Council Approves Troop Parade, Discusses Intoxication-Law Repeal by MICHAEL J
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Ad Populos, Non Aditus, Pervenimus Published Every Thursday Since September 3, 1890 (908) 232-4407 USPS 680020 Thursday, September 24, 2009 OUR 119th YEAR – ISSUE NO. 39-2009 Periodical – Postage Paid at Rahway, N.J. www.goleader.com [email protected] SIXTY CENTS Council Approves Troop Parade, Discusses Intoxication-Law Repeal By MICHAEL J. POLLACK at the Armory before any possible people in the Armory to welcome 70 Specially Written for The Westfield Leader future deployments. The parade soldiers. Not all soldiers come from WESTFIELD – The Westfield would take place at noon, rain or the area, and some have moved over Town Council unanimously approved shine. to West Point. a Saturday, November 14, parade to Town Administrator Jim Gildea, “The community needs a vehicle to formally welcome National Guard who met with Ms. LaCorte, outlined say ‘thank you,’ but our soldiers also soldiers home. the proposed parade route, which need to say ‘thank you’ to the faces of Nancy LaCorte from the Family would begin at the Memorial Pool people that stood behind them and Readiness Group came to the confer- parking lot, travel down Marion Av- were taking care of their family while ence meeting to request the parade enue, hang a left on First Street, walk they were gone,” Ms. LaCorte said. for National Guard troops, who re- up to Rahway Avenue and make a The Franklin Township mother of turned from overseas earlier this year. right turn headed for the Armory. two soldiers serving in the 102nd She said 2,800 soldiers left from Another route would have taken the cavalry as a community said she is the Westfield Armory in June 2008, troops up to Kehler Stadium, but there “blessed to have Westfield as a com- and all came back in June 2009. Since is a football game being played that munity we’re connected with.” that time, they have returned to their day, marking a possible conflict. Over the past months, she said homes and have been in reintegration Ms. LaCorte said thankfully, either $100,000 in donations has been pro- training. The November 14 weekend, route is under a mile, and the troops vided, and the facility is “starting to she said, marks the first time the are “really tired of marching.” look like an Armory.” Rooms were troops go back to “business as usual” Ms. LaCorte imagines about 750 painted, leaking pipes were fixed, carpets were replaced, the weight room was cleaned up, and an Ameri- can flag mural was painted in the dining room. Horace Corbin for The Westfield Leader Second Ward Councilwoman Vicki HOW LIVES ARE SAVED...Youngsters tour an ambulance of the Westfield Volunteer Rescue Squad on display at the Kimmins said she would “love to get Westfield FestiFall on Sunday. Susan Lagano of the rescue squad provided the tours. the schools involved” with making posters and promoting the event. She also said middle school bands could march with the soldiers since the RVSA Expansion Complete; Westfield High School marching band would be playing at the foot- ball game. The council approved the parade Three Significant Lawsuits Continue unanimously. By WAYNE BAKER sewage flow. The RVSA calculates The RVSA and its member munici- Fearing the town could open itself Specially Written for The Westfield Leader charges based on a five-year rolling palities, along with many other gov- up to possible a lawsuit, Code Re- RAHWAY — At last Thursday’s average, a format chosen to minimize ernmental and quasi-governmental view and Town Property Committee meeting of the Rahway Valley Sewer- year-to-year fluctuations in member bodies, were named as third-party Chairman Jim Foerst said Westfield age Authority (RVSA), the board said municipalities’ charges. defendants by the original defendants. will repeal a municipal law that pro- that the major contract in the expan- The third suit is referred to as the The RVSA has hired an insurance hibits public intoxication. This is a sion of RVSA’s wastewater treatment “Passaic River Litigation,” or, more archivist to attempt to learn what cov- Horace Corbin for The Westfield Leader separate offense from consuming al- facility is now considered complete. formally, as New Jersey Department erage it may have from policies in FLY AWAY...Dancers are among the many acts that entertain the large crowd cohol in public, which is still en- Additionally, three lawsuits continue of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) force during that period. during beautiful weather at the annual FestiFall in downtown Westfield on forceable. and draw on the authority’s resources. versus Occidental Chemical Corpo- The RVSA is preparing its annual Sunday. A Moorestown man, Joseph Michael Brinker, RVSA’s execu- ration, et al. This case is an outgrowth report on inflow and infiltration (I&I) McMullen, was arrested for public tive director, told the board that E.E. of a suit brought by NJDEP against reduction, which is due to DEP by intoxication last year while walking Cruz Construction of Holmdel, no Occidental Chemical and a group of Thursday, October 1. At meeting time, Garwood Shuffles Zoning home from a bar in Maple Shade. His longer had a presence on the site. other chemical companies who the Jim Wancho of Paulus, Sokolowski attorney filed a class-action lawsuit, Cruz was the prime contractor for DEP claims polluted significant por- and Sartor, RVSA’s engineering con- which argued that municipal laws what was designated as the Compre- tions of Newark Bay, its watersheds sulting firm, reported that only four Officials, Debates COAH prohibiting public intoxication con- hensive Strategic Plan Plant Expan- and neighboring bodies of water. The member towns, Woodbridge, By LAUREN S. BARR The council will entertain a mo- tradicted a state ruling in 1975 that sion. This expansion was the largest suit relates to pollution released over Garwood, Clark and Springfield, had Specially Written for The Westfield Leader tion at its Tuesday, October 13 meet- decriminalized the offense and nulli- share of construction work being per- the period 1940 through 1971 from a submitted their information, which GARWOOD — At Tuesday night’s ing to hire Jason Kasler to prepare fied towns’ public-intoxication laws. formed at RVSA’s plant. It repre- property located in Newark. had been asked for by that week. Garwood Borough Council meeting, the borough’s application to fulfill The lawsuit filed on behalf of Mr. sented about $138.4 million of total the council accepted the resignation of the borough’s COAH obligation. Mr. McMullen seeks monetary compen- work of about $180 million, he said. Zoning Officer Ed Dec, discussed tran- Kasler recently completed the sation for those who had to pay legal Three significant lawsuits exist. The MS Parents Discuss Water sit village meetings, noise issues and borough’s master plan and has pro- fees and other costs associated after first involves a suit between the parties Council on Affordable Housing posed to complete the COAH appli- being wrongly prosecuted for public for the design and testing of the cogen- (COAH) studies. cation for a $2,000 fee. Mayor intoxication in the 74 municipalities eration facility. As previously reported, Fountains and Busing With the resignation of Mr. Dec, the McCarthy stressed the borough’s that continue to enforce public-in- a series of explosions in the exhaust By MAGGIE DIGGORY for about five minutes. council appointed Victor Vinegra as the need to put its COAH plan in place. toxication laws. systems of the engines damaged equip- Specially Written for The Westfield Leader “I am the parent of a UCVTS stu- Zoning Code Officer and Police Chief Without an application on file with “It’s the committee’s recommenda- ment and delayed the project. Caterpil- MOUNTAINSIDE – More than a dent. I have deep concerns regarding William Legg as zoning code enforce- COAH, the borough is open to “build- tion that while we are not endorsing lar, the engines’ manufacturer, and dozen Mountainside parents and stu- statements made at the last board meet- ment officer. ers remedy” lawsuits, which could public intoxication, we don’t want to Foley, their local dealer, are currently dents attended the Board of Educa- ing and the actions that followed. I Councilwoman Kathleen Villaggio force unwanted development. open ourselves up to a potential law- talking with the authority and the engi- tion (BOE) meeting Tuesday evening received my notification from the First announced that she and Mayor Dennis Councilman Anthony Sytko ques- suit,” Mr. Foerst said during the meeting. neering firms involved in the facility’s where busing and the covering water Student Bus Company in plenty of time McCarthy met with representatives from tioned whether the borough should wait Mr. Foerst said, after speaking with design about how to constrain the ex- fountains to control the spread of to plan my entire school year on using NJ Transit and the County of Union to to put a COAH plan in place, as the Police Chief John Parizeau, that he haust systems, officials said. Exhaust H1N1 virus were discussed. the Beechwood bus stop.” discuss plans for a transit village on regulations may change, depending on believed that “in recent history, this from this type of engine typically runs In response to multiple suggestions “Sometime over the weekend of Sep- South Avenue. the outcome of the gubernatorial elec- provision of our ordinance has not vertically, but at RVSA, the exhaust is by parents to cover water fountains to tember 12 and 13,” Ms. Murdoch con- Ms. Villaggio said while nothing has tion. Mayor McCarthy stated that while been enforced. We’ve complied with set in a “U-shape” with two horizontal minimize the spread of H1N1 virus, tinued, “there were a rash of e-mails been finalized, the entities are discuss- CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 segments.