Thursday, May 9, 2013
Members of the Stop The BAC Committee show their gratitude to residents who votes "no" in Tuesday's special election.
To the Editor: Stop The BAC and its supporters owe a huge debt of gratitude to the residents of Berkeley Heights, including the Mayor and Town Council. For many of us, this election was intensely personal, as our neighborhood was literally under attack. For many others not directly impacted, this election was about common sense and the Golden Rule. From the beginning of this campaign until Election Day, we focused on the one thing that we believed mattered: our town. We think these results, both the number of voters and the dramatic results, confirmed that our town believed that as well. Plus, we learned that our town believed in us, and that made Election Night truly special. We set out on this campaign as a group of residents in Berkeley…
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. as residents vote on whether or not to allow the Berkeley Aquatic Center to use the local sewer system.
Residents of Berkeley Heights will head to the polls today to cast their votes on a special referendum to decide the fate of the proposed Berkeley Aquatic Center and it's ability to connect to the township's sewer system. The proposal calls for the construction of a 51,000-square-foot building in nearby Warren, just over the Berkeley Heights border. Plans for the new BAC began a few years ago when Aquatic Center owner Jim Wood sought to relocate his facility to expand his business. His proposal would involve the construction of an approximately 51,940-square-foot building on 523,591-square-feet of land. It includes a swimming pool facility containing three pools and including a competitive swim training pool and training facilities, a …
Monday, May 6, 2013
Warren resident opposes May 7 referendum in Berkeley Heights.
To the Editor: Please Vote NO in the May 7 Berkeley Heights Special Election. The last thing I want to see on the way into my neighborhood is a 1+ acre size building and a busy parking lot. We worked hard to purchase our house, an investment for our future. This commercial development is sure to squash our home values and desirability of the neighborhood. The proposed location for this humongous building is wrong in so many ways. Let me count the ways: 1. Emerson Lane neighborhood is a quiet tree lined residential area and has been for more than a century. This REALLY B-I-G building does not belong there. Vote NO on May 7 to preserve a family neighborhood. 2. There has already been one fatal accident at the intersection of Emerson Lane & …
A Berkeley Heights man says he will be voting against the Berkeley Aquatic Club referendum on Tuesday.
To the Editor: I am a Berkeley Heights resident and I am making sure I get out and vote NO on May 7. I am a home owner who lives very close to the proposed new BAC Warren Corporate establishment. I have been following the ins and outs of the so called "debate" over what is going on regarding the Warren BAC proposed site. 1) This election has absolutely NOTHING to do with swimming or allowing the BAC or anyone to build a facility of this sort. It has to do with building a large commercial complex in a residential neighborhood, and in turn seriously affecting the entire residential neighborhood. I read the article after article saying to vote yes because BAC has been great for the community, how Jim Wood is a great guy, how swimming …
Saturday, May 4, 2013
With the Berkeley Aquatic Club referendum less than a week away, several residents are voicing their support for the project.
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 …
Friday, May 3, 2013
With the May 7 special referendum regarding the Berkeley Aquatic Center just days away, some residents are voicing their opinions in support of the BAC.
Editor's Note: The following letter was written by several local families who support the new Aquatic Center. To the Editor: BACK the BAC’s campaign is motivated by the children of our community, to provide more services and better opportunities to them and to all the residents. It is no surprise to anyone that participation in sports promotes academic achievement and builds valuable life skills. We, as all parents from Berkeley Heights, want to provide our children with all the things that will make them happy, successful and responsible citizens. Any organization that has been positively influencing the lives of children and families for 36 years, and wishes to expand its services to reach more residents, primarily children, has our …
Thursday, May 2, 2013
A resident of a nearby town presents information regarding traffic concerns and the Berkeley Aquatic Club facility.
To the Editor: As an “out-of-towner” I thought that I would write to provide you (Berkeley Heights Residents) with potential information regarding the traffic concerns that have been raised with the new BAC facility to be located directly off exit 40 of Route 78. These concerns should have been alleviated by the traffic study but apparently this may not be the case. I have lived in a neighboring community for over the past 20-plus years and have done much travel within a 15-mile radius of the proposed location. As an “out-of-towner” that would be one of the many traveling to the facility, I think our travel methods would be a better perspective than current Berkeley Heights residents as we are the ones coming from these locations. First, I…
Thursday, December 20, 2012
The BAC's Jim Wood decries recent government ruling on proposed aquatic facility.
- OPINION
-
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Five hundred thirty-five registered Berkeley Heights voters petitioned their Township's elected officials to have a vote of the citizenry on the sewer connection for the BAC new aquatic facility. Instead of honoring the direction of these 535 citizens and having the election date set by the municipal clerk as required by statute, those officials have decided to spend more tax dollars on legal fees, this time to have their attorneys research whether they can bring a law suit to side step the public will. Hiding behind the transparent charade of professing to want to protect the sewer plant's huge amount of excess capacity, these officials appear hell-bent on spending any amount of tax dollars and utilizing any set of tactics to subvert the …
Harris Ruben
2:02 pm on Tuesday, May 7, 2013
I voted. NO! Commercial buildings belong in commercially-zoned areas. more ›