808 Pg A1 Yellow Red Blue Black

IT 0808 Pg A1 Yellow Red Blue Black Volume 115 Number 30 THURSDAY, AUGUST 8, 2002 60 Cents School probe ongoing, lawyer questions staff school officials this week re- tion at the beginning of July, terviewed during the investiga- diotape backing up their allega- “I’m here now,” Dr. Brodow By Harry Trumbore vealed the board has retained Mr. Zeglarski said. Officials in tion will be able to review their tions had been made. said, adding it was not unusual of The Item the attorney since the end of the prosecutor’s office would testimony and make additions The worker also charged that for a contract employee such as As the Essex County Prose- June. Officials confirmed she not release the date their inves- or corrections “before being other school maintenance work- Ms. Cooper to be hired, then cutor’s Office continues its in- sent a letter to district mainte- tigation began, but confirmed asked to certify its correctness.” ers had carried out repairs at a retroactively approved at a later vestigation into allegations of nance workers informing them they became aware of the alle- However, a worker in the school administrator’s private board meeting. wrongdoing in the school dis- of the in-house investigation. gations at the end of March. maintenance department who residence. School district offi- “Once it is completed, there spoke to The Item last week on cials had been made aware of will be a public statement,” he trict’s maintenance department, Robert Zeglarski, the dis- The Item has obtained a copy the condition his name would the grievances in March, but said. “We’re hoping we’ll be officials confirmed this week an trict’s business administrator, of the undated letter sent the not be disclosed, said he was had failed to act, according to able to have some information attorney hired by the Board of said the prosecutor’s office in- first week of July to mainte- not aware of any discriminatory the worker, prompting school to publicly release by the end of Education is taking depositions formed the district of the inves- nance workers, reportedly by remarks being made, and that employees to approach the August or early September.” from workers in the mainte- tigation by the Official Corrup- Ms. Cooper. charges of ethnic or religious prosecutor’s office. Maintenance workers and nance department as part of an tion and Economic Crimes Unit The letter states the board in- slurs would prove to be base- While acknowledging the on- custodians, represented by the independent investigation. via a fax received June 21. vestigation concerns “allega- less. going investigation, neither Mr. Communications Workers of Although the board formally Ms. Cooper was subsequently tions of ethnic and religious He said workers initially Zeglarski nor Richard Brodow, America AFL-CIO Local 1076, approved hiring Mary Jane hired at the behest of the slurs and personal use of dis- went to the prosecutor’s office who assumed the position of are currently in negotiations Cooper of the Somerville law board’s Finance Committee and trict assets by members of the in March to protest alleged ha- school superintendent July 1, with the board for a new con- firm of Stier, Anderson & was involved in “an organiza- Operations Department.” The rassment and favoritism in the would comment on the allega- tract. The previous contract ex- Malone at its July 16 meeting, tional phase” of the investiga- letter goes on to say workers in- department, and claimed an au- tions. pired June 30. Marsh building comes down DMDA audit clean, complaint reported Prior to her dismissal, long- By Eveline Speedie time DMDA employee Barbara of The Item Wolfe alleged wrongdoing on the A complaint against the part of Pat Holden, the executive Downtown Millburn Develop- director of the DMDA. Ms. ment Alliance (DMDA) was ap- Wolfe was terminated June 14 parently filed with the Essex from her position as events coor- County Prosecutor’s Office dinator and administrative assis- Tuesday, a week after a spot tant. audit of the DMDA’s books was Mr. Suskauer said the organi- conducted at its offices. zation “passed the audit with A source told The Item the flying colors.” Conducted by complaint, supposedly encom- Koppelman, Eglow, Francis and passing allegations of wrongdo- Wiener, the DMDA’s accoun- ing at the DMDA, was sent to tants, the audit “found nothing and has been received by the wrong,” he stressed. fraud division of the prosecutor’s According to Mr. Suskauer, he office. The office would not con- called for a spot audit to be con- firm receipt of such a complaint ducted “in response to Ms. before The Item went to press Wolfe’s accusations. We did it on yesterday. Once a complaint is our own to satisfy everybody and filed, the prosecutor’s office de- to answer the allegations,” he ex- cides upon the merits of the com- plained. plaint to determine if it is worthy In a spot audit, the accountants of investigation. review a company’s records Steven Suskauer, president of without prior notification. Now the DMDA, said Wednesday he that the spot audit has been com- “knew absolutely nothing” about pleted, Mayor Thomas C. Mc- the complaint. He reported a Dermott has requested a copy of if from Mr. Suskauer. Staff photos/Anne L. Malyska spot, or surprise, audit conducted last week at the DMDA has con- “We’re going to give it and last firmed what the organization’s year’s audit to Deloitte & officials have been proclaiming Touche, the township’s auditors, all along, that allegations of for review,” the mayor said. wrongdoing have not been sub- Mr. McDermott reported Tues- stantiated. Continued on Page 23 COMING DOWN—Bulldoz- ers have been on the site of the former Marsh jewelry store to demolish the build- Extra efforts alleviate ing, which has been vacant for most of the last two and Courtyard rat trouble a half years. Representa- tives for Pinnacle Millburn Gary Gifoli, manager of Char- Developers, LLC, which By Harry Trumbore lie Brown’s, feels the restaurant of The Item has owned the site since has borne too much of a respon- June 2000, say a new, two- The extra attention being paid sibility for the animals. story building will be con- to rid The Courtyard of unwant- “(The township) is not willing structed in its place. PNC ed animal guests appears to be to spend the money to get them Advisors and PNC Invest- paying off. out of the sewers,” Mr. Gifoli ments are slated to occupy Just a month ago, the visible said. the building early next year. presence of rats in the brick- Timothy Gordon, township paved area bordered by Charlie business administrator, sees it Brown’s Steakhouse, A.S.A.P. differently. Photo and The Courtyard build- “The problem isn’t created by ing prompted township officials the town sewers. Rats are attract- and property owners to reassess ed to food. There are food measures to control the pests. providers all around The Court- Township officials say Western yard,” Mr. Gordon said. Pest Services, the exterminator Mr. Gallitelli said he has not Demolition paves way for two-story structure contracted to rid the open space received a recommendation from of vermin, has upped the amount Western to expand the pest con- burn Developers, LLC, which has owned branch. of poison being deposited in trol program to the sewers. By Anne L. Malyska the property since June 2000, a two-story At the time Pinnacle came before the “The rats made themselves of The Item holes near shrubs and along building will go up in its place. The ap- township’s Planning Board in November, edges of the pavement, and ex- comfortable around the whole A landmark in the township is coming proximately 14,000-square-foot office Pinnacle representatives said the first floor amines and baits surface traps on circumference of the area,” Mr. down. space will house PNC Advisors on the first occupants would bring in 12 employees, a regular basis. Gallitelli said. “You can’t pin- The former Marsh jewelry story, which floor and PNC Investments on the second and that the new structure’s height would “They’re keeping up their pro- point Charlie Brown’s as the some say sat for more than 40 years at the floor. be around 27.7 feet, just shy of the 28 feet gram,” Peter Gallitelli, acting su- source (of the problem). That corner of Millburn Avenue and Essex He expects construction to continue permitted in the business district. perintendent of the township De- wouldn’t be fair.” Street, had a recent date with a bulldozer through this year, and the businesses to They also said the building would oper- partment of Public Works Ray Chmiel, Charlie Brown’s after the building remained relatively occupy the building early next year. ate Monday through Friday from approxi- (DPW), said of the exterminators director of design and construc- vacant for more than two years. The brokerage firm for PNC Bank, PNC mately 8 or 8:30 a.m. to 5 or 5:30 p.m. with this week. tion, says the restaurant is re- appointments on the weekends. Over the last few weeks, shoppers and Investments handles brokerage products Two weeks ago, an extermina- sponding to the problem. Pinnacle represents the seventh owner of residents approaching the intersection of and investments, and will have 18 people tor making the rounds of the traps The restaurant’s compactor, the site since the early 1900s. Essex Street and Millburn Avenue have on the second floor, said Rich Zuckerman, said rat holes, which are closed which replaced a dumpster According to town records, which date to most likely noticed the wire fencing and manager of the Millburn branch located up after poison is deposited system more than a year ago, is 1912, the site was first owned by inside, are not reopening, show- utilized by several other busi- barricades set up along the former Marsh near the Millburn Train Station.

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