SERVING CR AN FORD, GAR WOOD and KENILWORTH A Forbes Newspaper Vol.. 97 No. 52 Published Eveiy Thursday USPS 136 800 Second Class _ "__< Thursday, December 27,1990 Postage Paid Cranford, N.J. 50 CENTS Town property reassessment due; lower values will not lower taxes r By Cheryl Moulton sessed value as a means to put a. would approve the project, but First the good news—the town- p*rico on their home. State law formal approval must be sought ship will be reassessed. Now the does not permit assessed values to Duryee asked for and received bad news—it will not help lower exceed true values and therefore Township Committee approval for property taxes. the latter must be-"reduced sub- $10,000 to defray cost of the reas- According to township tax asses- stantially for 1991." sessment •.'•'.' sor John Duryee, the last six Although the reassessment will When asked if the project could months of 1989 through 1990 the reflect lower home values, prop-1 be avoided, Duryee said the town- approximate average ratio of as- crty taxes will not lower due to an ship and county would be inun- sessed values to sales prices of off-setting increase in the tax rate dated with reassessment requests, Cranford homes declined, and the to compensate for the reduced tax vyhich would necessitate "paying bottom has not been reached yet base. Reassessment will not re- it back later in tax appeals any- way." ••.-. :. • ' •' When pressed for an answer ;to quire the inspection of each prop- when the market could bottom erty or involve the inspection of Although real estate agents con- out, Duryee said, "1992." The each property, but rather the ap- tinue to say the sale of properties basis for Duryee's concern was plication'"of a" mathematical factor* is on the upswing, the basis for brought about by the continuing to each assessed value within the this information has not been sub- pattern of real estate agents quot-. 81 neighborhoods in the township stantiated. Market values continue ing an approximate value of a using recent sales figures. to nose dive, with . more homes home lower than the assessed The Union-County Board, of Tax- going on the market, and few sell- value, and residents using the as- ation has vet bally indicated" it ing. " •:• • ; .•',' Joan Collins to receive King Joan Collins, founder of Parents counselor for Catholic Community Services since 1986. Her work Anonymous in Union County, will there involves protective services receive the 11th annual Martin for. multi-problem families .re- Luther King Jr. I Award for distin- . ferred by the Division of Youth guished service in the advance- and Family Services. She was_ a ment of civil human rights. The social worker; for DYFS for 10. honor is bestowed each year by years. Prior to that she worked as the Cranford Clergy Council. a lay therapist for youth and fam- A formal presentation will be ily counseling services. made during a community service Collins is a member of the commemorating the birthday of Cranford. Clergy. Council's inter- the slain civil rights leader at 8 faith committee on human rela- p:m. Jan. 10 at Temple -Beth-El. tions. She helped to organize the Former U. S. Congresswoman first interfaith youth conference Shirley Chisholm Will be guest in Cranford held in February 1960 speaker. and attended by former ambassa- Preceding the ceremony a Unity dor Andrew Young who was a Dinner will take place at G at minister in Long Island at the Cranford United Methodist time. •'.... Church and a candlelight peace The Roger Avenue resident has march to the temple will begin at been a member of the Union 7:30 p.m. Dinner tickets at $25 are County Child Protection Council available from council members. x since 1976 and has served as its ""AS "ft>tiridei'Htjf 'Parents Anbny- chairman since 1987. trtbuS, fl self-help group for abi^ Joan Collins From 1967 to '73 Collins served Photo by lisa Landau sive parents, Cojlins has offered on the board of directors of the INTERPRETATION: Toby Marx interprets the words of teacher Debbie Weintraub during a recent counseling to troubled and abu- abuse drugs or alcohol. She also Cranford Welfare Association parent-teacher conference at Joseph Kushner Hebrew Youth Academy, West Caldweii. sive families and families who has led parenting groups for day (now Cranford Family, Care) and car^e. centers, churches and other was vice chairman of the board in community organizations in an ef- 1972-73. fort to prevent child abuse. Collins She has served as president of reter follows in tier father's also serves as vice president of Cranford's Church Women United In brief the N.J. Parents Anonymous and as director of CWU in Union board of directors. County. ' In . addition to Parents Anony- (Please turn to page A-5) Holiday closings s in signing for the deaf mous, Collins has been family Municipal offices will be By Donna Hendel closed Monday and • Tuesday Marx noted that because it takes so long it is usu- for New Year's. Included are Chronicle associate ally only used for names or places or a word one has the library, recreation pro- "People always ask me how ever in the world I never seen a sign for. In the past, the Rochester School budget workshops grams and senior citizen bus, first became interested in sighing for the deaf," said School for the Deaf used finger spelling exclusively. and government offices. Nor- Toby Marx of .6 Makatom Dr. "1 wonder if I did The children had to finger spell all day long. "It has mal service will be provided something else if they would ask the same question not been the most successful method and the Roch- for '91-92 to begin Jan. 7 Monday by Post Offices, banks, with such eagerness?" ester School for the Deaf doesn't use it any more," garbage collectors and Motor Cranford Board of Education will appear at the opening Marx thinks perhaps people ask her because she said Marx. An interesting fact, according to Marx is will begin its annual series of workshop Jan. 7 and the cen- Vehicle Services. Schools will has no apparent connection to the deaf world. ' that when deaf people are talking among themselves, reopen Wednesday. budget workshops Jan. 7 with tral office staff will review its "When we were little, my father taught my sister they use American Sign Language (ASL), which is several meetings scheduled proposals Jan. 10. Cranford and brother and me finger spelling," Marx said. "My not English and not in English word order. The signs into February. High School and athletic bud- Early deadline father had learned it when he was putting himself do not directly translate into English. "That language Deliberations on the 1991-92 gets will be reviewed Jan. 22 through college and he had worked at a school for has developed over the years since It was brought to The Chronicle office will be budget will be different from and the board will spend part the deaf." Finger spelling, she explained, is spelling this country from France years ago. When you see the last several years. Instead of its Jan. 14 and 28 meetings open all day Saturday but out words letter by letter. In the United States, there deaf people talking among themselves and not closed Monday and Tuesday of preliminary reductions being on the budget Two other work- is a one-hand finger spelling alphabet and in Eng- mouthing they are probably talking American Sign made by central office adminis- shops are set for Feb. 4 and 7 for the holiday. The deadline land it's done with two hands. Marx said, "My sib- Language. fbr press releases, classified trators before the budget is with a final vote anticipated at lings and I used it as a secret code. I was also very "The school systems for the deaf have tried to presented to the school board, the Feb. 11 meeting. The advertising and retail display interested in the life of Helen Keller and I must encourage children to learn English by taking those advertising is 4 p.m. tomorrow. the entire package of spending school board will invite the have read four or five books about her life." signs out of American Sign Language and putting requests will go to the board. Township Committee to its According to Marx, finger spelling is only part of them in English word order and adding word end- Each school principal will ap- budget meetings. Seeks expansion sign language. "In the United States, there is a con- ings and other punctuation," said Marx. She ex- pear before the board to ex- State aid figures are ex- tinuum in the types of sign language used by differ- plained that when educated deaf people sign, or plain his or her requests and pected to be released Feb. 1. Centennial House will go be- ent people. Finger spelling is basically English be- when deaf people sign to hearing people, they are the board will decide where to The annual school board and fore the Planning Board Wed- cause you spell the words in English and you put really sighing "pidgin" language, which is usually make the initial cuts. budget election has been de- nesday at 8 p.m. with an appli- them in English word order. But to finger spell ev- called Siened English. A _4 Elementary school principals layed until April 23. cation to expand its present erything takes a tremendous amount of time." (Please turn to page A-5) tavern facilities.