Redevelopment Plan for Town Advances
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The It’s party time. Serving our Community Since 1888 Rotary Club, Red Cross hold Item fund-raisers. See photos, Page March 9, 2006 A13. 75 cents weekly of Millburn and Short Hills www.theitemonline.com BOE Race now down to 7 candidates for 3 seats By Harry Trumbore the school district must continue to improve curricu- of The Item lum delivery to make its students competitive in today’s world. (Editor’s note—Due to a production problem, “Being educated in the Millburn school system a large portion of the following story was delet- used to be special,” he said. “If we want our students ed when it appeared in last week’s edition of to be considered the best and the brightest, we should The Item. It is reprinted below, revised and do more than argue about bond referendums; we updated to reflect events that have occurred over the past week.) SEE RACE, PAGE B9 As the filing deadline passed the afternoon of Feb. 27, a total of 11 residents had declared their candida- cies for three open seats on the Board of Education. That number dropped to 10 the following day after one of the candidates dropped out. By this week, however, three more people had pulled out of the race. ADAM ANIK/ THE ITEM The list of initial candidates included Michael Birn- Michael Gorman, chairman of the township’s Planning Board, sees the Millburn train station berg, Noreen Brunini, B.D. Drayton Jr., David Dwyer, as an asset in planning for the redevelopment of the downtown. As a first step in a major Robert Etherington, Ralph J. Inglese, Janet Brief Lan- project, a subcommittee of the board will evaluate nearly 200 properties in the downtown, dau, Samuel D. Levy, Elizabeth A. O’Brien, Sara Tal- including the train station, to determine which ones should be included in the redevelopment is O’Brien and Dr. Mark Jay Zucker. area. Birnberg, Brunini, Etherington and Sara Talis O’Brien have since announced they are not running. Of the remaining candidates, Dwyer, Inglese and MUNICIPAL Elizabeth O’Brien filed their petitions two weeks ago. The three, officers of the grassroots group WeLoveMillburn, reportedly have taken temporary leave of the organization and are running as a slate using the campaign name of Millburn CORE (Can- Redevelopment plan didates of Reform Education). According to Dwyer, the three candidates will be releasing their platform next week. Dwyer, an Oxford Drive resident and one of the founders of WeLoveMillburn, is also a member of the for town advances Mayor’s Tax Task Force. He and his wife, Helen, have lived in the township for 12 years and have four chil- dren. Dwyer, a financial analyst who recently took a By Patricia Harris groups or planning groups. he has been exposed to concepts position with a one-year-old financial concern, pre- ofTheItem “We’re going to meet and such as smart growth, he said. A viously was director of equity research at JP Morgan. exceed the criteria for public planning philosophy that seeks to Forest Drive resident O’Brien is a local real estate As township officials move for- involvement,” he promised. restore vitality to center cities and attorney. She and her husband, Paul Fried, have lived ward with plans for redeveloping Michael Gorman, chairman of older suburbs, smart growth is in the township for 15 years and have three children the downtown, they are promising the Planning Board, noted a pub- transit and pedestrian-oriented in the public school system: one in an elementary an open process. lic hearing is required on the des- and encourages a mix of housing, school, one in middle school and one in the high The township took its first con- ignation of the area for redevelop- commercial and retail uses. school. crete step toward creating a plan ment and said he plans to hold Gorman said he sees “tremen- Inglese and his wife, Laurie, of Highland Avenue last week when the Township more than one such hearing. dous opportunities” for redevel- have been township residents for 15 years and also Committee authorized and direct- Baer and Gorman explained opment in the township’s down- have three children in the elementary, middle and ed the Planning Board to investi- they have been working out town and, in particular, cites the high schools. Inglese is a managing director for IXIS gate nearly 200 properties in the details of the development Millburn train station as a poten- Capital Markets in New York City. downtown and recommend the process, including the selection of tial site for such smart growth. Landau and her husband, Mark, live on Robert area that should be designated for a professional planner who will In related news, Baer Drive and have three children, two in the high school redevelopment. The action is in guide the Planning Board in its announced the Township Com- and one in elementary school. She has experience as keeping with state law. deliberations. In addition, Gor- mittee and the Board of Educa- a banker, retail buyer and teacher. Mayor Daniel Baer said this man said he is canvassing mem- tion will work together to seek pri- “I am not looking to reform our successful, award- week a large part of the planning bers of the Planning Board this vate investors who can generate winning school system, but rather to improve upon process involves soliciting input week to form a subcommittee to new ratables in the form of com- the way decision-making and communication Candidates in this year’s race for three open from members of the public. He work on the project. mercial usage and who might also occurs,” Landau said this week. “As a board member, seats on the Board of Education include, said he foresees holding a number The Planning Board chairman invest in school facilities. He said I will insist that we incorporate more competitive clockwise from top left, David Dwyer, Ralph of sessions with constituents—or as has been preparing for the rede- the mayor’s ad hoc task force to analysis into all aspects of the budgeting and capital Inglese, Janet Landau, Samuel Levy, Elizabeth he calls them, stakeholders— velopment process by attending spending process.” O’Brien and Dr. Mark Zucker. Not pictured is which may take the form of focus redevelopment seminars, where SEE REDEVELOPMENT, PAGE B9 Levy, a partner at a Wall Street law firm, maintains B.D. Drayton Jr. TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE SCHOOLS Venerable sites BOE presenting $72.1 million gain protection budget to county for approval changes to one of the 70 buildings By Harry Trumbore the state still await the Gov. Jon of Schools for review. $3.7 million that appears in the Ordinance would have to appear before the of The Item Corzine’s budget message and Property taxes will generate 2006-07 budget will not be part of Historic Preservation Commis- word from the Department of Edu- approximately 91 percent of the the tax levy on the ballot because it seeks to cover sion. Property owners in the The Board of Education Mon- cation on state aid, Millburn proposed budget. The amount of has already been approved by vot- township’s two historic districts— day night approved a provisional school officials—who are not money in the general tax levy resi- ers in prior referendums. The bal- Wyoming and Old Short Hills budget of $72.1 million for the expecting substantial state assis- dents will be asked to approve in ance of the budget is made up from 70 historic Park—already must come before 2006-07 school year. tance—will now send the budget to the April 18 election is $62 million. the commission. Although school districts across the Essex County Superintendent Debt service of approximately SEE BOE, PAGE B9 buildings The list of properties for pro- tection includes a number of By Patricia Harris houses that date from the early ofTheItem 1700s and other houses, churches and carriage houses that date The Township Committee is from the 1800s. taking action to protect nearly 70 “This ordinance will buy us historic buildings in Millburn- some time if a house goes on the Short Hills that lie outside its two market (for sale),” Committee- historic districts, from demolition woman Sandra H. Haimoff said or additions or alterations not in following the session. “We’re keeping with their character. mindful of an individual’s right to The Committee introduced an buy a home and seek to make ordinance at its Tuesday session changes, but we want to ensure amending the provisions of the we preserve our historic struc- development regulations ordi- tures.” nance pertaining to historic The Committee’s action was preservation. The ordinance precipitated by the demolition extends the protections of the this past summer of a farmhouse ordinance to historically signifi- at 4 Farley Road dating from 1750. cant buildings listed in the historic Despite last-minute pleas from preservation section of the town- members of the Township Com- ship’s master plan. mittee and business administrator Under the new ordinance, Timothy P. Gordon, the new which could be passed as early as owner obtained the necessary ADAM ANIK/THE ITEM the next Committee meeting on building permits and tore down Residents Dr. Mark Zucker and Lisa Tannenbaum, above left, listen to Robert Zeglarski, the Millburn school district’s assistant March 21, any property owner superintendent for business, above right, as he presents the proposed school budget for the 2006-07 school year at Monday who wishes to tear down or make SEE VENERABLE, PAGE B9 night’s Board of Education meeting.