Robbinsville 0417

7/28/2019 Robbinsville 0417

1/16

www.robbinsvillesun.com APRIL 17-23, 2013 FREE

DENNIS SYMONS/Special to The Robbinsville Sun

Emily Langsdorf, above, won the 100 meter hurdles for the Robbinsville High School girls trackand field team, which defeated Nottingham High School 81-58 on April 3. For more RHS sportsnews, go to the Ravens Nest roundup on Page 9.

Final hurdle CEO: Bank

to be partof solutionBy JOANNE DEGNAN

Editor

CEO Kevin Cummings says In-vestors Bank has not made a deci-sion about the future of the48,000-square-foot Roma Bankheadquarters once the merger ofthe two banks is finalized, but onepossibility is to offer to leasesome space there to Robbinsvillefor municipal offices.

The Short Hills-based bank ispurchasing Roma in a $452 mil-lion all-stock buyout that is ex-pected to be complete by May 31.

The fallout from the mergerhas been the loss of 57 jobs atRomas Robbinsville headquar-

ters and the cancellation ofRomas plans to build a new com-mercial condominium buildingnearby that would have housedtownship offices on the thirdfloor.

Cummings said on April 8 thebank is working on options forthe township in the wake of thecancelled construction project,while at the same time, it reviews

its own options for utilizing theadditional space it will now havein the three-story Roma buildingafter the merger is complete.

Were not going to move ourheadquarters to there, but its abeautiful location for a regionaloffice for us and were certainlygoing to keep the branch there,Cummings said.

Were going to look at all theopportunities and see whats bestfor our business plan and for thecommunity.

Cummings said the idea ofleasing commercial space insidethe Roma building to the townwas one of several alternativesfloated at a March meeting with

Mayor Dave Fried, Roma CEOPeter Inverso, Township Attor-ney Mark Roselli and others.

That was one of the options;we would certainly give them avery favorable rent, Cummingssaid. The bank may also be able tosell the nearby property, whereRomas now-scuttled commercial

please see INVESTORS, page 12

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Interfaith Views . . . . . . . 5, 15Police Blotter . . . . . . . . . . . 15Rville in the Past Lane . . . 6Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4, 10, 11

Budget maneuvers

Pay hike for mayor; surplus boosted.PAGE 2


2/16

By JOANNE DEGNAN

EditorThe Township Council carried

on its review of the draft $21.9million municipal budget at a spe-cial Monday night meeting inwhich it agreed to give the mayora $2,000 annual raise and alsomove a total $250,000 from variousbudget accounts into the munici-pal surplus.

None of these changes madeon April 8 affect the 2-cent reduc-tion in the municipal tax rate that

residents have been promised for2013. The proposed tax cut worksout to an annual savings of about$76 in municipal taxes for a houseassessed at the township averageof $381,000.

Council members said the 2013budget would be officially intro-duced three days later at the regu-lar meeting set for April 11, afterThe Robbinsville Sun had gone to

press.During the April 8 budget dis-

cussion, the council unanimouslyapproved motions to cut $220,000from the reserve for uncollectedtaxes; $5,000 from the tax asses-sors account; $10,000 from thelegal account; $5,000 from the firedepartments vehicle mainte-nance account; and $10,000 fromthe fuel account for township ve-hicles.

The spending cuts, however, donot spell additional tax relief be-yond the original $76.

Were putting it into the sur-plus, Council President Ron Wittsaid. The rainy day fund was thegoal.

Councilman David Boyne saidafterward he believed the munici-pal surplus was too low in the ad-ministrations original plan,which is why he and Witt hadpushed to reduce some spendingaccounts and move the funds into

the surplus. Boyne declined to sayon April 9 what the original sur-plus projection had been becausethe budget is not a public docu-ment until it is introduced. Hewould only say $250,000 more wasneeded in the surplus to ensuretax stability in 2014.

In another change agreed to onApril 8, the council approved amotion to remove $5,000 from thegeneral administration salaryand wages account for employeesin the mayors office and add$5,000 to the salary and wage ac-

count in the municipal clerks of-fice. That motion was approved 4-1, with Councilwoman ShereeMcGowan voting no.

The decision to increase themayors salary to $12,319.82 a year(by reducing a postage lineitem by $2,000) was made at thevery end of the council meeting,when Councilwoman Chris Ciac-cio broached the topic, prompting

the mayor to leave the room.Ciaccio said that although the

position of mayor is deemed apart-time job with a part-timesalary, its really not a part-time

job. She said the mayor is in-creasingly called away from hisown job to attend meetings andpublic events related to townshipbusiness. Fried is the CEO of Tri-core, a Robbinsville-based payrollcost management services com-pany.

There are retired people intown that also might be interested

in running for mayor in the fu-ture if the part-time salary washigher, Ciaccio said.

We looked at other placesaround and the mayor of WestWindsor makes $18,000, Ciacciosaid, noting West Windsor has thesame form of government thatRobbinsville does. (Ciaccio wasrounding the salary figure; theWest Windsor mayor earns$17,685 annually and the WestWindsor council members earn$4,941 each, according to thetownship clerk.)

In 2012, the Frieds salary wasraised to $10,117, but the councilwas apparently basing the pro-posed $2,000 increase on what themayors salary would be in 2013 ifa 2 percent salary increase isgranted ($10,319.82) in order toreach the new $12,319.82 figure.The motion to amend the draft2013 budget to reflect a pay raisefor the mayor passed unanimous-ly.

No motion was made with re-gard to council salaries, whichare set at $4,870.48 under the 2012salary ordinance and would rise

to $4,967.89 if a 2 percent raise isgiven in 2013.

There was no public commenton the salary issue; the only peo-ple who attended the meetingwere two newspaper reportersand township officials.

Tweaks to the 2013 draft spend-ing plan have been an ongoingprocess since the mayor first pre-sented binders to the council twomonths ago. At the April 4 coun-cil meeting, the governing bodyagreed to Police Chief MartyMasseronis request to add

$10,000 to the Police Departmentsbudget to cover additional over-time costs due to current staffshortages. The council alsoagreed to add $5,000 to the lineitem for police uniforms andequipment to cover the cost ofoutfitting and arming three offi-cers expected to be hired laterthis year.

The money to cover theseadded police expenditures wastaken from the surplus and doesnot affect the proposed 2013 taxrate of 52.2 cents per $100 in as-sessed value. If approved, a homeassessed at $381,000 would pay$1,989 in municipal taxes a year, asavings of $76 from 2012.

The municipal local purposestax is one of the smallest compo-nents of a residents total proper-ty tax bill, which also includescounty, school, open space and li-brary taxes that are collected bythe township and distributed tothose taxing entities. The total

2012 tax rate was $2.665 per $100 inassessed valuation, or $10,260 ayear using last years averagehome value of $385,000.

2 THE ROBBINSVILLE SUN APRIL 17-23, 2013

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By JUSTIN FEILSpecial to The Robbinsville Sun

The Robbinsville High Schoolgirls lacrosse team is looking for-ward to more chances to showhow good they are this year.

The Ravens 2-13 record a yearago didnt reflect their abilities.They lined up twice against eachteam in their division that includ-ed Allentown, Hopewell Valley,Princeton, West Windsor-Plains-boro North and WW-P South.

I cant tell you how many offi-

cials and coaches from otherteams said youre the best 2-10team weve ever seen, saidRavens head coach Jan Pittas.We just couldnt finish. Werestill working on that. That wasour downfall last year.

With a restructuring of theschedule that now has them play-ing every Colonial Valley Confer-ence team from both divisions

once, the Ravens are looking for-ward to their improved opportu-nities. Last year, they had to waituntil the Mercer County Tourna-ment when they thumped an 8-3Hamilton team in the first round.

We were definitely challengedand it made us stronger, Pittassaid. When we are facing theteams in that lower division, weare dominating that play. Itsgiven the girls those wins, whichare a great motivator.

The Ravens have already wonone of their first two games. After

starting slow in an opening-sea-son 14-8 loss to Hopewell Valley,Robbinsville chalked up a 16-3win over Ewing on April 4 to im-prove to 1-1.

Emily Kratz scored five goalsand had two assists. Jill Fascendaand Emily Martin each had threegoals apiece in the win. In the lossto Hopewell, six different playersscored goals. Fascenda and Mar-

tin each had a pair, while Kratz,Erin Pittas, Lauren Schmid andKate Tizzano had one goal apiece.

I think our talent is definitelyspread throughout the teammore, Coach Pittas said April 8.Theres not that one real wowplayer. They just all work togeth-er and thats what our concentra-tion has been on through presea-son and the beginning of the sea-son to work as a unit and helpeach other out. Our first couplegames, our scoring is totallyspread out.

The Ravens team includes: sen-iors Fascenda, Pittas, Schmid,Claire Speranza and ShannonTully; juniors Lara Cauwels,Kratz, Jackie Levering, Martin,Paige Motusesky, Emily Risoldi,Brianna Santoro, CourtneyStahlbrand, Cate Tizzano andChristie Tully; and, freshmenJess Allen and Courtney Allen.

I just want to continue to be

competitive, Coach Pittas said.We started out with Hopewell.Our next four or five games areteams we havent seen becausetheyre from the other division.

The Ravens have some solidveterans around which they canbuild their team. Martin hasstarted since she was a freshmanand brings a lot of skill to the of-fense. She is a captain along witha trio of seniors Tully, Schmidand Pittas, who is the coachsdaughter. Their junior class isalso large.

We have really good leader-ship, Coach Pittas said. Thisyear, we have some nice seniorsthat are very encouraging andmotivating and inspirational.

Pittas has seen steady progressin her team week by week. Theemphasis has been on playingfrom start to finish. Pittas has re-inforced the focus that the Ravensneed as they go from conditioning

drills to stickwork and strategy inpractices.

Weve been fortunate thisyear, Pittas said. Weve had anice long preseason and had a lotof practice time. We had fivescrimmages. We had a lot of timeto slowly work on things.

The lessons have continued ingames, even as they are playingwell. One such moment came inthe win over Ewing.

Its a lot of verbal encourage-ment, Pittas said. They cameout in first half and came out OK

and then got sloppy with ourpassing. I called time out, and toldthem, this is our teaching mo-ment and we need to clean thisup. I try to take the moments andrecognize and point them out tothem and talk them through it.

And as the Ravens progressfurther, they expect a better yearthat even their record shouldshow.

Girls lax looking to improved opportunities


5/16

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interfaith views

By KEVIN HOLTLifetree Community Pastor

I like the winter and some ofthe things that go along with it the first snowfall, the beloved hol-idays, and curling up next to thefireplace with a cup of Joe. Theseare a few of my favorite things.However, there are those not sopleasant details of the winter sea-

son: the exorbitant heating bills,the solid ice on your windshieldin the morning, the freezinghands and feet, the achy joints,and so on.

This winter has dragged onworse than any that I can remem-ber in the recent past. But alas,we recently began to feel the sun-shine and balmy temps that wevebeen yearning for. Just last week,

after such a long, cold, and de-pressing winter, we finally startedto experience spring and all itsglory and it was amazing! Whata difference a season makes!

In life, we go through seasonsthat are extremely tough - badhealth, rough relationships, fi-nancial burdens, dead-end jobs,etc.

Sometimes we feel like it will

never end!My family and I recently

moved to Robbinsville, but wecame through an extremely toughseason to get here!

Years ago we felt a strong call-ing that we needed to transitionout of our comfortable and estab-lished life where we were, to cometo Robbinsville and be a part ofLifetree. It took almost three

years of attempting to sell ourhouse, excessive commuting,tight finances, saying goodbye toso many good friends, etc. Wewere stretched like weve neverbeen before!

Im happy to say that we perse-vered through that season withGods help, and with support fromour family and great friends atLifetree.

Maybe youre in a tough seasonright now and it seems like thereis no hope. Dont give up! A newseason is on the way! If you dontalready regularly attend a churchin the area, you are welcome to

join us Sundays at Lifetree at 10a.m. and well share the good andthe bad seasons together! Log onto www.lifetreecc.com for moreinfo.

The Community ChristianChoir celebrates its 37th seasonwith spirit-filled concerts entitledWe Can Change the World,opening at the Seventh Day Ad-ventist Church, 2290 Route 33,Robbinsville, on Sunday, April 28.

There are two choir perform-ances at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.

A blend of various styles ofChristian music, the songs are

sure to touch the hearts of thosein attendance. This powerful mes-sage of Gods love and graceshows that, through Him, WeCan Change the World.

The Community ChristianChoir is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organ-ization with ecumenical chil-drens and adult choirs, com-prised of vocalists from dozens ofcentral New Jersey churches.

All concerts are free to the pub-lic with collection of a free-will of-fering that is donated to a desig-nated charity. To date, the choirhas raised and donated over$176,350.00 to numerous localcharities, including Meals OnWheels, Sunshine Foundation,Urban Promise, and AnchorHouse. The concert series contin-ues at on Sunday, May 5 with a 6

p.m. performance at AldergateMethodist Church, 568 RydersLane, East Brunswick. The finalperformance is at 7:30 p.m., Fri-day, May 10, at Princeton Commu-nity Church, 2300 PenningtonRoad, Pennington.

For more information go towww.ccchoir.com, [email protected] or call thechoir director at (609) 587-7076.

Tough seasons

Community Christian

Choir concert set


6/16

rville in the past lane


P.O. Box 7

Windsor, NJ 08561-0007

609-529-6611

The Robbinsville Sun is published weekly byThe Robbinsville Sun, P.O. Box 7, Windsor,NJ 08561-0007 and mailed to every addressin our community. If you are a Robbinsvilleresident, but not currently receiving a copyof The Robbinsville Sun, please contact us at

609-529-6611.

PDFs of the newspaper are free and av ailableonline at www.robbinsvillesun.com. Non-residents may obtain a six-month subscrip-tion of the newspaper mailed to their homeor business for $39.99. For more informa-tion about delivery, call 609-529-6611.

Email news releases, photos and calendaritems to [email protected] submitted for publication considera-tion should be high-resolution JPG format.

Calendar items must include the name of theevent, date, time, full street address, admis-sion fee (if applicable) and a contact email orphone number for further information.

For advertising information with TheRobbinsville Sun, call (609) 529-6611 oremail [email protected].

The Robbinsville Sun welcomes suggestionsand comments from readers including anyinformation about errors that may call for acorrection to be printed.

SPEAK UPThe Robbinsville Sun welcomes letters fromreaders. Brief and to the point is best, so welook for letters that are 300 words or fewer.Include your name, address and phonenumber. Phone numbers are for verificationpurposes only and will not be printed.

We do not print anonymous letters. Emailletters to [email protected] ormail to P.O. Box 7, Windsor, NJ 08561-0007.

The Robbinsville Sun reserves the right toreprint your letter in any medium includ-ing electronically.

PUBLISHER Dave Doran

EDITOR Joanne DegnanThe name gameBy CATHY ZAHNBefore we became Robbinsville in 2008,and before we became Washington Town-ship in 1859, we were, in 1741, part of amuch larger township called Windsor. Butbefore that, this community was betterknown by the names of its four distinct vil-lages surrounded by farmland: Magrilla,Newtown, Cat-tail, and Cabbagetown.What is this? You dont recognize thesenames? Well, read on

A few years ago, while working on aschool project with Hunter Research, a dis-covery was made that involved a largeboundary map created in 1768 eight yearsbefore the American Revolution! This re-markable 1768 map, which can be viewed atthe NJ State Archives, is over five feet longand shows the boundary between whatwas then Middlesex and Monmouth coun-ties. Near the compass rose, WindsorTownship was clearly labeled, as well asthe Cat-tail Creek and the Assunpink.Today this section of the map would bewhere Old York Road runs along the east-

ern border of our township.By 1797, Windsor Township had been di-

vided into East Windsor and West Windsor.(The 20-square-mile area we know today asRobbinsville Township was within EastWindsor).

In 1828, A Gazetteer of the State of NewJersey a book that listed the counties,towns, villages and railroads in New Jer-sey referred to the Sharon and New Can-ton areas of our community near Old YorkRoad as the hamlets of Cat-tail and Cab-bagetown.

What is humorous about the two loca-tions is the description of their distancefrom Trenton and Freehold. The two vil-lages are about two miles from each other,yet the Gazetteer (which admits in its pref-ace that distances of places to each otherare specially subject to misstatement)lists Cat-tail as 16 miles from Freehold and28 miles from Trenton. Cabbagetown, theGazetteer said, was 17 miles from Freeholdand 12 from Trenton. The actual distance,according to Google Maps, is 14 miles fromTrenton and 20 from Freehold. (You canread the 1828 Gazetteer in the NJ State Li-

brary; the 1834 edition can be viewed on-line by going to Google Books searching forNJ Gazetteer 1834).

The villages of Sharon (Cat-tail) andCanton (Cabbagetown) that straddled Mer-cer and Monmouth counties were very

prosperous. Sharon could claim a hatmaker, tannery, shoemaker, and a cider and

whiskey distillery; Canton had a wheel-wright, smith, and joiner. But that wasntSharon and Cantons only claim to fame. Inthe time prior to 1768, a famous runawayfrom Massachusetts traversed this roadand kept a diary of his journey on his wayto Philadelphia. That runaway was noneother than Ben Franklin.

The area where our historic Village ofWindsor is now located was once calledMagrilla before it became Centerville in1818. Centerville changed its name toWindsor in 1846 so it could get its own postoffice and avoid confusion with the Center-

ville in Hunterdon County.Centerville/Windsor was home to theHammell family. The Hammells owned theland around Windsor prior to 1800. A de-scendant once told me that her familyfarm was more like the size of a south-

ern plantation.Newtown, which later changed its name

to Robbinsville to get its own post office in1850, was also known as Hungry Hill. Thereason for this curious moniker comesfrom the time of the railroads. Accordingto Henry Beck, who authored a 1959 an-niversary booklet for the township, Hun-gry Hill got its name because it was an ele-vated area of the town where no food fortravelers could be found. Later, ErniesTavern was built in this area in 1859 and itis still in business today on Main Streetnear the old railroad line.

So the next time you travel through ourtown see if you can find these four small

villages and image a time when life wasnot so hectic.

Cathy Zahn is a genealogy expert and third-grade teacher at Sharon Elementary School.She can be reached at [email protected].

Special to The Robbinsville Sun

A photo of a torn piece a 1768 map showing the location of then-Windsor Township,which was later divided into East Windsor and West Windsor in 1797. The 20-square-mile area we know today as Robbinsville was once part of Windsor Township and thenEast Windsor Township.


7/16

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convey the message about your business and your upcoming events!!

HELLORobbinsville

How To Contact Us CALL US 609-529-6611 or EMAIL US [email protected]


8/16

SATURDAYAPR. 20All-You-Can-Eat Country Break-fast: 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., WindsorUnited Methodist Church, 51 ChurchSt., off Route 130 South in the his-

toric Village of Windsor. All are wel-come. Cost $6 for adults includespancakes (plain, wheat or with freshor frozen New Jersey blueberries),eggs toast, French toast, sausage,juice and tea or coffee. Childrenunder 12 are free. For more info, call609-448-0412.

Ravens Varsity Co-Ed VarsityTrack (Mercer County TournamentRelays): 9 a.m., Robbinsville HighSchool, 155 Robbinsville-EdinburgRoad. Game is subject to change.Check online at http://www.usato-

dayhss.com.Library Gently Used Book Sale:9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Robbinsvillebranch of the Mercer CountyLibrary System, 42 Robbinsville-Allentown Road. Find great bargainson books donated for this fundrais-er, which is sponsored by the Rob-binsville Library Advisory Commit-tee. For more information, call 259-2150.

Juried Handcrafted Craft Fair Fea-turing Regional Artisans: 10 a.m. to3 p.m., Robbinsville High School, 155Robbinsville-Edinburg Road. Thereis no admission charge for thisevent, sponsored by the drama andinstrumental music booster clubs.Bring a toiletry item for the Rob-binsville Food Pantry and receive afree raffle ticket. For more informa-tion, go tohttp://sites.google.com/site/100handcrafted or email the Friends of theRaven Players at FriendsoftheR-

[email protected].

Trivia Night: doors open 6:30 p.m.,games begin 7 p.m., RobbinsvilleHigh School, 155 Robbinsville-Edin-burg Road. This event is a fundraiser

for the Class of 2014s post-promcelebration. Tickets cost $15 perperson and include entrance fee forthe trivia games, five tricky tray raf-fle tickets, dessert and coffee. Par-ticipants can also bid on fabulousprizes during the evenings silentauction. For further information,[email protected].

MONDAYAPR. 22Senior Art Club: 10 a.m., SeniorCenter, 117 Route 130. Free oil or

water-based painting for seniors 60and older with all levels of expertise.Must bring your own art supplies.For more information, contact 259-1567.

TUESDAYAPR. 23Create a Snake Childrens Craft: 10a.m. to 3 p.m., Robbinsville branchof the Mercer County Library Sys-tem, 42 Robbinsville-AllentownRoad. No registration necessary.Drop in and make a craft with thematerials provided. Call 259-2150

for information.Chair Yoga Class: 10 a.m., Rob-binsville Senior Center, 117 Route130. No registration required. Freeclass under the direction of ConnieFerrara for seniors 60 and older. Forinformation, contact 259-1567.

Babytime: 10:15 a.m., Robbinsvillebranch of the Mercer CountyLibrary System, 42 Robbinsville-Allentown Road. Rhymes, songs and

simple stories for children ages 6 to24 months accompanied by anadult. Pre-registration required atwww.mcl.org or call 259-2150.

Ravens Girls Varsity Lacrosse v.

Princeton: 4 p.m., Robbinsville HighSchool. Game subject to change.Check online at http://www.usato-dayhss.com.

WEDNESDAYAPR. 24Reduce, Reuse Recycle: 10:30 a.m.to 1:30 p.m., Robbinsville branch ofthe Mercer County Library System,42 Robbinsville-Allentown Road.The Mercer County ImprovementAuthority will be at the library withits recycling mascot, Robo, to pro-mote household recycling and pro-

vide residents with tip sheets andpromotional materials. No registra-tion required. For questions, call259-2150.

THURSDAYAPR. 25Chair Yoga Class: 10 a.m., Rob-binsville Senior Center, 117 Route130. No registration required. Freeclass under the direction of ConnieFerrara for seniors 60 and older. Forinformation, contact 259-1567.

Coffee Donuts and a Movie: 1:30p.m., Robbinsville branch of the Mer-cer County Library System, 42 Rob-binsville-Allentown Road. Screeningthe 2012 Academy Award nominat-ed picture Lincoln. Pre-registeronline at www.mcl.org.

School-age Storytime: 4:30 p.m.,Robbinsville branch of the MercerCounty Library System, 42 Rob-binsville-Allentown Road. For chil-dren in kindergarten and up. Regis-tration required online at

www.mcl.org or call 259-2150.

FRIDAYAPR. 26Toddler Tunes: 10:30 a.m., Rob-binsville branch of the Mercer Coun-

ty Library System, 42 Robbinsville-Allentown Road. This music pro-gram is for children of all ages,accompanied by an adult. Onlineregistration required atwww.mcl.org beginning April 12. Forquestions, call 259-2150.

Ravens Boys Varsity Baseball v.Hopewell Valley: 4 p.m., Rob-binsville High School. Game subjectto change. Check online athttp://www.usatodayhss.com.

Ravens Girls Varsity Softball v.Hopewell Valley: 4 p.m., Rob-

binsville High School. Game subjectto change. Check online athttp://www.usatodayhss.com.

Robbinsville Little League OpeningNight Ceremonies: 5:30 p.m., Tan-tum Park, Meadowbrook Road.www.robbinsvillelittleleague.org.

SATURDAYAPR. 27Ravens Boys Varsity Lacrosse v.Delaware Valley Regional: timeTBA, Robbinsville High School, 155Robbinsville-Edinburg Road. Game

subject to change. Check online athttp://www.usatodayhss.com.

Medicine Disposal Day: 10 a.m. to 2p.m., Robbinsville Police Headquar-ters, 1117 Route 130 North. Residentsare encouraged to dispose of theirunused, unwanted medicines safelyat this Operation Take Back NJevent sponsored in conjunction withthe township police and the Rob-binsville Municipal Alliance for thePrevention of Substance Abuse. Forfurther information, call 918-0002ext. 100 or email rmapsa@rob-

binsville-twp.org.How to Talk to Your Child AboutHealthy Relationships: 10 a.m. to 12noon, Robbinsville branch of theMercer County Library System, 42Robbinsville-Allentown Road. A freeprogram to help you give your pre-teen and teenager the knowledgeand skills to have healthy, positivedating relationship and avoid sexualviolence. Presented by Woman-space. Registration required atwww.mcl.org or call the library at259-2150.

Family Movie Night: 7:30 p.m., thefields at Tantum Park, MeadowbrookRoad. Enjoy The Lorax (PG) on anoutdoor screen. The concessionstand will be open in this fundraiserfor Robbinsville Little League. For

more information, visit the recre-ation links on the township websiteat www.robbinsville-twp.org.

FRIDAYAPR. 28We Can Change the World, a spir-it-filled concert presented by theecumenical Community ChristianChoir, at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. at theSeventh Day Church, 2290 Route33. Concert is free to the public witha free-will offering donated to desig-nated charities. For more info, go towww.ccchoir.com or call 609-587-7076.

MONDAYAPR. 29Senior Art Club: 10 a.m., SeniorCenter, 117 Route 130. Free oil or

water-based painting for seniors 60and older with all levels of expertise.Must bring your own art supplies.For more information, contact 259-1567.

Ravens Boys Varsity Baseball v.Allentown: 4 p.m., Robbinsville HighSchool, 155 Robbinsville-EdinburgRoad. Game subject to change.Check online at http://www.usato-dayhss.com.

TUESDAYAPR. 30Create a Rainbow Childrens Craft:10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Robbinsvillebranch of the Mercer CountyLibrary System, 42 Robbinsville-Allentown Road. No registrationnecessary. Drop in and make a craftwith the materials provided. Call259-2150 for information.

Babytime: 10:15 a.m., Robbinsvillebranch of the Mercer CountyLibrary System, 42 Robbinsville-Allentown Road. Rhymes, songs andsimple stories for children ages 6 to24 months accompanied by anadult. Pre-registration required atwww.mcl.org or call 259-2150.

Ravens Boys Varsity Lacrosse v.New Egypt: 4 p.m., RobbinsvilleHigh School, 155 Robbinsville-Edin-burg Road. Game subject to change.Check online at http://www.usato-dayhss.com.

Robbinsville Little League Night atthe Trenton Thunder: 7:05 p.m.,Waterfront Park, Trenton. (TrentonThunder, AA affiliate of the NewYork Yankees vs. New HampshireFisher Cats, AA affiliate of the

Toronto Blue Jays). Tickets cost $10each. Email [email protected].

CALENDARPAGE 8 APRIL 17-23, 2013

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9/16


RHS Varsity Baseball

Ewing 7, Rville 5

Ewings Paul Sparano finished3 for 4 and also picked up the winas the Blue Devils defeated theRavens 7-5 in Robbinsville onApril 5. The Ravens had eighthits, but left 12 runners on base.Stephen Dranoff went 2-for-3 withtwo RBIs for Robbinsville. Ravensstarting pitcher AnthonyDiChiara gave up six runs andwas tagged with the loss. Mike

Salvatore picked up the save forEwing.Pitcher Mike Glazewski held

the Ravens to one hit and struckout five in Hamilton Wests 7-4 de-feat of Robbinsville at home onApril 8. Robbinsville pitcherSteve Krebs worked five inningsand was tagged with the loss. Rob-binsvilles record fell to 2-2 for theseason.

RHS Varsity Softball

Rville 5, Ewing 2

Pitcher Lauren Fischer went 2for 2 with an out of the park homerun, and also picked up the win inthe Ravens 5-2 defeat of Ewing on

April 5. Fischer struck out ninebatters, gave up four hits and no

earned runs during her five in-nings on the mound for Rob-binsville. Raven batters collec-tively had 13 hits, with RebeccaFreeman, Hannah Olshevski, andMegan Hevey all going 2 for 3.Ewing pitcher Killian Kueny wastagged with the loss. Fischerreached a hitting milestone onApril 5 when she picked up her100th career hit for the Ravens.

RHS Girls

Track and FieldRville 81, Nottingham 58

Noel Jancewicz won 3 events(high jump, shot put, javelin) andset a new school record in theshot put on April 3 when the girlstrack team beat Nottingham 81-58.

Also winning events wereKatie Koss (100 m), Kelly Koss(200 m), Emily Langsdorf (100 mhurdles), Julia Borowski (3200 m),

Nicole Joseph (pole vault), andAndin Fosam (discus).

The girls team was among the200-plus teams competing in theHall of Fame Relays on April 6 atMaple Shade High School April

6th at Maple Shade HS.First-place relay medals includ-

ed: 4x1600 Meter Relay (HannahBinder, Lauren Piccione, MaggieOToole, Alexis Stringfellow); Dis-tance Medley Relay (Paris Hugh-es, Katie Koss, Erin Holzbaur,Julia Borowski); Shuttle HurdleRelay (Noel Jancewicz, EmilyLangsdorf, Julia Fahey, AllisonWhitty); 4x400 Meter Relay (ParisHughes, Kelly Koss, Emily Langs-dorf, Noel Jancewicz); andJavelin Relay (Noel Jancewicz,Kristen Kowalski).

RHS Boys Varsity GolfRville 204 (W),

Hamilton West 263 (L)

The Ravens set a school recordby shooting a 204 at Mercer OaksEast course in their win overHamilton High School on April 4.Ambrose Abbracciamento set theindividual RHS school record fora low round of 33, which was 3under the 36 par.

The victory improves the RHSgolf teams record to 2-1. Theteam lost to West Windsor-Plains-boro on April 2 (WWP 210, Ravens229) and won against Hightstownon April 3 (Ravens 233, Rams 241).

Ravens nest

SIRENA AGUIAR/Special to The Robbinsville Sun

Senior Lauren Fischer picked up her 100th career hit for the Robbinsville softball team in the April 5game against Ewing High School, which the Ravens won 5-2. MULCH

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10/16


Gymnast claims statetitle for a third year

Robbinsville resident Harriette

Murtland, a gymnast at ArenaGymnastics, won the title of NewJersey All-round State Championfor Level 7, age 12 Juniors at the2013 Gymnastics Level 7 NJ StateChampionship held April 6.

After a horrific fall on beam inher first event, with sheer deter-mination and focus, Murtlandwent on to grab the title of NJState Champion on bars, beamand floor with scores of 9.725 onvault, 9.775 on bars and 9.775 on

floor and an all round score of37.875.In all, 35 athletes qualified for

the NJ State Championships inthis age category.

This is the third year Murtlandhas clinched the title of all roundNJ state champion having wonboth level 5 and 6.

Girls U9 International SoccerRobbinsville Comets 3,

Audubon Storm 1The undefeated Robbinsville

Comets defeated the AudubonStorm 3-1 on April 6 improvingtheir record to 4-0. The Cometscame out strong taking it to theiropponents and jumping to a 3-0lead. Brittain Ruscito took advan-tage of nice passes from DelaniePerrine to tally all three Cometsgoals with a couple of long rangemissiles. Audubon scored its onegoal on a penalty kick late in thefirst half.

The Comets used a strong de-

fense led by Kailey Pacifico, CaraAlban and Nicole Weaver to shut-down the Storm in the secondhalf. Caroline Coggins and BeckyBlitz were strong in goal in secur-ing the victory.

Youth Lacrosse8th Grade Boys

Rville 9, Lawrence 2Rville 9 vs. Medford Lakes 0Rville 10 vs. Medford Lakes 0

Robbinsville Lacrosse Associa-tion (RLA) opened its 2013 season

April 6-7 with great success. Allfour boys teams and both girlsteams were victorious on April 6over Lawrence and Jackson, re-spectively. That same eveningmore than 200 RLA parents andplayers attended thePrinceton/Syracuse lacrossegame at Princeton Stadiumwhere RLA was asked to be ballboys for the college game. OnApril 7, Robbinsville hosted bothNorth Brunswick and MedfordLakes. The 3rd/4th grade, 7thgrade, and 8th grade boys teamsall ended the day undefeatedwhile our 5th/6th grade teamsbattled to closely contested de-feats.

Point leaders (goals and as-sists) for the 8th-grade boys withfive points each were: Matt Car-lin, Anthony Del Grotti, and CoryKale; as well as Matt Seller, Bran-don Sankey and Taylor Twamleywith 4 points.

The following players provided

great defense: Jon Bendorf,Michael Cardona, MichaelONeill, Michael Cocciolillo andAaron Smilow. Long Stick Middie(LSM) Joe Gaynor and goalie ColeMontplaisir were the recipe for a

potent defense, which only al-lowed two goals all weekend. Twoother noteworthy performanceswere delivered by Brian Wojton,

sucking up nine ground balls andIan Winn notching two importantgoals against Lawrence.

7th Grade Boys LacrosseRville 10, Lawrence 6

Rville 5, Medford Lakes 4Rville 7, North Brunswick 3

Goal leaders for Week 1, April6-7 were: Jake Veres, 7; Dom Ro-driguez, 5; Dylan Scholl, 3; TylerMakkay and Colin ONeill, 2 each.Scoring one goal each were: Nick

Mann, Jack Shea, and JaredMiller. Other notables: MidfielderZachery Young was a beast onground balls and face-offs. Defen-sive stoppers Chris Heller, ColeNeely and Patrick Holzbaurstuffed the opposition all day. Theweekend highlight was a furiouscomeback in the game againstMedford when the boys weredown 4-1 heading into the lastquarter. Midfielders Jake Veres,Jack Lipschutz and Paul Murraydominated play. Veres scored

three goals in a matter of minutesto tie the score. Overtime! Mid-fielder Tyler Makkay took mat-ters into his own hands andscored the game winning over-time goal.

Little League BaseballMajor League (ages 10-12)

Royals 9, Pirates 5The Royals (Allied Vision Serv-

ices) defeated the Pirates(Delaware Valley PackagingGroup) 9-5 in Major League ac-tion on April 4. Joe Consiglio wasthe winning pitcher followed byDylan Harris and Shay Mc-Gowan. Joe Consiglio also led theoffense with 2 hits. Matt Barnaand Matt Hegel started the 7-runthird inning with base hits.Danny Griffin, MacGuire Tuffy,Luke Franzoni, Matthew Cooperand Ryan Kanner each had basehits for the Pirates.

Nationals 23, Sunnybrae 7In Major League action on

April 8, Kyle Rosica of the Na-tionals (Kona Ice) went 3-3 with atwo doubles, Tyler Lehmannwent 3-4 with a double and a

robbinsville youth sports scene

please see SPORTS, page 11


Robbinsville resident Harriette Murtland has won the title of 2013New Jersey All-Round State Champion Level 7, age 12 Juniors.


11/16


triple, Chris Conti went 3-3 with ahome run, Ryan Katzback went 4-4 and Anthony Rossi was 2-3.Pitcher Jack Grembowitz did anice job throwing strikes.

AAA Division (ages 9-11)Phillies 4, Braves 2

The Phillies (DeLorenzosTomato Pies) topped the Braves(MarketingScoop.com) 4-2 in RLLAAA action April 6. Aiden

Bechamps led the way for thePhils. Bechamps tossed threeshutout innings to earn the winand capped a three-run rally inthe third with a two-out, two-rundouble. Lorenzo Amico walked tostart the third, then stole secondand third and scored on a fielderschoice grounder by Brett Fried.Bechamps big blast scored Friedand Ryan Smith (walk). DanielSonnenfeld stroked an RBI singleto put the Phils up 1-0 in the first.Shane Martin and Smith came on

in relief to preserve the win.For the Braves, Johnny Gal-

lagher pitched great in his seasondebut holding the Phillies to onerun. Lefties Nate Leonard andDanny Surtz kept the Braveswithin striking distance the restof the way. AJ Porter, BrandonPatterson, Chris Au and DannySurtz all had key hits for theBraves. Brandon Yoo made aspectacular catch in center fieldto lead the defense.

Cubs 8, Braves 1The AAA Cubs (Sylvan Learn-

ing Center) and Braves (Market-ingScoop.com) opened their sea-son April 2 on a very cold eveningat Tantum Park with the Cubspulling away late with 7 runs inthe fifth inning. Marcus Gonzalesand Cole Leach combined for fivestrong innings, with Brian Her-bert finishing it out on the moundfor the Cubs. Danny Surtz startedthe game for the Braves.

Cubs 5, Angels 3The Angels (A+ Athlete Sports

Medicine) and Cubs (Sylvan

Learning Center) battled it out ina Saturday afternoon contestApril 6 with the Cubs holding onfor a 5-3 victory. The Cubs jumpedout to a 2-0 lead in the bottom ofthe first with a big two-out doublefrom Kyle Madera scoring BlakeGrembowitz and Cole Leach.After the Cubs added single runsin the second, third and fourth in-nings to push the lead to 5-0, theAngels came back with 3 runs inthe top of the fifth lead by run

scoring singles from Keith Motus-esky and Pat Cettina.Tyler Provost pitched a flaw-

less sixth inning for the Cubs toearn his first save of the season.

AA Division (ages 8-9)Phillies 4, Reds 2

The Phillies (Jersey MikesSubs) defeated the Reds (FusionEmployer Services) 4-2 on a coldseason opener April 1.

Both teams posted strong pitch-ing: Brody Patterson and TylerStark for the Phillies, and Will

Bercaw and Connor Monahan forthe Reds.

Offensive leaders for thePhillies were Eric Hill and JackSlavin with two hits each, andDevin Sitah and Shaurav Ja-gadeesh, each with one hit. Forthe Reds, David Kanner had twohits; and Matt Surtz and AnsonMentzer had one.

Yankees 4, Phillies 2Strong pitching, defense and

timely hitting helped the AA Yan-kees (Tonys Farm & Garden Cen-ter) prevail in a nail-biting victo-ry April 8 against an extremelytalented and well coached Phillyteam (Jersey Mikes Subs). Thegame was filled with amazingpitching and defense by bothteams.

For the Yankees, Anthony Zil-iani, Connor Meehan, and NateOliva displayed gutty perform-ances on the mound to help se-cure the Yankees third consecu-

tive victory. Jack Bennett went 2-2 with a scorching blast that gothim his first triple of the year.

Connor Meehan also went 2-2 toset the table for the hot-hittingYankee players. Murphy O-Grady, Tyler Whitman, JustinParisi and Nate Oliva each hadcritical timely hits in the game tohelp keep the Yankees undefeatedfor the season.

Yankees 11, Devil Rays 0The AA Yankees strong pitch-

ing, defense and hitting resultedin an 11-0 win on April 6 against astrong Devil Rays team (SG Heat-

ing & Air Conditioning).Nate Oliva, Connor Meehanand Tyler Whitman combined topitch a one-hitter and a shutout.The Yankee offense pounded out16 hits including an RBI doubleby Anthony Ziliani. Nate Oliva,Connor Meehan, Tyler Whitman,Hunter Lantz, and Jimmy ThePaisan Yanucil pounded out twohits apiece. Nolan OGrady, Mur-

phy OGrady, Justin Parisi, John-ny Pancari, and Ryan Yuncza alsoadded a hit apiece to help bring

home the victory and take theYankee team to a hot 2-0 start.

Yankees 5, Orioles 3The AA Yankeess tough de-

fense, strong pitching, and timelyhitting resulted in a season open-ing 5-3 victory over a tough Ori-oles team (Brace Place Orthodon-tics) on April 5. Strong pitchingperformances from Anthony Zil-iani, Connor Meehan, Nate Olivaand Jack Bennett helped keep astrong hitting Orioles team at bay

and brought home a win. NateOliva, Connor Meehan, and JackBennett pounded out two hitsapiece. Anthony Ziliani, TylerWhitman, and Jimmy Yanucileach had RBI singles to secure thevictory.

Rookie League (ages 6-7)Robbinsville Cleaners vs.Efinger All Season Sports

In their first game against a

tough Efinger team, the Rob-binsville Cleaners squad dustedoff the winter rust and posted

fine outfield plays by ChristopherBurton, Brendyn Porter andChris Naperkoski.

Some strong plate appearancescame from Reese Caldwell, EnzoImmordino, Liam Wallace andConor Doran. Several boys ingreen deftly moved around thebases including, Luke Hanuscin,Anthony Viscido, Evan Bunnelland a pair of Jacks - Newmanand Miller.

Patrick Kapp of the Efinger

team, had five solid hits in theoutfield with three of them beingdoubles. He made three greatplays at the pitcher mound.

This was also Efingers firstgame of the season and ChristianDeane had three solid hits, in-cluding one double and he madefour outstanding plays at secondbase.

Robbinsville Youth Sports SceneSPORTS

Continued from page 10

Send us your Robbinsville sports news

The Sun invites all youth sports leagues to contribute news [email protected]. Submission deadline is Tuesdayfor publication in the following weeks newspaper.


12/16


building project had begun, to an-other developer so that the town-ship will still have the opportuni-ty to purchase condominiumspace for its offices, he said.

Were working on a letter withdifferent aspects of different pro-posals to the mayor, Cummingssaid.

Weve also spoken to three dif-ferent developers to sell the land

to, but I cant get into too much ofthe details. Weve been workingwith a commercial real estateconsulting firm to help us put theproposals together and we hope toget it out to (the mayor) as quicklyas possible.

Cummings said the Roma con-struction project was cancelledbecause developing real estatewas not part of Investors busi-

ness model.Its just not our area of expert-

ise; we build (bank) branches,

Cummings said. But like I told(township officials) at the meet-ing, were here because we wantto be part of the solution.

Mayor Fried, interviewed sepa-rately on April 8, expressed frus-tration that the bank still has notfleshed out the specifics of thesepossible solutions. Fried said In-vestors told the town on March 18it would come back with alterna-tives in three weeks, but has yetto do so.

They contacted Roselli andsaid theyd need more time,Fried said. To date we dont haveanything and until I have some-thing signed, sealed and deliveredin writing, its difficult for me torespond to anything.

Fried also indicated he wascool toward any proposal from In-vestors that involves renting mu-nicipal office space, rather than

owning it.Its in the towns long-term in-

terest to own, rather than rent,

Fried said. Once we pay thebond off we own it, rather thanrenting it forever.

The township now leases 8,000square feet of office space insidethe Sharbell building at 1 Wash-ington Blvd. under a lease that ex-pires next year.

It passed a $3 million bond or-dinance last year to purchase thetop floor of the new Roma build-ing, which broke ground in Octo-ber amid much fanfare, but the

final contracts were never signedand no money was exchanged be-fore the Roma-Investors mergerannouncement occurred in De-cember.

Roma wanted to do this devel-opment, but I said look, we donthave the expertise to work incommercial real estate on a specoffice building in Robbinsville,Cummings said.

Investors, however, will contin-ue Romas tradition of corporatecommunity service, as it has al-

ready done in other communitieswhere it has acquired smallerbanks, Cummings said. He notedInvestors has made a $1 millioncommitment to the Roma BankCommunity Foundation, whichmany local community groupsand charities rely on for grants.Investors has also pledged$250,000 to fund community activ-ities that had been supported byRomas subsidiary RomAsiaBank, he said.

There are things we can do ina community, to partner withthem, Cummings said. ThePaper Mill Playhouse was on theverge of bankruptcy in 2007. Wemet with the mayor of Millburnand were able to structure atransaction between a not-for-profit that was going out of thebusiness and a municipality thathad an interest in keeping thenot-for-profit in business becauseof the economic impact on therestaurants and retail in town.

We made a $3.5 million bridgeloan on a handshake with themayor in order to give (PaperMill) funds to ride out the stormwhile the township made a deci-sion to float a bond and buy thereal estate from the Paper Milland lease it back to them for $1 ayear, Cummings said.

After Investors bought Bloom-field-based American Bank ofNew Jersey in 2009, it received acorporate citizen of the yearaward from the Bloomfield mayorin recognition of its financialsupport of nonprofits in the com-munity, Cummings said. Thesecommitments included a $50,000donation to the Bloomfield Edu-cation Foundation and continuedfunding for the annual Fourth ofJuly marathon that AmericanBank had previously sponsored,he said.

More recently, Investors pro-vided the Union County Econom-ic Development Authority with a

$500,000 Hurricane Sandy reliefgrant so that it could make low-in-terest loans to storm victims.

Cummings also took issue withthe criticism that Investors hasreceived over the pending layoffs

of 57 people now working at Rob-binsville headquarters, which hesays overlooks the fact that In-vestors is retaining more than 80percent of Roma employeesstatewide.

If you look at the 57 employ-ees, 40 of those employees de-clined to be interviewed and did-nt want to make the trip up toShort Hills or to Woodbridgewhere our operations center is,Cummings said.

Most of the people in thebranches and in the mortgagecompany that Roma had weregoing to keep and give them agreat opportunity to work for alarger bank.

Fried, still stung by the col-lapse of the Roma building proj-ect that he thought was going toprovide a long-term solution to

the townships municipal spaceneeds, remains unconvinced.

They keep telling us this willbe good for the community, but Ikeep waiting for the good part,Fried said on April 8.

Investors pledges to be part of the solutionINVESTORSContinued from page 1


Kevin Cummings, president andCEO of Investors Bank, which ispurchasing Robbinsville-based

Roma Bank in a merger that isexpected to be finalized nextmonth.

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13/16


By JOANNE DEGNANEditor

Mayor Dave Fried maintainshes not made a final decision onwhether to run for a third term inNovember, but supporters whopaid $150 a ticket to attend a re-cent political fundraiser in hishonor apparently have littledoubt about it.

The event, called a A Taste ofRobbinsville, which took placeinside Felice Pasquale Fine Jew-elry in Town Center on April 5,was billed as an evening of fash-

ion, sparkle and beauty that alsoprovided Town Center businesseswith a chance to showcase theirfood, products and services.

Models, whose hair and make-up were done by Vcsalon, woreclothing provided by the In-Jeanous boutique and jewelsfrom Felice Pasquale as they min-gled with crowd. Guests sampledfood and cocktails provided byCentro Grille, Dolce & Clemente,and DeLorenzos that were servedfrom the high-end kitchen located

inside the jewelry store, whichwas once Sharbells Lofts sales of-fice.

There was also a paparazziwall where guests could pose forpictures with the models, andswag bags with gifts from Rob-binsville businesses.

As Fried worked the room hewould only say that he was seri-ously considering running forre-election, but was not ready tomake an official announcement.

The fact that organizers hadsold out tickets for the event inthree days, however, was an en-couraging sign for his potentialcandidacy, he said.

Part of this is to gauge thesupport there is in the communi-ty, Fried said. Im grateful to allof the supporters, especially As-semblyman (Wayne) DAngeloand the four council people whohave shown their support bybeing here tonight.

Conspicuously absent from the

affair was Councilman DaveBoyne, who is also considering arun for the mayors job, but hasnot announced his decision onwhether he will be a candidate.

Robbinsville recently switched

its nonpartisan municipal elec-tions from May to November. Thefiling deadline for nonpartisan

candidates, who run without De-mocrat or Republican Party la-bels, is 4 p.m., Sept. 3.

Candidate packets and nomi-nating petitions can be obtainedfrom the municipal clerk afterMay 1.

The invitation to A Taste ofRobbinsville fundraiser listedthe events hosts as AssemblymanDeAngelo of Hamilton, D-14; Rob-binsville Township Council mem-bers Christine Ciaccio and Ron

Witt; Dave Bonanni, who ownscommercial real estate businessin Hamilton; and Chetan Shah, aphysician who has a medicalpractice in Lawrenceville. Guestswere asked to make checkspayable to the Election Fund ofDave Fried.

Mayors fundraiser showcases local business

JOANNE DEGNAN/The Robbinsville Sun

Top: Mayor Dave Fried gives an interview during an April 5 politicalfundraiser organized by his supporters at Felice Pasquale Fine Jew-elery on Route 33. Below: Vcsalon owner Angela Pantaleone (center)and her staff did the hair and makeup for the models at the event,

Olivia Rahim (left) and Christie Livoti (right).

Visit us online at www.robbinsvillesun.com


14/16


By JOANNE DEGNANEditor

The rank and file of the Rob-binsville teachers union have rat-ified a retroactive three-year con-tract that boosts salaries 5 per-cent by the time the agreementexpires June 30, 2014.

Mike Johnson, president of theWashington Township EducationAssociation, said WTEA mem-bers voted overwhelmingly toratify the deal on April 8. The

WTEA, which still uses the town-ships former name, represents

Robbinsvilles 300-plus teachers,secretaries, support staff, custodi-ans and bus drivers, who hadbeen working without a contractsince July 1, 2011.

The new contract provides 2.5percent more for salaries for the2012-2013 school year and 2.5 per-cent for the 2013-2014 year. Thereis no retroactive salary increasefor 2011, however, the WTEA willreceive a $260,000 lump sum to di-

vide among members as non-pen-sionable stipends.

The 18-month contract im-passe, which had defied the bestefforts of state-appointed media-tors, fact-finders and arbitrators,was ready to move to super-con-ciliation when an informal meet-ing between the school boards ne-gotiating team and WTEA lead-ers, without attorneys or stateunion leaders present, broke thelogjam and led to a tentative dealannounced on Jan. 22.

The Board of Education ap-proved the new WTEA contract

salary guides, which determinehow much teachers are paid atdifferent years in their careers,on March 26.

Ratification by the WTEA rankand file was the final action need-ed to seal the deal.

I am very pleased that wewere able to get this deal donewithout going to the next step,super-conciliation, Johnson saidon April 9.

Johnson said both the schoolboard and WTEA had worked

hard to resolve the impasse andlearned from the experience.

We are looking forward to ournext negotiations process with abetter relationship with theBOE, Johnson said.

Since the newly ratified con-tract expires in 16 months, negoti-ations for the next contract willprobably start either late thisyear or early next year, schoolboard officials said.

Teachers union ratifies contract

briefsReid Sound scholarshipfor theater technicians

High school seniors who planto pursue a technical theatermajor at a two- or four-year col-lege or university are eligible toapply for a $1,500 scholarship pro-

vided by Reid Sound of Rob-binsville.

Darren Sussman, owner andpresident of the company locatedon North Main Street in theWindsor section of town, startedthe scholarship program threeyears ago to recognize studentswho work behind the scenes intheater.

Student technicians choose toremain out of the spotlight,Sussman said. They put in longhours to make their friends onthe stage look and sound good.Too often they receive no recogni-tion at all. This is my way of let-ting them know they are appreci-ated.

The scholarship is open to anygraduating high school senior inNew Jersey who has been activein technical theater activities ei-ther through their school or out-side groups and intends to enrollas a technical theater major incollege. The scholarship applica-

tion can be downloaded from ReidSounds website, www.reid-sound.com.

Applicants will be evaluatedbased on their skill and dedica-tion to the art of technical theater

as demonstrated through theirexperiences, recommendationsand responses to the questions onthe scholarship application. Forthe purposes of the scholarship,valid experiences include partici-pation with sound, lighting, cos-tume or set design, stage manage-ment or running crew.

Students applying for the schol-arship must provide a resume oftechnical theater activities, an of-ficial high school transcript, andtwo letters of recommendation.All applications and supportingmaterials must be received byReid Sound no later than May 1.The winner will be notified nolater than June 15.

We are incredibly proud ofour past winners, Sussman said.Im looking forward to adding tothat list over the coming years. Itwill be great to work with themall professionally some day.

For questions about the schol-arship, call Sussman at 259-9495ext. 301 or email him [email protected].

Cutting-edge craftfair returns to RHS

The seventh annual 100 Per-cent Handcrafted Juried Arts andCrafts Fair at Robbinsville High

School on Saturday (April 20) willfeature more than 70 regional ar-tisans and opportunities for shop-pers to find rare one-of-a-kindgifts.

The fair, a fundraiser for the

high schools band and dramaprograms, includes handmadecrafts created from wood, potteryand glass, as well as jewelry,scarves, candles and much more.The event runs from 10 a.m. to 3p.m. and admission is free.

The popular fundraiser, whichusually attracts about 500 shop-

pers throughout the day, raisesmore than $4,000 a year for theRHS Ravens Players student the-ater program and the Raven Regi-ment marching band, accordingto Cindy Rosen, event chairper-son.

Shoppers come from variousstates in the area not only to shop,but also to enter our door prizegiveaway and take a chance withour crafters raffle, Rosen said.

Anyone who brings a toiletryitem to donate to the RobbinsvilleFood Pantry, will receive a freecrafters raffle ticket, Rosen said.

Also on the list of things toenjoy is our Cafe Jacque whichserves mostly homemade menuitems such as soups, chili, pulledpork sandwiches, and freshlybaked goods, Rosen said. TheRaven Players students will run aKids Corner Soda Shoppe for chil-dren to enjoy while their parentsare shopping, she said.

We also have the Raven Play-

ers hosting a Creative DramaticsWorkshop in the Black Box (thetheater room) where younger stu-dents can take the stage with thehigh school students and learnsome theater games and improvi-

sation techniques, Rosen said.The cost of the workshop is $10per student.

Two parent groups, TheFriends of the Raven Players andthe Raven Regiment BoosterClub, provide financial supportfor the extracurricular studenttheater and instrumental music

programs. The annual craft fair istheir major fundraiser and plan-ning starts a year in advance withcommittee members organizing,updating websites, compilinglists of possible vendors, recruit-ing volunteers and advertising forshoppers.

Vendor applications are votedon by several members at ourcommittee meetings, Rosen said.While we wish we could acceptall vendors, space is limited andwe are already full for this year.

For more information, contactCindy Rosen via email [email protected].

Celebrity golf outingfundraiser set

The Robbinsville-HamiltonSunrise Rotary Foundation andOld York Country Club are co-sponsoring the Irving FryarCelebrity Invitational CharityGolf Tournament on Monday,

May 13. The fundraiser, whichbenefits two local charities, willbe held at the Gary Player Signa-ture Golf Course located at 228Old York Rd, Chesterfield. Sched-uled to attend are numerous

sports stars, including formerNFL wide receiver Irving Fryar,who is also the new head footballcoach for Robbinsville HighSchool; Mike Rozier, Andre Reed,Beasley Reese, Mike Quick, Jere-miah Trotter and others.

Beneficiaries of the fundraiserare Justice for All People, a chari-

ty founded to establish and en-courage meaningful activities forour youth through exposure topositive mentors and role models,and the Trenton Area SoupKitchen (TASK).

For more information, golferregistration forms and sponsor-ship opportunities, visit rhro-tary.org or call Kathy Heptinstallat 609-540-0266.

Friends of Rachel

needs prom dressesThe Friends of Rachel at Rob-

binsville High School is sponsor-ing its annual Prom Dress Driveto help students in need whowould otherwise not be able to at-tend the prom because they can-not afford a dress.

Anyone wishing to donate for-mal dresses and accessoriesshould bring them to the Rob-binsville High Schools guidanceoffice by Friday, April 19.

The Friends of Rachel is a clubdedicated to living out the lateRachel Worths mission of start-ing a chain reaction of kindnessand compassion by reaching outto others.


15/16


By JOANNE DEGNAN

Editor

The Robbinsville Division ofFire has been awarded a $21,660federal grant that will be used tobuy a thermal imaging camerafor firefighting and rescue opera-tions, as well as other equipment,according to Robbinsville DeputyChief Daniel Schaffener.

The federal Assistance to Fire-fighters Grant (AFG), which re-quires a 5 percent ($1,140) localmatch, was part of $483,045 in fed-eral funds recently awarded toNew Jersey fire departments

under two Federal Emergency

Management Agency (FEMA)grant programs.

Thermal imaging cameras areused during search operations tolocate victims and injured fire-fighters because they help res-cuers see in a smoke-filled envi-ronment, Schaffener said.

The fire department will alsouse the grant monies for aturnout gear/fire hose dryingcabinet.

Mold and bacteria can grow ongear that isnt thoroughly driedafter a fire call, which weakensthe material. Drying cabinets spe-

cially made for turnout coats and

hoses will dry the gear morequickly in a manner consistentwith National Fire Protection As-sociation standards.

Turnout gear and fire hoseare expensive items and need tobe properly maintained in orderto remain serviceable and safe touse, Schaffener said.

Over the past decade, the Rob-binsville Division of Fire has re-ceived 13 federal grants totaling$1.17 million, including funds forstaffing, equipment, and fire pre-vention materials and equip-ment, Schaffener said.

Two of the previous grants

were for turnout gear and hose,Schaffener said. These newitems will assist us in maintain-ing and extending the life of thepreviously awarded items andlimit the burden to the taxpayersfor the purchase of the equip-ment.

On April 8, the Township Coun-cil voted to amend the mayorsdraft budget to reflect the addi-tional revenue related to thegrant.

Council members VinceCalcagno and Chris Ciaccio alsohad high praise for the fire de-

partments success in obtaining

federal grants over the years.The largest firefighting grant

the department has received todate is the two-year $700,000SAFER grant awarded in 2011that enabled the township to hirefour new firefighters.

The SAFER (Staffing for Ade-quate Fire and Emergency Re-sponse) grant, which expires atthe end of the 2013, made it possi-ble for the township to addressstaffing and safety issues, as wellas rising overtime costs, by fillingfour vacancies caused by layoffsin 2010.

Firefighters gets $21K federal grant

The following items were takenfrom reports on file with the Rob-binsville Township Police Depart-ment:

Someone removed the tires andrims from a box truck located atthe Budco business property onApplegate Drive sometime be-tween 5 p.m., March 30 and 8 a.m.,April 1.

The estimated loss was $1,400.Patrolman Shawn Bruton tookthe report.

***

A 20-year-old Gloucester Town-ship man was charged with mari-

juana possession and other of-fenses after being pulled over fordriving with an expired inspec-tion sticker at 12:39 p.m., April 3.

Patrolman Scott Kivet stoppedthe vehicle on I-195 near Exit 7and detected possible evidence ofmarijuana.

A vehicle search revealed asmall quantity of marijuana.

The driver was also chargedwith having a controlled danger-ous substance (CDS) in a motor

vehicle and having an expired in-spection sticker.

***

A 25-year-old Trenton man was

charged with marijuana posses-sion after a motor vehicle stop forspeeding at 9:18 a.m., April 4.

Patrolman Wayne Haughstopped the vehicle on Sharon

Road and detected evidence ofdrugs.

A subsequent search revealed asmall quantity of marijuana. Thedriver was additionally chargedwith CDS in a motor vehicle,speeding, careless driving andhaving illegal tinted windows.

***

A 51-year-old Robbinsville manwas charged with driving whileintoxicated (DWI) and other of-fenses after a motor vehicle stopat 2 a.m., April 6.

Patrolman Thomas Egan saw avehicle traveling on Route 33make an abrupt stop before turn-ing onto Lake Drive.

After pulling the vehicle over,the officer detected evidence ofintoxication.

The driver was asked to per-form field sobriety tests, which hefailed. The man was also chargedwith careless driving and reck-

less driving.

***

A 58-year-old Norristown, Pa.,man was charged with DWI after

being after a traffic stop at 2:38a.m., April 7.

Patrolman Thomas Egan saw avehicle unable to maintain itslane on Route 130 South and

pulled it over on Kuser Road. Dur-ing the traffic top, the officer de-tected evidence the driver was in-toxicated and asked him to per-form field sobriety tests, which hefailed. The driver was alsocharged with careless driving,reckless driving, failure to main-tain lane and improper mainte-nance of lamps.

***

Police have charged two men inconnection with the March 5 theftof the air-conditioning unit at theRobbinsville Senior Center.

One of the suspects is a 21-year-old Robbinsville resident and theother is a 21-year-old Bordentownresident. Both men were alsocharged with burglary and theftfor allegedly stealing copperwiring from a vacant residenceon the 2300 block of Route 130.

After being charged andprocessed, the Robbinsville man

was released on his own recogni-zance pending a future court date.The Bordentown man was re-manded to the Mercer CountyCorrection Center in lieu of$2,500 bail.

police reportinterfaith views


The Windsor United Methodist Church Choir, above, is looking fornew members. Come worship at the church, located at 51 ChurchStreet in the historic Village of Windsor, and join the choir prac-tice immediately after the 10 a.m. Sunday service.

Got pipes?

The Robbinsville Sun invites leaders of churches, synagogues,mosques, temples and other houses of worship serving the

Robbinsville community to share views, news, calendar items andphotos for this column. [email protected].


16/16

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