XtBB Serving Westfleld, Scotch Plains and Fanwood Friday. July 16. 2004 50 cents Fanwood receives $250G in extra state aid •y MAD BISHOP marked specifically for property tax relief. duced by the council earlier this year. introduced budget, claiming the tax hike THE RECORD-PRESS When coupled with the $60,000 the bor- "I am very happy to share this news," meant Fanwood could "truly claim to be ough received last week for Homeland said Mayor Colleen Mahr at the council's Taxwood." FANWOOD — In the time it took for Security funding and other increases on regular meeting on Tuesday. Republicans Kline and Andrew the state to announce its 2004 extraordi- the revenue side of the ledger, the council "We have worked very hard since Calamaras voted against the budget as nary aid awards, what had been dubbed was able to reduce this year's total tax January to get to this point," she contin- introduced, rejecting the idea of bringing the largest tax increase in the history of levy to about $3.9 million, a savings of ued, "and I look for a united front from the Trenton into the borough's operations. At the borough was decreased to the point nearly $400,000. council to adopt this budget." that time, the dissenting councilmen also that the tax hike now ranks among the To a homeowner assessed at the bor- The Borough Council unanimously expressed concerns about delaying budget smallest in Union County. ough's average of $83,000, that translates passed the amendments to their 2004 approval late into the year while borough On Monday, the Department of to an average increase of about $15 for the operating budget, in contrast to a split officials awaited the announcement of Community Affairs announced that the municipal portion of his property tax bill, party line vote when the budget was intro- state aid. borough would receive $250,000 in or about $150 less than was necessary to duced in February. At that hearing, But both were silent on the matter at extraordinary aid, money that is ear- balance the $6.9 million budget intro- Councilman Stuart Kline decried the (Continued on page A-2) District Builder withdraws unveils South Ave. project irs a snap By BRAD BISHOP THE RECORD-PRESS Westfield'sJan Cocozziello is new logo Condo project among the local gridiron stars WESTFIELD — Facing picked to participate in the 1 Hh almost certain opposition from withdrawn, too annual Snapple Bowl, which was the Planning Board, a local WESTFIELD — After delay- set for Thursday, July 15 in East for teams developer has withdrawn an ing a public bearing over con- Brunswick. For the full picture, and application to erect a mixed-use By BHAD BISHOP* struction of a three-story condo- more coverage of local sports, see building on South Avenue. minium building for several Page C-1. THE RECORD-PRESS The project, proposed by month*, a developer has with- SCOTCH PLAINS — The developer Joseph Buontempo, drawn its proposal from the school district has unveiled a would have resulted in the demo- Board of Adjustment. new logo for high school athletic lition of two single-family resi- Developers James and John dences and the construction of a Caldora had proposed to demol- teams, choosing to drop a Native four-story building with nearly American mascot in favor of a The new logo for the Scotch Plains-Fanwood sports teams was ish three buildings at die coiner 4,000 square feet of ground-floor of Lenox Avenue and Elmer fighting Viking. designed by recent graduate Varun Ponmudi. commercial space and seven Scotch Plains-Fanwood High Street and replace them with a practical." change, the committee voted apartment units divided between 14-unit residential building. School will continue to be known the second and third floors. as the Raiders, but will now carry National organizations such unanimously to change the logo The proposed structure would as the National Association for but retain the school's moniker The project required variances have provided a 19-space images of a Nordic warrior when for parking spaces, percentage of athletic teams enter into compe- the Advancement of Colored and colors. underground parking faemty People (NAACP) and the Over the course of the spring, building space devoted to resi- for tenants. '"m tition. The Viking logo is an orig- dential units and illumination. inal design, and was created by National Eduacation Association students were invited to create (Continued on page A-l> '"- (NEA) have called for an end to their own designs for the school's At a board hearing last week, hearing began, when board mem- TF&HSMM VMMItOOfft Varun Ponmudi, a high school Buontempo withdrew his appli- student who graduated this past the use of Native American mas- new logo and ultimately choose cation and said he would propose bers cited two negative evalua- year as the salutatorian. cots. The district joins other the new design. The committee tions of the project by the town's a revised project design to the Board of Architectural Review Union County recently honored sev- The change came in response schools in New Jersey such as narrowed nearly 40 student sub- board's site plan review commit- eral volunteers for their dedication to a request from New Jersey Piscataway and Watchung Hills missions down to just five final- tee sometime before the end of and town planner Blais to Trailside Nature and Science Commissioner of Education that have recently moved away ists, evaluating submissions the month. Brancheau. Center, including a pair of local resi- William Librera, who last fall from their Native American mas- based on quality of design, origi- If he can come up with a plan The review board's report, dents. See the story in Community urged public schools that have cots. ~ nality, and how well the design more to the board's liking, he said filed in April, found the project Life, Page B-t. mascots depicting Native In response ^M)ktoM|MiWAf£ would represent the school. he would file a formal application "out of character with the neigh- Americans to change their logos. request, school officials organized In the end, students voted for a revised project in anticipa- borhood with respect to massing, In the letter, Librera encouraged a committee of students, parents, overwhelmingly in favor of the tion of the board's September height, size, and use." schools to discontinue using teachers, coaches, and other Viking design created by gradu- meeting. And Brancheau's report called "derogatory names, symbols, and members of the community to ating senior Ponmudi. It became apparent that the the proposal an "over-intense and emblems negatively depicting analyze the issue. After research- "It is a generic design that is project was not likely to gain inappropriate use of the site," any culture or race as soon as ing the pros and cons of making a (Continued on page A-2> board approval shortly after the (Continued on page A-2) Township agrees to sell King Street lot to developer By BRAD BISHOP The property slated for subdivision lies about selling the piece of property the fall on (the sale of) a small piece of proper- THE RECORD-PRESS along the township's border with Edison; developer needed to complete his applica- ty" the border between the two municipalities tion. But at the council's regular meeting Deputy Mayor Paulette Coronato, who SCOTCH PLAINS — A subdivision runs through the property. The roadway in last week, Marks said township officials that was conditionally approved by the voted against granting the subdivision as question is the King Street cul-de-sac, not were able to negotiate a fair price for what a member of the Planning Board, voted in Planning Board last year cleared a signif- the Fanwood King Street that runs near township manager Tom Atkins termed a icant hurdle when the Township Council the Plainfield border. "sub-standard piece of property" that favor of selling the portion of King Street agreed to sell a portion of King Street to Approval of the conforming subdivision amounts to "seven percent of an acre." to Scotch Meadows, L.L.C., the developer. the developer last week. was contingent upon the sale of township "We have to balance the impact of (cre- "I voted against the application (in The developer's proposal, to subdivide land, as acquisition of a publicly owned ating) one additional lot versus the sub- December I because the way he presented two existing lots into five and build a sin- 2,700 square foot property was needed to stantial amount of money the community it to us (assumed) we would sell the prop- gle-family home on each of the newly-cre- bring the development in compliance with will acquire by selling the piece of proper- erty," Coronato said. "I resented him doing ated lots, was approved by the Planning the township's land use ordinance. ty," Marks said. it on that supposition instead of approach- Board in a split vote last December. The After the board approved the subdivi- Although Marks declined to divulge the ing the township (to purchase the proper- SuHimn loins plan includes the demolition of one exist- sion, Mayor Martin Marks — who also sits amount of the sale, he said Scotch Plains ty i first." Westfleld High ing single-family home. on the board — said he had "reservations" taxpayers would gain "a six-figure wind- (Continued on page A-2> Joan Sullivan was recently named the new assistant principal at Westfield High School. For more on Playing through the raindrops Sullivan's background, turn to Page A-7.