Ad Populos, Non Aditus, Pervenimus (908) 232-4407 USPS 680020 Thursday, January 2, 2003 Published Every Thursday Since 1890 OUR 113th YEAR – ISSUE NO. 17-113 Periodical – Postage Paid at Westfield, N.J. www.goleader.com [email protected] FIFTY CENTS Fred Lecomte for The Westfield Leader Lauren S. Pass for The Westfield Leader EMERGENCY RESPONSE...Multiple emergency rescue teams responded to PARADE OF DEMONSTRATORS…Members of the Westfield Police Depart- Lauren S. Pass for The Westfield Leader Westfield High School on September 11 after a fallen tree limb injured ment wore posters calling for fairer contract wages and carried American flags JUMP FOR JOY...First Ward Republican Councilman-elect Sal Caruana, left, numerous students, including one seriously. A State Police helicopter trans- throughout the downtown on in September. Pictured, above, the peaceful demon- and his wife Darleen, right, raise their glasses and celebrate upon learning of his ported the injured student to an area hospital. strators cross from the Westfield Train Station to proceed down Elm Street. win for the council seat. In Second Half of Year GOP Sweeps in FW and SP, Upset DEMs in WF; WF Hit With Tragedy on Anniversary of 9/11 By LAUREN S. PASS, FRED ROSSI and of their property line. The town owned Prolific artist and author Wende of a new park on Plainfield Avenue, versary of the tragic events of Sep- tives from the DOT to review planned SUZETTE F. STALKER three 50-by 100-foot tracts of land Devlin passed away peacefully after with Mayor Marks expressing his tember 11, 2001. changes for the circle. The project is Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and wanted to prepare the land for struggling with a long illness. A hope that the facility, which will During the governing body’s regu- not supposed to start until the Spring Editor’s Note: The following is a use. The land is under Green Acres mother of seven children, a grand- include soccer and baseball fields, lar meeting, held on the eve of the of 2004. summary of news events in Scotch jurisdiction as a part of the pool mother to 20 and a great-grandmother will be ready for use in Spring 2003. one-year observance, Mayor Louis Historic preservation expert Nancy Plains, as reported by The Westfield complex. The neighbors sued the to two, 84-year-old Mrs. Devlin, Lisa Alter resigned from the WF Jung read a resolution lauding the Zerbe spoke to some 50 people at a Leader and The Times, that occurred town for a restraint, but a judge de- maintained her role as motivational BOE to attend graduate school. Seven “unwavering commitment” of special forum in Fanwood regarding during the second half of 2002. nied them and the fence was in- matriarch to her family, a welcom- candidates offered to fill the remain- Americans to remember the victims a proposed historic district involving * * * * * stalled. ing friend to neighbors and strangers ing two years of her term. and support the nation. homes along North and Martine Av- July Upon his retirement from the and a lover of the arts right up until The SP Township Planning Board Additionally, a ceremony was held enues. By a 3 to 2 council vote, Mark Fanwood force July 1, former Police her death. approved the application of Com- by the Fanwood Volunteer Fire De- Addressing residents’ questions Peck, of the law firm of DiFrancesco, Chief Robert Carboy was saluted by Following a review of three design merce Bank to build a branch office partment on the anniversary date, and concerns, she told her audience Bateman, Coley, Yospin, Kunzman, the governing body and his colleagues concepts for renovation of ballfields at the corner of Park and Mountain while the borough’s TV-35 featured that property values go up in historic Davis and Lehrer, P.C. in Warren, for 38 years of service to the commu- at Park Middle School, the Fanwood Avenues. a special program of music and im- areas; that homeowners are not di- was named to replace Wilfred nity. He was succeeded by Donald Borough Council endorsed a plan Members of the governing body ages in remembrance of area resi- rected on what to do with their prop- Coronato as Fanwood’s new Bor- Domanoski. calling for elimination of the exist- honored Ruth Page upon her retire- dents who were lost in the terror erties and that such status has pro- ough Attorney. Mr. Coronato had The area paid for the mild winter ing baseball field and the addition of ment after more than a decade as attacks. tected other historic areas against resigned a month earlier to pursue a as a nearly month-long heat wave, three baseball/softball fields, two secretary to the Fanwood Planning The MS BOE announced that public encroachment. job opportunity. with temperatures on July 4 nearing soccer fields and one football field. Board. She had also served for seven- Deerfield School, which was sched- Wrapping up the month was the Judge Edward Beglin barred the 100 degrees, settled over the north- The project was jointly funded by and-a-half years as secretary to the uled to be ready on August 25, would community’s seventh annual Fanny closing of South Chestnut Street in east. Scotch Plains, Fanwood and the now defunct Fanwood Board of Ad- not open until at least September 16, Wood Day celebration, featuring a Westfield. The town had been clos- Mark Eslasser was named as the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Board of justment. delaying school by nearly two weeks. festive array of exhibits, activities, ing the street from the Garwood line Chief Executive Officer of the Education, each of which provided More than 500 participants turned “None of us are happy,” Board Presi- food, contests and entertainment. Net to Fourth Avenue on some evenings Westfield Y, succeeding Stan $100,000. Union County matched out for the Seventh Annual 5K Race dent Richard Kress stated. The open- proceeds from the event benefited and weekends when the fields were Kaslusky, who retired. Mr. Eslasser the towns’ combined $300,000 con- and Invitational Wheelchair Event ing of Beechwood School was de- the downtown. being used at Gumbert Park. Garwood officially began his new position on tribution, for a final figure of sponsored by CONTACT We Care layed from September to November. October sued Westfield, citing that the town July 22. $600,000. on August 17 at Fanwood’s LaGrande The existing portion of WHS Opponents and proponents of a needed permission from the Depart- August The design concept backed by Park. The event, which also includes opened on schedule after being un- proposed traffic light at Central Av- ment of Transportation (DOT) in or- The Westfield Town Council got Fanwood officials was also favored a KIDS Sprint, is the non-profit der construction during the summer. enue and Clover Street attended a der to close the street. into a heated discussion during a by the Scotch Plains Township Coun- agency’s major fundraiser each year. The new science addition remained Public Safety Committee meeting The Scotch Plains (SP) Township conference session when it was re- cil and Killam Associates, the firm September under construction during the school held by Councilwoman Claire Council voted to place a non-bind- vealed that Councilmen Lawrence heading the design of the “Field of As the nation and Westfield re- year. Lazarowitz. All of the residents ing referendum on the November Goldman and Kevin Walsh secretly Dreams” project. membered those lost on September On September 21, Westfield’s Sep- agreed that pedestrian safety was a ballot asking voters their opinion on met with police during contract ne- The Board of Education initially 11, 2001, a large branch from an oak tember 11th memorial was dedicated. concern on Central Avenue, but were whether the state should convene a gotiations. The contract had expired supported an alternate concept tree in front of WHS fell on a group The ceremony drew a crowd of over heated in their discussion of how to constitutional convention to address on January 1 of 2002, and was still in whereby the existing baseball field of students. Freshman Greta 1,000 people as the glass spire at the remedy the problem. A representa- property tax reform. The council negotiation. Because the meeting was would remain, while another base- Schoenemann was killed and a dozen corner of North Avenue and East tive from Union County, whose acted after the State Legislature’s not televised or recorded, Council- ball field, two soccer fields and a other students were injured. Students Broad Street was lit for the first time. project the light is, was also present apparent indifference to a statewide man Rafael Betancourt asked The football field would be added. organized a candlelight vigil on the Westfield police, fire and emergency at the meeting. ballot question on the issue. Leader to transcribe their audiotape However, the board later opted to front lawn of the high school and medical personnel stood as a silent At the next public meeting of the Westfielder Mary Lynne of the meeting. The tape was tran- support the first concept, following a hundreds of students walked from honor guard for 36 hours leading up WF council residents presented peti- Pomerantz died from Necrotizing scribed and Councilman Betancourt presentation by a Killam Associates WHS to The Presbyterian Church for to the ceremony. tions for and against the proposed Fasciitis, a bacterial infection com- submitted it to be included in the representative and recommendations her funeral carrying banners in Residents of Cranford Avenue in light. Councilwoman Lazarowitz monly known as “flesh eating” dis- minutes of the next public meeting.