Community Corner

The Week in Union County

Here's what made news around Union County this past week.

Every week, Patch takes a look at what made the headlines in Union County. Among the top stories, Westfield Police responded to a Hazmat situation in a local park that hospitalized two people, Summit's chief of police retired after 30 years on the force, and nearly 200 people packed St. Catharine Church in Spring Lake to pay their respects to

 

WESTFIELD

Find out what's happening in New Providence-Berkeley Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A Westfield woman in her early 20s and a police officer were hospitalized Thursday after being  by an ammonia and bleach mixture in Brightwood Park. The woman had called police saying she had difficulty breathing, causing the police to shut down the 40-acre nature preserve for a Hazmat situation. Following unidentified screams in the park, Westfield police deployed assault rifles and body armor as a precautionary measure.

In other news, the Board of Education  from parents at Tamaques School regarding the anticipated size of second grade classes. The parents said the first grade classes topped off at 25 students a piece in 2010-2011 and asked for the hiring of a new second grade teacher to prevent a repeat of the situation. While praising teachers, the parents did paint a picture of overheated and crowded classrooms with "bodies on top of bodies." BOE member Ann Cary, a Tamaques area resident, expressed support the school's teachers and the hiring of a new teacher, while BOE member Mitch Slater used the opportunity to  for restudying a three-year 3.9-percent annual pay raise for teachers as a way to hiring more teachers. Schools Superintendent Margaret Dolan opposed Slater's proposal saying the health care givebacks that came with the pay raise have afforded savings to the district. 

Find out what's happening in New Providence-Berkeley Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Sam Tooley's family was to celebrate his graduation from Westfield High School and decided to put an eighth grade photo of Tooley on a stick for the ceremony. The family waved their "Sam on a Sticks" when the graduate's name was called during the ceremony.

 

SUMMIT

Things really picked up mid-week with the news that Police Chief Robert Lucid would be retiring after eight years as chief effective July 31. Lucid, a 30-year member of the police force, will be the new Head of Security at Drew University in Madison. Summit also mourned the loss of longtime active community volunteer Virginia MacMahon and responded to the saving of a 4-year-old girl from almost drowning at the Family Aquatic Center after being left unattended by her parents.

 

NEW PROVIDENCE

The Board of Education  this week that included 2 percent raises for three of its board members — Dr. Deborah Feinberg, assistant superintendent of education services; James Testa, school business administrator/board secretary; and Sandra Searing, director of curriculum, instruction and supervision — on Thursday night.

The salaries are not unbudgeted or new expenses, according to the BOE. However, Bill Makowski, representing the Taxpayers' Association, took the floor during the public comments portion of the meeting and claimed that the raises were “excessive.” Because the contracts had already been budgeted and voted on in April, and approved earlier in Thursday’s meeting, his comments were too late to have any impact on their implementation.

In other news, the Borough Council voted on Monday night to approve a resolution that will appear on the November ballot. The referendum question proposes a change that would allow the town to use money designated for open space either for land acquisition or to pay for improvements to existing parks and recreation facilities that are deteriorating.

This referendum is not a first for New Providence. Last November, voters defeated a referendum question by a 2-to-1 margin, which would have .

 

CLARK-GARWOOD

On Wednesday, June 29, nearly 200 people packed St. Catharine Church in Spring Lake to pay their respects toHarvey was a 2005 Arthur L. Johnson graduate who enlisted in the Army in January 2009 and was deployed to Afghanistan in January of this year. He was killed in action on June 20 while serving in the Ghazni province. The Toms River American Legion Riders and Patriot Guard Riders escorted Harvey's body to the funeral home and cemetery. 

 

We checked in with to learn the secrets of their academic success. Perez will attend Bucknell University in the fall and Marzano will be off to the University of Delaware.

 

SCOTCH PLAINS-FANWOOD

Union Catholic teacher and Fanwood resident Kim Leegan a second-round finalist in Microsoft's 2011 U.S. Innovative Education Forum. Microsoft selected Leegan for her integration of technology into her World Studies and U.S. History lasses. In July, she will head to Microsoft's Redmond, Wash., campus with the 71 other educators from across the country who were selected in the second round. 

 

BERKELEY HEIGHTS-MOUNTAINSIDE

In the wake of tax reductions for the Connell Development Group and Alcatel-Lucent Technologies, at its June 28, 2011 meeting, the Berkeley Heights Township Council approved a property tax cut for the Union Center National Bank retroactive to 2009 through 2011. The valuation of the property will be reduced by a total of $761,000.

Since 2009, Connell Development Group received a 30 percent reduction, and Alcatel-Lucent Technologies received a 42 percent reduction in property valuation.

Edward Delia was the sole member of the council who voted against the tax cut.

According to Mayor Joseph G. Bruno, if the township were to appeal, it would have to bear the burden of legal fees that could exceed the reduction in taxes.

Questions about Changes to Pension & Health Care Policies

Several council members raised questions about the expected pension and health care changes. Township Administrator Amey Upchurch said she had not yet received news about how the changes will impact employees at the local level.

According to the new state law signed by New Jersey’s governor this week, state and municipal employees will be required to contribute a greater amount to their pensions and medical insurance benefits.

Upchurch said medical care premiums would be gauged according to an employee’s salary range.

 

CRANFORD

The biggest story of the week in Cranford was that, after a long and arduous budget season, the Cranford Township Committee . The approved budget contains a 1.95 percent tax levy increase, and was reached through a number of sacrifices, including the termination of 17 positions within the township. Mayor Dan Aschenbach stated that the Committee would closely examine township programs in the coming year in order to find other potential cuts. He stressed that while further items would be eliminated, public safety would never be compromised.

A group of Cranford students helped to coordinate a benefit concert for a great cause. Jake Forrestal and Jonathon Furer put on an evening of musical entertainment with their concert,  The evening benefitted the Vincentia Youth Opportunity Program de Paul House, an organization that helps youth in the Philippines receive a quality education. Forrestal, Furer and their classmates wowed their audience with musical styles ranging from Broadway to pop to a bit of a Disney flavor. 

 

Speaking of local songbirds,  will light up the stage at the NJPAC production of Kiss Me Kate. The Cranford High School student will star as promiscuous actress Lois Lane in the classic Cole Porter musical from July 15th through the 24th. NJPAC's reputation for high-quality productions has pushed Morreale to perform to the best of her ability.

“My favorite part is working with all three of the directors, [Musical Director Ilene Greenbaum, Assistant Director Sherry Alban], and Cynthia,” she said. “All of them expect you to be on your game for everything. It’s not just the dancing or the singing; you have to do it all together and it has to be up to caliber.”

 

SPRINGFIELD

An armed robber . Police say that at 8:41 p.m. on Monday, June 27, a white four-door Jeep Cherokee pulled into the BP on Meisel Avenue and parked by the pumps. When the gas station attendant removed the car’s gas cap, the driver stuck a handgun in his stomach and told him to give him all his money. The attendant complied, and the thief fled across into the Vauxhall section of Union. A similar armed robbery was also committed at the BP station in Union on June that night.

Historian  discussing how the concept of freedom has evolved in American history. Foner, a Columbia professor who has written for the New York Times and the Nation, kicked off the library’s "" presentation, which will continue as an exhibit and series of talks and documentaries throughout July.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from New Providence-Berkeley Heights