Ad Populos, Non Aditus, Pervenimus Published Every Thursday Since September 3, 1890 (908) 232-4407 USPS 680020 Thursday, October 20, 2016 OUR 126th YEAR – ISSUE NO. 42-2016 Periodical – Postage Paid at Rahway, N.J. www.goleader.com [email protected] SEVENTY FIVE CENTS Cars to be Off the Road During Snow Events in Westfield By CHRISTINA M. HINKE Also, snow cleared from sidewalks Another amendment was the in- Specially Written for The Westfield Leader is not allowed to be thrown back onto crease in fees for demolition of single- WESTFIELD — The town council the streets, but rather pushed toward family or two-family homes. Where amended five ordinances on first read- the curb or lawn. In the downtown, $120 was the fee charged for demoli- ing Tuesday night. Touted as a “cul- the town will be responsible for re- tion, it will be increased to $1,500. ture change” by Councilman Sam moving high drifts of shoveled snow Fees for demolition of larger struc- Della Fera is the amendment to the by the sidewalk curb, Town Adminis- tures will go up from $200 to $2,000. code that calls for all streets in the trator Jim Gildea said. Residents looking to tear down a ga- town to be clear of vehicles in a snow The ordinance does specify a fee of rage will pay $120. event that sees snow depth at three up to $150 that could be administered Outdoor restaurant seating will be inches or deeper. This move was a to those who do not comply, Mr. allowed as early as March 1, a month result of the analysis performed of the Gildea said, at the discretion of the earlier than the current ordinance al- study done after the blizzard that oc- town. lows. And smoking in the outdoor curred in January, Acting Mayor Mr. Gildea said residents are en- café area will be prohibited, as part of JoAnn Neylan said. couraged to share driveways during the amended ordinance. “This year’s blizzard was the tip- the plowing, which occurs in a 24- “I’m happy we are able to respond ping point,” Mr. Della Fera said. hour period, or park on the front lawn. to residents’ concerns,” Mr. Della Fera “It is for the safety of the residents He also urged residents to sign up said of the amended ordinance. and people walking around down- for Nixle and Twitter alerts from the Another ordinance will amend the town,” Ms. Neylan said. town. code pertaining to stormwater drain- age. New construction will be re- quired to link the sump pumps, roof gutters and leaders to a storm sewer where feasible. Fred T. Rossi for The Westfield Leader In doing so, it “eliminates the street SIGN OF HALLOWEEN …Pumpkins were in abundance last weekend at Williams Nursery in Westfield as parents and kids puddling issues,” Mr. Della Fera said. stocked up two weeks before Halloween. The code pertaining to Certificate of Occupancy was amended to con- duct inspections when multi-family dwellings are sold. A multi-family Westfield Students Exceed State dwelling is defined in the amended code as a dwelling with three or more apartments. The code had previously stated that inspections would take Averages on PARCC Tests place upon sale of multi-family prop- erties when there were two or more By BRIAN TRUSDELL Eighty-five percent or more also “student portfolio” through an ap- apartments. The amended code will Specially Written for The Westfield Leader achieved the “approaching” or better peals process. be in line with building department WESTFIELD – Public school stu- level in grades 3 through 7 in math- He also displayed what he con- practices, Mr. Gildea said. dents exceeded the statewide average ematics. About 75 percent of eighth- ceded was a complex “matrix” of Christina M. Hinke for The Westfield Leader SEEKING SUPPORT...At the public comment portion of the Westfield Town The town had went out to bid for a in both mathematics and English in grade students made the cut. Nearly assessments that can be used to meet Council meeting on Tuesday night, George Stafford of the New Jersey Highlands recycling contract, and the bids came every grade and subject for approach- 90 percent of those who took the the state requirement. Commission asked the council to consider passing resolutions supporting the back high, Mr. Gildea said, most likely ing, meeting or exceeding expecta- algebra I and geometry tests achieved Similarly, about 98 percent of fourth Highlands Act that restricts development in order to protect the watershed. due to the downturn in the recycling tions on the PARCC (Partnership for the benchmark, but just under 70 per- graders and approximately 91 per- economy, he said. So the town coun- Assessment of Readiness for College cent who took the algebra II exam. cent of eighth graders tested “profi- cil decided to reject the bids and will and Careers) standardized test ad- Assistant Superintendent of Cur- cient” on the New Jersey Assessment Scotch Plains Mayor, Atty. re-bid the contract. ministered in the spring, the board of riculum, Instruction and Programs of Skills and Knowledge (NJASK) The Transportation Trust Fund dol- education was told Tuesday night. Paul Pineiro explained the numbers science test. That was notably better lars that were earmarked for paving About 85 percent or more met or did not reflect a complete representa- than the state average and just above Criticized Over Health Ins. Boulevard are back on the table after exceeded the “approaching expecta- tion in the district, only those who districts similar to Westfield, Mr. the state lifted the freeze of the trust tion” level – the middle of five levels took the PARCC test. Some students Pineiro said. fund. Westfield is to receive $195,000 – in English except for 11th grade, opted not to take the PARCC exam or In a related matter, Superintendent By FRED T. ROSSI At the council’s meeting on Tues- towards paving the roadway that will which had about 70 percent of the instead took the Scholastic Aptitude Margaret Dolan reported that 464 Specially Written for The Westfield Leader day, Mr. Jones, a Republican, said the CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 students achieve the requirement. Test (SAT), ACT or Accuplacer, which seniors were awarded diplomas in SCOTCH PLAINS — The issue of mayor, a Democrat seeking a second also can be used to meet state require- June, and likewise four more after whether Mayor Kevin Glover acted term next month, had committed, ac- ments. completing summer school, for a 99.2- properly in taking township-provided cording to state statute, a “fourth- For example, he noted that approxi- percent graduation rate. health benefits arose again on Tues- degree crime” by accepting the health Concern Aired Over Drinking mately one-half of the students in She noted that 97 percent of the day night when Councilman benefits. His comments came after he ninth, 10th and 11th grades completed students were continuing their educa- Llewellyn Jones accused the mayor noted that in a filing to the state as part the requirements in mathematics and tion, including 91 percent who were of committing an “indictable offense” of the process for determining state During Trick-or-Treating English via one of the other tests. attending four-year colleges, 5 per- by taking those benefits and said that aid levels, the township government The PARCC exam is based on the cent at two-year schools and 1 per- Township Attorney Robert Renaud had said that Mr. Glover would no By KATE BROWNE and Town Engineer Michael Disko sometimes derided national Common cent at vocational, business or other had a conflict of interest by donating longer receive township-provided Specially Written for The Westfield Leader for their efforts to control the Core standards and is a requirement post-high school institutions. to the mayor’s re-election campaign health benefits after next month. MOUNTAINSIDE — At the bor- stormwater runoff that has caused for graduation in New Jersey. Westfield grads were attending 162 while issuing legal memoranda back- After 10 years of accepting those ough council’s public meeting Tues- erosion problems on Poplar Avenue. However, Mr. Pineiro noted that different schools in 35 states – as well ing the mayor’s position on the health benefits, did the mayor “suddenly day, one resident expressed concerns The council unanimously voted in the state board of education has regu- as two in foreign countries, with the insurance question. discover a newfound concern for the of parents drinking alcohol while favor of issuing two proclamations. lations that allow for students to meet most popular ranging from Montclair During the past several years, there taxpayer,” Mr. Jones asked, “or after trick-or-treating with their children. Red Ribbon week will be celebrated the requirement through completing State to as far away as the University have been periodic questions about being publicly confronted with the Resident Linda Condrillo, who is next week. The council’s proclama- an “alternative assessment” such as of South Carolina. whether township council members, facts, realize that he could no longer affiliated with the Alternative Press tion noted that Red Ribbon Week the SAT or ACT, or by submitting a CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 who are not full-time employees, are pretend in a court of law that he didn’t and the Tap Into Mountainside began in 1985 when a group of par- eligible to receive such benefits. It know [in order] to save himself from website, expressed concern over what ents wore red satin badges as a me- was maintained that Mr. Glover was, the possibility of jail time?” Mr. Jones she described as a “mobile tailgate” morial to Enrique Camarena, a Fed- in effect, grandfathered in because he said he believed the mayor’s “change of parents who are publicly drinking eral Drug Enforcement Agent who has been a member of the council of heart had everything to do with his while trick-or-treating with their chil- was killed while on duty.