Family, Friends Mourn Pariso DMDA Budget OK'd 4-1 Cell Tower

IT 1205 Pg A1 Yellow Red Blue Black Volume 115 Number 49 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2002 60 Cents Family, DMDA friends budget mourn OK’d 4-1 Pariso By Anne L. Malyska of The Item With a 4-1 vote, members of By Harry Trumbore the Township Committee Tues- of The Item day night approved the Down- Flags at township municipal town Millburn Development Al- buildings flew at half-staff Tues- liance (DMDA) 2003 budget. day, and township police orga- Those who voted for the nized an honor guard to salute a budget at the Committee meeting lifelong resident whose first love did so while sharing some reser- was always Millburn. vations about the formats used to Dan Pariso died Sunday at age present previous spending plans, 57 after battling cancer for more and continued to cite difficulties than two years. He was laid to comparing expenses and rev- rest yesterday in St. Stephen’s enues from year to year. Cemetery. Perhaps the greater The DMDA first presented its tribute to Mr. Pariso was the en- $231,140 spending plan Oct. 15, thusiasm with which his many and the township scheduled a friends and colleagues recalled hearing for Nov. 12. When Com- his legacy of volunteerism and mittee members and a couple of contributions to this township. local merchants voiced concerns “He was ‘Mr. Millburn,’” said at the hearing, the governing township police Capt. Greg Staff photo/Jim Connelly body voted to continue the hear- Weber. “It was his life, this town. ing to Tuesday night. SWARMED UNDER—Millburn’s Joe Schulz (57), Teddy action. At right is Miller cornerback Dan Palumbo (4). See His roots were here.” In casting her “yes” vote, Sullivan (34) and Craig Parcells (86) bring Madison run- Page 17 for game story, more photos from the Millers 14- Added police Sgt. Pete Eakley, Committeewoman Elaine Becker ning back A.J. Rooney to the ground in Thanksgiving Day 12 triumph. “Dan was one of a rare breed. He urged colleagues to examine the was born in Millburn, raised in DMDA’s future, referencing a Millburn and he died in Mill- study the Citizen’s Budget Advi- burn. He honestly cared about sory Committee is conducting this town above all else.” Fireman hospitalized into the function and purpose of Mr. Pariso grew up here, area special improvement dis- played football with Paul tricts, including the one here. Boegershausen, who was later after saving woman Noting appreciation for the orga- hired by Mr. Pariso’s father, a nization’s efforts to promote the captain on the Millburn police Capt. Hornecker, a 23-year downtown, though, she was one By Harry Trumbore veteran of the fire department, force, and graduated from Mill- of The Item of the four members to give an burn High school in 1963. lives in a nearby apartment OK. According to Mr. Pariso’s Tragedy was averted Friday building in the same complex. “I think the Township Com- wife, Ellen, he attended Mon- morning when an off-duty fire- He had just turned on his scan- mittee should take some definite mouth College for two years fighter rushed into a burning ner when he heard a call go out steps on the future of the before joining the National apartment building and rescued a for a Main Street address, he said DMDA… and have a meeting of Guard and later the United States 92-year-old woman. this week. He threw on his Continued on Page 31 Army. He served with the Guard Millburn Fire Department clothes, and when he ran outside, and the Army from 1965 to 1971. Capt. Bruce Hornecker suffered saw the fire and smoke. He was sent to Vietnam during from smoke inhalation and was “It was some commotion,” he the height of the conflict, an ex- hospitalized overnight after fire recalled. Cell tower perience that left him with a life- officials credited him with saving As residents milled about, one woman told Capt. Hornecker her long respect for all veterans. the woman’s life and returning to sister was still in an upstairs hearings “He was very supportive of the the burning building to check for Staff photos/Jim Connelly Vietnam vets and all the vets in apartment located right above other victims. HERO FIREMAN—Suffering from smoke inhalation, Millburn town,” Ms. Pariso said. On the burning room. Without any The woman, Lee Geller, was Firefighter Bruce Hornecker takes oxygen and points out to begin Memorial Day, he would make safety equipment, the firefighter treated at the scene by the Mill- his wife, volunteer firefighter Elizabeth Gramer, the apartment sure the graves of all veterans ran into the building and up the burn-Short Hills Volunteer First where he rescued a Lakeside Village tenant Friday morning. had flags and flowers, even stairs. By Harry Trumbore Aid Squad and found to be in Below, Lakeside Drive resident Lilli Bijelovic was one of many graves forgotten by everyone but “Halfway up the stairs, it was of The Item satisfactory condition. She did tenants forced to flee their apartments when fire engulfed a him, she further stated. pitch black,” Capt. Hornecker not require further medical atten- ground floor apartment, sending heavy smoke throughout the A site plan application to erect “A lot of them he had in his said. “I started crawling though tion. the apartment, hollering for her.” building. a cell phone tower near the town- head,” recalled Rick Dority, a The fire broke out in a recent- ship’s border was the subject of fellow member of American He found Ms. Geller, who re- ly vacated first floor apartment in portedly said she could not walk to get out,” said Lilli Bijelovic, a hearings at Maplewood Town Legion Post 140, referring to the the Lakeside Village apartment resident who had fled her smoky Hall Monday night. veterans buried in township out. Capt. Hornecker picked her complex off Main Street at ap- up and carried her through the second floor apartment, “and Verizon Wireless has applied cemeteries. “I don’t know what proximately 8:55 a.m. Although Bruce said, ‘I’m a fireman.’” to build a 118-foot tower on the we’re going to do without him.” smoke down the stairs. the blaze did not spread beyond Capt. Hornecker said he grounds of the Maplewood If there was an event or a Concerned other tenants were the apartment, heavy smoke soon forced his way into the burning Country Club golf course in the parade, Mr. Pariso was usually trapped in the burning apartment filled the hallways and living apartment, but the smoke was vicinity of the ninth hole and the on the scene. Fred McMane downstairs, Capt. Hornecker spaces of the building, particu- too heavy, and he retreated, just 10th tee, according to Richard worked with Mr. Pariso on the turned to re-enter the building, larly on the second floor. Resi- but township police officer as Millburn firefighters under the Schneider, the attorney repre- Fourth of July Committee. command of Battalion Chief senting the company before the “He got things done,” said Mr. dents fled the building and David Bonney, who apparently smoke poured from upper story didn’t recognize him, attempted Richard Pressl arrived on the Maplewood Zoning Board of McMane, “just the kind of guy scene. They extinguished the Adjustment. The tower could you wanted on the committee.” windows as police arrived on the to restrain him. scene. “The policeman yelled for him Continued on Page 31 affect township residents living Ms. Pariso said it took a long in the area of Milton and Cypress time for the right occupation to streets and Rosedale Avenue. come along that matched Mr. Dry future possible for South Mountain area On Monday night, the board Pariso’s depth of enthusiasm and heard testimony from Verizon’s capacity for involvement. He favorably,” said Deputy Mayor president of Elizabethtown. could alleviate some of the prob- first expert witness, who outlined worked for 13 years as a lineman By Anne L. Malyska Salvatore J. Bate, who has been “Historically, these wells were lems in her area. why the company seeks the build of The Item Continued on Page 31 active in the township’s efforts to a good source of drinking water,” “We have a very heavy rain, the tower in that location. For more than a decade, South get the wells working again. “If Mr. Bate said. “Then in the and the water sits on people’s Richard Conroy, a radio frequen- Mountain area residents have they comply with the order… 1980s to 1990s, the DEP raised property sometimes,” she said. cy consultant, said the planned battled wet basements and soggy within two to three years there the drinking water standards and “The ground already was saturat- tower is virtually in the center of yards after heavy rains, but relief should be pumping of wells that said the water from Springfield ed with water…I just know that “a significant gap” in cell phone may be in sight. contain these waters, which wells did not meet the stan- (pumping) would help with the coverage. Eight wells located in the means we don’t have a ground- dards.” groundwater problem in the He testified that 68,000 cell township, which were systemati- water problem anymore.” The last well in the Springfield South Mountain area, so that we phone calls are placed daily in cally closed in the 1980s because The wells are located near the well field, which includes Mill- don’t have pooling on peoples’ the affected area, but as callers of groundwater contamination, West Branch of the Rahway burn, Springfield and Union, was lawn when it rains.

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