Letter to the Editor: 'Vote Yes' on May 7 Referendum

To the Editor:

I welcome the New BAC! More services for all ages, from a quality organization, in a state of the art facility, could only make our town more attractive and desirable to live in. Then it dawned on me that not only were these things true, but the slogan that the Stop the BAC campaign has been clinging to, should actually be BACK the BAC’s slogan. It would more accurately read as “Keep Taxes Low – Vote YES on May 7.”

So much misleading information… It seems so difficult to weed through it. Here is one such example. I have read that the New BAC Center would be “as large as MetLife Stadium or a major highway department store.” I did a little research and found that the MetLife Stadium is over 2 million square feet and has a footprint of 588,060 square feet. The New BAC’s footprint will only be 51,000 square feet. This simply means that 11.5 New BACs are equivalent to MetLife Stadium’s footprint, and many more could fit inside the stadium. More accurately, the New BAC facility will be about the same square footage of Governor Livingston High School’s football field – no end zones, no track, and no stands.

I have tried to simplify things for myself. The special election is solely about whether Berkeley Heights will allow the New BAC to hookup to its sewer. All the other issues, such as zoning, have already been considered and approved by Warren Township.

After talking with many of my neighbors and friends, both near Emerson and on the other side of town, I have boiled the issues down into two concerns – the sewer use and traffic.

So let’s consider the sewer issue. Berkeley Heights used taxpayer’s money many years ago to build a sewer system so much larger than was needed, even for future use. Our local government, supported the oversized sewer and oversized budget for this project, suggesting that the town could use the extra capacity to generate extra revenue for the town and to help pay for the large sewer. It is my understanding that the sewer was intended to be the second largest revenue source, aside from taxes.

Case in point… In 2011, the Bellewood Acres Development opened on Hillcrest Ave, directly across from Emerson Lane. These 26 homes are in Warren, on the Berkeley Heights’ border, and had absolutely no difficulty with the Berkeley Heights’ Town Council or my fellow neighbors to tap into our sewer. These 26 homes send approximately 7,800 gallons of residential waste per day to be treated by our sewer facility. Warren gets all the property tax revenue while
Berkeley Heights receives a fee for the sewer usage.

Is this any different from what the New BAC wants to do? The waste that the New BAC would generate is exactly the same kind of waste that private homes generate. The New BAC’s waste is also considered residential waste. The type of structure that the waste comes from has no bearing on the type of waste it generates. However, the New BAC will generate only 6,000 gallons of residential waste per day, about 2,000 fewer gallons of waste that is produced by the housing development across the street on Hillcrest. Therefore since the New BAC produces the same kind of waste as Bellewood Acres, the contract between Warren and Berkeley Heights can easily be amended, just as easily as it was for Bellewood Acres.

The great thing about this setup is that Berkeley Heights gets extra revenue from the New BAC for the use of our sewer, just as it has from Bellwood Acres. This additional revenue will help to offset the cost of maintaining the sewer, which remember was a justification for building the enormous sewer. In addition, it will cost our town $0 as the New BAC is willing to pay the hook up fee. By building a new pool, the New BAC will actually be
generating revenue for our town. More revenue means less taxes!

The fact is that the New BAC is only asking to send an additional 0.1612 percent to our sewer. This is equivalent to adding about 1.2 teaspoons more to a gallon jug. While I have heard that the chlorine may damage the sewer, the New BAC will use the same proven technology that LifeTime Fitness uses on their pools. The water will be pretreated before entering our sewer. Even with the addition of the New BAC, our town will have more than adequate capacity to fund new projects, such as the talked about Connell Park hotel, and still have adequate excess capacity.

The second concern relates to traffic in and around Emerson Lane. This is a legitimate concern. However, after careful consideration, I still support the New BAC since I know that this land will eventually be developed, much sooner than later, if not by the New BAC, then by another group. In addition, it probably will not be bought by a housing development like Bellewood Acres since its backyard is I-78, and since there are many acres that cannot be developed because of wetlands. Instead, it will most likely be developed by one of the other zoned
entities – a school, church, synagogue, mosque, firehouse, or flea market.

It is not speculation that something will be built on this site. A new development on this property would in all likelihood have its entrance on Emerson Lane, unlike the New BAC, which would without any doubt, invite and increase traffic on Emerson and other cut-through streets.

It is inevitable that more changes are in the future for the Emerson Lane area. Whatever is developed there, residents will have traffic concerns and objections. New BAC’s architects have designed this site with the Berkeley Heights’ residents in mind. The New BAC will be a good distance away from the nearest Berkeley Heights’ home, approximately 200 yards. At its current location, homes are much closer to the building. I would rather see a service-oriented community organization such as BAC, which has been a good considerate neighbor for 36 years, to occupy this site. Jim Wood’s BAC has proven that it can work with the community to help solve any problem that may arise. You cannot necessarily say that about the next unknown buyer that comes along.

So as you are driving around town and see the red lawn signs that say “Keep Taxes Low – Vote No”, you will now know better. I know better!

The only way to Keep Taxes Low is to Vote YES on May 7.

Amy Meisner

Berkeley Heights