7= HOW TO UT THI UADIR=r Just Fill in the Form On Page 16 And Return It to Us! —Serving the Town Since 1890 — UPS4KM 232-4407 r iim p»unwm<m.Nj. Thursday, October 7,1993 FORTY CENTS CHAMBER, MAINSTREET ADVANCE PLAN FOR HOUDAY SHOPPERS Town Council Gives Approval to Proposal For Three-Day-A-Week Free Parking Maximum of Three Hours Probably Would Be Allowed at the Beginning or End of Week From Thanksgiving to Christmas; Second Senior Citizen Housing Complex Will Pay 6 Per Cent of Revenues to Town If It Can Afford Fee By ROBERT R. FASZCZEWSKI proved too confusing and ineffective. meters on Thursday at 9 a.m. and taken to meet the fee, which would be evaluated Sptcialb Wrlitm/ornt WulfltUUadir The two business groups, he noted, off on Sunday morning. year-to-year, Town Attorney Charles H. Holiday shoppers in Westfield' s central wanted to place bags over the meters Downtown Manager, Mrs. Michele Brandt said, the fee would be waived. business district will be able to park, for form Thursday through Saturday in order Picou, of the MainSlreet Committee, The burden wou Id be on the developer, free at meters i n the di strict for three days to have shoppers take advantage of four added her group is planning a public he noted, to provide the town with facts to a week between Thanksgiving and promotions planned by the Chamber and relations program with merchants to justify a waiver from the fee. Christmas thanks to a plan proposed by the MainStrect group during die holidays. remind them the spaces are for shoppers Also given informal approval was a the Westfield Area Chamber of A notation on the meter bags would and not for them or their employees. plan through which the town would deed Commerce and the MainStreetCommittee suy the free parking was being provided Town Administrator John F. Malloy, the so-called Site No. 7 of undeveloped RIGHT IN STEP...\Veslfleld Second Ward Councilwoman, Mrs. Margaret C. and given approval by the Town Council courtesy of the two business groups and Jr. said having free parking spaces will land bordered by Grandvicw Avenue, Sur, Is presenting Mayor Garland C. "Bud" Boollie, Jr.'s proclamation mark- at Tuesday's conference session. the town, Mr, Newell noted, cost Westfield SI 5.0XXI in lost revenues. Connecticut Street and the borders of ing Sunday, October 17, as Marchinc Band Day In honor orthe 18lh annual band Chamber President Robert L. Newell Responding to a concern by Mayor One of the two Councilman opposed to Cranford and Clark, to Cranford. competition. Pictured with Mrs. Sur are: Charles Hansen, Director of Fine Arts said at the meeting the practice last year, Garland C. "Bud" Boolhe, Jr. the free the plan, Kenneth L. MacRitchie of the By deeding the area to Cranford, Mr. for the Weslflcld PuWk Schools, drum majors Jamie DcChellU and Jeffrey of giving those who parked more than spaces would be taken by commuters or Third Ward, said the two reasons for Malloy noted, the town would be able to Williams and color guard Captains Heather Keen and Ahisha WinMer. Now two hours a courtesy summons for an employees of downtown businesses, Mr. having parking meters were to create divide it into 11 building lots permitted shown Is Trlcla Clalborne. additional two hours of free parking, Newell said the bags would be placed on revenue and ration the time for parking. under township' s zoning ordinance rather During the holiday season, when there than only eight permitted under the isrnoredemandforparking.henoted.ibe Westfield ordinance. town should not abandon the rationing Since the town would receive the profit Dr. Smith Outlines Proposed State Aid Plan system. from the sale of the lots, he added, this The other opponentof the plan, Fourth would be more profitable for Westfield. Ward Councilman James Hely, said the He also noted the tract is more town should not give up $15,000 in accessible from Cranford and that Which Could Decrease Town Property Taxes revenue. municipality would be able to more easily First Ward Councilman Anthony M. connect homes built in the area to its LaPorta replied holiday shoppers made sewer lines along with providing Although Seen Meeting Court Mandates, It Will Mean Increase in Other Taxes From the State House their purchases and left town, thus freeing schooling for the children in the homes Up spaces for other shoppers. and any other municipal services. By TUCKER TRIMBLE only options. This would mean a major drop in The plan also calls for a cap on per- He also said the $16,000 in extra Mr. Maltoy and Town Engineer SnclaltyWrintnftirVii WtafltU liadir The New Jersey Association for local property taxes equalling $1.7 pupil expenditures. revenue to be taken in by increasing home Edward A. Cottko were given council alarm registration fees from $1 loSlOpcr At the Westfield Board of the Public Schools Coalition has set For districts in whose category permission to negotiate the agreement billion, and, as Dr. Robert C. Rader, year would mote than offset the lost meter Education meeting Tuesday out a framework for school finance with Cranford, which would move the Assistant Superintendent for Westfield falls, for example, the revenue. Westfield's border with the township to Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Mark reform in New Jersey, and, according Administration, pointed out, a drop average for regular education and Since more shoppers come into town the southofthe proposed subdivision but C. Smith, gave to the board and to to Dr. Smith, has provided a plan that in Westfield property taxes of about pcr-pupil spending would have acap above the wetlands on the site. Assemblyman Richard H. Bagger, will satisfy the court's mandate for the last three days of the week anyway, 31,000 on a house assessed at of $8,052. Second Ward Councilwoman, Mrs. The council also agreed to proposals who was in the audience, an updated equality and at the same time not S20O,O0O. Dr. Smith pointed out, however, Mar garetC.Sursaid.it might make more from the Public Safety Committee to: report on slate funding. destroy the good school districts, Of course, these funds would have Westfteid currently spends about sense to have free meters Monday through • Create four-way Hop intersections at "The challenge that faces New Dr. Smith und, Hoard President, to be made up in another area, and the $9,000 per pupil, and this figure would Wednesday In order to increase the Kimhall Avenue and Wychwnd Road Jersey is to provide greater Mrs. Susan H. Peeper, were present report would introduce with the not go down. amount of shoppers in town on the slow and Lenox Avenue and Elmer Street.' • Study creating longer amber and rod educational equality for the children al the funding commission's recent reduction a concurrent increase in TheSuperintendentexplained there days. whether, by accident of birth, they Mr. Newell replied even though the signals on the traffic light on South and meeting. nther taxes, taxes imposed at the slate would bea three-year phase-in period, Summit Avenues. are born into a poor or a richer The No. I i>oul oi'thecoalitionisto level in the amount of $950,000,000, and there will be no new funding in end -of-the-week days were advocated to increase participation in promotions by community," theSuperintendent said. establish u new .school finance statute lime for this year. • Referred a proposal for prohibiting he said. the business groups free meters on the There only are two ways to make that reduces substantially Dr. Smith enumerated the ways in parking on the eastern side of Woodland carlierdays could increase traffic for the Avenue beginning at East Broad Street to reparations for disparate educational overreliancc on local property tuxes. "Some of the participants at the which the new funding plan would stores, meeting wanted to go to total state the Transportation Parking and Traffic opportunities, he claimed. Currently, explained Dr. Smith, have an impact on Westfield. He and Mrs. Picou promised to discuss Committee for furtherstudy.The proposal One is to take money away from Westfield relies on 60 per cent local funding," Dr. Smith said, "but we One, it would settle an issue that the Monday-through-Wednesday was made to make passagcof emergency the richer areas, and the second is to property taxes and 40 per cent state argued against that because one, it's would make education better in the proposal with iheir groups. vehicles and cars easier on the narrow, raise money to give to the poorer funding to arrive at the school budget. easier to raise money to support local state; two, Westfield's schools would Mayor Boothc remained the two winding road. districts. Neither are palatable, Dr. Under the new plan, these figures schools, and two, people do need a not be "leveled down," and three, it representatives the town would reserve On other matters, the council agreed to Smith told the board, but they are the wuuld be reversed, he stated. stake in their local schools." would substantially reduce local the right to mark tires or use other introduce an ordinance at Tuesday's property taxes and Westfield would enforcement mechanisms to make sure shoppers used each free space no more public meeting extending the temporary receive an estimated $11 million of than three hours. use of a trailer by a family whose home state foundation aid, and lastly, with On another matter, the council agreed was burned out on Edge wood Avenue for Italian Restaurant Gains Approval the reduction in local property taxes, informally to a plan through which the another month and received notification citizens in Westfield would have to proposed second senior citizen housing the state had approved $ 150,000 for the pay more in income taxes.