Westfield High girls track squad takes county championship. Please see Sports, page C-1 WESTFIELD SCOTCH PLAINS FANWOOD Friday, January 28, 2000 50 cents Working in a winter wonderland Town talk will listen to Westfield youths Intrepid public works crews help region WESTFIELD survive first major snowstorm of 2000 "Listening to Our Youlh" is the theme of a town meeting BY TERRENCE DOPP blanketing the town. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at TMK l'HKSS Kelly said Tuesday's storm, Westfield High School. coming right on the heals of the This program will The first snowstorm of the Jan. 20 snowstorm, has not put include the official release of year '2000 brought I ho area to u too much of a strain on the town's a survey of nearly 650 standstill almost, resources, although he said pupils in the Westfield Many people and most stu- another snow event in the nol- school system. Students sur- dents took the day off as the snow tno distant future would nut bo veyed were juniors at began piling up Tuesday morn very good for the town. "With the Westfield High School and ing, hut other intrepid souls lctt two storms, we're not over- home early to trek through thi> stressed," he s:ud. "If we gt»t into eighth grade pupils in the 1 town's intermediate schools. snow at a snail's pact . Koad a third one, we'll star! In wear a The survey was devel- news throughout the area did little thin." oped by a steering commit- their best to keep people safe us In Scotch Plains, where the tee which "sought to find the precipitation chunked from snow forced municipal offices to ways in which the school snow to hail to freo/.ing rain and shut down at 'A.'M) p.m.. system and the community hack to snow, and continued into Superintendent of Public Works could support and protect the night. Walter l>iNi/.o said the township the children of Westfield," In tht* end. it was I lie hard got off easy at least, compared Superintende'ht of Schools work of municipal employees in to areas like North Carolina, William J. Foley said in a/ Went field, Scotch Plains and wbi'it* upwards of IK inches of press release. Knmvood that kept local roads snow tinned entire commiuiitieH. A related discussion will passable throughout the storm. DiNt/.o estimated seven to eight come from a panel of school Westfield, whore tIn* town inches of snow covered township administrations, youth government was closed complete roads and parking lots during counselors, clergy, students ly, used Ifil) tuns of salt, .'12 plows Tuesday's storm, with snow and parents. The discussion anil eight front end loaders, sometimes falling at a rate of will be open to the public. working around the clock, to keep nearly two inches per hour. For more information, roads open and live of ice, accord- DiNi/.o stressed that hissnow- call! 908) 789-446,1. ing to I'ublii- Works aerumulntmn estimates were by Superintendent Dan Kelly. no means official. "We don't have "We're in pretty good shape any scientific method just put. Non-profits groups right now." Kelly said a finger in the snow," he said. can get to 'the source' Wednesday. "As las! us it fame About 20 trucks and other down, we went out and plowed pieces of township equipment, its KENILWORTH - If lim- it." well as private contractors, hit ited resources challenge The WOHIfield superintendent (he streets in Scotch I'lains at -1 your nonprofit organization, said the most intense part of (be a.m. Tuesday and kept at. it if a lack of money or sup- storm was between fi a.m. and through Wednesday afli'rnoon, plies hinders the implemen- 7:!!0 ii.ni. Tuesday, although town working overtime to clour their tation of your projects, then crews, he added, were just as able nsrtigned roads of snow and keep a special panel discussion to deal with the largo amounts of them free of ice, according to coming to the Schering- snow that fell earlier in the day Umi'/.o. "Kvorything got. plowed Plough Corp. might be just us the few sporadic bursts that twioi\" lie- said. "We tl;u-<l every the ticket for you. came later. Ihian we have." "Getting to the Source" is Not that Mother Nature didn't 'J'lit' Public Works siiperinlon the theme of the discussion, have a liand in helping 'be deal said there was one problem which aims U) educate non- Wostfield crews save the day, parked cars on some streets profit agencies about differ- Kelly noted. "What saved us was required, by law, to be clear of ent types of funding — as in the middle of the day, when it parked vehicles when Ihesnow in explained by officials of the GEORGE PACCIELLO/RECORDPRESS wont to rain," he said, noting bow falling He said plowing trucks funding organizations them- Area kids may have en|oyed a day off from school, and some local adults may have been blessed with a day the switch prevented even have to go around parked cars, selves. The program will be off from work, but for some — like Nelson Martence, 21 —Tuesday's snowstorm meant hard labor. Martence greater snow accumulations from 6:30 p.m.-9:.'10 p.m. Feb. 10 kept busy by keeping part of the sidewalk clear along Main Street In Scotch Plains. (Continued on page A H) in the Schering-Plough Corp. plant at 2000 Gnlloping Hill Kond, Kenilworth. Among those schedule t« Survey: Westfield students feeling A-OK appear are John Griffith, director of public affairs. Westl'ield is not the only dis- Public Service Electric & Enthusiastic superintendent calls for community 'dialogue' trict to conduct such a study. Gas Corp.; Robert Perry, TUKKKCOHI) I'KKKS Similar surveys of students were programs officer, Geraldine WESTFIELD - Nine out of large, the kids feel good about Foley, enthusiastic about the combat alcohol UHO among stu- done in school systems through- R. Dodge Foundation; Joyce them«elvcH," Foley said. results, said the district should dents is at home. "Frankly, the out the slate, alt bough Weslfield Harley, senior vice presi- 10 Westfield Public School eighth- und llth-grade students One aspect of students* lives work to create; a positive out- mo.sl important aspect I would opted not to distribute the same dent. Community officials found encouraging was come from the. survey. "We'd like see as the parents," (he superin- surveys and tailored its survey Development Group, Fleet feel good about themselves, according to a recent survey. the stability most students to Hee how we can make those tendent Kiiid. specifically for district sttidcnLs. Bank; Jane B. RutkofT, exec- very good resultH even better," He added it was important for Foley said Home of the (|Ues- utive director, New Jersey The survey wan conducted in apparently enjoy. About H5 per- November to correct what muny cent of the students surveyed he said. "We want to help the parents to know where their t ions on the other surveys were Council for the Humanities; students who might be falling kids are going, make sure kids' loo intrusive and did not apply Joseph P. Starkey, manager students and parents saw as a reported living in town more lack of focus during the taping of than five years, and another 82 through the cracks." parties am supervised and pro- to Went field students lie said by of community affairs, vide a positive atmosphere for making the .survey specific to Schering-Plough; and Susan a television special about vio- percent reported living with Despite the overall trend lence in schools, filmed at both parents. toward success in town schools, children. WeHlfield, student needs would P. Coen, director, Division of be bolter nerved. Cultural and Heritnge Westfield High School last sum- Over 70 percent of the stu- there were some ureas that offi- Also troubling about the stu- Affairs. mer. The survey was optional dents Haw themselves as A or B cials believe could use Home dent response! wan that 90 per- A full report on the survey and distributed to roughly 600 students und almost all of the improvement. Students' report- cent of students reported experi- will he presented to district offi- A question-and-answer total students in the two grades children responding to the sur- ed good attitudes toward drugH encing depression at least once cials, students, parents and session will follow the pre- during a regular school day. vey have access to a computer and alcohol, as well as sexual per month. Kven more troubling other groups who have contact sentation. Ample time for Every student given a survey with an Internet connection. activity, at the eighth-grade was the 40 percent who said with children at a town-wide networking will be provided decided to respond, according to District officials said this was level, although the numbers they were depressed at. least meeting scheduled for February. before and after the pro- were less inspiring among 1 lib- three times per month. Foley Foley said lie would like to see gram. school officials, and an indepen- indicative of the achievement dent firm tabulated and sorted orientation of WeHtfield Btu- gruderH. About three-quarters of said it wits all of Westfield's students, parents, clergy and Fee is $10. Registration is the results for the district. dentH, although 63 percent of the eighth-graders reported they responsibility to help these HIU- school district officials speak out required by Feb. 4. Call dentH.