'•o RAIDERS WIN! ROOTING AROUND A REAL LIVE ACT o The Scotch Plains-Fanwood High Members of the focal "Roots and If you haven't yet seen the School football team took anoth- Shoots" group paid a visit to the Westfield Community Players' er step toward making the play- Fanwood Nature Center recently production of "The Cemetery M offs with a key victory Saturday to lay wood chips on the trails. Club," you still have a few 5 over Linden. Sea that story ana For all the details about their chances before the final curtain cc much more in Sports, Page C-l. efforts, turn to Page B-6. falls. See Prime Time, Page B-2. *S0J * 50 cents * + ttBB Vol. 21, No. 42 Serving Westfield, Scotch Plains and Fanwood Friday, October 20, 2006 TAKING STEPS TO RAISE AWARENESS Residents take aim at plan for Memorial Park sVQMQMARX West Broad Street and THE RECORD-PRESS Florence Avenue. About 20 residents from those streets WESTFIELD — The attended Tuesday's Town Recreation Commission's pro- Council meeting to voice their posed Master Plan for reno- concerns about noise, vations to Memorial Park drainage and traffic safety. came under sharp criticism Of particular concern was from residents — and the status of Hort Street, a received some pointed sug- paper street that runs into gestions from a member of the park from Scotch Plains the Town Council — at a pub- Avenue and is often used as a lic meeting Tuesday night. shortcut. Residents said they The commission recently feared that rather than travel endorsed a plan that calls for to the expanded parking lot the creation of 74 new park- at the south end of the prop- ing spaces along with erty, users of the facility will upgrades to the park's soft- continue to park their cars ball fields, tennis courts and along Scotch Plains Avenue other athletic facilities. and then walk through the Under the proposal, one or paper street or the surround- two of the six tennis courts ing wooded area to access the would be removed and the softball fields. The collection remaining courts would be of parked cars along Scotch improved, the four softball Plains Avenue, they said, cre- fields would be re-oriented to ates serious traffic safety haz- allow for simultaneous use, ards. and the basketball court Fire Chief Dan Kelly, who would be relocated. was present at the meeting, BROOKS CRANDALUCORRESPONDENT Residents from local towns and across the state gathered in Nomahegan Park Sunday for the annual Walk for Autism Permanent bathrooms would said Hort Street provides a Research. More than 125 separate teams, like the one pictured above, combined to raise nearly $300,000 for Autism Speaks. also be installed, and a walk- needed emergency access Less than one-half of 1 percent of the National Institute of Health's budget goes to autism research; to fill the gap, nation- ing path would be created point to the fields. But he said wide autism walks have raised more than $30 million since May 2000. around the perimeter of the the street could be locked and park. The proposal would not gated to prevent access by affect the municipal pool. ' park users, as long as emer- In the classroom, One local family Though the proposal does- gency responders have the n't call for the creation of new key. Recreation Commission the focus is on copes with love, playing surfaces or the addi- Chairman Jim Marvin also tion of lights, the reconfigura- noted the proposal calls for a tion of the space will require fence to be constructed building social skills and with patience the removal of some wooded around the perimeter of the areas and will bring some of property, so that users can't STVLTZ the facilities closer to homes cut through the surrounding THE RECORD-PRESS THE RECORD-PRESS on Scotch Plains Avenue, (Continued on page A-2) WESTFIELD — Autism has a voice. It WESTFIELD — In Donna Curia's is heard in the lives of parents, siblings, classroom at Jefferson School, a small grandparents — anyone touched by the group of special students is taking "Leaps disability. And with one out of 166 chil- Task force pledges and Bounds." dren now diagnosed with the disorder, Curia, assisted by paraprofessionals that voice is getting louder. Joyce Kellogg, Allison DeFrancesco and A developmental disorder character- it will listen to public Susan Sullivan, works to facilitate the ized by impairments in social interaction, STULTZ hoods and determine what academic and social growth of 3- to 6- autism limits an individuals' ability to THE RECORD-PRESS could be done to control year-olds who have been diagnosed with communicate in both verbal and non-ver- overdevelopment. autism, a disorder characterized by bal ways. The disorder manifests itself WESTFIELD — The Subsequently, height limita- impairments in social interaction and in along a spectrum; among affected individ- Mayor's Land Use Task Force tions were reduced from 38 to verbal and non-verbal communication. To uals, there is a wide range of communica- held its first public meeting 35 feet, limiting the ability to varying degrees, the communicative abili- tive abilities. on Oct. 11, as the commis- build full third floors. ties of children and adults with autism Nicky and Joanne Robins of Scotch When Laura Kuntz's son Ross was sion's leaders sought to out- The results of the pilot are impaired. Plains marched for the Nicky's diagnosed 12 years ago, she was shocked line for the public the group's study were provided to the In Curia's four-student class, the prin- Knights team at Sunday's fundraiser to learn how little research had been con- approach to concerns about Code Review & Town ciples of Applied Behavioral Analysis walk in Nomahegan Park. ducted about her 2-year-old's condition. residential overdevelopment. Property Committee in (ABA) are employed to emphasize specific "Twenty years ago, all these kids were "This is a very emotional March 2005. After a review social skills while challenging the students' abilities. lpcked up," Kuntz said. issue. Your home is your most of the potential courses of "We never want to assume that they can't do something," When she took her son to a physician from Yale University, priceless possession and action and soliciting resi- Curia said during the students' snack time Tuesday afternoon. Kuntz said, he basically laughed in her face, baffled. There was investment," Task Force dents' input, a draft proposal Added Sullivan, "These kids are really amazing. There is great not much hope he could offer her family. Chairman William Heinbokel of changes to local land use progress every day in little ways." Since then, research on autism has gained more attention said to a group ordinances was As with any child classified to receive special education, the from scientists, but according to Ross' brother Eric of about 20 created. That children in Curia's class have individualized educational pro- Mikalauskas, it is still not enough. "Other diseases — like residents. "We "This is a very emo- proposal, which grams outlining their unique goals. Academically, the instruc- type 1 diabetes —get more notice than autism," Eric said, even want to give tional issue. Your home is placed new (Continued on page A-2) (Continued on page A-3) the public a . , restrictioni^on II^IUUBs <JonH road map of your most priceless pos- floor-area ratio, where we're session and investment." was presented going. - William Heinbokel to the Planning Construction begins at two sites in Fanwood The task Board in June By THEBES* "The Cornerstone," as the project is shortly, possibly as early as next week. force was ere- 2006 and was ated after previous efforts to subsequently rejected amid THE RECORD-PRESS named, will be a mixed-use building But there's another project, just with 6,000 square feet of ground-floor down South Avenue, that's not far address the issue foundered criticisms that it would under criticism that they FANWOOD — The long-awaited commercial space and 10 condomini- behind. Surrounded by more than 30 restrict the property rights of were overly broad and had current homeowners. revitalization of downtown Fanwood is ums divided between the second and supporters and town officials, Helen finally underway, as two of the three not adequately taken public This fall, Mayor Andy third floors. The condos will have two and Jeffery Ling celebrated the input into account. Skibitsky convened the 10- sites slated for redevelopment held one-bedroom/one-bathroom units and ground-breaking ceremony of their ground-breaking ceremonies this week. At the Oct. 11 session, member task force to review eight two-bedroom/two-bathroom own mixed-use project, "The Station Councilman James Foerst The ceremonies were held within a current land use ordinances, units. Mews," at 234 South Ave. Tuesday and Task Force Chairman evaluate emergent land use week after Andy MacDonald, a According to Michael Marcovecchio, morning. William Heinbokel conducted issues and formulate new rec- Republican candidate in the upcoming the son of the site's owner, there are no The ceremony was held amidst a a presentation on the goals of ommendations to present to Borough Council election, had a letter official occupants of the retail space, light rain, but "A little bit of moisture the committee and detailed the Town Council. Foerst said published in the local press criticizing but "there's been some interest." can't dampen this occasion," said the facts and figures they will that the mission of the task the lack of progress in the downtown. Marcovecchio said that the inspira- Planning Board Chairman Greg be using.