbacks, alters height “Then the bottom fell out of the six at the Sports-A-Thon. The event netted $47,000 for Fire Chief Michael Roberts led upgrade would include the pur- requirements and specifies lot thermometer.” the Valerie Fund, which supports comprehensive health off the string of Power Point pre- chase of new masks as well as new coverage for homes in the R-3 Temperatures plummeted from sentations by requesting no face pieces, a new testing machine and R-4 districts of the munici- a high of 51 during the morning care services for children with cancer and blood disor- increases in his department’s oper- and a new cylinder recharging sta- pality, where the larger lots are down to 15 degrees that night. ders ating budget over last year’s tion. located. Monahan said the melting snow $491,120. He noted a 10 percent Roberts said anticipated rev- froze, then was covered with blow- ing snow, which caused roads to become slick. There was not enough snow to plow, he said, and all DPW workers could do was spread salt. Parents pushing BOE Monahan said the township had started January with 320 tons of salt. By the end of last week, he said he had approximately 100 board on size of classes tons remaining. As the snow intensified, the DPW concentrated its efforts on by the Hartshorn parents, the aver- said, adding the subject had been the roads surrounding the schools. By Harry Trumbore age fourth grade class size at the raised during several previous of The Item For the most part, students were school is 24 pupils, compared to meetings. transported home safely. However, 18.3 at Glenwood, 17.6 at The superintendent also told the one school bus became stuck Class sizes and plans to address Wyoming, 20.25 at Deerfield and parents he can survey elementary around 2:40 p.m. at the intersec- growing enrollments continued to 18.5 at South Mountain. school principals to determine tion of Sagamore Road and Lin- be the main issues before the Hartshorn parents have suggested what methodology they use to pro- den Street. Township firefighters Board of Education when it held one of the special purpose rooms ject enrollments for the coming assisted the driver and enabled him its meeting at Deerfield School could be converted to regular class- year. to complete his route. Monday night. room use. In other board business, the “Salt won’t work below 20 Parents from Hartshorn School Brodow, who said a study of board voted to move forward with degrees,” Monahan observed. asked the board once again to con- enrollment figures over the past a program to replace windows at While steady traffic kept some sider their request for an addition- dozen years shows enrollments the middle school annex, the main roads cleared, he said, sec- al fifth grade teacher for the 2005- varying greatly from school to southern portion of the school. ondary roads became hopelessly 06 school year. A number of the school, told the audience the only The project will cost $855,000, icy as the temperatures dropped. parents previously made the way to achieve identical class sizes according to Robert Zeglarski, the The supervisor described the request at the board’s Feb. 14 meet- would be to redistrict students at assistant superintendent for busi- evening as “hours of hell.” ing. the beginning of each school year. ness. State aid in the amount of Motorists found driving haz- Parent Mary Heinen also asked “That cannot be done and will $342,000 has been approved, ardous as the afternoon went on. the board to explain how maxi- not be done,” he said. Zeglarski said, with the district Carlos Silva of Linden, 26, told Community effort nets mum and minimum class sizes are Later in the meeting, the issue paying the balance of $513,000 out police he was stopped in traffic in determined. was raised again as one parent said of the capital reserve fund. the eastbound lanes of Route 24 $47,000 at Sports-A-Thon “Different principals seem to be the meeting scheduled for Tuesday Replacement of the windows is when his car was struck from following different guidelines,” was not convenient for parents slated for the summer of 2006, behind by another car. Silva com- More than 200 children, eighth grade were sponsored to Heinen said. who worked in New York City. Zeglarski said. plained of head pain and was mainly from Millburn Township, play basketball, golf, soccer and Other parents maintained larger Another parent, Ken Ettinger, Responding earlier in the meet- transported to a local hospital. participated in the Eric Muld- baseball. class sizes at Hartshorn were hurt- asked why the topic couldn’t be ing to a question asked about the Elsewhere in the township, two berg Sports-a-Thon Sunday at Many of David’s classmates ing students academically. discussed while so many parents availability of state aid for a possi- cars collided with each other while the Sports Academy. The event from the Millburn Middle Superintendent of Schools were present. ble building referendum, Zeglars- their drivers battled slippery con- honored the memory of friend School supervised the day’s Richard Brodow responded he “In all fairness,” Ettinger said, ki explained the district will know ditions on Kennedy Parkway and township resident Eric activities as part of the fund-rais- was reluctant to discuss the matter “the reason people come to the the amount of aid it will receive 90 around 4:30 p.m. A Montclair res- Muldberg, who was treated at er. One lucky raffle winner took at length that evening, stating sev- board meetings is to talk about the days after submission of building ident driving on Kennedy Parkway The Valerie Fund Center at St. home an autographed Shaquille eral of the parents already were issues, not to be told to go to plans to the Department of Educa- around the same time spun out Barnabas Medical Center. O’Neal basketball sneaker. scheduled to meet with him the tomorrow’s meeting.” tion. and her vehicle crashed into the Two years ago Short Hills res- Through the efforts of local following day. However, he main- Brodow said the Tuesday meet- Subject to funds being available barrier. The driver was not injured, idents Gail Cohen, Debra Gel- families and children, more than tained class sizes at the school has ing had been scheduled for the from the Schools Construction but her car required towing.

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