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Leader/Times: We Have Moved!

The office of The WestfieldLeader and The Times of ScotchPlains-Fanwood has relocated, ef-fective April 1, to the “Train Sta-tion Plaza” – 251 North AvenueWest, Third Floor. This is one blockfrom our current location on ElmStreet in Westfield. Our mailingaddress, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses will remain the sameas currently for the newspapers.

This relocation of the main of-fice will not impact the location ofour satellite office on Bartle Av-enue in Scotch Plains.

I believe that our new office willhelp us serve you better, and thatyou will find it to be readily acces-sible with the modern surround-ings, parking and elevator service.

Although the move is just oneblock, there are various things in-volved for us after many decades inone location,. To name a few, we’reinstalling new phone, computerand communication systems.

We do not expect any signifi-cant snags. Still, during the transi-tion, we hope everyone under-stands should any inconveniencebe encountered.

I look forward to seeing every-one at our new business location,effective April 1. We will have aformal Open House Celebration atthe end of April. I invite you all andhope that you can attend. We willkeep you informed.

Horace CorbinPublisher

Debbie Schmidt

Darryl Walker

FLOWERS AND SHAMROCKS…Members of the Garden Club of Westfieldjoined together in making floral arrangements for Runnels Specialized Hospitalto celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Pictured, left to right, are, front row: CatherineBillington, Jean Sawtell, Norma Degnen, Nancy Roff and Barbara Lewis; backrow, Bebbins Yudes, Lecia DeHaven, Mary Ann Malloy, Jane Bischoff, RosemaryShire and Ruth Paul.

Lauren S. Pass for The Westfield LeaderNEW PATRIOTS ROOM…Congressman Michael Ferguson, center, visited The Westfield Leader’s new office on NorthAvenue. While helping to dedicate the Patriots Room of the office, Congressman Ferguson looked at old copies of The Leaderwith Publisher Horace Corbin, left, and Correspondent Bill Sheppard, right.

Flags to Fly in WFIn Support of Troops

On Sunday afternoon between1 p.m. and 3 p.m. the public isinvited to bring an American Flagto the Mindowaskin Park Gazeboin Westfield.

The assembly is to show sup-port to our men and women at war.

There will be no speakers orsponsors for the event; just ordi-nary people; men, women andchildren, and the American Flag.

Mountainside BOE Proposes Budget;Need for Second Question Eliminated

By BETSEY BURGDORFSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader

In a televised meeting of the BOETuesday night the proposed budgetfor the fiscal year 2003-04 was pro-posed. The need for a second ques-tion was eliminated when the stateprompted the BOE to take advantageof the Spending Growth LimitationAdjustment (SGLA).

The SGLA is state funding thatallows districts whose student enroll-ment increases annually to receivefunds in order to increase school bud-gets without going over CAP.Mountainside qualified for $731,000

due to increased enrollment, but haschosen to utilize $422,132 over atwo-year period to keep tax increasesto a minimum. The second questionis theoretically in the budget but fallsunder the umbrella of the base bud-get. Projected enrollment is expectedto increase by approximately twentystudents, putting total enrollment at688 students.

The base budget proposed is$11,042,160, an 8.6 percent increasefrom 2002-03. The projected tax in-crease on a hypothetical home with aresale value of $158,000 would be anestimated $35 per month. Tuition for

Governor Livingston is a large por-tion of the budget claiming$3,300,233 for an estimated 261 stu-dents, 30 percent of the overall bud-get. Teacher salaries demand 45 per-cent or a total of $4,994,642, withbenefits totaling another $1,323,211.If the budget fails to pass it will bepresented to a council who will deter-mine whether to reduce it, pass it, ormake other recommendations.

The budget vote will take place onApril 15 at the following locations:Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Bor-ough Hall, and the MountainsidePresbyterian Church from 2 to 9 p.m.

BOE, Public Discuss Class Rank,WHS Parking, and 2003-04 Budget

By CHARLOTTE LEDERMANSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader

A crowd of roughly forty studentsand parents assembled at WestfieldHigh School’s (WHS) cafeteria forTuesday night’s board of educationmeeting.

This larger venue allowed for thecommunity to voice their concernsabout the items on the board’s agenda:the budget hearing for the 2003-04school year, class rank, and WHSparking.

Board member and finance com-mittee chair Anne Reigel provided acomprehensive slide show, highlight-ing that the board hoped to “addressdistrict priorities and stay under bud-get cap.” The board has chosen to“add needed teachers, provide stafftraining, expand technology, andequity and safety in athletics.”

The board’s 5.6 percent increase inoperating budget translates into atotal budget increase of $3,456,954,and a total proposed operating bud-get of $65,379,525.

Ms. Reigel further revealed theimpacts of this decision: a tax rateincrease of 6.3 percent per $100 ofassessed value, a proposed rate in-crease of $0.19, and a new tax rate of$3.36. These numbers equal an aver-age household increase of $342 ayear, less than $1 a day.

This is a large improvement sincelast year (a difference of $144 a year)

and Westfield’s costs are below stateaverage, said Ms. Reigel. She con-cluded, by asking the community toplease vote on April 15.

Superintendent of Schools, Dr.William Foley, revealed that thisopen, public hearing on the budget isrequired by law. This presentation,however, drew few comments fromthe audience. The board then voted,finalizing the proposed budget. Ms.Gardner also wished to note “therewill be four public meetings withbudget presentations in the next fewweeks. Budget information is alsoavailable on the westfieldnj.comwebsite and on TV 36.”

Discussion then turned to the ques-

tion of, “Should Westfield HighSchool continue to report class rankto colleges?”

In the fall of 2002, the board and Dr.Foley had asked for the formation ofan advisory committee on the topic,and that they report on their findingson or before March 31.

In their report, WHS Principal Dr.Robert Petix provided a history ofclass rank at WHS, as well as theworkings of the current system, look-ing at its advantages and disadvan-tages. The committee then looked atsuch alternatives as decile rankings,no class rank, and scattergrams, ulti-mately considering the impact of any

Parking Redevelopment Plans for South Avenue,Prospect and Elm Site Approved by Planning Bd.By KIMBERLY A. BROADWELL

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader

Members of the Westfield PlanningBoard voted unanimously, Mondayevening, to approve preliminary rede-velopment plans for both the SouthAvenue redevelopment area as well asthe Prospect/Elm Street site.

The sites for the redevelopmentarea are located at the municipal park-ing lots, excluding the train stationand the “drop and ride” area withboundaries on South Avenue, and theNJ Transit railroad line and munici-pal parking lots, numbers one andeight, with boundaries on Prospectand Elm Streets respectfully.

The Atlantic Group and the lawoffices of Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith,Ravin, Davis & Himmel presentedthese redevelopment plans to the Plan-ning Board.

According to a written report sub-mitted by the Atlantic Group and the

law firm, “The Westfield PlanningBoard has recommended to the TownCouncil that the municipally ownedSouth Avenue site be designated asan area in need of redevelopment.”

In its report the Atlantic Group out-lines its plans for 3.33 acres of munici-pally owned commuter parking adja-cent to the train station and bordered bySouth Avenue. It notes that during arecent finding by the Westfield ParkingAdvisory Committee, the current park-ing shortfall for that area is between450-500 parking spaces and is due toresident rail commuters as well as park-ing needed for the downtown area.

According to the report, the plan

for this area is to increase surface park-ing spaces by constructing “a parkingdeck at a scale which is compatiblewith surrounding structures making itas invisible as possible by masking itwith retail and residential developmentalong the South Avenue property edge.”

This plan will provide 1,060 park-ing spaces, 21,800 square feet of re-tail and commercial space and 35apartments on floors above the retailand commercial space.

In a presentation given for mem-bers of the Planning Group, PatrickHenry and Lawrence Houston, of theAtlantic Group presented a proposalfor the redevelopment plan with spe-

cific guidelines.These guidelines for the South

Avenue plans are as follows: the ga-rage should not be visible from SouthAvenue and should include two autoentrances and exits as well as severalpedestrian entrances, the residentialand retail should be near or at theproperty line on South Avenue, thestructure be sufficiently set back fromthe South Avenue curb to assure thata new sidewalk be wide enough topermit outdoor dining and pedes-trian passage, the facade facing SouthAvenue be of a scale, size and charac-ter compatible with the train station

CONTINUED ON PAGE 10



Town Spring FlingCancelled; WACCHas No Director

By LAUREN S. PASSSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader

As Westfield Business ownersopened their mail on Friday, manywere surprised to find a notice fromthe Westfield Area Chamber of Com-merce (WACC) and the AdvertisingAlliance announcing that, “the SpringFling Street Fair has been cancelled.We look forward to an excitingSummerFest Street Fair.”

The Westfield Leader attempted tocontact Director Debbie Schmidt,only to find out that Ms. Schmidt wasgone from thatposition as ofMarch 10.

A replace-ment for Ms.Schmidt hasnot yet beennamed andmany chambermembers werenot notified ofher departure.

Diane Barabas, Chairwoman of theWACC Board of Directors said that Mrs.Schmidt is “no longer employed by usright now.” Ms. Barabas declined fur-ther comment stating that she did notwant “publicity” on the issue.

Mrs. Barabas stated that theSpringFling was postponed to thealready scheduled SummerFest onSunday, June 22. “We’d like to offera better program,” she said that thepostponement offered them “more

time to prepare.”The street fairs began with the

FallFest in 1990, and have expandedsince. The Chamber had used theAdvertising Alliance as the event pro-motor. The FamilyFest Street Fair in2001, which was co-sponsored byThe Y, was the first event not donewith the Advertising Alliance. Instead,the event was promoted by DarrylWalker, then Chairman of the WACC.

Mr. Walker then served as the eventcoordinator for all three street fairs in2002 while still a member of the Boardof Directors of the WACC.

Mr. Walker told The Leader that heand the Chamber, “just couldn’t gettogether on a contract.” He said that hestill maintains a “very good relation-ship” with the chamber as a member. Mr.Walker added that, “this is not a newsstory.”

Westfield residentand attorney MarkKuehn has served asa legal advisor toWACC and providedadvice in respect tostreet fair contracts.

Mr. Kuehn statedthat it is, “an excit-ing and challengingtime for the cham-

ber,” adding that Ms. Barabas and theboard are working to take the chamberto the “next level.”

“The moves made with the directorand the street fair are part of their planto do this,” Mr. Kuehn told The Leader.

Mr. Walker’s web site, http://StreetFairs.org says that his organiza-tion has “more than 25 years experiencepromoting community events.” Thecompany is running events in Spring-field, Metuchen, Red Bank, Cranfordand Southside Westfield this year.

The Chamber has an annual bud-get of $320,000, $175,000 to$180,000 of which is brought in fromall three of the street fairs, with$110,000 to $120,000 spent annu-ally for the fairs. This means that thechamber profits approximately$60,000 a year from all three of thefairs. The cancellation of theSpringFling means they will have aloss of approximately $20,000.

In January Ms. Schmidt wrote aletter to the Mayor and Council stat-ing that by contracting with DarrylWalker, former Chairman of the Cham-ber, rather than an outside company,they were “able to increase our pro-ceeds from the street fair events.”

She also said that only 25 percent

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WF to Rewrite Code;County Says No LightAt Clover and Central

By LAUREN S. PASSSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader

The Westfield Town Councildecided on Tuesday night to per-form a complete update of theTown Code.

Town Administrator JamesGildea explained that he receiveda quote of $25,000 from CodedSystems of Avon, who currentlycodifies the code when ordinancesare changed. He said that the totalcost would be approximately$100,000 when all of the legalfees were included. The processwould take a year and a half tocomplete. The cost can be paidover five years.

Mr. Gildea stated that right nowwhen ordinances need to be re-written, they have to be typed in,as there is no electronic copy ofthe code. The new version wouldinclude an electronic copy andthe town would be able to put itup on the Internet for residents toread.

He explained that Coded Sys-tems would take approximatelysix months to go through it andcorrect all of the statute errors.Next, portions would be reviewedby various departments forchanges, followed by review fromcouncil committees. The fullcouncil would then see a finaldraft of the code, and would beable to make or change any policydecisions.

Mr. Gildea will be gettingquotes from other companies, andquotes to include the land useordinance in the code.

The code has not been rewrit-ten in over 25 years.

Second Ward RepublicanCouncilman and Transportation,

Parking and Traffic CommitteeChairman Rafael Betancourt saidthat he is waiting for the budget tobe formally approved so that hecan contract Wilbur Smith for traf-fic calming studies on Woodlandand Dudley Avenues.

He also stated that a letter wasreceived from Union County inFebruary stating that a traffic lightis not warranted at the corner ofCentral Avenue and Clover Street.

The county is, however, will-ing to work with the town to easetraffic problems at the intersec-tion.

Councilman Betancourt alsostated that the final draft reportfor the ShopRite Grid traffic-calm-ing project will be ready soon.The council decided that the re-port should be given at a publiccouncil session so that it can beon TV-36.

Councilman Betancourt ex-pects the project to be done bylate summer or early fall.

He also reported that he is incommunication with the Depart-ment of Military and Veterans af-fairs in regards to a parking lot atthe back of the National GuardArmory property.

He stated that while he is wait-ing to hear back from them, he haslearned that the Flemington andWestfield National Guard unitsare being consolidated and thatcould mean that the town wouldbe given less space than they hadoriginally thought for the park-ing lot.

Third Ward Democrat Council-man David Haas was absent fromthe meeting.

The council will not meet againuntil Tuesday, April 8.


Page 10 Thursday, March 27, 2003 The Westfield Leader and THE TIMES of Scotch Plains – Fanwood A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION

LINDA KELLY, Scotch Plains“Too long. I think our troops

are going to get hit in Baghdadreally bad. I have two sons, 20and 30 (years of age) and I’mscared for them.”

How long do youthink the war in Iraq

will last and why?

STEPHANIE ALESSANDRI,Scotch Plains

“I think the war is going to lastmonths. Our military expectedthings to be a way that theyaren’t. They aren’t prosecutingthe war as harshly as they could.”

MICHAEL CINO, Scotch Plains“Another two months. I think

there are a lot of guerillas andterrorists that are hard to find.Even if we hit Baghdad, it will behard to bring it under control.”

RICH JACKSON, Fanwood,Served 19 years in ArmyReserves. He just left in

September.

MICHAEL MARINO, Fanwood“I think it is going to be a little

longer than we anticipated. To-day and tomorrow (Tuesday andWednesday) will be indicative ofhow long it lasts.”

“About nine months becauseof the weather and conditionsover there.”

Douglas M. FascialeCertified Civil Trial Attorney

by the Supreme Court of New Jersey

Hoagland, Longo, Moran, Dunst & Doukas, LLP

Attorneys At Law - A Full Service Firm

[email protected]

40 Paterson StreetNew Brunswick, NJ 08901

(732) 545-4717

116 S. Euclid AvenueWestfield, NJ 07090

(908) 232-9944

Concentrating in personal injury and malpractice cases.

WESTFIELDPOLICE BLOTTER

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19• A bicycle valued at approximately $350

was reported stolen from outside JeffersonElementary School on Boulevard.

• A Westfield resident reported the theftof a front emblem from her 2002 Jaguar,which was parked at the south sideWestfield train station. The approximatevalue of the emblem was $200.

THURSDAY, MARCH 20• After being stopped for a motor ve-

hicle violation in the 100 block of HarrowRoad, Michael Liccone, 25, of ScotchPlains was arrested and charged with driv-ing while intoxicated. He was subsequentlyreleased to a responsible party.

• A Mercedes Benz hood emblem,valued at approximately $150, was takenfrom the motor vehicle at the south sideWestfield train station. The owner of thecar is a Westfield resident.

FRIDAY, MARCH 21• Rita Mazza, 44, of Toms River was

arrested and charged with driving whileintoxicated following a motor vehicle acci-dent at South Avenue and Ross Place inwhich she was one of the drivers, police said.

Mazza was also charged with criminalmischief as a result of damage that sheallegedly caused later at police headquarters.No injuries were reported as a result of theaccident. Mazza was released on her ownrecognizance.

SATURDAY, MARCH 22

• After being stopped for traveling inexcess of 74 miles per hour on CentralAvenue, Nicholas Sinish, 40, of Westfieldwas arrested and charged with driving whileintoxicated and with possession of suspectedcocaine. He was released with a summons.

SUNDAY, MARCH 23• Hany Ibrahim, 23, of Scotch Plains was

arrested and charged with possession of lessthan 50 grams of suspected marijuana afterbeing stopped for a motor vehicle violation atProspect Street and Cowperthwaite Place.

Ibrahim was also taken into custody on anoutstanding warrant out of Summit. He wasreleased on his own recognizance on both theSummit warrant and the Westfield charge.

• Giovanni Simeone, 29, of Westfield wasarrested and charged with driving whileintoxicated after being stopped for a motorvehicle violation at North and Euclid Av-enues. He was released on his own recogni-zance.

• A girls’ 18-inch “Huffy” bicycle and a“Big Wheel” toy tricycle were reported stolenfrom the front lawn of a Vernon Place resi-dence. The missing items were valued at $120.

MONDAY, MARCH 24• An Iselin resident reported that an

unknown juvenile threw a rock at his movingmotor vehicle in the 1300 block of CentralAvenue, breaking the front windshield. Thedriver was not injured and the juvenile had notbeen apprehended at press time.

MS School Board Candidates Debate Budget and Beechwood

By BETSEY BURGDORFSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader

Five candidates vying for two open seatson the Mountainside Board of Education(BOE) faced off Monday night in a debatehosted by the League of Women Voters. Thedebate was organized by Nancy Longo andJanine Mosier and moderated by MyrnaWasserman.

The public forum began with openingremarks from the two incumbents and threecandidates. Frank Geiger and Mary BethSchaumberg currently serve on the Boardand are seeking re-election while PaulineGenakos, Linda Esemplare and Pat Knodelare hoping for a chance at the three-yearterms.

Mr. Geiger has served on the school boardfor the last twelve years, four of them aspresident. He is a middle school teacher whois presently earning a Masters degree inEducational Administration.

He feels that he has been involved inthousands of issues and decisions that havebecome the framework of the MountainsideSchool district. Amidst the overwhelmingshadow of the Beechwood School projectMr. Geiger states, “I don’t see the goal as abuilding, the goal isn’t class size, the goal isn’tstandardized tests…the goal is opportunity.Each child should have the opportunity toreach as high as she or he is able…Our kidsneed to know more about risk. Our studentsneed to know more about failure. Giving ourchildren the opportunity to fail is the only timewe give them an opportunity to succeed.”

Mr. Geiger’s goal for Mountainside is tonot only see it surpass the state standard, butfor every child to set a personal goal by thetime they are in middle school whether it beartistic, scientific, athletic, poetic or techno-logical.

Mrs. Schaumberg is a second generationMountainside resident with three children, allof whom attend Deerfield School. Mrs.Schaumberg is a member of the Long RangeFacilities Committee of the board and hasbeen involved in all aspects of the BeechwoodSchool project.

Her vision for the future is based on herbelief that the BOE needs to continue work-ing with administration and staff to imple-ment the mandates of the District StrategicPlan. “This includes such issues as curricu-lum review and improvement, integratingtechnology into curriculum, and attractinghigh quality teachers to the district,” shestated. “In addition,” she added, “the boardneeds to continue its efforts to better commu-nicate with all the members of this commu-nity.”

Mrs. Genakos brings a fresh voice to theMountainside BOE being the only candidatewho has never served on the board. She hasbeen a resident for four years and has twoyoung children, one of which attends kinder-garten at Beechwood School. Mrs. Genakosis a graduate of St. John’s University and iscurrently employed as a Teacher’s Assistantin the Millburn Township School Districtand is an active volunteer at Deerfield Schoolas well as the Presbyterian Nursery School,where her three-year old attends pre-school.

“My priority is to provide our teacherswith the resources necessary to help allstudents reach their full potential. In thecurrent climate of state budget cuts, mybusiness experience will help me make toughchoices while always keeping academics asmy main focus,” Mrs. Genakos said. “As ahomeowner, I realize that having a solidschool system has benefits beyond educatingour students. I feel that everyone, young andold, should realize that improving our schoolsystem is a win-win situation because itattracts new residents and supports higherhome values.”

She feels she has the time to commit to theBOE and is willing to devote the hours it willrequire to come up with fresh ideas andcreative solutions.

Mrs. Esemplare has been a Mountainsideresident for forty years. She served on theBoard for twenty-one of those years. Sheraised six children, all receiving their educa-tion in the Mountainside school district. Shepreviously taught kindergarten, physicaleducation and technology.

Mrs. Esemplare retired from the boardthree years ago, but her concerns over theevents of the past year have brought her backin search of a new seat bringing with her aseasoned voice.

“Honest and timely communication withparents and the community is a must,” Mrs.Esemplare states. “When the bond referen-dum was proposed, statements were madethat it could be paid for with money from de-regionalization and state grants. Last year thetaxpayers received a $600 plus taxincrease…Surprise! Beechwood School wasto open in September 2002, but due to prob-lems with the contractor this was delayedagain and again. Parents were not informedin a timely manner of these problems or thepossibility that the school would not open asscheduled…Surprise!”

Mrs. Knodel has twenty-six years as aboard member under her belt. She is a widowwho raised eight children in the Mountainsideschool district. She served as a legislativechairman who brought two resolutions to theDelegate Assembly of the New Jersey SchoolBoard Association. She has a B.A. fromCaldwell College in Biology, Physical Sci-ence and Secondary Education. She alsoholds an Elementary Education Certificatefrom Kean University, formerly NewarkState.

“Throughout my twenty-six years on theboard, I have successfully argued for betterqualified teachers, smaller classes, improvedcurriculum in language arts, mathematics,increased physical education and a greaterawareness of special education as well asearly education for the handicapped. Myrecommendations have saved the citizens ofMountainside thousands of dollars in theareas of administration, secretarial staff, trans-portation of the handicapped, negotiations,purchasing and business practices,” Mrs.Knodel said.

After opening statements were heard, thefloor was turned over to residents for a chanceto question the candidates. Questions fo-cused on such issues as Beechwood School,improving communication between the BOEand residents, the Budget for 2003-04, at-tracting and retaining the best teachers, imple-menting dress codes, courtesy training andstandardized tests.

Ms. Wasserman, the mediator, felt thatquestions concerning the budget gave theincumbents an unfair advantage and per-suaded the public to focus on other issues.

Mrs. Knodel feels that the BOE meetingshould be consistently televised in order tokeep the public informed of issues and up-coming events. She also feels that an agendafor the meeting should be made available tothe public so that they are aware of the topicsto be discussed. She was adamant on gettingBeechwood up and running and feels that thecontractor should be monitored, and weeklyreports should be supplied to residents. Shesuggested putting a contingency plan intoeffect in the event that the Friday, August 1,deadline for completion of the constructioncannot be met.

Mrs. Knodel stated that the BOE has toconsider every resident when putting to-gether the school budget claiming that 70percent of current residents do not havechildren in the school system. She declaredthat a school district has no relation to prop-erty value, and feels that real estate prices arehigh throughout New Jersey regardless ofthe quality of education the town offers.

Mrs. Esemplare stated that she would havehandled the project differently and ques-tioned whether the extensive constructionwas necessary at all. She is in favor of a dresscode stating that it takes the competitive natureof “who’s wearing what” out of the schoolday.

Mrs. Esemplare is strongly in favor ofsmaller class size and stated that Mountainsideoffers a competitive starting salary and has “afine reputation” for attracting and keepingquality educators. Mrs. Esemplare’s declaredthat Channel 35 and local newspapers shouldbe responsible for helping the communityobtain information. She would like to seechanges made to the web site and utilize the

library as a source for keeping the publicinformed. She feels that testing is a “fact oflife” and that the current curriculum needs tobe examined to find out where it is in relationto test scores.

Mrs. Genakos feels that the main focus ofthe BOE should be the completion ofBeechwood School, the overcrowding of theclassrooms and the passing of the budget.She stated that a larger class size can beconducive to a better learning environment ifthe classroom is adequately equipped for theamount of students it will hold. She is not infavor of the dress code, but is in favor of allteachers promoting character awareness,teaching manners and respect as part of theirdaily curriculum.

Mrs. Genakos thinks that Channel 35should be a permanent feature at all futureBOE meetings. She feels that the BOE andadministration can also be involved in keep-ing communication lines open. Her positionon standardized testing is that it is necessaryfor preparing the students for the future, butfeels the curriculum should prepare them forthe tests in order to help them succeed.

Mrs. Schaumberg stands firm on herbelief that the Beechwood project was handledby the BOE to the best of its ability, and thatthe doors will open on time for the beginningof school in September. She feels stronglythat the focus needs to be brought back to theissue of the town’s educators and taken awayfrom the building itself. She is a staunchsupporter of the District’s Strategic Plan andfeels that teachers should teach directly fromthe mission statement detailed in that planwhich focuses on teaching students respect,as well as the core curriculum.

She is also in favor of shortening the salaryguide in order to bring teacher’s salariescloser to other competitive districts with fiscalrespect to the community in mind.

Mr. Geiger strongly believes thatBeechwood School will be opened by Au-gust 1. He feels that upon completion of theschool, real estate prices will dramaticallyincrease, calling Beechwood “our little gem.”He noted the correlation between a goodschool system and increased real estatevalue.

He also stated that the public is veryimportant to the BOE and asked that theycontinue to bring the board their ideas, issuesand concerns. His stand on attracting andretaining quality educators isn’t necessarilycentered around salary. He stated that teach-ers want a safe school, with a core curriculumthat will be instrumental in moving tenuredteachers, as well as new teachers, towardsuccess. He asked the resident to “give ‘us’your commitment so that we can do togetherwhat we couldn’t so alone.”

Mountainside Board of Education elec-tions will be held on Tuesday, April 15.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

BOE, Public Discuss ClassRank and WHS Parking

proposed changes.The convincing factor, said Dr. Petix,

is “there is growing evidence that forsome colleges, reporting exact rank isa disqualifier rather than a qualifier.” Hefurther noted that “class rank must becalculated for purposes of scholarshipeligibility and admissions to militaryacademics,” regardless of whether ornot it is reported to colleges.

One of the questions posited by thecommittee was, “If class rank is elimi-nated, how can we make our studentsmore marketable to colleges?” Thecommittee felt that the answer lay in anenhancement of the WHS profile, in-cluding making it more “visually at-tractive.”

The committee recommended for theclass of 2004 and beyond: “1. Thesystem of reporting class rank to otherthan specifically designated organiza-tions be discontinued.”

“2. A chart representing intervals ofGrade Point Averages (nine intervals)including intervals of Grade Point Av-erage, the number of students includedin each interval, and the mean SATverbal and math scores achieved by thestudents in each interval be included inthe profile that is sent to colleges andother institutions.”

“This information gives college ad-missions officers greater flexibility thanexact class rank in determining thecandidate’s eligibility for admission tothe college.”

“3. Although the new reporting sys-tem will replace the current system forthe Class of 2004, members of that classshould be given the option of sendingclass rank as well as the informationincluded in the new system of reportingto colleges.”

Discussing the possibility of follow-up for such a program, the board de-cided that the next issue be sent to itspolicy committee. Students voicedsupport for the proposal, also voicingconcern about how the presence ofproject ’79 affected the overall current

class rank.The board then moved to the agenda

item of WHS parking, specifically howto accommodate students wishing todrive to school, and residents living onsurrounding streets.

Ms. Gardner said this topic was addedto the agenda in order “to lay out thefacts and issues to work it out…not putband-aids on it.”

The board’s fact sheet regardingparking near WHS illustrates that “thehigh school lot is only large enoughfor parking by the current high schoolstaff. No additional space is availableeither in front of or behind the highschool.” Growing enrollment will addto the current problem. Thus, “thepossible solutions to the growing de-mand and shrinking availability ofparking spaces near the high schoolare fairly limited: (1) Permit more on-street parking, (2) Provide for off-streetparking, (3) Restrict student parking,or (4) Develop a comprehensive park-ing plan that restricts parking to se-niors and provides more off-street park-ing.”

Ms. Gardner said that “a long term,comprehensive plan for parking byhigh school students is necessary andthe Town Council and Board of Educa-tion must work together, and with mem-bers of the community, to develop sucha plan.”

Ms. Gardner suggests the creation ofan advisory/exploratory committee,saying that this was only the beginningof such a conversation.

Residents surrounding WHS spokeof their concern of students parking onnearby streets. At the same time, stu-dents voiced strong support for in-creased, local parking and noted thatstudents are forced to park farther andfarther away as local residents restrictparking.

Finally, the board also wished toinform the public that Monday, April21 will most likely be a give back snowday.

(a registered historic site) the immedi-ate area and Westfield in general, thefaçade facing the platform respect thesize, scale and dignity of the platformand the canopy, the facade facing Cen-tral Avenue have no visible walls fromthe train station and from the NorthAvenue side, preserve key trees in theexisting landscape, make up and downwalking connections from the garageto the platform on several locations, setback the garage from the station build-ing and include truck loading and de-livery capability in the design and func-tion of the deck for commercial andresidential use.

In the presentation, Mr. Houstonoutlined zoning requirements for theproject, which included the height ofthe new building as well as the commer-cial use of the first floor. In the report itis stated that the height of any structurenot exceed 50 feet.

Planning Board member, RobertNewell, asked Mr. Houston if the rede-velopment plan would supersede landuse ordinance provisions as some of theredevelopment plan regulations differfrom Central Business District Regula-tions. For example, in the redevelop-ment plan height shall not exceed 50feet while the Central Business Districtallows no more that 40 feet.

Planning Board Chairman, Jay Boylenoted that the re-development planwould supersede land use ordinanceprovisions, but did make the follow-ing amendments to the plan. The firstis to stay within the 40-foot require-ment for building height and the sec-ond was to not allow any medicalprofessional to conduct businesswithin the re-development project.According to planning board mem-bers, medical professionals require toomany parking spaces.

Other businesses prohibited to usespace within the South Avenue rede-velopment plan are banks, offices, cul-tural and entertainment uses, childcarecenters and governmental uses.

The second redevelopment area out-lined by the Atlantic Group and pre-sented by Mr. Henry and Mr. Lawrencewas the Prospect and Elm Street site.The Westfield Parking Advisory Com-mittee has deemed approximately 1.7acres consisting of municipal lots oneand eight bounded by Prospect and


Parking Redevelopment SitesApproved by Planning Board

Elm Streets as having a “serious park-ing deficit.” It concludes that the short-fall is between 850-900 spaces.

According to the report submittedby the Atlantic Group as well asGreenbaum, Rowe, Smith, Ravin,Davis and Himmel, “Westfield wishesto increase its surface parking by con-structing a parking deck at a scalecompatible with surrounding struc-tures, allowing vehicular access andegress from both the Elm and ProspectStreet Edges. It is to be masked byresidential development along Pros-pect Street making the deck as invis-ible as possible. Retail use may also beincluded.”

The project is expected to include430 parking spaces, three garage lev-els (grade plus two supported levels),six residential/townhouse unites and1500 square feet in retail.

Redevelopment guidelines include:garage entrances and exits should belocated on Elm and Prospect Streets,with the Prospect exit to be left turnonly, taking traffic toward East BroadStreet, lights on the garage roof shouldnot shine into adjacent streets andproperties, residential units facingProspect Street with special parkingspaces provided, retail to face ElmStreet and a 15 foot minimum set backon Elm Street to provide for land-scapes that will screen the garage.

Zoning requirements are to includethat the height of the structure notexceed 40 feet, porches shall be per-mitted on Prospect Street, retail salesencouraged on the ground floor, sharedparking encouraged, dedicated on-site parking only required fortownhouses constructed on ProspectStreet and retail space prohibited tobanks, offices, cultural and entertain-ment uses, childcare centers, govern-mental uses and medical professionals.

of the Chamber’s annual income comesfrom member dues, and that the street fairsmake up a large part of the “non-dues”revenue.

At the time the letter was presented,First Ward Councilman Sal Caruana sug-gested that a full-time staff person be hiredto run the fairs rather than paying a pro-moter. Ms. Schmidt had responded at thetime that the board makes the decisions onhiring someone, but that they are movingin the direction of being able to do the fairsin-house.

Fourth Ward Councilwoman SusanJacobson, the liaison to WACC stated thatthe chamber is important to the town. Sheadded that directors, board members andchamber members come and go but that itis important that it remain a strong orga-nization.

The New Jersey State Consumer Af-fairs Division of Charitable Registrationhad no listing for WACC on their web site.The Leader contacted the office and wastold that any organization that is a501(C)(3) or makes a charitable appeal isrequired to file with them. After a descrip-tion of the organization was given, theaddress of the chamber was requested,which The Leader provided and was toldthat WACC will be getting a registrationform and have two to three weeks torespond.

The Chamber is a 501(C)(6) which theIRS defines as, “a business league, ingeneral, is an association of personshaving some common business interest,the purpose of which is to promote suchcommon interest and not to engage in aregular business of a kind ordinarilycarried on for profit. Trade associationsand professional associations are con-sidered to be business leagues. The busi-ness league must be devoted to the im-provement of business conditions of oneor more lines of business as distinguished


Town Spring Fling Cancelled;WACC Runs Without Director

from the performance of particular ser-vices for individual persons. It must beshown that the conditions of a particulartrade or the interests of the communitywill be advanced. No part of its netearnings may inure to the benefit of anyprivate shareholder or individual and itmay not be organized for profit or orga-nized to engage in an activity ordinarilycarried on for profit (even if the businessis operated on a cooperative basis orproduces only sufficient income to beself-sustaining).”

Phone calls to WACC Board membersPaul Babick and Warren Rorden were notreturned as of press time, neither was aphone call to Ms. Schmidt.

DON’T FORGET TO FLOSS…In honor of Dental Health Month, Westfieldorthodontist Dr. Patricia Thrower lectured on oral hygiene and preventative at HolyTrinity Interparochial School in Westfield on March 4. She likes to see all childrenby 8 years of age for orthodontic exams. Pictured, clockwise, from top left, are: firstgraders Stephen Deduck, Sean Mullman, Jordan Lukowiak and Elena Arida.

‘Tacky’ CelebrationSet For Preschoolers

Ramapo College TellsSchembs’ AchievementWESTFIELD – Jennifer Schembs

of Westfield has earned Dean’s Liststatus for the fall 2002 semester atRamapo College in Mahwah.

Jennifer is the daughter of Mr. andMrs. Douglas Schembs, Jr. ofWestfield.

WESTFIELD – In celebrationof One Book New Jersey, theWestfield Memorial Library willhost a penguin-themed programfor preschoolers on Friday, April11, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

The program will feature sto-ries, songs, refreshments andeven a penguin parade.

Free tickets will be available toall Westfield Library cardholdersunder kindergarten age begin-ning tomorrow, Friday, March 28.

Attendees are invited to bringtheir cameras, because a “Tacky”costumed penguin will be on handfor a fun photo opportunity.

The library is located at 550East Broad Street. For further in-formation, please visit theChildren’s Department or call(908) 789-4090.


FIFTY CENTS(908) [email protected] 45TH YEAR – ISSUE NO. 14-45 Published Every Thursday Since 1959

www.goleader.comUSPS 485200

Periodical – Postage Paid at Scotch Plains, N.J.Thursday, March 27, 2003

Leader/Times: We Have Moved!

The office of The WestfieldLeader and The Times of ScotchPlains-Fanwood has relocated, ef-fective April 1, to the “Train Sta-tion Plaza” – 251 North AvenueWest, Third Floor. This is one blockfrom our current location on ElmStreet in Westfield. Our mailingaddress, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses will remain the sameas currently for the newspapers.

This relocation of the main of-fice will not impact the location ofour satellite office on Bartle Av-enue in Scotch Plains.

I believe that our new office willhelp us serve you better, and thatyou will find it to be readily acces-sible with the modern surround-ings, parking and elevator service.

Although the move is just oneblock, there are various things in-volved for us after many decades inone location,. To name a few, we’reinstalling new phone, computerand communication systems.

We do not expect any signifi-cant snags. Still, during the transi-tion, we hope everyone under-stands should any inconveniencebe encountered.

I look forward to seeing every-one at our new business location,effective April 1. We will have aformal Open House Celebration atthe end of April. I invite you all andhope that you can attend. We willkeep you informed.

Horace CorbinPublisher

Debbie Schmidt

Darryl Walker

PPPPPAAAAAGE INDEXGE INDEXGE INDEXGE INDEXGE INDEXRegional ........ 2-3Editorial ......... 4-5Community .... 6-7

Obituary ........ 8Education ...... 9Sports ............ 11-14

Real Estate .... 15-16A&E .............. 17-18

SP Planning Board Reviews Broadway HousingDevelopment; Hearing Will Continue in AprilBy FRED ROSSI

Specially Written for The Times

The Scotch Plains Planning Boardreceived the first details of the long-delayed Broadway housing devel-opment on Monday night and, de-spite some negative comments fromlocal homeowners, the board saidlittle to indicate that it will not even-tually approve the age-restrictedcommunity. The hearing will be con-tinued at the board’s next meetingon Monday, April 14.

The development, which will besituated on the eastern edge ofScotch Plains, across JerusalemRoad from the Scotch Hills Coun-try Club, will include 52 single-family homes, restricted to those 55years and older, as well as threemarket value homes that will fronton Waverly Place.

James Flynn, attorney for Broad-way Associate LLC, told the Plan-ning Board that the age-restrictedaspect of the 11.4-acre developmentmeans “very little or no impact” onthe local school system. All but ahandful of the lots will be 5,000-square-foot properties.

The primary access to the develop-ment will be from Fanwood Avenue,which is off of Johnson Street andpresently leads into a wooded areawhere leaf composting is done. Anemergency access road for police andother emergency vehicles will beconstructed from the street known asBroadway.

According to the plans unveiled onMonday night, Fanwood Avenuewould lead southward into the de-

velopment, first pass-ing a planned pooland clubhouse. Thestreet will looparound to reconnectwith itself, with twoother streets leadingoff the main loop andending in cul-de-sacs, one at the bor-der with Westfieldand the other oppo-site the end of EmilPlace.

Two areas in thedevelopment, aboutthree acres in total,will be left as openspace.

John Vincenti, aprofessional engi-neer, explained a va-riety of matters, in-cluding water drain-age issues and land-scaping with shadetrees, as well as buff-ering along thedevelopment’s pe-rimeter, which abutsresidential and non-residential properties, and trafficstudies he conducted.

He told the Planning Board thatlocal roads and intersections wouldbe able to tolerate an increase intraffic, which he estimated wouldentail an additional 23 vehicles inthe morning and 54 in the late after-noon.

In response to concerns expressedby Johnson Street resident Sally

Roland, who worried about the im-pact of a drastic increase in trafficon her narrow street, Mr. Vincentisaid he estimated that about one-third of the increased traffic wouldlikely turn right onto Madison Av-enue rather than left onto JohnsonStreet.

Ms. Roland and DebbieJorgenson, another Johnson Streetresident, said they were unhappythat the development would haveonly a single entrance, but Mr.Vincenti said a second entrance wasnot possible given the topographyof the land.

Ms. Roland also told the boardthat she worried about a significantincrease in construction truck traf-fic during the building process,which could take between 18 and36 months. Mayor Martin Markspicked up on this concern and re-ceived a pledge from Mr. Flynn thatthe developer “will try to minimizethe impact of traffic” during con-struction.

There were also discussions amongboard members and the public aboutthe age restriction aspect of the de-velopment, with Mr. Flynn sayingthat by-laws for the community wouldinclude the age restriction for poten-tial buyers.

He also said it would be nearlyimpossible, as a result of certain deedrestrictions and other legal details,for those under 55 years to somehowskirt the developer’s intentions andbuy enough properties to rendermoot the development’s originalintent.

For instance, if an over-55 home-owner were to die and the propertypassed to the deceased person’s un-der-55 heirs, those heirs would becompelled to sell, rather than occupy,the property.

After three hours of testimony anddiscussion, Planning Board Chair-man Joseph Doyle decided to con-tinue the hearing on April 14, at whichtime Mr. Vincenti will continue toanswer questions and another profes-sional engineer will also provide in-put.

Flags to Fly in WFIn Support of Troops

On Sunday afternoon between1 p.m. and 3 p.m. the public isinvited to bring an American Flagto the Mindowaskin Park Gazeboin Westfield.

The assembly is to show sup-port to our men and women at war.

There will be no speakers orsponsors for the event; just ordi-nary people; men, women andchildren, and the American Flag.

Lauren S. Pass for The TimesNEW PATRIOTS ROOM…Congressman Michael Ferguson, center, visits The Times’ new office on North Avenue inWestfield. While helping to dedicate the Patriots Room of the office, Congressman Ferguson looked at old copies of TheWestfield Leader and The Times with Publisher Horace Corbin, left, and Correspondent Bill Sheppard.



Westfield Spring Fling Cancelled;WACC Runs Without Director

By LAUREN S. PASSSpecially Written for The Times

As Westfield Business ownersopened their mail on Friday, manywere surprised to find a notice fromthe Westfield Area Chamber of Com-merce (WACC) and the AdvertisingAlliance announcing that, “the SpringFling Street Fair has been cancelled.We look forward to an excitingSummerFest Street Fair.”

The Westfield Leader and The Timesof Scotch Plains-Fanwood attemptedto contact Director Debbie Schmidt,only to find out that Ms. Schmidt wasgone from that position as of March10.

A replacement for Ms. Schmidt hasnot yet beennamed and manychamber mem-bers were not no-tified of her depar-ture.

Diane Barabas,Chairwoman ofthe WACC Boardof Directors, saidthat Ms. Schmidtis “no longer employed by us rightnow.” Mrs. Barabas declined furthercomment, stating that she did notwant “publicity” on the issue.

Mrs. Barabas stated that theSpringFling was postponed to thealready scheduled SummerFest onSunday, June 22. “We’d like to offera better program,” she said, notingthat the postponement offered them“more time to prepare.”

The street fairs began with theFallFest in 1990, and have expandedsince. The Chamber had used theAdvertising Alliance as the event pro-motor. The FamilyFest Street Fair in2001, which was co-sponsored by the

Y, was the first event not done with theAdvertising Alliance. Instead, theevent was promoted by DarrylWalker, then Chairman of the WACC.

Mr. Walker then served as theevent coordinator for all three streetfairs in 2002 while still a member ofthe Board of Directors of the WACC.

Mr. Walker told The Leader andThe Times that heand the Chamber,“just couldn’t gettogether on a con-tract.” He said thathe still maintains a“very good relation-ship” with theChamber as a mem-ber. Mr. Walkeradded that, “this is

not a news story.”Westfield resident and attorney Mark

Kuehn has served as a legal advisor toWACC and provided advice in respectto street fair contracts.

Mr. Kuehn stated that it is, “an excit-ing and challenging time for the cham-ber,” adding that Ms. Barabas and the

Scotch Plains Council Approves NewZoning Ordinances Banning Flag Lots

By FRED ROSSISpecially Written for The Times

The Scotch Plains Township Coun-cil passed an ordinance on Tuesdaynight that deletes flag lots from thelocal zoning ordinances.

Last month, the township PlanningBoard voted to request the enactmentof such an ordinance. There has beenincreasing concern about flag lotspossibly being a contributor to anincrease in subdivision applications,with developers seeking to buy over-sized residential lots and then con-struct two homes, one behind theother, on those lots. A further impetusto passing the new ordinance was theintroduction of the state’s sprawl limi-tation plan under which the easternsection of New Jersey, includingUnion County, was deemed suitablefor even further development.

Previously, the township had norecourse, legally or via existing zon-ing regulations, to deny applicationsregarding flag lot development. Es-sentially, a flag lot is an oversizedpiece of property that is accessibleonly via a narrow strip of roadway ordriveway. On a map, the propertyresembles a pole with a flag at its top.

Councilwoman Paulette Coronatosaid the new ordinance would give

the local government some addi-tional control over excessive devel-opment. During the public hearingon the ordinance, one resident askedthe council for a more detailed expla-nation of the proposal, but no otherresidents or developers spoke pub-licly.

The council also passed two zon-ing ordinance changes relating to theproposed Broadway project, in whichage-restricted residential housing willbe developed on the eastern edge ofScotch Plains.

Members of the DECA Chapter atScotch Plains-Fanwood High Schoolperformed their annual custom ofrunning a full council meeting onTuesday night. Filling the Mayor’schair on Tuesday night was SaraFinkelstein. Emily Caballero sat infor Councilman Frank S. Rossi, NickBruno filled in for CouncilwomanCarolyn Sorge, Sean Colvin sat in forCouncilwoman Paulette Coronatoand Tony Bruno filled in for Council-woman Nancy Malool. MichaelHessemer played the role of the Town-ship Manager while Ted Sensor sat infor Township Attorney DouglasHansen and Michael Baumwoll filledin for Township Clerk Barbara Riepe.

Mr. Hessemer, on behalf of Town-

ship Manager Thomas Atkins, an-nounced that the annual leaf andgumball pickup will begin on Mon-day, April 7, and also reminded resi-dents of the ordinance passed lastyear that forbids homeowners fromplacing materials to be picked up atthe curb more than 10 days prior topick-up.

It was also announced that the Fed-eral Emergency Management Agencywill reimburse communities in NewJersey for up to 75 percent of certainexpenses associated with the Febru-ary blizzard.

The annual Farmers Market willreturn for a ninth year in June. Freshfruit and vegetables will be sold inthe municipal parking lot on ParkAvenue every Saturday, and SteveGoldberg, President of the ScotchPlains Business and Professional As-sociation (SPBPA), told the Councilhe’s looking for ways to further en-liven the weekly event. Mr. Bruno,sitting in for Councilwoman Malool,also listed several other events on thedowntown calendar, including theSPBPA’s Spring Fling dinner on Fri-day, May 2, and the Classic Car Showon Sunday, June 8.

In other business, the council passed

OOOOOur Last Eur Last Eur Last Eur Last Eur Last Edition frdition frdition frdition frdition from 50 Eom 50 Eom 50 Eom 50 Eom 50 Elm Slm Slm Slm Slm StrtrtrtrtreeteeteeteeteetSSSSSee Oee Oee Oee Oee Our Fur Fur Fur Fur First Eirst Eirst Eirst Eirst Edition frdition frdition frdition frdition from Nom Nom Nom Nom Norororororth Ath Ath Ath Ath Avvvvve. Ne. Ne. Ne. Ne. Next ext ext ext ext WWWWWeekeekeekeekeek

Bill Sheppard for The TimesMOVIN’ ON UP...New apartments are being built above businesses on Park Avenue in downtownScotch Plains. This is the second set of apartments going in above stores in the downtown area.

Jennifer Pinto for The TimesTOWNHOUSE ROW...A neew townhouses development on Jersulem Road in Scotch Plains is nearing completion. An agerestricted housing development is currently being considered by the Scotch Plains Planning Board for nearby BroadwayAvenue.


Page 10 Thursday, March 27, 2003 The Westfield Leader and THE TIMES of Scotch Plains – Fanwood A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION

Douglas M. FascialeCertified Civil Trial Attorney

by the Supreme Court of New Jersey

Hoagland, Longo, Moran, Dunst & Doukas, LLP

Attorneys At Law - A Full Service Firm

[email protected]

40 Paterson StreetNew Brunswick, NJ 08901

(732) 545-4717

116 S. Euclid AvenueWestfield, NJ 07090

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Concentrating in personal injury and malpractice cases.

LINDA KELLY, Scotch Plains“Too long. I think our troops

are going to get hit in Baghdadreally bad. I have two sons, 20and 30 (years of age) and I’mscared for them.”

How long do youthink the war in Iraq

will last and why?

STEPHANIE ALESSANDRI,Scotch Plains

“I think the war is going to lastmonths. Our military expectedthings to be a way that theyaren’t. They aren’t prosecutingthe war as harshly as they could.”

MICHAEL CINO, Scotch Plains“Another two months. I think

there are a lot of guerillas andterrorists that are hard to find.Even if we hit Baghdad, it will behard to bring it under control.”

RICH JACKSON, Fanwood,Served 19 years in ArmyReserves. He just left in

September.

MICHAEL MARINO, Fanwood“I think it is going to be a little

longer than we anticipated. To-day and tomorrow (Tuesday andWednesday) will be indicative ofhow long it lasts.”

“About nine months becauseof the weather and conditionsover there.”

Mountainside School Bd. CandidatesDebate Budget and Beechwood

By BETSEY BURGDORFSpecially Written for The Times

MOUNTAINSIDE -- Five candi-dates vying for two open seats on theMountainside Board of Educationfaced off Monday night in a debatehosted by the League of Women Vot-ers. The debate was organized byNancy Longo and Janine Mosier andmoderated by Myrna Wasserman.

The public forum began with open-ing remarks from the two incumbentsand three candidates. Frank Geigerand Mary Beth Schaumberg currentlyserve on the Board and are seeking re-election while Pauline Genakos,Linda Esemplare and Pat Knodel arehoping for a chance at the three-yearterms.

Mr. Geiger has served on the schoolboard for the last twelve years, four ofthem as president. He is a middleschool teacher who is presently earn-ing a Masters degree in EducationalAdministration.

He feels that he has been involvedin thousands of issues and decisionsthat have become the framework ofthe Mountainside School district.Amidst the overwhelming shadow ofthe Beechwood School project Mr.Geiger states, “I don’t see the goal asa building, the goal isn’t class size,the goal isn’t standardized tests…thegoal is opportunity. Each child shouldhave the opportunity to reach as highas she or he is able…Our kids need toknow more about risk. Our studentsneed to know more about failure.Giving our children the opportunityto fail is the only time we give theman opportunity to succeed.”

Mr. Geiger’s goal for Mountainsideis to not only see it surpass the statestandard, but for every child to set apersonal goal by the time they are inmiddle school whether it be artistic,scientific, athletic, poetic or techno-logical.

Mrs. Schaumberg is a second gen-eration Mountainside resident withthree children, all of whom attendDeerfield School. Mrs. Schaumbergis a member of the Long Range Facili-ties Committee of the board and hasbeen involved in all aspects of theBeechwood School project.

Her vision for the future is based onher belief that the BOE needs to con-tinue working with administrationand staff to implement the mandatesof the District Strategic Plan. “Thisincludes such issues as curriculumreview and improvement, integrat-ing technology into curriculum, andattracting high quality teachers tothe district,” she stated. “In addition,”she added, “the board needs to con-tinue its efforts to better communi-cate with all the members of this com-munity.”

Mrs. Genakos brings a fresh voiceto the Mountainside BOE being theonly candidate who has never servedon the board. She has been a residentfor four years and has two youngchildren, one of which attends kin-dergarten at Beechwood School. Mrs.Genakos is a graduate of St. John’sUniversity and is currently employedas a Teacher’s Assistant in the MillburnTownship School District and is anactive volunteer at Deerfield Schoolas well as the Presbyterian NurserySchool, where her three-year old at-tends pre-school.

“My priority is to provide our teach-ers with the resources necessary tohelp all students reach their full po-tential. In the current climate of statebudget cuts, my business experiencewill help me make tough choiceswhile always keeping academics asmy main focus,” Mrs. Genakos said.“As a homeowner, I realize that hav-ing a solid school system has benefitsbeyond educating our students. I feelthat everyone, young and old, shouldrealize that improving our schoolsystem is a win-win situation becauseit attracts new residents and supportshigher home values.”

She feels she has the time to com-mit to the BOE and is willing todevote the hours it will require tocome up with fresh ideas and creativesolutions.

Mrs. Esemplare has been aMountainside resident for forty years.She served on the Board for twenty-one of those years. She raised sixchildren, all receiving their educa-tion in the Mountainside school dis-trict. She previously taught kinder-garten, physical education and tech-nology.

Mrs. Esemplare retired from theboard three years ago, but her con-cerns over the events of the past yearhave brought her back in search of anew seat bringing with her a seasonedvoice.

“Honest and timely communica-tion with parents and the communityis a must,” Mrs. Esemplare states.“When the bond referendum was pro-posed, statements were made that itcould be paid for with money fromde-regionalization and state grants.Last year the taxpayers received a$600 plus tax increase…Surprise!Beechwood School was to open inSeptember 2002, but due to problemswith the contractor this was delayedagain and again. Parents were notinformed in a timely manner of theseproblems or the possibility that theschool would not open asscheduled…Surprise!”

Mrs. Knodel has twenty-six yearsas a board member under her belt. Sheis a widow who raised eight childrenin the Mountainside school district.She served as a legislative chairmanwho brought two resolutions to theDelegate Assembly of the New JerseySchool Board Association. She has aB.A. from Caldwell College in Biol-ogy, Physical Science and SecondaryEducation. She also holds an Elemen-tary Education Certificate from KeanUniversity, formerly Newark State.

“Throughout my twenty-six yearson the board, I have successfully ar-gued for better qualified teachers,smaller classes, improved curriculumin language arts, mathematics, in-creased physical education and agreater awareness of special educa-tion as well as early education for thehandicapped. My recommendationshave saved the citizens ofMountainside thousands of dollarsin the areas of administration, secre-tarial staff, transportation of the handi-capped, negotiations, purchasing andbusiness practices,” Mrs. Knodel said.

After opening statements wereheard, the floor was turned over toresidents for a chance to question thecandidates. Questions focused onsuch issues as Beechwood School,improving communication betweenthe BOE and residents, the Budget for2003-04, attracting and retaining thebest teachers, implementing dresscodes, courtesy training and stan-dardized tests.

Ms. Wasserman, the mediator, feltthat questions concerning the bud-get gave the incumbents an unfairadvantage and persuaded the publicto focus on other issues.

Mrs. Knodel feels that the BOEmeeting should be consistently tele-vised in order to keep the publicinformed of issues and upcomingevents. She also feels that an agendafor the meeting should be made avail-able to the public so that they areaware of the topics to be discussed.She was adamant on gettingBeechwood up and running and feelsthat the contractor should be moni-tored, and weekly reports should besupplied to residents. She suggestedputting a contingency plan into ef-fect in the event that the Friday, Au-gust 1, deadline for completion of theconstruction cannot be met.

Mrs. Knodel stated that the BOEhas to consider every resident whenputting together the school budgetclaiming that 70 percent of currentresidents do not have children in theschool system. She declared that aschool district has no relation to prop-erty value, and feels that real estateprices are high throughout New Jer-sey regardless of the quality of educa-tion the town offers.

Mrs. Esemplare stated that shewould have handled the project dif-ferently and questioned whether theextensive construction was necessaryat all. She is in favor of a dress codestating that it takes the competitivenature of “who’s wearing what” out ofthe school day.

Mrs. Esemplare is strongly in favorof smaller class size and stated thatMountainside offers a competitivestarting salary and has “a fine reputa-tion” for attracting and keeping qual-ity educators. Mrs. Esemplare’s de-clared that Channel 35 and local news-papers should be responsible for help-ing the community obtain informa-tion. She would like to see changesmade to the web site and utilize thelibrary as a source for keeping thepublic informed. She feels that test-ing is a “fact of life” and that thecurrent curriculum needs to be exam-ined to find out where it is in relationto test scores.

Mrs. Genakos feels that the mainfocus of the BOE should be thecompletion of Beechwood School,the overcrowding of the classroomsand the passing of the budget. Shestated that a larger class size can beconducive to a better learning envi-ronment if the classroom is adequatelyequipped for the amount of studentsit will hold. She is not in favor of thedress code, but is in favor of all teach-ers promoting character awareness,teaching manners and respect as partof their daily curriculum.

Mrs. Genakos thinks that Channel35 should be a permanent feature atall future BOE meetings. She feelsthat the BOE and administration canalso be involved in keeping commu-nication lines open. Her position onstandardized testing is that it is nec-essary for preparing the students forthe future, but feels the curriculumshould prepare them for the tests inorder to help them succeed.

Mrs. Schaumberg stands firm onher belief that the Beechwood projectwas handled by the BOE to the best ofits ability, and that the doors willopen on time for the beginning ofschool in September. She feelsstrongly that the focus needs to bebrought back to the issue of the town’seducators and taken away from thebuilding itself. She is a staunch sup-porter of the District’s Strategic Planand feels that teachers should teachdirectly from the mission statementdetailed in that plan which focuseson teaching students respect, as wellas the core curriculum.

She is also in favor of shorteningthe salary guide in order to bringteacher’s salaries closer to other com-petitive districts with fiscal respect tothe community in mind.

Mr. Geiger strongly believes thatBeechwood School will be openedby August 1. He feels that uponcompletion of the school, real estateprices will dramatically increase, call-ing Beechwood “our little gem.” Henoted the correlation between a goodschool system and increased real es-tate value.

He also stated that the public isvery important to the BOE and askedthat they continue to bring the boardtheir ideas, issues and concerns. Hisstand on attracting and retainingquality educators isn’t necessarilycentered around salary. He stated thatteachers want a safe school, with acore curriculum that will be instru-mental in moving tenured teachers,as well as new teachers, toward suc-cess. He asked the resident to “give‘us’ your commitment so that we cando together what we couldn’t soalone.”

Mountainside Board of Educationelections will be held on Tuesday,April 15.

board are working to take the chamberto the “next level.”

“The moves made with the directorand the street fair are part of their planto do this,” Mr. Kuehn told The Times.

Mr. Walker’s web site, http://StreetFairs.org says that his organiza-tion has “more than 25 years experi-ence promoting community events.”The company is running events inSpringfield, Metuchen, Red Bank,Cranford and Westfield this year.

The Chamber has an annual budgetof $320,000, $175,000 to $180,000 ofwhich is brought in from all three ofthe street fairs, with $110,000 to$120,000 spent annually for the fairs.This means that the chamber profitsapproximately $60,000 a year from allthree of the fairs. The cancellation ofthe SpringFling means it will have aloss of approximately $20,000.

In January, Ms. Schmidt wrote aletter to the Mayor and council stat-ing that by contracting with Mr.Walker, former Chairman of the Cham-ber, rather than an outside company,they were “able to increase our pro-ceeds from the street fair events.”

She also said that only 25 percentof the Chamber’s annual incomecomes from member dues, and thatthe street fairs make up a large part ofthe “non-dues” revenue.

At the time the letter was presented,First Ward Councilman Sal Caruanasuggested that a full-time staff person behired to run the fairs rather than payinga promoter. Ms. Schmidt had respondedat the time that it makes the decisions onhiring someone, but that they are mov-ing in the direction of being able to dothe fairs in-house.

Fourth Ward Councilwoman SusanJacobson, the Liaison to WACC, statedthat the Chamber is important to thetown. She added that directors, board


Town Spring Fling Cancelled;WACC Runs Without Director

members and chamber members comeand go but that it is important that itremain a strong organization.

The New Jersey State Consumer Af-fairs Division of Charitable Registra-tion had no listing for WACC on theirweb site. The Leader and The Timescontacted the office and was told thatany organization that is a 501(C)(3) ormakes a charitable appeal is required tofile with them. After a description of theorganization was given, the address ofthe chamber was requested, which TheLeader and The Times provided andwas told that WACC will be getting aregistration form and have two to threeweeks to respond.

The Chamber is a 501(C)(6) which theIRS defines as, “a business league, ingeneral, is an association of personshaving some common business interest,the purpose of which is to promote suchcommon interest and not to engage in aregular business of a kind ordinarilycarried on for profit. Trade associationsand professional associations are con-sidered to be business leagues.

The business league must be devotedto the improvement of business condi-tions of one or more lines of business asdistinguished from the performance ofparticular services for individual per-sons. It must be shown that the condi-tions of a particular trade or the interestsof the community will be advanced. Nopart of its net earnings may inure to thebenefit of any private shareholder orindividual and it may not be organizedfor profit or organized to engage in anactivity ordinarily carried on for profit(even if the business is operated on acooperative basis or produces only suf-ficient income to be self-sustaining).”

Phone calls to WACC board mem-bers Paul Babick and Warren Rordenwere not returned as of press time,neither was a phone call to Ms. Schmidt.

WF Parking Redevelopment PlansApproved by Town Planning Board

By KIMBERLY A. BROADWELLSpecially Written for The Times

WESTFIELD -- Members of theWestfield Planning Board voted unani-mously, Monday evening, to approvepreliminary redevelopment plans forboth the South Avenue redevelopmentarea as well as the Prospect/Elm Streetsite.

The sites for the redevelopment areaare located at the municipal parkinglots, excluding the train station and the“drop and ride” area with boundarieson South Avenue, and the NJ Transitrailroad line and municipal parkinglots numbers one and eight with bound-aries on Prospect and Elm Streets re-spectfully.

The Atlantic Group and the law of-fices of Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith,Ravin, Davis & Himmel presented theseredevelopment plans to the PlanningBoard.

According to a written report sub-mitted by the Atlantic Group and thelaw firm, “The Westfield PlanningBoard has recommended to the TownCouncil that the municipally ownedSouth Avenue site be designated as anarea in need of redevelopment.”

In its report the Atlantic Group out-lines its plans for 3.33 acres of munici-pally owned commuter parking adja-cent to the train station and bordered bySouth Avenue. It notes that during arecent finding by the Westfield ParkingAdvisory Committee, the current park-ing shortfall for that area is between450-500 parking spaces and is due toresident rail commuters as well as park-ing needed for the downtown area.

According to the report, the plan forthis area is to increase surface parkingspaces by constructing “a parking deckat a scale which is compatible withsurrounding structures making it asinvisible as possible by masking it withretail and residential developmentalong the South Avenue property edge.”

This plan will provide 1,060 parkingspaces, 21,800 square feet of retail andcommercial space and 35 apartmentson floors above the retail and commer-cial space.

In a presentation given for membersof the Planning Group, Patrick Henryand Lawrence Houston, of the AtlanticGroup presented a proposal for the re-development plan with specific guide-lines.

These guidelines for the South Av-enue plans are as follows: the garageshould not be visible from South Av-enue and should include two auto en-trances and exits as well as severalpedestrian entrances, the residentialand retail should be near or at the prop-erty line on South Avenue, the structurebe sufficiently set back from the SouthAvenue curb to assure that a new side-walk be wide enough to permit outdoordining and pedestrian passage, the fa-cade facing South Avenue be of a scale,size and character compatible with thetrain station (a registered historic site)the immediate area and Westfield ingeneral, the façade facing the platformrespect the size, scale and dignity of theplatform and the canopy, the facadefacing Central Avenue have no visiblewalls from the train station and from theNorth Avenue side, preserve key treesin the existing landscape, make up anddown walking connections from thegarage to the platform on several loca-tions, set back the garage from thestation building and include truck load-ing and delivery capability in the de-sign and function of the deck for com-

mercial and residential use.In the presentation, Mr. Houston

outlined zoning requirements for theproject, which included the height ofthe new building as well as the commer-cial use of the first floor. In the report itis stated that the height of any structurenot exceed 50 feet.

Planning Board member, RobertNewell, asked Mr. Houston if the rede-velopment plan would supersede landuse ordinance provisions as some of theredevelopment plan regulations differfrom Central Business District Regula-tions. For example, in the redevelop-ment plan height shall not exceed 50feet while the Central Business Districtallows no more that 40 feet.

Planning Board Chairman, Jay Boylenoted that the re-development planwould supersede land use ordinanceprovisions, but did make the followingamendments to the plan. The first is tostay within the 40-foot requirement forbuilding height and the second was tonot allow any medical professional toconduct business within the re-devel-opment project. According to planningboard members, medical professionalsrequire too many parking spaces.

Other businesses prohibited to usespace within the South Avenue rede-velopment plan are banks, offices, cul-tural and entertainment uses, childcarecenters and governmental uses.

The second redevelopment area out-lined by the Atlantic Group and pre-sented by Mr. Henry and Mr. Lawrencewas the Prospect and Elm Street site.The Westfield Parking Advisory Com-mittee has deemed approximately 1.7acres consisting of municipal lots oneand eight bounded by Prospect andElm Streets as having a “serious park-ing deficit.” It concludes that the short-fall is between 850-900 spaces.

According to the report submittedby the Atlantic Group as well asGreenbaum, Rowe, Smith, Ravin, Davisand Himmel, “Westfield wishes to in-

crease its surface parking by construct-ing a parking deck at a scale compat-ible with surrounding structures, al-lowing vehicular access and egress fromboth the Elm and Prospect Street Edges.It is to be masked by residential devel-opment along Prospect Street makingthe deck as invisible as possible. Retailuse may also be included.”

The project is expected to include430 parking spaces, three garage levels(grade plus two supported levels), sixresidential/townhouse unites and 1500square feet in retail.

Redevelopment guidelines include:garage entrances and exits should belocated on Elm and Prospect Streets,with the Prospect exit to be left turnonly, taking traffic toward East BroadStreet, lights on the garage roof shouldnot shine into adjacent streets and prop-erties, residential units facing ProspectStreet with special parking spaces pro-vided, retail to face Elm Street and a 15foot minimum set back on Elm Street toprovide for landscapes that will screenthe garage.

Zoning requirements are to includethat the height of the structure notexceed 40 feet, porches shall be permit-ted on Prospect Street, retail sales en-couraged on the ground floor, sharedparking encouraged, dedicated on-siteparking only required for townhousesconstructed on Prospect Street and re-tail space prohibited to banks, offices,cultural and entertainment uses,childcare centers, governmental usesand medical professionals.


SP Councila resolution transferring $60,000 inunspent balances from 2002 to thetownship’s capital improvement fund.The council also approved a resolu-tion expressing its support for imple-menting proposals included in a 1998report by the Green Brook FloodControl Commission to prevent fu-ture flooding problems in ScotchPlains and surrounding towns.

Another resolution was passedopposing the passage of a bill in theState Assembly that would expandhealth insurance coverage for vari-ous mental health services and typesof addictions. Given the financialclimate in most communities, thecouncil felt any mandated expansionof health coverage for public em-ployees would worsen local finan-cial situations.

The council passed a resolutioncongratulating Alexander Gerveshion attaining the rank of Eagle Scoutin the Boy Scouts of America. An-other resolution was approved con-gratulating Willow Grove Presbyte-rian Church on the 50th anniversaryof its founding.

The council’s next meeting will beon Tuesday, April 8, at which time the2003 municipal budget is expectedto be unveiled.

Brunner Pre-K Title 1Notes 100 School Days

SCOTCH PLAINS – March 4 wasthe 100th day of school for children inthe Pre-K Title 1 classes at BrunnerElementary School in Scotch Plains.

The children began counting on thefirst day of school in September andhelped to plan a celebration to mark the100th day.

Headbands were decorated, 100Cheerios were strung to make neck-

PROUD MEMBER…Brunner El-ementary School student RyanTannenbaum poses for a photo to markthe 100th day of school.

laces and the children made booklets tomark the day. Each class baked a cakeand helped to count out 100 candles forthe top. The children discovered that100 candles make a lot of smoke.

Parent volunteers were on hand tohelp the children work at stations thatfeatured the number 100. The stationsincluded covering a counting mat with100 stamps, filling a goody bag with100 treats and decorating 100 inches ofpaper.

The 100 day activities were plannedto help the children begin the under-stand how much 100 is.

Thursday, March 27, 2003 The Westfield Leader and THE TIMES of Scotch Plains – Fanwood A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION


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SPFHS PTA Endorses2003-04 School Budget

The Scotch Plains-Fanwood HighSchool PTA Executive Board, voted toendorse the 2003-2004 Budget for theScotch Plain-Fanwood School District,at its meeting on March 10.

Community members are reminded toplease exercise their right to vote onTuesday, April 15.

If the budget is not passed, the townsof Scotch Plains and Fanwood will re-view the budget and make the final deter-mination.

For more information, please contactBeth Ruggieri, Corresponding Secretary,SP-F High School PTA.

Redeemer Lutheran SalutesBrothers Serving in Iraq

WESTFIELD – After each serviceon March 23, members of the congre-gation gathered around the oak treeon the front lawn of the RedeemerLutheran Church in Westfield, to prayfor two of its members currently serv-ing in the military.

Brothers Mike and Jeff Raymondare serving in the United States Ma-rine Corps in the war with Iraq. They,along with their parents, are long-time members of the congregation.

“We are very proud of them,” saidthe Reverend Paul Kritsch, RedeemerLutheran’s Pastor. “We wanted to letthem know of our support and prayers.We also wanted their mom and dad toknow that we stand with them.”

Pastor Kritsch and his wife, Dor-othy, had tied two yellow ribbonsaround the tree, one for each of themen. On Sunday, the congregation

proceeded out of the church, gath-ered around the tree, sang “Americathe Beautiful” and offered a prayerfor the Raymond brothers, as well asall men and women serving in thearmed forces.

A complete set of pictures taken atthe event was mailed to both broth-ers; a third set was given to theirparents.

“We look forward to the day whenMike and Jeff are safely home,” Pas-tor Kritsch remarked.

“When they get here, we’ll all gatheron the front lawn again, ask them tocut down the ribbons, and say a prayerof thanksgiving,” he added.

Redeemer Lutheran Church is lo-cated at Clark Street andCowperthwaite Place. For more in-formation, please call the church of-fice at (908) 232-1517.

PROUD AND PRAYING...Members of the Redeemer Lutheran Church inWestfield gathered last Sunday and tied a yellow ribbon in wait for the return homeof their two members who are soldiers now serving in Iraq. COOKIES GALORE...Fifty parents swarmed to the Westfield Armory on March

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SBA Helps Educate, AssistSmall Business Owners

By LAUREN S. PASS, JENNIFERPINTO, BILL SHEPPARD and

SUZETTE STALKERSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

In a mandate to the Small BusinessAdministration, President George W.Bush called for the organization to“be more results oriented, help morepeople, be aggressive in outreachproblems.”

Former Congressman Mike Pappas,the current Regional SBA Adminis-trator, has apparently heeded thePresident’s message.

Elected to Congress in 1996, hewas defeated in his bid for a secondterm by Democrat Rush Holt. Mr.Pappas was appointed to the SBA inOctober of 2001.

Mr. Pappas is reaching out to thepublic by visiting educational insti-tutions and successful business ven-tures throughout his SBA region. Theregion encompasses New Jersey, NewYork, Puerto Rico and the UnitedStates Virgin Islands.

Mr. Pappas told The WestfieldLeader and The Times of ScotchPlains-Fanwood during a recent visit,how tough it is to start a business.

“You need passion and a 100 per-cent dedication…you must be re-sourceful,” he said.

Mr. Pappas stated that his organi-zation provides services such as as-sistance with writing a business planand in financing networking (orteaching someone how to network).It also provides expert advice.

He explained that his organizationcan provide novice business ownerswith valuable information via itswebsite, www.sba.gov/nj, as well asthrough its other services.

“One of the biggest challenges isyou don’t know what you don’tknow,” he remarked, explaining howSBA members can offer the benefit oftheir experience to newcomers.

Mr. Pappas said the SBA affordsnew business owners the chance tomeet with SCORE counselors, as wellas veteran business owners who canact as mentors. Additionally, the SBAcan work with banks to help businessowners secure a loan.

He also discussed his work withNew York and New Jersey businesses

regarding the SBA’s “disaster loanprogram,” in which loans were grantedto businesses to cover their lossesfollowing the September 11, 2001terror attacks.

Mr. Pappas explained that this isthe only direct loan given by theSBA. All of the other loans that theSBA provides are done through par-ticipating banks.

The regional administrator, whogrew up in a small business environ-ment and served as an executive inhis family’s insurance agency, notedthat most new businesses are smallbusinesses.

He said the SBA is not just for newbusinesses, but can also help existingsmall companies. Rather than see abusiness default on a loan, Mr. Pappassaid the SBA can refer the owner to acounselor to review refinancing op-tions and help him or her create a newbusiness plan.

He said that the SBA is strivingtoward being a “place where peoplecan come for information.”

Some of the success stories thatcame out of the SBA include Ben &Jerry’s, Apple and Intel.

Bill Sheppard for The Westfield Leader and The TimesSORTING THE ARCHIVES…State Senator Thomas Kean, Jr. (R-21) stoppedin the new office of The Westfield Leader and The Times last Tuesday at the TrainStation Plaza to wish the staff good luck and to help organize some of thephotographs. Pictured from the left are Assistant Publisher and Sports EditorDavid Corbin, Senator Kean and A&E Editor Michelle LePoidevin.

Bill Sheppard for The Westfield Leader and The TimesCOMPUTERS HELPING SMALL BUSINESS…Mr. Michael Pappas, RegionalAdministrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, visited the 50 Elm Streetoffice of The Westfield Leader and The Times last Friday. He saw the preparationof the last edition of the newspaper from the Elm Street location after 93 years inone spot. He then visited the new office of the newspaper at the Train Station Plaza,251 North Avenue, West in Westfield. Publisher Horace Corbin demonstrates howThe Leader/Times utilizes computers for ‘Inprint’ publishing and for the Internetin its small business. Pictured from the left are Mr. Pappas and Mr. Corbin.

Westfield ReminderIt’s time for all citizens to donate to

the Westfield Volunteer Rescue Squadto fund their service for this year.

Please mail donations to TheWestfield Volunteer Rescue Squad,P.O. Box 356, Westfield, NJ 07091.For more information, please call(908) 233-2500.

It’s Good For You to Read!It’s Good For You to Read!It’s Good For You to Read!It’s Good For You to Read!It’s Good For You to Read!Subscribe Now to The Leader/TimesSubscribe Now to The Leader/TimesSubscribe Now to The Leader/TimesSubscribe Now to The Leader/TimesSubscribe Now to The Leader/Timeswww.goleader.com/subscribewww.goleader.com/subscribewww.goleader.com/subscribewww.goleader.com/subscribewww.goleader.com/subscribe

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2003 OFFICERS…Mayor Gregory McDermott swore in the Westfield VolunteerRescue Squad’s 2003 Officers at the squad’s annual Dinner Dance and Installationof Officers held at Shaxamaxon Country Club in Scotch Plains in January. Picturedin the back row from left are: Assistant Treasurer Jeanne Gladis, Daytime Lt. PatTighe, Treasurer Jeff Harris, Ambulance Lt. Jack McGuire, Scheduling Lt. LaurenPass, Training Lt. Craig Stever, and Secretary Lisa Carle. Seated from left are: VicePresident Dan Sullivan, President Lynn Feldman, Deputy Captain Miki Urso, andCaptain Bob Barrett.Asm. Jon Bramnick Named

To Consumer Affairs Comm.TRENTON — Assemblyman Jon

Bramnick (R-21) of Westfield has beennamed to the Assembly Consumer Af-fairs Committee. Mr. Bramnick joinedthe General Assembly on February 24after winning a Special County Con-vention for the 21st Legislative Districton February 18.

“This committee is charged withmaking decisions on some very im-portant consumer rights issues. I lookforward to having the opportunity tobe an active participant in these de-bates,” said Assemblyman Bramnick.

Among those pieces of legislationcurrently under consideration by theConsumer Affairs Committee are ameasure regulating the type size inconsumer merchandise contracts; abill exempting persons who are in thebusiness of restoring antique and clas-sic cars from providing written repairestimates to consumers, and a provi-sion requiring tanning facilities topost warning signs regarding the dan-gers of using tanning equipment.

*****Assemblyman Bramnick has an-

nounced that he has established a“Make It Simple” Task Force to de-velop legislation to make the doctor-

patient-insurance company relation-ship “simple.”

Mr. Bramnick said the doctor-pa-tient relationship has become muchtoo complex for approvals of medicaltests and referrals to specialists.

“Doctors and patients are deeplyconcerned regarding the complexityover approvals for medical tests, i.e.gate keepers,” said AssemblymanBramnick.

“This task force includes doctors, anurse and representatives of the in-surance industry,” he explained.

Named to the Task Force are: Dr.Thomas Lewis, an internist fromFanwood; Dr. Joel Rock, Chief ofAnesthesia at Muhlenberg RegionalMedical Center in Plainfield and JohnF. Kennedy Medical Center in Edison;Casey Woodruff, a former assistantUnion County prosecutor; NoreenLund, a registered nurse; Assembly-man Dr. Eric Munoz, a trauma sur-geon at the University of Medicineand Dentistry of New Jersey, and As-semblyman Bramnick.

Anyone who would like to expressan opinion to the Task Force may doso by submitting letters to the MakeIt Simple Task Force, in care of As-semblyman Jon Bramnick, 203 ElmStreet, Westfield 07090.

Kean Questions Governor’sCommitment to Seniors

TRENTON — Speaking before agroup of senior citizens last week,Senator Thomas H. Kean, Jr. (R-21)pointed out the inconsistency be-tween Governor James McGreevey’swords and his actions with regards toissues that matter to senior citizens.

Governor McGreevey recentlysigned into law a Republican initia-tive (S-1341) which permanentlyextended the yearly deadline to ap-ply for New Jersey’s senior propertytax freeze program from December 31to June 1.

“This direct property tax relief pro-gram was established under Republi-can leadership in 1997. In 2001, Re-publicans increased the income eli-gibility limits to expand the numberof seniors who could take advantageof it,” said Senator Kean.

“This year, recognizing that manyseniors are still unaware of the pro-gram, Republicans sponsored a billextending the deadline,” he contin-ued.

Mr. Kean said he is pleased that theGovernor signed the bill extendingthe deadline for a valuable propertytax relief program designed to helplow income seniors living on a fixedincome, but said that Mr. McGreevey’sactions are hypocritical.

“Governor McGreevey signed ourmeasure, saying that ‘not enough (se-niors) are taking advantage of a pro-gram’ that shields seniors from an-nual property tax increases. What hedoes not say is that under his pro-posed budget, Governor McGreeveyis shutting the door on enrollment inthis program forever,” Senator Keansaid.

Although approximately 400,000seniors are eligible, only 95,000 arecurrently participants. Senator Keansaid that time is running out to get onboard the program.

“If you aren’t yet eligible, you neverwill be. If you are eligible this year,but you miss this new deadline, youwill also be out of luck,” he explained.

Under Governor McGreevey’s pro-posed budget, Mr. Kean said, thisvaluable property tax relief program

will eventually die because no newenrollments will be allowed.

“If you don’t allow new seniors toenroll, eventually, there will be noseniors left receiving this vital prop-erty tax freeze benefit,” the senatorsaid. “This decision to kill the SeniorProperty Tax Freeze Program flies inthe face of his stated commitment toseniors and property tax relief.”

Senator Kean also questionedGovernor McGreevey’s frequent ap-pearances before senior groups,where he claims to support seniorinitiatives.

“Governor McGreevey says heplans to work for new laws and regu-lations to fund prescription drugs,but fails to mention that his budgetwill cut PAAD (Prescription Assis-tance to the Aged and Disabled) pro-gram,” said Mr. Kean.

“The Governor likes to tell seniorsabout last year’s increase to the Home-stead Rebate, another Republicanmeasure, but artfully leaves out thefact that his budget eliminates thebuilt-in cost-of-living adjustmentcreated by that measure.”

The senator additionally said theGovernor’s 2003 budget also failedto include the legislated cost-of-liv-ing increase, which amounted to a$25 cut.

Senator Kean said it baffles himhow the Governor can continue totravel around the state talking to se-niors about the many wonderful as-sistance programs available, takingcredit for them all, when they wereestablished prior to his Administra-tion and he has actually diminishedtheir usefulness.

He said that the Governor’s actionsensure that already vulnerable se-niors will be forced to pay even morejust to keep pace with their currentliving expenses.

“Governor McGreevey clearly hasa habit of saying one thing and actu-ally doing another. The Governorshould be straight with New Jerseyseniors so they at least have a chanceto prepare for his proposed cuts andplan accordingly,” he said.

County Establishes ActionPlan in Event of Terrorism

COUNTY — The Union CountyCommittee on Homeland Security,created by Freeholder ChairwomanDeborah Scanlon in January, has es-tablished an action plan for imple-mentation in the event of a terroristattack within Union County borders.

In the event of a terrorist attack, theCounty of Union will mobilize emer-gency management personnel. TheUnion County Prosecutor’s Office hasmore than 100 detectives and 63Union County Emergency ResponseTeam (UCERT) and Special Weaponsand Tactics (SWAT) members fromvarious municipalities ready for im-mediate activation.

The Union County Sheriff’s Officehas the responsibility for the securityof the Union County CourthouseComplex. A great number of Sheriff’s

Officers, along with County Police,were called into action after the Sep-tember 11attacks.

The Union County Office of Emer-gency Management utilizes 16 em-ployees and a Hazardous MaterialsResponse Team consisting of 25 mem-bers. Its members operate the state-of-the-art Mobile Command Post, whichwas dispatched to Lower Manhattanon September 11 and handled thecommunications needs of the NewYork City Fire Department in theweeks and months following the col-lapse of The World Trade Center.

The County of Union has acquiredseveral pieces of specialized equip-ment, including Zodiac boats, a BombResponse Unit, four Haz-Mat responsevehicles, a decontamination trailer,and a Weapons of Mass Destructionresponse trailer, preparing for the pos-sibility of an act or acts of terrorism.

For more information regardingsecurity measures, please visitwww.ucnj.org or call (908) 527-4100.

Westfield Jaycees To Hold Annual Reunion

WESTFIELD — The Westfield Jay-cees will be holding their annualWestfield Jaycee reunion, dubbed“Old-Timer’s Night,” on Wednesday,April 2, at 6:30 p.m. at the Jolly Trol-ley on North Avenue in Westfield(next to the fire house). All past,present and potential Jaycees are in-vited to attend. Dinner and refresh-ments will be provided to new guestsat no charge.

The Westfield Jaycees is a group ofyoung men and women volunteeringtime and effort toward the bettermentof our community with a particularfocus in the future of our youth. TheJaycees sponsor such programs as theWestfield Child Shield Program,Westfield Helmet Safety Program andan annual Concert Series. The Jay-cees also serve the community bydonating time and money to the over-all improvement of the Westfield area.

The Jaycees hold monthly mem-bership meetings the first Wednes-day of each month at a local restau-rant. For more information regardingthis or any program sponsored by theWestfield Jaycees, the Jaycees askthat they be contacted by phone at(908) 233-3251, by e-mail [email protected] or visitthem online at www.westfieldnj.com.

CONSTRUCTION PROJECT IN SCOTCH PLAINS Elizabethtown Water Company Water Main Cleaning and Relining www.etownwater.com Beginning the week of March 24 and continuing through November, JF Creamer and Son, a contractor for Elizabethtown Water Company will clean and line approximately 56,250 feet of water mains in the area east of Terrill Road and South of Route 22. Main cleaning and lining restores water mains, increases the flow of water and improves fire protection. Elizabethtown makes every effort to minimize any service interruptions. Before work begins, temporary service lines are installed above ground and connected to your home or business at your meter. The temporary service lines will provide you with continuous water service for the duration of the procedure. All temporary lines will be disinfected to ensure water quality. Because the bypass hose is above ground, it can get heated up during hot weather. If you have not used your water for a period of four hours or more, it is recommended to run a faucet for 10 minutes prior to using your water. While the project is continuing, we suggest that you keep a pitcher of water in your refrigerator to ensure that you have plenty of cold water to drink when the weather gets hot. We want to assure you that even if it is warm, your water is still safe to drink. Look for an advertisement in this paper to provide you with periodic updates. If you have any questions or experience a problem please contact our construction inspector Tom Slaza at (908) 482-5214 or for general inquiries, please call our Customer Service Center at 1-800-272-1325.

Bill Sheppard for The Westfield Leader and The TimesHOME LOANS ABOUND…Congressman Michael Ferguson was in Westfield atCountrywide Mortgage to announce the availability of new Fannie Mae,‘MyCommunityMortgage’ loans to New Jersey residents of low-to-middle income.Pictured from left are: Glenn Straffi of Countrywide, Marilyn Rovira of the FannyMae Foundation, Eric Declerq of Countrywide, Congressman Ferguson, TimTouhey of Fanny Mae, Bill Flagg from ERA Queen City Realty and Tim Foremanof Countrywide.

Bill Sheppard for The Westfield Leader and The TimesBUSINESS NETWORKING EDUCATION…Michael Pappas, Regional Ad-ministrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) spoke to the businessstudents at Union County College in Cranford last Friday. Mr. Pappas discussedthe importance of business networking and how the SBA can help. The programwas arranged by Dr. John Carmichael, Professor of Business at the college.Pictured above, from left, are: one of the students, Mr. Pappas and Dr. Carmichael.

Tree Planting SeminarSet for May 8 in WFWESTFIELD — The Westfield Tree

Preservation Commission will hold atree maintenance seminar on Tues-day, May 8, from 8-10 p.m. in theCommunity Room of the WestfieldMunicipal building at 425 BroadStreet in Westfield. The public is in-vited.

The seminar will be conducted bylocal landscape designer and degreedhorticulturist, Craig Stock. Issuesinvolving the Asian Long Horn beetlewill be discussed.

Public works personnel will be onhand to accept requests from the pub-lic for tree inspection and pruning.

On the Internet in colorwww.goleader.com



Fred K. LecomteMARKETING DIRECTOR

The Westfield Leader

Member of: New Jersey Press Association

National Newspaper AssociationWestfield Area Chamber of Commerce

Periodicals – Postage Paid at Westfield, New Jersey

The Official Newspaper of the Town of Westfieldand the County of Union

Official Newspaper of the Borough of Fanwood andthe Township of Scotch Plains

THE TIMES

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OFFICE MANAGER

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Michelle H. LePoidevinA&E and EDUCATION David B. Corbin

ASSISTANT PUBLISHER & SPORTS

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Jennifer PintoNEWS & REPORTING

Lauren S. PassASSIGNMENT EDITOR

Ben CorbinSERVICES

Letters to the EditorABCDICTIONOPQRSTDECEPTIONUVWXYZ

TM

DDDDDiction Deception

Below are four arcane words, eachwith four definitions – only one is cor-rect. The others are made up. Are yousharp enough to discern this deception ofdiction?

If you can guess one correctly – goodguess. If you get two – well-read indi-vidual. If you get three – word expert. Ifyou get all four – You must have a lot offree time!

All words and correct definitionscome from the board game DictionDeception.

Answers to last week’s arcane words.1. Discerptibility – Capability or li-

ability to be torn apart or disunited2. Paynim – A pagan or heathen3. Cataphract – A horseman in com-

plete armor4. Hirundine – Relating to the swal-

lows (birds)

TOPHACEOUS1. Excessively sweaty2. Haughty; boastful3. Gritty; sandy4. Pertaining to the movement of cells

in regard to nutritive matterEXECRATION

1. Cursing2. Defiling of religious symbols3. Stealing bodies from graves for use

in dissection4. A leave of absence granted a stu-

dent in English universitiesIMPUTRESCIBLE

1. Vile; evil2. Not subject to corruption3. Not capable of being measured or

weighed4. Wanting; needy

SILLON1. Green fodder preserved in a silo2. The long, narrow pod of plants of

the mustard family3. A beverage made of sweetened

milk mixed with wine or cider4. A defense built in a wide ditch

SP Resident ThanksTown for Assistance

With SP Library FireDue to an unforeseen fire at the Scotch

Plains Library, our income tax prepara-tion program for seniors and low-incomepersons had to relocate. Many thanks go toTom Atkins, Scotch Plains TownshipManager, and his staff, Madeline and Toni,for providing us with an office and facili-ties to keep our volunteer tax programcontinuing.

Also many thanks go to Meg Kolaya,Scotch Plains Library Director and herstaff for taking phone inquiries for taxpreparation appointments.

In addition, the property tax reim-bursement program (Tax Freeze) filingdate has been extended to June 1, 2003.

If you qualify, income wise, for PTR-1 or PTR-2, please call the Scotch PlainsLibrary at (908) 322-5007 for an ap-pointment.

Ed EvansLocal Coordinator Volunteer Senior

Tax ProgramScotch Plains

WF Shopper AddressesDowntown Ticketing

Monday morning, I parked my car in aparking space directly in front of CopiesNow (located in the Westfield train sta-tion parking lot). I put in a coin (a quar-ter) into the meter and nothing happened,(broken meter). I entered the store, toldthe owner of my dilemma, and asked fora sheet of their paper in order to write thefollowing note to put on my windshield,“I am in Copies Now, I put money in themeter but the meter is broken!”

I was in the store for no more than fiveminutes, when I looked up to see twopolice officers ticketing my car. I ran outasking if they had seen my note. Theyreplied yes—but they had put a nickelinto the machine and it worked.(Murphy’s Law at work I guess). There-fore, they felt justified to give me a ticket.I asked them why, when they read mynote couldn’t they have looked into thestore (Copies Now has a glass front win-dow) or opened the door to announce thata ticket was about to be given?

Westfield Police are overly aggres-sive ticketers, insensitive, and out rightmean. The ticketer’s supervisor actuallytold the writer that it was up to hisdiscretion whether of not to write me aticket but the police officer must havethought that I was a serious threat toWestfield and he therefore felt he had toteach me a lesson.

After receiving my ticket, I went di-rectly to the parking violations office atthe municipal building to discuss thematter. I spoke to a secretary and wastold I would receive a phone call fromher supervisor. I never received my call.

Westfield is earning a well deservedreputation for being an unfriendly shop-ping town. Westfield ticket police, pleasehave a heart and give us a break.

“Kindness is Contagious.”

Karen O’Leary(Loyal Westfield Shopper)

Westfield

Westfield Resident Speaks OutOn $250,000 Malpractice Cap

On March 13, the House of Represen-tatives voted to limit juries’ rights toaward more than $250,000 in non-eco-nomic damages to plaintiffs who havebeen maimed, mangled or permanentlydisabled by acts of gross medical mal-practice. In voting for this puerile pieceof political pornography, 229 membersof the House, including our own Con-gressman Michael Ferguson, engaged ina blatant assault upon the fundamentalright of all Americans to seek redress forthe full extent of their pain and suffering.

This obscene gift to doctors, insurersand pharmaceutical companies will al-low incompetent physicians to injuretheir patients without any fear of beingheld fully accountable for acts of medicalbutchery.

Not surprisingly, the vast majority ofthe Representatives who voted for thisreprehensible measure were Republicans.Their party, now controlled by the ex-treme right, has again displayed its slav-ish devotion to the big businesses, whichbankrolled their campaigns by repayingtheir wealthy benefactors at the expenseof ordinary Americans. (Republicanstend to be individually inoffensive andgenial. They only become truly feral anddangerous when they travel in packs.)Mike Ferguson, not content to merelyjoin his party’s sleazy little crusade, ac-tually co-sponsored it.

I’m sure that some folks have actuallybeen taken in by the Republicans’ argu-ment that $250,000 is surely enough tocompensate any malpractice victim. Iteven sounds somewhat reasonable on itsface. So – let’s examine a few recentcases that spotlight the cruel and heart-less dimensions of the Republican initia-tive:

Beth Meyers, an infant, is blind andwheelchair-bound with severe cerebralpalsy because her doctors misdiagnosedan infection after inserting a shunt. Ajury awarded her $56.7 million. True,$250,000 certainly seems to be a respect-able sum. Until, of course, you do themath. The life expectancy of Americanwomen is now 79.8 years. This meansthat, under the Republican plan, Beth’slifetime of unceasing suffering is onlyworth $3,132.83 a year, or $8.58 perday.

Azhane Wise, also an infant, will spendhis life as a quadriplegic with severecerebral palsy after his doctor failed toperform a timely Caesarean section. Hewas awarded $90.9 million. If the Re-publicans had their way, he would actu-ally fare better than Beth, but only be-cause the average American male lifeexpectancy is 74.4 years. His pain andsuffering would have been limited to$3,360.21 a year, or $9.21 per day.

Will $250,000 adequately compen-sate the poor woman whose breasts wereamputated when she was erroneouslydiagnosed with bilateral breast cancer?Can anyone tell the parents of the adoles-cent who died after her blood type wasnot matched to a transplanted liver thatRepublican extremists have the moralright to determine the value of her agony?Ask yourselves this: If you or your lovedones are condemned to a lifetime ofhorrible suffering by an act of medicalmalpractice, who would you prefer bethe ones to determine your right to com-pensation – a jury of your peers or aposse of Republicans? The answer isobvious.

While morality and decency generallyplay no role in the Republican legislativeagenda, it’s interesting to observe howtheir obsession with enriching their po-litical and business cronies has led themto betray three of their own party’s car-dinal principles. First, Republicans liketo prattle about personal responsibility

and accountability until, of course, thatdoctrine conflicts with their more funda-mental desire to protect the dominion ofthe powerful and wealthy. Second, theircustomary rhetoric calls for relief fromthe heavy hand of government in people’slives, unless governmental interferencein the judicial process inures to theirbenefit. Third, the rights of individualstates - in this case, to enact their own tortstatutes - can also be sacrificed at theRepublican altar of money and power.

Fortunately, the wiser heads of theSenate are unlikely to join this mean-spirited crusade and malpractice “reform”will be relegated to the junkyard of inanelegislative initiatives whose time will notand should not ever come. In the mean-time, perhaps this is a good time to takea good hard look at the legislators whopurport to represent us and to ask if wecan truly afford their excesses in thefuture.

Robert J. RatnerWestfield

Mr. Sumner Believes that Academics, Arts and Athletics Equal Good SchoolsWESTFIELD — The work of the

Board of Education is to ensure studentachievement. As a father, psychologist,college professor, and a product of pub-lic education from K to Ph.D., I wouldsuggest that achievement is not just scoreson standardized tests. I think achieve-ment extends to at least two other criticalareas under fire in budgets across thecounty, state, and country. These are artsand athletics.

We know the budget for Arts in the stateof New Jersey has been cut drastically.Appreciating and participating in the artscan increase cultural awareness, self-ex-pression, self-discipline, and creativity. Ithink most residents of Westfield wouldagree that these are vital ingredients ingrowing successful kids. Yet, these areoften treated as “add-ons” in our children’seducation. Performing arts as well as thevisual arts are essentials.

We also know that athletic budgets inWestfield are often treated as “add-ons.”

Appreciating and participating in athlet-ics teaches kids about respect for them-selves and others by demonstrating theimportance of being a good sport. It’snot winning the game that is important.It’s about trying, doing your best, andworking with others to learn and grow.These skills will serve our kids wellthroughout their lifetime, and I thinkmost residents of Westfield would agreethat these are vital ingredients in grow-ing successful kids. Without the Ath-letic Boosters, the PAL, and all the vol-unteers and parents who run the soccer,baseball, wrestling, football, swimming,etc. programs, in their spare time, ourschool-funded athletic programs wouldbe in dire shape.

I think the voters and taxpayers ofWestfield see arts and athletics as essen-tial, and as a board member, I would too.

Kenneth Sumner, Ph.D.Westfield Board of Education

Candidate

WF Business Owner IsCurious About Street

Fair CancellationAs a business owner in downtown

Westfield; I am curious as to why the“Spring Fling” street fair has been can-celed. The cancellation seems rather sud-den. I’m just wondering what happenedbecause these street fairs bring a lot ofvisitors into town and are important toWestfield merchants.

Christopher D. BoyleWestfield

If There Was A Place Where WallsHad Ears, It Was 50 Elm Street

The Westfield Leader began publishing in 1890.It celebrates 114 years in business this Septem-ber. Through all these years in town, The Leaderhad only a few locations for its office.

For more than 90 years, that home was on ElmStreet. It was something special to many peopleof several generations. It was special to us. Ifthere ever was a place where the walls had ears,I’m sure it was 50 Elm Street.

Those souls at 50 Elm saw wars, joy, births,deaths, achievements of man, fires – and yes,murder and suicide. Certainly there is nostalgiathat grips us, and there is a deep tie to the historythat tugs on our mind as we move.

But now it is our dream filled with hope for thefuture as we enthusiastically advise you — effec-tive April 1, 2003, The Leader adds a new homeaddress to its history, as it starts fresh in newvision at 251 North Avenue, West – The TrainStation Plaza as we like to call it.

As you read this, the last edition of The WestfieldLeader and The Times of Scotch Plains-Fanwoodfrom 50 Elm, we’ve moved – just one block, sameP.O. Box 250, same phone (908) 232-4407, samefax (908) 232-0473 and same [email protected].

Come visit us today at our new digs and be partof our first edition from The Train Station Plaza.There’s parking! Just come to the Westfield TrainStation on the north side.

We’ll have an official Open House Celebrationanticipated to be at the end of April. Please come.Meanwhile, we’re in business there now. Stop in,chat and we’ll show you around.

As printed in the November 28, 1923 edition ofThe Leader, “Westfield then — in 1898, the yearof the war with Spain - was little better than a

village, with some 3,700 to 3,900 people, whosemode of quiet life was of such humdrum charac-ter as to demand little in the way of chronicles inthe press. The town seemed like one big familyand about everybody seemed to know everybodyelse. It is not to be wondered at, therefore, that thepress of Westfield was not conspicuous by its sizeor variety of the news furnished.

The Leader in 1898 was published weekly asnow, but it was merely a blanket sheet of fourpages, which was run off on a small, old-fash-ioned press of the vintage of 1880 and suggestionof the somnolent Victorian Age. Sometimes thepress would work and oftentimes it went onstrike, but that little mattered, since the circulationwas barely 400 copies and readers didn’t kick, asthey do now, when the mail or news carrier failedto bring the sheet to their homes on schedule time.

Geo. A. V. Hankinson, now deceased for someyears, was the editor, proprietor, reporter andoftentimes printer and printer’s devil, as well aspressman. On the first of the four pages were briefdetails of local happenings, filling two or threecolumns, with the balance of the page made up oflocal advertisements of modest size – usuallycalling attention to the wares of local trades-people or real estate offerings. The undertaker’sstock-in-trade, usually accompanied by a cut of ahearse and two prancing steeds, was not incon-spicuous.

The business office, editorial sanctum and press-room were housed in a single story frame build-ing on Broad street in the middle of the block, andthe available space was so limited that the paper,after it was run off the press, had to be folded formailing or delivery on a wooden table in the backyard.

There were a few brief editori-als on the second page, some“boiler-plate” matter boughtfrom the press association to fillin and avoid setting up real type,more advertisements, none ofthem more than four or fiveinches deep or two columnswide, and the balance of thepaper contained about the sameclass of matter. There was noregular staff of printers, depen-dence being usually placed on aclass of happy-golucky “tramp”printers who roamed the coun-try in those days and were heretoday and gone tomorrow. Afew high school boys also helpedat times at the “case.”

The subscription price was $1per year, but more often sub-scribers, specially farmers, paidfor their favorite paper with po-tatoes and their vegetables.Storekeepers sometimes paidfor ads. in groceries, meat, etc.”

The first home of The Leaderwas abandoned in August, 1910when the new owner (Walter J.Lee) moved to it to Elm Street.Today The Leader’s circulationtotals about 8,000 “Inprint” withhundreds of thousands a monthon the Internet. The paper andgoleader.com on the Internet,besides its local and county cir-culation, has readers in placesall over the world. Those thatsubscribe in these places areoften ex-Westfielders and oth-ers from the area that continueto keep in touch with the affairsof their old hometown throughreceipt of their favorite paperevery week.

Thank you 50 Elm Street forall that 100 years can mean.

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN…Pictured here is the first home of The Westfield Leaderat the corner of East Broad and Prospect Streets in Westfield. Pictured to the rightof the doorway is the founder of The Leader, John H. Cash. This photograph, takenby J.G. Brokaw of Westfield, shows The Leader office sometime between Septem-ber 1890 and January 1892.

VFW ApplaudsFamilies of Military

Service MembersThe Veterans of Foreign Wars Post

10122 of Scotch Plains-Fanwood willprovide, at no charge, a Blue Star ServiceBanner to families in Scotch Plains andFanwood that have a family member serv-ing in the armed forces of the United States.

The Blue Star Service Banner was de-signed in 1917 by an army captain fromOhio who had two sons serving on thefront line in World War I. It quickly becamethe unofficial symbol of a child in theservice. During World War II, the Depart-ment of War developed specifications onthe manufacture of the banner and issuedguidelines for its display.

Today, families that have loved onesserving in the armed forces, regardless oftheir military branch or duty station, i.e.,stateside or overseas, display Blue StarService Banners. The banner displayed inthe front window of a home shows afamily’s pride in their kin’s serving in themilitary and reminds others that preservingAmerica’s freedom demands so much.

Families in Scotch Plains and Fanwoodthat are interested in receiving a free BlueStar Service Banner should contact VFWPost 10122 at (908) 322-7397. Arrange-ments will be made for the personal deliv-ery of the banner as a token of gratitude forthe sacrifices of America’s service menand women.

Joe McCortVFW Post 10122

Scotch Plains-Fanwood

MS Resident AddressesBoard of Education

After receiving the blue mailing from theMountainside Board of Education, I wasinfuriated. How the board could have actedso irresponsibly as to fire the auditor whofound the accounting errors in the board’sbusiness records is beyond my compre-hension? One does not have to be a rocketscientist to recognize incompetence.

But then the good news arrived. PatKnodel and Linda Esemplare have decidedto run for the Mountainside Board ofEducation. Over the past year I know thatmany people have prevailed upon them torun again. With the knowledge and integ-rity that they will bring back to the board,I have every confidence that things willimprove.

Joan ShomoMountainside

Letters tothe Editor

Letters ContinuedOn Page 6

Bill Sheppard for The Westfield Leader and The TimesTIME TO GO...Publisher Horace Corbin makes the final move at 50 Elm Streetin relocating the office of The Westfield Leader and The Times.

David B. Corbin for The Westfield Leader and The Times

MOVIN’ ON UP...As viewed from the tower of the Methodist Church in Westfield,the new top floor office of The Westfield Leader and The Times, 251 North AvenueWest, is shown at the Train Station Plaza.



WF BOARD OF EDUCATION…Board of Education candidate, GerryFahrenthold (right), speaks with Tamaques PTO President Judy Hoffman. Mr.Fahrenthold was on the Tamaques campus to introduce Mrs. Freidberg’s 3rdgrade class to the study of rocks, minerals and fossils.

Candidate Release: WF-BOE

Curriculum Responds ToNeeds of the Community

WESTFIELD -- “My participation onthe Curriculum Committee hasbrought me deeper apprecia-tion of Westfield’s diversecourse offerings and the de-mands to address changingstudent and communityneeds,” says Westfield Boardof Education candidate BethCassie.

This year, the high school isoffering two new courses tomeet that demand. Explor-atory Spanish makes WorldLanguages available to students withlittle or no previous foreign languagestudy, or to those with specific learningneeds.

“Sometimes a student has not taken aforeign language in Middle School dueto scheduling conflicts of Basic SkillsInstruction, or because the student’slearning needs required a different in-structional style. In the past there waslittle opportunity for these students tosuccessfully study a foreign language atthe High School. Exploratory Spanishwas developed specifically to meet theseneeds,” commented Mrs. Cassie.

Science in Society, another new course,was developed for students who mightnot experience success in the currentthird year science courses.

“For some students Chemistry andPhysics are not the rightcourses,” explained Mrs.Cassie. “This course providesan alternative, enabling stu-dents to take a third year ofscience.”

These course offerings rep-resent the ongoing commit-ment of the district to providea rich and diverse educationalprogram for all students.

“Listening to students andparents and responding to their

needs is critical to the ongoing success ofthe High School,” said Mrs. Cassie. “TheCurriculum Committee works hand inhand with administration and staff mak-ing new course offerings possible.”

Beth Cassie

The James Ward MansionThe James Ward Mansionof Westfieldof Westfield

Contact David MartoneContact David Martone

908-232-5445908-232-5445

Available for your next Party, Available for your next Party, Wedding or Special EventWedding or Special Event

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Candidate Release: SP-BOE

SP Incumbent Candidate Reviews Board Experience

SCOTCH PLAINS — LindaNelson, a 20-year residentof Scotch Plains, has an-nounced her candidacy fora second term on theScotch Plains-FanwoodBoard of Education.

In her first term Mrs.Nelson served on theBoard’s Curriculum, Fi-nance, Policy, andSuperintendent’s Evalua-tion Committees, as wellas on the Supervisors’ Ne-gotiations Committee. She also hasserved on and chaired the Commu-nity Relations Committee. She cur-rently is the board’s vice president.

Locally, Mrs. Nelson has served asthe Board’s liaison to the MunicipalAlliance Committee and the PTACouncil. Representing Scotch Plains-Fanwood, she served for two yearson another Board of Education forthe Union County Educational Ser-vices Commission.

On the state level, for three years shehas represented the local school dis-trict at the NJ School BoardsAssociation’s Delegate Assembly andon the board of the Garden State Coa-lition of Schools, a statewide educa-tional lobbying group representingsuburban school districts.

Prior to serving on the board, Mrs.Nelson was active in the McGinn andTerrill School PTAs, the PTA Council,and the executive boards of the MusicBooster Associations of Terrill Middle

School and SP-F High School.She has a Bachelors of

Arts degree in educationand a Master of Arts de-gree in school public rela-tions, both from GlassboroState College, now RowanUniversity, and has variedexperience in public rela-tions for schools and non-profit groups.

She and her husband,Jim, are the parents of twosons who attended McGinnElementary, Terrill Middle,

and SP-F High School and who arenow college students.


Mr. Gowen Discusses Property Value, Taxes and Education

SCOTCH PLAINS — Right now, in theScotch Plains and Fanwoodschool district, we are facedwith a monumental tax increasepurportedly caused almost ex-clusively by the school bud-get. There is even a move afootto defeat the budget based onthe ‘taxed-out-of-town’ fear ofproperty owners who see theschool budget as out of con-trol.

The value of property inScotch Plains (and Fanwood,but I’m not a Fanwood candidate) willbe dictated by market forces whichinclude (but are not limited to) proxim-ity to major metropolitan business ar-eas (New York, Philadelphia and the

‘Northeast Corridor’), highway access,public transportation, envi-ronmental quality and yes,schools. Not a single schoolbudget.

Our property taxes pay over90 percent of our school bud-get, not because the schoolbudget is large, nor becausesomebody is asleep at thewheel in Trenton, but becausethere is no offset by commer-cially taxable property inScotch Plains, a simple func-

tion of an undernourished and underde-veloped business district.

A defeat of the school budget in theforthcoming election will not save usfrom a property tax increase but ratherit will hand over decision on the con-tent of the school budget to the govern-ing body. I see as least qualified todecide anything regarding taxes orpublic education in Scotch Plains: ourtown council. It’s not that the individu-als therein are incapable, but as a po-litical body they remain stagnated andmired in some sort of partisan lock-step that surely bodes ill for the qualityof education should their pen be theinstrument that judges the importanceof educational programs and processes.

If there is a closer examination duein the school budget, vote me onto theboard and I’ll look at every line itemand program from the perspective ofmembership on a dedicated, workingschool board. I’ll get you answers andwork to reduce cost and propose alter-native funding concepts acceptable toour community.

The cost of education may seemhigh, but the cost of no education ishigher than you could imagine.

George Gowen

Linda Nelson


Improving School Security Critical in Turbulent Times


Mrs. Walker Addresses Increased Enrollment

WESTFIELD —Candidates run for aposition on the Board of Education fordifferent reasons. In Julia Walker’s case,she was motivated by the dramatic changein the enrollment at the high school thatwill occur if the student population of the

district remains the same. The currentenrollment is1,490 students.In the fall of2009 (whenMrs. Walker’ssecond graderwill be in theninth grade), theenrollment willbe 1,912 stu-dents. That is anincrease of 28percent.

The board has done a fine job inaddressing the needs of the growing stu-dent population at the high school fromthe facilities standpoint. The addition tothe high school is near completion andthe renovation of the existing classroomsis on schedule. Although the housingquestion seems “settled,” there are stillquestions to be answered about how theschool will be administered.

Effecting thoughtful change takestime. Parents of elementary schoolchildren have a significant interest inthe issues surrounding the future ad-ministration of the high school. It isimportant to participate in the decisionmaking process now. Mrs. Walkerwants to be part of the process; shewants to see the fine tradition of theWestfield school system sustained.

“The school district is growing. Iwant to be proactive. Parents need to beinvolved not only to address the currentneeds of the district but also to addressthe future needs of our children.”

WESTFIELD — Kimberly Rhodes,candidate for a three 3-year term on theWestfield BOE, said that school securityis a primary concern among parents.“This issue is not unique to Westfielders,”

she said.“As America

begins its sec-ond war sincethe definingmoments of 9/11, schoolsacross the nationstruggle to pro-vide their stu-dents with thesafest possibleenvironment.”

As an example, Ms. Rhodes points toa feature article in the March issue ofAmerican School Board Journal entitled“No Safe Havens.” In this article, nearly100 percent of school-based officers sur-veyed “believe that their schools arevulnerable to a terrorist attack.” Thearticle listed several things school boardsshould do to reduce that risk.

Ms. Rhodes reviewed both the

Westfield Public Schools Crisis Manualand the School Security Policy Manualand determined that Westfield’s plansaddress the article’s the top four issues.The manuals provide for (1) ongoingstaff training through seminars and in-service, (2) constant revision and up-grading, (3) drills, and (4) coordina-tion with local emergency personnel.

The Westfield manuals did not,however, discuss coordination withcounty or state agencies. Nor didthey set employee-screening stan-dards for outside vendors such asfood service. Westfield’s food con-tractor, however, does have its ownstringent hiring criteria. Each poten-tial employee must have proper em-ployment documents and pass a crimi-nal background check.

“Westfield is clearly focusing onsecurity,” said Ms. Rhodes. “ I’mconfident that the Board and the Ad-ministration will continue to reevalu-ate our procedures as additional infor-mation becomes available. I hope tosee more coordination with countyand state law enforcement.”

Julia Walker

BOE Press Releases Continued on Page 15

Kimberly Rhodes

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Mr. and Mrs. Charles OrricoCelebrate 50th Anniversary

Charles and Janelle Orrico

Michael Price and Miss Nancy Quagliariello

Miss Nancy QuagliarielloTo Marry Michael Price

More than 100 friends and rela-tives recently gathered to mark the50th wedding anniversary of Colo-nel (Retired) and Mrs. Charles J. Orricoof Springfield.

The couple were guests of honor ata celebration on Saturday evening,February 1, at the Marco Polo Restau-rant in Vienna, Va.

Mrs. Orrico, the former Miss JanelleMarchant, is a native of Lakeland,Fla., where she grew up and was gradu-ated from Lakeland High School.

Her husband grew up in ScotchPlains and graduated with ScotchPlains High School’s Class of 1948.

As a pilot, he served in the UnitedStates Air Force for more than 27years, retiring in 1979 as a full Colo-nel. He joined the AFCEA (ArmedForces Communications and Elec-tronics Association) in 1979, fromwhich he retired after 10 years.

The couple are the parents of twodaughters and a son. DaughterCheryl Moss and her husband, Ray,along with their two children, live inRichmond, Va. Mr. Moss is Informa-tion Systems Manager for SouthernStates, while his wife is Budget Ana-lyst for the Chesterfield Countyschool district.

The Orricos’ other daughter, KrisClark, her husband, Dick, and theirtwo children reside in Friendswood,Tex. Mr. Clark is a retired naval of-

ficer and is currently a pilot withNASA, where he trains astronauts.

Mr. and Mrs. Orrico’s son, Chuck,and his wife, Donna, have three chil-dren and live in Pinehurst, Tex. He isPresident of DYONYX Corporation.

Among the many guests at thegolden anniversary celebration werethe couple’s brothers and sisters,nieces and nephews and seven grand-children, as well as other family mem-bers and friends.

Guests traveled from as far asFlorida, Georgia, Texas, North Caro-lina and New Jersey to attend thefestivities.

Scotch Plains Public LibraryExpands Circulation Policies

Seaman Recruit EppsWraps Basic TrainingSCOTCH PLAINS – United States

Navy Seaman Recruit Tiffany D.Epps, the granddaughter of BlancheE. Smith of Scotch Plains, recentlycompleted United States Navy ba-sic training at Recruit TrainingCommand in Great Lakes, Ill.

During the eight-week program,she completed a variety of training,which included classroom study andpractical instruction on naval cus-toms, first aid, firefighting, watersafety and survival, and shipboardand aircraft safety. An emphasis wasalso placed on physical fitness.

The capstone event of boot campis “Battle Stations,” an exercise inwhich recruits develop the key skillsand confidence they need to gradu-ate and take to the fleet.

It is designed to hone the attributesof sacrifice, dedication, teamworkand endurance in each recruit,through the practical applicationof basic Navy skills and the corevalues of honor, courage and com-mitment.

Navy Seaman Recruit Epps is a2002 graduate of Elizabeth HighSchool in Elizabeth.

SCOTCH PLAINS – The Board ofTrustees of the Scotch Plains PublicLibrary has approved a new circula-tion policy for the library wherebypatrons are now allowed up to 25books per card.

Videocassettes and DVDs will nowcirculate for four nights, and thecharge has been dropped for all butadult feature films. All fines remainthe same.

“The library is happy to respond topatron requests for increased borrow-ing privileges,” stated Meg Kolaya,Library Director. “We have also repo-sitioned our videos and DVDs ontothe main floor to allow people tobrowse for their selections.”

Scotch Plains library cards are avail-able to anyone who lives and worksin the Township of Scotch Plains.Proof of residence and/or employ-ment is required upon application.Cards are issued for children agesthree and older with the signature ofa parent or guardian.

For individuals residing in neigh-boring towns, a free MURAL card isavailable if the applicant is a currentlibrary card holder at their home li-brary.

The Scotch Plains Library is lo-cated at 1927 Bartle Avenue. For fur-

ther information or directions, pleasecall (908) 322-5007.

Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Quagliariello ofEdison have announced the engage-ment of their daughter, Miss NancyQuagliariello, also of Edison, to Michael

Price of Markle, Ind. He is the son of Mr.and Mrs. John Price of Westfield.

The bride-elect graduated in 2002from Baptist Bible College in ClarksSummit, Pa., with a bachelor’s degreein elementary education. She teachesfifth grade at New Life ChristianSchool in Dunellen.

Her fiancé graduated from KeanUniversity in Union with a bachelor’sdegree in recreational therapy. Healso received a master’s degree inChristian Counseling from Philadel-phia Biblical University inLanghorne, Pa. in 2001.

Mr. Price is a case manager at NewHorizons Youth Ministries in Marion,Ind.

The future bride and bridegroomboth attended Word of Life BibleInstitute from September 1998through June 1999.

A wedding is planned for June of2004.

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Y Invites CommunityTo Healthy Kids DayWESTFIELD — The Westfield Y

will join more than 2,000 other YMCAsnationwide in promoting safe andhealthy children and families atHealthy Kids Day.

The event will be held on Saturday,April 5, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Y, locatedat 220 Clark Street. Open to the public,it will feature free events that promotelifelong physical health, family activi-ties and safe and healthy communities.

The Westfield Y will offer the follow-ing activities: Obstacle Course, RockClimbing, Arts and Crafts, Face Paint-ing, Storytelling and a Car Seat SafetyCheck.

A variety of performances and dem-onstrations are also planned, includingSteppers, Rhythmic Gymnastics, TaeKwon Do, Fly Fishing and Kid Powerfor Teens.

Tours of the Y facility will be offered.Additionally, registration will be openfor camp, refreshments will be servedand children will be treated to a specialappearance by Sponge Bob.

For more information, please callAmy Gantz at (908) 233-2700, exten-sion no. 252, or [email protected].

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Endys WelcomeGrace Eloise

Anne and Michael Endy ofWestfield have announced thebirth of their daughter, GraceEloise Endy, on Wednesday,March 12, at 9:13 a.m. at Over-look Hospital in Summit.

Grace weighed 8 pounds and 6ounces and measured 19¼ inchesin length at birth.

She joins her sister, MelissaCromer Endy, age 3.

The baby’s father is a CreativeDirector at Interbrand, a brandingconsultancy in New York City.

Her mother is a Senior Person-nel Analyst for the Office of CourtAdministration for New YorkState.

Grace’s maternal grandparentsare Sue Storer Johnson of Bethel,Conn. and the late Donald CromerJohnson.

Her paternal grandparents areMelvin Becker Endy, Jr. and CarolLocke-Endy of Dameron, Md. andSusan Halcomb Craig and BearRide of Pasadena, Calif.

The baby’s paternal great-grandparents are Gordon A. andPhyllis H. Craig of Menlo Park,Calif. and Virginia C. Endy ofCarlsbad, Calif.

Red Cross to SponsorBlood Drive on April 2

WESTFIELD – The Westfield/Mountainside Chapter of the Ameri-can Red Cross will hold a blood driveon Wednesday, April 2, from 3 to 8p.m. at the Chapter House, 321 ElmStreet in Westfield.

Blood donors must be at least 17years old, weigh more than 110pounds and be in good general health.They are asked to bring a picture formof identification, know their SocialSecurity number and eat a regularmeal before donating. Federal regu-lations require a wait of 56 days be-tween donations. For more informa-tion, please call (908) 232-7090.

Former WF Judge Thanks ThoseWho Helped While on The Bench

I want to take this opportunity tothank the many people who assisted meduring my service as Municipal CourtJudge for the Town of Westfield. Myfour years on the bench were humblingand tremendously rewarding. My initialthanks go to former Mayor ThomasJardim and the council consisting ofmembers of both parties who supportedmy appointment. In particular, I thankJim Gruba for his courageous vote. MyMunicipal Court Staff worked longhours in a very difficult job and theyhave my thanks and appreciation. Mythanks also go to the members of theWestfield Police Department who pro-vided security and assistance during myCourt sessions. I will add that the offic-ers who testified or appeared in Courtwere always courteous and professional

even when we disagreed on the meritsof a particular case. I also had the plea-sure of working with extremely compe-tent Municipal Prosecutors and PublicDefenders and the quality of represen-tation provided by the defense bar wassuperb.

In many ways, our Municipal Courtsare The People’s Court. I always tried topermit members of the public to havetheir say and to feel that they had their dayin Court. My overriding goal was to treateveryone fairly. I offer my congratula-tions to Judge Brenda Cuba and I haveand will continue, if asked, to assist herin any way possible. She will be anexcellent Judge. It was my honor andprivilege to serve the Town of Westfieldand I look forward to new opportunitiesto assist our great Town.

William L. BrennanWestfield

FUMC Black Tie EventTo Help Mission TripWESTFIELD — A black tie dinner

will be hosted by the First UnitedMethodist Church of Westfield onSaturday, April 5, at 7 p.m. in thechurch Social Hall.

There will be live music, freebabysitting and valet parking. Properattire is required. The event will raisefunds for a mission trip this summer.

The cost is $20 per person and $35per couple. Tickets are available atthe church office. For reservations,please call (908) 233-4211. Thechurch is located at One East BroadStreet.

Girl Scouts Thank All Who HelpedUnload 3,500 Cases of Cookies

More than 50 parents helped unloadthree truckloads of Girl Scout Cookies lastTuesday at the Armory. Over 3,500 caseswere offloaded, counted and sorted. Then,they were loaded into the waiting cars of the“cookie moms and dads” of 92 girl scouttroops.

The best thing about Westfield is not theold colonial homes, the classy shops oreven the good schools — It’s the people,With a lump in my throat and a very fullheart, I thank everyone that helped. The listis long.

It includes: Dave Virzi who ran theforklift, Katie Virzi, Christopher andBrenda Ames who never stopped for abreak, Betty Riker and Kitty Kudlick whokept all the paperwork straight, Al Riker,in a cast, Rosemarie Panarese, JoannaNogan, Kim Freidman, Shirley Walsh,Gretchen and Peter Golikov, Samuel

Mutyanda, Jeannine Hughes, Jean Fiedler,Colleen Sabatino, Moira Kelly, BarbaraBabbitt, Lynda Sperry, Denise Palasits ,Marci Tavasi, Cathy Conte, Dawn Hayes,Susan Ponce, Jill Kaufman, Judy Hoffman,Janet Smith, Tricia Mosco, Mary Earl,Annie Fromtling, Irene Johnston, NancyLittman, Karen Budnick, Joan Randazzo,Nancy Hughes, Abby Urban, BarbaraWilson, Jane McCready, Cathy Brennan,Laura Hughes, Jeffrey Ehrhardt, MaryRopars, Mercy Eelman , Cathy Law , RoseCarlino, Margaret Knapp, DeniseWeidman, Robyn Larche, Linda Miller,Jennifer Scott, Beth Painter, RobbieHettrick of the National Guard, and allothers who pitched in but forgot to sign in.

If you’re not too stiff, reach around andpat yourself on the back.”

Merry WislerWestfield

More Letters to the Editorcontinued from Page 4

Miller-Cory to SpotlightLap Weaving and Spindle

WESTFIELD – On Sunday, March30, the Miller-Cory House Museumin Westfield will present a programon lap weaving and the drop spindlebetween 2 and 5 p.m.

The program will be presented byLaurie Mills and her daughter,Chelsea, of Fanwood, along withSandra Watts of Plainfield.

During Colonial times, childrenlearned at an early age to weave on alap loom, on which they wove smallitems such as scarves and tablematsin preparation for future weaving onthe large looms.

Six-year-old Chelsea Mills willdemonstrate working with a laploom, while Ms. Watts will demon-strate the drop spindle, the simplestform of spinning yarn. Childrenvisiting the museum will be able totry their hand at these Colonialskills.

Costumed docents will conductguided tours of the 1740 farmhouseand answer visitors’ questions. The

last tour will begin at 4 p.m.The museum’s gift shop features

Colonial reproductions, cookbooks,crafts, teas and educational materi-als, among other items.

In the Frazee Building, ChristineGlazer of Cranford and Janet Murphyof Kenilworth, members of themuseum’s Cooking Committee, willprepare a Colonial meal over an open-hearth fire, using authentic recipesand utensils. Taste treats will be avail-able for visitors to sample.

Admission to the museum is $2 foradults, 50 cents for students and freefor children under age six. The Miller-Cory House Museum is located at614 Mountain Avenue.

On Sunday, April 6, Eileen O’Sheaof Summit will demonstrate the “Artof Basket Weaving.”

For information regarding futurespring programs at the museum, pleasecall (908) 232-1776. The museumoffice is open from 9 a.m. to noon,Monday through Friday.

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GARNERING GOLD…Thirteen Senior Girl Scouts from six troops recentlyearned the Gold Award, the highest award bestowed by the Girl Scout organiza-tion. Pictured, from left, are: seated; Bree Danielle Sherry, Christine FrancesMcGrath, Shannon Lynn Gilmartin, Sara Holly Ackerman, Marisa Kim Lau,Christine Susan Leiz and Kate Elizabeth Grenci, and standing, Katharine MalissaCass, Amanda Mary Wilhelm, Lauren Bannworth, Katlyn Michelle Ropars,Michele Marie Greco and Breanne Teresa Crawford.

Thirteen Girl Scouts ReceivePrestigious Gold Award

WESTFIELD – The Westfield GirlScout community recently honored13 young women on having earnedthe Girl Scout Gold Award, the highestaward given by the organization, dur-ing a ceremony at the First BaptistChurch in Westfield.

Flag and Candlelighting ceremo-nies were conducted with Girl Scoutsfrom the five Girl Scouting levels,many of them sisters to those gettingthe awards.

Gold Award recipients, from sixtroops, included Sara Holly Ackerman,Lauren Bannworth, Katharine Malissa“Kasey” Cass, Breanne TeresaCrawford, Shannon Lynn Gilmartin,Michele Marie Greco, Kate ElizabethGrenci, Marisa Kim Lau, ChristineSusan Leiz, Christine FrancesMcGrath, Katlyn Michelle Ropars,Bree Danielle Sherry and Amanda MaryWilhelm.

Each girl explained to the audiencewhat she did for her Gold Award project,which required a minimum commit-ment of 50 hours.

Sara contacted Locks of Love andorganized a haircutting session withVisage, a local hair salon. The hair wasthen made into new wigs for childrenwho suffer from a medical hair loss.

Lauren created a summer readingprogram for young children at St.Claire’s Home in Elizabeth, whileKasey arranged for over 160 teddybears to be dressed and donated topeople involved in clean-up efforts atthe World Trade Center site.

Breanne organized a Service Day tobenefit six organizations and createda patch program called “Hand in Hand– Making a Difference Through Ser-vice.” Shannon created Angel Treesfor placement in banks and local busi-nesses, to collect donations especiallyfor underprivileged teens duringChristmas.

Michele choreographed dances forgirls at a day camp that emphasizedbalance, coordination, rhythm, agil-ity and teamwork. The girls then per-formed them in a recital.

Kate designed and implemented aprogram that taught girls about healthand safety. Marisa worked with seniorcitizens at the Westfield Senior Hous-ing Complex to cut and sew wheel-chair bags to be used by patients atChildren’s Specialized Hospital.

Christine Leiz collected Christmasgifts for underprivileged teens and theirfamilies with help from Union CountySocial Services. Christine McGrath or-ganized a Service Day to benefit ProjectLinus, for which community volun-teers and scout troops produced over130 children’s blankets.

Katlyn worked with the UnionCounty Board of Chosen Freeholdersto plan Operation Recognition, a spe-cial graduation and senior prom eventfor dozens of Union County veteranswho left high school to join the mili-tary in wartime.

Bree developed activity kits for pa-tients at Children’s Specialized Hospi-tal, as well as a book of easy craft ideas.Amanda created a library at St. Claire’sHome in Elizabeth, collecting more

than 700 books and arranging to have30 put on tape for “read-alongs.”

Each girl was pinned by her motherand presented with flowers and a Keep-sake Memory Book that included over75 letters and certificates of congratu-lations from national, state and localofficials and organizations.

YMCA Announces TripTo Castle, Great Falls

B’nai B’rith KetubahReveals Dinner PlansCOUNTY — The B’nai B’rith

Ketubah Married Couples Unit (40+)will meet for dinner at Poet’s Inn, lo-cated on Route 79 in Matawan, onSunday, April 6, at 5 p.m.

The cost will be the price of eachperson’s own dinner. Non-membersare welcome to attend. Interested indi-viduals are asked to call Barbara at(732) 264-6604 by Friday, April 4.

SCOTCH PLAINS – The Fanwood-Scotch Plains YMCA will sponsoran Active Older Adult trip onWednesday, April 16, to the LambertCastle Museum and the PatersonGreat Falls, with lunch at theMediterraneo Restaurant in Totowa.

“The Castle” is located on GarrettMountain overlooking the City ofPaterson. Once a private residence,it is fashioned after an English castle.It was built by Catholina Lambert,an English immigrant who made hisfortune in the silk industry, in 1892.

The museum features late 19thcentury period rooms and changingexhibits about Passaic County his-tory.

The Great Falls, towering 77 feet,is the second largest waterfall byvolume east of the Mississippi.

The trip is open to the public. The

bus will depart the YMCA, locatedat 1340 Martine Avenue in ScotchPlains, at 8:45 a.m. and return atapproximately 3:30 p.m.

The cost of the trip is $46 andincludes transportation, admissionand lunch. Registration for the tripwill close on Monday, March 31. Formore information, please call theYMCA at (908) 889-8880.

CHARMING QUILT…Karen Appezatto of Scotch Plains shows the quilt she willenter at “Sharing the Quilts XX,” to be held this Saturday, March 29, from 8 a.m.to 5 p.m. at the Wilson Memorial Union Church, located at 7 Valley Road inWatchung. For the 20th year, the Harvest Quilters will mount a display celebratingquilts as covers and an art form. This year, the nearby Watchung Arts Center willjoin the festivities by featuring a display of art and vintage clothing. Generaladmission is $4.25 and $2 for children under age 12. For further information, pleasecall Ann at (908) 755-7653 or e-mail [email protected].

Mrs. Gatti to Tell HistoryOf Austria and Hapsburgs

WESTFIELD — “The History ofAustria and the Hapsburg Family” willbe the topic of a slide/lecture presen-tation by travel counselor, writer andlecturer Fontaine Gatti at the FirstWednesday Luncheon of the WestfieldHistorical Society.

The luncheon will take place atnoon on April 2 at B.G. Fields Restau-rant, located at 560 Springfield Av-enue in Westfield.

A 34-year veteran of the travel busi-ness, Mrs. Gatti has traveled through-out the world. She became a memberof the Circumnavigators Club sevenyears ago, when she circled the globein a single continuous trip.

A Trustee of the Westfield Histori-cal Society, she arranges and directsfield trips for the Society during theyear. She is employed by AmericanExpress Travel in Summit.

Mrs. Gatti currently serves on theboards of the Fanwood-Scotch PlainsYMCA and the Youth and FamilyCounseling Service.

She is a parishioner at the Our Ladyof Lourdes Roman Catholic Churchin Mountainside and has served asPresident of the Widows/Widowersgroup that meets there. Mrs. Gatti mostrecently joined the Friends ofMindowaskin Park.

Regular attendees of the luncheonwill be contacted by a telephone com-mittee of the Society to verify theirreservations. Space permitting, others

are welcome to attend the program.Interested individuals are asked to

call (908) 233-2930 by noon on Mon-day, March 31.

Library Plans SeminarOn Starting BusinessSCOTCH PLAINS – The Scotch

Plains Public Library will present“Starting and Managing a New Busi-ness” on Tuesday, April 8, from 7 to 9p.m. in the library’s CommunityRoom.

This session, geared toward pro-spective business owners and man-agers, will be presented by the Out-reach Committee of SCORE.

SCORE is a group of retired execu-tives trained and sponsored by theSmall Business Administration. Theypresent a number of free programsannually to assist new business own-ers, with topics ranging from fran-chising to record keeping to raisingcapital for expansion.

They are available to assist with avariety of needs and to answer indi-vidual questions.

The library is located at 1927 BartleAvenue. There is no charge for libraryprogramming and the meeting roomis handicapped-accessible. For fur-ther information, directions or to re-serve a spot at the seminar, please call(908) 322-5007.

Songwriters Benefit ConcertSet at Trailside Tomorrow

MOUNTAINSIDE – The TrailsideMuseum Association and the UnionCounty Board of Chosen Freeholdershave announced that the Second An-nual Songwriters in the Round BenefitConcert will take place tomorrow, Fri-day, March 28, at 7:30 p.m. at the TrailsideNature and Science Center.

Organized by singer/songwriterKenny Woods, the concert will featureeight local artists performing originalsongs and talking with the audienceabout the songwriting process.

In addition to Mr. Woods, the per-formers will include Andy and Denise,Brooke Fox, Ginny Johnston, SamanthaKane, Amy Marie Keller, Tina Vero andRay Winch.

“There will be something for every-one at the concert, including sensitivemelodic voices, pianos and guitars, andstyles of music ranging from acousticpop to contemporary folk music,” saidFreeholder Chester Holmes, Liaison tothe Parks and Recreation AdvisoryBoard.

“With some returning performing art-ists and some new faces in the lineup,this year’s concert is an invitation for youto be introduced to very talented andaward-winning singer/songwriters,”stated Mr. Woods.

“It’s also a great way to raise environ-mental awareness for one of New Jersey’smost pristine gifts of wilderness,” headded.

The $5 admission fee will benefit theTrailside Museum Association, an or-

ganization dedicated to educatingpeople about nature, science, conser-vation and related recreation by assist-ing with funding, volunteering andlobbying efforts.

The Trailside Nature and ScienceCenter is a facility of the Union CountyDepartment of Parks and Recreation.The center is located at 452 New Provi-dence Road in Mountainside. For moreinformation, please call Trailside at (908)789-3670.

St. John’s ConductsLenten Services

SUMMIT – Each Wednesdayduring Lent, leading up to Easterweek, St. John’s Lutheran Churchin Summit will hold Lenten ser-vices.

The noon services will be heldin the Chapel and will includedevotions. The evening serviceswill begin with a simple supperat 6:30 p.m., followed by a briefevening prayer service in theSanctuary. Nursery care is pro-vided during the evening ser-vice.

A sermon series on the Psalmsis included in these Wednesdayservices.

The theme for this year’s Sun-day Lenten services is “A Faithfor Daily Living,” led by the Rev-erend Dr. Wayne Dreyman andthe Reverend Andrea Walker. Ser-vices are held at 7:30, 8:15, 9:45and 11 a.m.

St. John’s Church is located at587 Springfield Avenue, acrossfrom the Grand Summit Hotel.For more information, please call(908) 918-2500 or visitwww.stjohnssummit.org.

First Baptist Supports‘Adopt a Soldier’

WESTFIELD – The First BaptistChurch of Westfield has invited itsmembers to log onto the Presiden-tial Prayer Team website and dis-cover an electronic way to supportAmerica’s military personnel, espe-cially those who are now serving orbeing deployed to areas engaged inwar.

Using the website,www.presidentialprayerteam.org,individuals can register a loved oneor adopt a soldier to pray for. Morethan 100,000 people have alreadyadopted a military service person.

For more information, please callthe First Baptist Church at (908)233-2278 or [email protected].

First Baptist to PresentWorkshops on JusticeWESTFIELD – The First Baptist

Church of Westfield, located at 170Elm Street, will hold a series of work-shops entitled “Justice or Just Des-serts” on Thursdays, May 1, 8, 15 and22, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Participants are asked to bring a Bible,pad, pencil and an open mind. Theworkshops will be offered free of charge.

To register, please call the church at(908) 233-2278 or [email protected]. Thedeadline for registration is Tuesday,April 15.

Watchung Nature ClubTo Meet on April 1

MOUNTAINSIDE – The GreaterWatchung Nature Club will meet onTuesday, April 1, at 8 p.m. in thecourthouse of the MountainsideMunicipal Building, located off ofNew Providence Road.

The program will be given by Boband Molly Walker, longtime mem-bers now living out of state, who willspeak on “Birding Here and There.”They will share anecdotes and showslides of their recent travels, high-lighting the United Kingdom.

The driveway leading to the Mu-nicipal Building is the last right turnbefore the traffic light at Route 22.Guests are always welcome at clubmeetings and on trips.

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Committee Plans SP-FMemorial Day Parade

SCOTCH PLAINS – MemorialDay pays tribute to American mili-tary personnel of all wars who madethe ultimate sacrifice by giving theirlives for their country. The plans forthe 2003 Scotch Plains-FanwoodMemorial Day Parade are now un-der way. This year’s Parade will beheld on Monday, May 26.

The parade has a rich tradition ofexcellent support from the peopleof Scotch Plains and Fanwood. Allcivic, school and community orga-nizations are invited to participatein the Parade to honor America’sfallen heroes.

The theme for this year’s Paradeis “Support Our Troops”. Trophieswill be awarded to those entrieswhich best depict this theme.

If you are interested in participat-ing in the parade, please contactToni Rollis of the Memorial DayParade Committee at the ScotchPlains Municipal Building at (908)322-6700, Extension 314.

The Committee looks forward tothe support of the community inproviding the best Parade ever.



– Obituaries –Charles ‘Rex’ Riley, 57, CSH President;Received Navy Commendation MedalCharles L. “Rex” Riley, 57, of

Westfield died on Monday, March17, at his residence.

Born in Toledo, Ohio, he had livedin Australia and Cali-fornia before movingto Westfield threeyears ago.

Mr. Riley wasPresident and ChiefExecutive Officer ofChildren’s Special-ized Hospital inMountainside for thepast three years.

Previously, he wasExecutive Vice Presi-dent and Chief Oper-ating Officer ofChildren’s HospitalCentral California, formerly knownas Valley Children’s Health System,in Madera, Calif., where he workedfor 11 years.

Prior to that, he was Chief Execu-tive Officer of Geelong RegionalHospital System in Geelong,Victoria, Australia for five years.

Mr. Riley was a Fellow with boththe American and Australian Col-lege of Healthcare Executives. Healso was a member of the Councilon Public Policy for the NationalAssociation of Children’s Hospi-tals and was Past President of theChildren’s Miracle Network of NewJersey.

Mr. Riley was a United States Ma-rine Corps veteran of the Vietnam

War from 1968 to 1972. Achievingthe rank of First Lieutenant, he wasa Group Engineer and was awardedthe Navy Commendation Medal

with Combat “V.”He received a Bach-

elor of Arts degree in1968 from the Univer-sity of Michigan anda Master of Health Ad-ministration in 1976from the University ofNew South Wales inSydney, Australia. Hewas also a 1988graduate of the HealthExecutives Develop-ment Program atCornell University.

Surviving are hiswife, Jan Webster Riley; two sons,Paul Riley of Melbourne, Australiaand Ross E. Riley of New York City,and a sister, Susan Rogers of Chi-cago, Ill.

Funeral services were held on Sat-urday, March 22, at The Presbyte-rian Church in Westfield. Crema-tion was private.

Arrangements were under the di-rection of the Higgins and BonnerEcho Lake Funeral Home inWestfield.

Memorial contributions may bemade to Children’s Specialized Hos-pital Foundation, 150 New Provi-dence Road, Mountainside 07092-9979.

March 27, 2003

Charles “Rex” Riley

Mitch Evi, 68Mitch Evi, 68, of Fanwood died on

Wednesday, March 19, at his home.Born in New York City, he had lived

in the Bronx, N.Y. before relocating toFanwood in 1962.

Mr. Evi had been a salesman for theCredit Clearing House in New York forseven years prior to retiring in 2002.

He had previously worked with theTRW Collection Agency in New Jersey.

Mr. Evi served in the Air NationalGuard of New York and in the Air ForceReserve during the Korean Conflict.

He was a member of American Le-gion Post No. 209 in Scotch Plains andthe Linden Gun and Hunt Club.

Surviving are his wife, Louise BaniotuEvi; four daughters, Geanine Galletta,Lisa Cyckowski, Doreen Della Sala andNina Mirando, and three grandchildren.

A funeral service was held on Satur-day, March 22, from the Rossi FuneralHome in Scotch Plains. Services fol-lowed at the All Saints’ Episcopal Churchin Scotch Plains. Interment took place atHillside Cemetery in Scotch Plains.

March 27, 2003

Andrew Merbler, 99, Knights Member;Had Been Self-Employed Metal Spinner

Reginald Housel, 87, Decorated Veteran;Field Engineer for Town of Westfield

Frank J. Schaefer, 71, Bank Executive;Served in Counterintelligence Corps

Reginald A. Housel, 87, of ScotchPlains died on Thursday, February 20,at Muhlenberg Regional Medical Cen-ter in Plainfield.

Born in Wilson, N.Y., he had been aresident of Lyndonville, N.Y., Fanwoodand Westfield prior to moving toScotch Plains 52 years ago.

Mr. Housel had served as field engi-neer for the Town of Westfield from1967 until his retirement in 1989.During his tenure, he oversaw renova-tions to Town Hall, as well as theconstruction of the Westfield Memo-rial Pool and the Westfield MemorialLibrary.

Earlier, he had been self-employedas a carpenter and home heating con-tractor in Scotch Plains.

Mr. Housel was a sergeant in theUnited States Army during World WarII, serving with the 531st Field Artil-

lery Battalion. He saw action in thebattles of Saipan, Lette and Okinawa.

He was awarded the Good ConductMedal, the Victory Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Theater Ribbon and the Phil-ippine Liberation Ribbon.

He was predeceased by his wife,Jean VanDeventer Housel, and by adaughter, Donna Horvath.

Surviving are a son, David B.Housel, and two grandchildren.

A memorial service was held onSaturday, March 22, at the First Bap-tist Church of Westfield.

Arrangements were handled by theMcCriskin Home for Funerals in SouthPlainfield.

Memorial contributions may bemade to the Muhlenberg HospitalFoundation, Park Avenue andRandolph Avenue, Plainfield 07061.

March 27, 2003

Andrew J. Merbler, 99, of Fanwooddied on Wednesday, March 19, at Over-look Hospital in Summit.

Born in Newark, he had been a resi-dent of Union from 1937 until relocat-ing to Fanwood six years ago.

Mr. Merbler had been self-employedas a metal spinner for many years, pro-ducing metal cylinders for industrial usefrom a workshop in his home prior toretiring 35 years ago.

He was a member of Knights of Co-lumbus Council No. 4504 in Union andserved as President of the ResidentsCouncil at The Chelsea at Fanwood, anassisted living facility.

He was predeceased by his wife, MaryWerger Merbler.

Surviving are three daughters, Flo-rence M. Zimmerman, Doris E. Stefanyand Kathleen E. Shayer; a son, Robert A.Merbler; nine grandchildren and 14great-grandchildren.

The funeral was held on Saturday,March 22, from the McCracken FuneralHome in Union. A Mass followed at St.Michael’s Roman Catholic Church inUnion.

Memorial contributions may be madeto the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, P.O.Box 2602, Hartford, Conn. 06146-2602.

March 27, 2003

Frank J. Schaefer, 71, of Westfielddied on Wednesday, March 19, at Ha-ven Hospice at John F. Kennedy Medi-cal Center in Edison.

Born in Westchester County, N.Y., hemoved to Westfield 40 years ago.

Mr. Schaefer had been employed for 41years with Seaman’s Savings Bank onWall Street in New York City, retiring in1990 as Vice President and Comptroller.

He graduated from St. John’s Univer-sity in Brooklyn, N.Y., with a Bachelorof Business Administration degree inAccounting.

Mr. Schaefer furthered his studies atBrown University in Providence, R.I.and at the University of Massachusettsat Amherst.

He served in the United States Armyfrom 1953 to 1954 with the Counterin-telligence Corps in Germany. While inthe service, he attended Counterintel-ligence School.

Mr. Schaefer was a member of theTrinity Episcopal Church in Cranford,

Carrie B. Kelly, 102Carrie B. Kelly, 102, of Sarasota, Fla.

died on Sunday, March 9, at LakesideTerrace in Sarasota.

Born in Honesdale, Pa., she had livedin Westfield for many years beforemoving to Sarasota 24 years ago.

Mrs. Kelly was a homemaker.Surviving are two daughters, Jean

Forst and Rita Werth; a son, Leo J. Kelly,and four grandchildren.

Graveside services were held on Fri-day, March 21, at Fairview Cemetery inWestfield.

Arrangements were under the direc-tion of the Dooley Colonial Home, 556Westfield Avenue in Westfield.

Memorial contributions may bemade to a favorite charity.

March 27, 2003

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Henrietta Donahue, 82Henrietta Donahue, 82, of

Westfield died on Thursday, March20, at her home.

Born in Roselle Park, she lived inWestfield for 53 years.

Mrs. Donahue had worked forWood Industries in Elizabeth.

During World War II, she had beena supervisor and federal inspectorof radio transmitters on the B-29aircrafts.

She was predeceased by her hus-band of 43 years , Daniel J .Donahue.

Surviving are a son, Joseph T.Donahue; two daughters, PatriciaL. Mattis and Deborah L. Gorsky;two sisters, Josephine Donelan andLouise LaPolla; nine grandchildrenand two great-grandchildren.

The funeral was held on Tuesday,March 25, from the Mastapeter Fu-neral Home in Roselle Park. Inter-ment took place at Graceland Me-morial Park in Kenilworth.

Memorial contributions may bemade to the Cystic Fibrosis Foun-dation, in support for her grand-daughter, Emily, in care of CysticFibrosis Foundation, Greater NewJersey Chapter 117, KinderkamackRoad, Suite 104, River Edge,07661.

March 27, 2003

Barbara Donovski, 58Barbara C. Donovski, 58, of Scotch

Plains died on Thursday, March 20, ather residence.

Born in Danbury, Conn., she livedin Scotch Plains since 1978.

A home care nurse, Mrs. Donovskitook care of developmentally disabledpersons at her home for over 15 years.

She earned a nursing degree fromthe Muhlenberg Regional MedicalCenter School of Nursing in Plainfield.

Surviving are her husband, ErikVaher; two daughters, Susan Donovskiand Alexandra Donovski; a son, KrsteDonovski, Jr., and a brother, NicholasMiller.

Private funeral arrangements werehandled by the Rossi Funeral Home inScotch Plains.

Memorial contributions may bemade to Compassionate Care Hos-pice, 66 Mount Prospect Avenue,Clifton 07013.

March 27, 2003

Connie F. Papandrea, 91, Was OwnerOf Andrea’s Furniture Company

Cletus O. Martin, 78, Sales Executive;Naval Aviator During World War II

Connie F. Giunta Papandrea, 91, alifelong resident of Westfield, died onSaturday, March 22, at MuhlenbergRegional Medical Center inPlainfield.

Mrs. Papandrea and her family hadowned and operated Andrea’s Furni-ture Company in Westfield for 25 years.She retired six years ago.

She was a communicant of St.Helen’s Roman Catholic Church inWestfield.

She was predeceased by her hus-band, Joseph Papandrea, in 1990.

Surviving are a son, Robert Papandreaof Warren; two sisters, Jennie Mallozzi

of Mountainside and Rose Giunta ofWestfield, and three grandchildren.

The funeral was held yesterday,Wednesday, March 26, from theDooley Colonial Home, 556 WestfieldAvenue in Westfield. A Mass of Chris-tian Burial followed at St. Helen’sChurch. Interment took place atFairview Cemetery in Westfield.

Memorial contributions may bemade to the American Cancer Society.

March 27, 2003

Cletus O. Martin, 78, of Plainfielddied on Friday, March 21, at OverlookHospital in Summit.

Born in Fairmont, W. Va., he hadlived in Westfield before moving toPlainfield in 1972.

Mr. Martin had been employed withGeorgia Kaolin Company in Elizabethfrom 1962 until retiring in 1988 as Vice-President of Sales. He was formerlyemployed with MJ Kellogg in New York.

He served as a Naval Aviator duringWorld War II. After the war, he contin-ued to serve as a Captain in the UnitedStates Naval Reserves, VF931 FighterSquadron, until his retirement in 1974.

Mr. Martin graduated from the Uni-versity of Pennsylvania in 1948 witha Bachelor of Science degree in Chem-istry.

An avid golfer, he was a member ofthe Plainfield Country Club in Edison,where he served on the Grounds Com-mittee and played in the Irish Open formany years.

Surviving are his wife, Ellen WirtzMartin; a son, Stephen Martin; adaughter, Sharon Alosco; a sister, AmyRussell, and four grandchildren.

Funeral services were held yester-day, Wednesday, March 26, at the FirstCongregational Church of Westfield.Interment followed at Fairview Cem-etery in Westfield.

Arrangements were under the direc-tion of the Memorial Funeral Home,155 South Avenue in Fanwood.

Memorial donations may be made to

Overlook Foundation, Attention: ICU,99 Beauvoir Avenue, Summit 07901.

March 27, 2003

where he was Treasurer and an usher formany years.

Surviving are his wife of 50 years,Evelyn Kappmeyer Schaefer; two sons,Frank Schaefer of Clinton Townshipand John Schaefer of Westfield; a daugh-ter, Sally Schaefer Mills of Phoenix,Ariz., and five grandchildren.

A memorial service was held on Sat-urday, March 22, at the Trinity Episco-pal Church.

Arrangements were under the direc-tion of the Gray Funeral Home, 318East Broad Street in Westfield.

Memorial donations may be made tothe Trinity Episcopal Church, Forrestand North Avenues, Cranford 07016.

March 27, 2003

Owen Lynch, 71, Sales Representative;Former Board of Education PresidentOwen P. Lynch, 71, of Scotch Plains

died last week at his home.Born in Astoria, Queens, N.Y., he

lived in the Scotch Plains-Fanwoodarea for most of his life.

Mr. Lynch had worked as a salesrepresentative for Standard Oil ofOhio before retiring in 1997.

He served as President of the ScotchPlains-Fanwood Board of Educationfrom 1969 to 1970.

A United States Air Force veteranof the Korean Conflict, he was a mem-ber of American Legion Post No. 209in Scotch Plains.

Mr. Lynch graduated from XavierHigh School in New York City andreceived his Bachelor of Science de-gree from Fordham University in 1954.

Surviving are two sons, Owen T.Lynch of Summit and David B. Lynchof Westfield; a daughter, JenniferBroaddus of Owings Mills, Md., andthree grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held atnoon on Saturday, March 29, at theMemorial Funeral Home, 155 SouthAvenue in Fanwood. Visitation willbe held one hour prior to the service.

In lieu of flowers, donations may bemade to Xavier High School, 30 West16th Street, New York, N.Y. 10011.

March 27, 2003

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IN MEMORIAM

John FiorinoDeparted March 30, 1998

God’s Lent Child“I’ll lend you for a little whileA child of mine” God said.“For you to love the while he lives,And mourn for when he’s dead.It may be six or seven yearsOr forty-two or three;But will you, till I call him back,Take care of him for me?”We’ll love him while we may,And for the happiness we’ve known,Forever grateful stay.But should Thy angels call for himMuch sooner than we’ve planned,We’ll have the bitter grief that comesAnd try to understand.

Gone But Never Forgotten,Family & Friends.

Doris Bloomberg, 84Doris Bloomberg, 84, of Westfield

died on Saturday, March 15, at theCentral New Jersey Jewish Home forthe Aged in Somerset.

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., she had livedin Westfield for the last 45 years.

Mrs. Bloomberg had been a clerk inthe Credit Department of Sears andRoebuck in Scotch Plains for 15 yearsbefore retiring in 1968.

She was predeceased by her hus-band, Arthur Bloomberg, in 1995.

Surviving are a daughter, DianeSilverman of Parlin; a brother, HerbertDeLisser of Florida; a sister, InezHornstein of Brooklyn, N.Y.; four grand-children and two great-grandchildren.

Funeral services were held on Mon-day, March 17, at the Michael HegartyFuneral Home in Old Bridge. Burialtook place at the Beth Israel Cemeteryin Woodbridge.

March 27, 2003

Richard Storm, 61, Had Worked as CPAFor MacMillan Publishing Company

Richard Storm, 61, of Fanwooddied on Thursday, February 27.

Born in New York City, he lived inFanwood for most of his life.

Mr. Storm had been a certifiedpublic accountant with MacMillanPublishing Company in New YorkCity for many years prior to retiringin 1993.

He graduated from Seton Hall Uni-versity in South Orange and fromNew York University.

Surviving are a son, Richard

Storm, Jr.; his mother, DorothySorf; a brother, Robert Sorf; a sis-ter, Lynn Sorf, and three grand-children.

A memorial mass will be offered at7:30 p.m. tomorrow, Friday, March28, at the Immaculate Heart of MaryRoman Catholic Church in ScotchPlains.

Arrangements are under the direc-tion of the Funeral Service of NewJersey.

March 27, 2003

Richard J. Graham, 60, Ran Marathons;Instructor, Consultant for Dale Carnegie

Richard J. Graham, 60, of Fanwooddied on Saturday, March 22, at hisresidence.

Born in Jersey City, he had lived inScotch Plains prior to moving toFanwood in 1978.

Mr. Graham was an instructor andtraining consultant for Dale CarnegieCorporation in Kendall Park. Beforethat, he had been a marketing managerfor AT&T in Basking Ridge and hadalso worked for New York Telephone.

Mr. Graham was a faculty member atSt. Joseph’s School in Roselle for sixmonths in 2000.

He served in the United States Armyduring the Vietnam War.

He graduated from St. Peter’s Col-lege in Jersey City with a bachelor’sdegree in marketing.

Mr. Graham was a member of the St.Bartholomew’s Men’s Softball League,as well as a marathon runner. He com-

pleted the Spring Lake Five and JerseyWaterfront Marathon that began on theGeorge Washington Bridge and con-cluded at the 50-yard line at GiantsStadium.

He was predeceased by a brother,Barry Graham.

Surviving are his wife, Patricia A.Graham; two sons, David J. Graham andStephen B. Graham; a brother, RobertGraham, and four grandchildren.

The funeral will be at 9 a.m. today,Thursday, March 27, from the RossiFuneral Home in Scotch Plains. A Masswill be offered at 10 a.m. at St. Josephthe Carpenter Roman Catholic Churchin Roselle. Entombment will take placeat Fairview Cemetery in Westfield.

Memorial donations may be made tothe Richard J. Graham Education Fund,in care of St. Joseph’s School, 140 EastThird Avenue, Roselle 07203.

March 27, 2003

Mary D. Martino, 90Mary D. Martino, 90, of

Mountainside died on Wednesday,March 12, at Overlook Hospital inSummit.

Born in Staten Island, she had beena resident of Cranford and Springfieldbefore relocating to Mountainside 45years ago.

Mrs. Martino had been employed asa checker and office clerk withFoodtown in Westfield for 15 yearsprior to retiring in 1968.

She was predeceased by a son, FrancisWelch, in 1997.

Surviving are her husband of 56 years,Louis Martino, and a brother, JohnOzemik.

A Mass of Christian Burial was of-fered on Monday, March 17, at the OurLady of Lourdes Roman CatholicChurch in Mountainside. Burial tookplace at Fairview Cemetery in Westfield.

Arrangements were handled by theDooley Funeral Home, 218 North Av-enue in Cranford.

Memorial contributions may bemade to the Mountainside RescueSquad, 1385 US Highway 22,Mountainside 07092.

March 27, 2003

Helen S. Mellen, 96Helen S. Mellen, 96, of Whiting

died on Saturday, March 22, at theCommunity Hospital in Toms River.

Born in Chicago, Ill., she had livedin Westfield from 1937 until 1986,when she relocated to Whiting.

Mrs. Mellen graduated from SweetBriar College in Lynchburg, Va. in the1930s.

She was a member of The Presbyte-rian Church in Westfield, where sheserved in the past as a Sunday schoolteacher. Mrs. Mellen additionally wasa volunteer for the Westfield Com-munity Center and Rahway Hospital.

She was predeceased by her hus-band of more than 63 years, Harold A.Mellen, in January of 2001.

Surviving are a son, John A. Mellenof Henniker, N.H.; a sister, MarionReid of Sea Girt; three grandchildrenand a great-grandchild.

A graveside service was held onTuesday, March 25, at Fairview Cem-etery in Westfield.

Arrangements were under the di-rection of the Gray Funeral Home,318 East Broad Street in Westfield.

Memorial donations may be madeto The American Friends or to TheSalvation Army.

March 27, 2003



Concepts & ThoughtConcepts & ThoughtConcepts & ThoughtConcepts & ThoughtConcepts & Thought

The weekly column written by local high school studentsThe weekly column written by local high school studentsThe weekly column written by local high school studentsThe weekly column written by local high school studentsThe weekly column written by local high school students

THE STUDENT VIEWTHE STUDENT VIEWTHE STUDENT VIEWTHE STUDENT VIEWTHE STUDENT VIEW

Challenge of Crafting JuniorResearch Paper Proves Taxing

By JORDAN ZAKARINSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

WESTFIELD -- Source, Subtopic,Page. Source, Subtopic, Page. Source,Subtopic, Page.

Sorry, I’m having trouble snappingout of my semi-robotic note cardmode. You see, I’ve just spent theentire weekend working on my Jun-ior Research Paper (JRP), the dreadedinstitution that has single-handedlykept the Post-It note and index cardindustry afloat.

Since probably the 18th century,high school juniors have been labor-ing over a “college-preparatory” pa-per. The paper, at least this year atWestfield High School, focuses on aperson, place, thing or phenomenathat impacted American culture inthe 20th century (Pet Rocks ex-cluded).

Although a seemingly broad topic,finding and honing a topic is a long,arduous task. The process of researchis even more difficult. I had to turn in200 note cards this Monday, allchock-full of information about thetopic I chose, Bill Veeck, the latemaverick baseball team owner.

Although Veeck was an extremelyamusing fellow who had a large im-pact on our National Past Time,frankly, I’m sick of merely seeing hisname! That isn’t a good sign; I stillhave to write the outline, rough draft,and final copy of the 12-page paper!

The first thing one must do whenwriting the JRP is to gather sources,30 to be exact — which wouldn’t bea problem, if we had the time to readand analyze 30 legitimate sources,which wouldn’t be a problem if wedidn’t have six other classes to take.Yet, once you get beyond the initialcomplaints, you find a magical worldfiled with primary resource journalsand annotated bibliographies.

The primary resource journal is anotebook full of primary source-in-terviews, autobiographies and artanalysis. The annotated bibliogra-phy is a list of your sources and whatmade them good sources.

Of course, we’re just getting started.Once you finish the annotated bibli-ography, the due date for the notecards of fun is on the clock. Thegathering of the facts isn’t that bad forthe first 100 cards. It’s the secondcentury set that’s the problem.

This is where “filler cards” comeinto play. Filler cards, simply stated,are cards that have facts that are, to begenerous, only loosely related to one’ssubject. Now, of course, these cardsaren’t allowed- but unless you canfind me 200 thesis-related facts onanything, I don’t think the rule willbe enforced. For the sake of the jun-iors of the past 50 years, lets hope itstays that way.

Perhaps the hardest part of theproject is the next step — the outline.This is where you utilize the facts thatyou put on your note cards. I’m juststarting that part, but from what I’veheard, it’s critical to a paper’s success.

My esteemed fellow student,Stephen Adamo, believes, “A goodoutline equals a good paper.”

Another fellow student of mine,Alice Ryan, seems to agree. “Theoutline has proved extremely helpfulin creating my rough draft which ini-tially seemed completely overwhelm-ing,” she stated.

Overwhelming? Nah!Logically, the rough draft comes

after the outline. The rough draft, orso I have heard, is almost a carboncopy of your final draft. Well, exceptfor the mass amount of revisions thatlitter the page, representing the questfor perfection. Or at least the quest foran “A”.

Looking back on the paper, it maynot be that bad. After all, college is amixture of growing up, partying andresearch papers. Alice told me, “I thinkthe JRP poses such a challenge be-cause it’s so much more extensivethan anything we’ve ever encoun-tered as high school juniors.”

A challenge, I think is good. How-ever, my one question is, which is thechallenge, writing the paper, or keep-ing my sanity while I do it?

CHEERFUL SPIRITS IN BLOOM…First-graders from Tamaques ElementarySchool in Westfield spent an afternoon at Sunrise Assisted Living in Westfield.Arranged by the school’s Community Service Committee, the children spent timewith the residents, singing songs and planting flowers in hand-painted pots.

Mother Seton SophomoreOf WF Places in Oratory

WESTFIELD – AnnmarieGrandstrand of Westfield, a sopho-more at Mother Seton Regional HighSchool in Clark, earned $500 and aplaque for her performance in theHigh School Oratorical Contest at St.Peter’s College in Jersey City.

Annmarie was a finalist, placingsixth in a field of more than 100 highschool orators from New Jersey, NewYork and Connecticut. Sponsored bythe Guarini Center for International

and Government Affairs, the contestwas held at St. Peter’s on March 1.

“My American Hero” was the themeof all of the students’ speeches.

Annmarie spoke about MorrisFrank, the blind man who founded theSeeing Eye organization in the UnitedStates. She recently raised a puppy forthe Seeing Eye in Morristown.

For Annmarie, the contest repre-sented her first attempt at publicspeaking.

Dollars For Students CanvassSet By Scholarship FoundationSCOTCH PLAINS – The Scotch

Plains-Fanwood Scholarship Foun-dation will conduct its 36th annualresidential canvass, “Dollars For Stu-dents” on Saturday, April 5, and Sun-day, April 6.

The Foundation is seeking contri-butions to provide financial assis-tance to deserving Scotch Plains andFanwood student residents in theirpost-high school education.

Approximately 90 local highschool students will be making door-to-door solicitations and manningstationary locations throughout thetownship and borough.

In addition to its own fundraisingefforts, the Foundation also adminis-ters scholarships sponsored by 24local individuals and organizations,as well as administering the capital of23 established scholarship funds.

Since it was founded in 1966, theFoundation has administered

$1,071,145 in scholarships for thebenefit of local students. Last year,$100,075 of financial aid was admin-istered by the Foundation to 86 of thestudents who applied.

This year, the screening committeeis in the process of evaluating 122applications from local high schooland college students. With commu-nity donations to enhance the “Dol-lars For Students” awards, which hope-fully will total $24,500, a total of$104,670 is planned to be given forthe 2003-2004 academic year.

The house-to-house canvass and adirect mail effort are the Foundation’sonly fundraising efforts for its “Dol-lars For Students” scholarships.

Residents who are not contacted inperson by a student or who do not findan envelope by their door, may senddonations to the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Scholarship Foundation,P.O. Box 123, Fanwood, 07023.

WHS Latin Teacher HonoredFor Work at Oxford Press

Franklin School Club DonatesCenterpieces to Mobile Meals

Italian Heritage Day FetedIn Clark by WHS Students

WESTFIELD — Westfield HighSchool (WHS) Latin teacher DonalSpence McGay has been acknowl-edged for his work on the Greek ora-tor Demosthenes in the new OxfordUniversity Press critical edition onDemosthenes.

Mr. McGay worked closely withProfessor Mervin Dilts of New YorkUniversity as an assistant in the prepa-ration of the new Oxford text whichwas last edited in 1904.

His work included the examinationof the medieval manuscripts ofDemosthenes during a year of study inItaly at the Vatican Library in Rome, theBiblioteca Laurenziana in Florence,the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan,the Biblioteca Natzionale in Naples,the Biblioteca Malatestiana in Cesena

and the Biblioeca Marciana in Venice.Mr. McGay also assisted in the lo-

cation of a lost 15th century manu-script near Stockholm, Sweden.

He joined the staff of WHS threeyears ago and teaches the CollegePreparatory Latin and AdvancedPlacement Latin programs, is also aPhD candidate in Classics at FordhamUniversity.

“The Latin program at WestfieldHigh School is fortunate to have asuch a scholarly teacher as Mr.McGay,” commented World Lan-guages Supervisor Dr. SuzanneJacobus. “His work in the classroominspires a love and passion for thestudy of Latin and the classics in hisstudents. We congratulate him on hiswork for the Oxford Press.”

WESTFIELD — Westfield HighSchool (WHS) students of Italian andtheir teacher recently celebrated Ital-ian Heritage Day at the Grand Centu-rions Hall in Clark.

Along with 300 students from 14other New Jersey high schools, theWHS group participated in a daylongseries of cultural activities.

This year’s theme, “Italian Womenin the Arts, Sciences and Religion,”involved students from the varioushigh school contingents in makingpresentations about the lives andcontributions of Italian women.

The WHS group selected SaintMaria Goretti as the subject of theirpresentation which featured musicand original lyrics.

Sponsored by the Italian TeachersAssociation of New Jersey, this year’s

celebration began with a breakfastand remarks by guest speakers from theItalian Consulate and the staff of Oggi,the Italian-American daily newspaper.

Following presentations by the 13participating schools, students andteachers enjoyed a traditional Italianmeal for lunch.

Before the day concluded, “LaGastronomia,” the theme for nextyear’s Heritage Day Celebration, wasalso announced.

“This is a valuable program whichimmerses students in the culture andincreases their appreciation for Ital-ian heritage,” commented WHS Ital-ian teacher Maria Santilli. “My stu-dents enjoyed the day and benefitedfrom the experience of working withone another and with students fromother area high schools.”

LIFTING SPIRITS, BRINGING SMILES…Handmade flower arrangementswere donated to Mobile Meals by the Habitat Club of Franklin ElementarySchool. Pictured, left to right, are, front row: Samantha Borr, Christin Aswad,Florence Knights, Danielle Fields, Emily Chan, Kelly Sullivan, Braeden Mudd,Priya Nayer, Jordan Graham; and back row: Patrick Keville, SaraAlexsandravicus, Kyle Grodzka, Sam Mckeown, Charlotte Murtishaw.

WESTFIELD — The HabitatClub at Franklin ElementarySchool in Westfield donated over65 fresh flower centerpieces toMobile Meals.

Mobile Meals is a non- profit,private meal delivery service forelderly and disabled communitymembers who are unable shop andcook for themselves.

Volunteers delivered beautiful,colorful centerpieces with freshlyprepared meals to the delight ofclients in Cranford, Garwood,Westfield, Clark, Scotch Plains andFanwood.

“Our clients love to receive thesespecial gifts with their meals. Weare very grateful to the FranklinSchool Habitat Club for theirthoughtfulness,” said Jean Douma,Executive Director, Mobile Meals.

The Franklin School Habitat

Club is open to Franklin studentsin grades 2 through 5. It is operatedby Franklin volunteer parents andutilizes the garden adjacent to theschool for bird and butterfly watch-ing, gardening and various craftactivities.

“The children really enjoyed theproject,” said Cathy Knights, Habi-tat Club volunteer.

For more information aboutMobile Meals, or to volunteer ordonate gifts to the community’selderly and disabled, please callMobile Meals at (908) 233-6164or visit our website atwestfieldnj.com/mobilemeals.

Mobile Meals is currently in needof drivers and packers to aid in ourvolunteer effort. The time commit-ment is small, but the rewards aregreat in helping others get nutri-tious, freshly prepared meals.

Shaffer Welcomed IntoOrder of the Engineer

Bushinger InductedInto Phi Eta Sigma

SCOTCH PLAINS – BrettBushinger of Scotch Plains was in-ducted into the Phi Eta Sigma HonorSociety at Syracuse University inSyracuse, N.Y. during a special cer-emony in Hendricks Chapel on Syra-cuse University campus.

Brett is a sophomore majoring inaccounting in the School of Manage-ment.

Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society rec-ognizes academic excellence andpromotes scholarship among first-year college students.

To qualify for membership, stu-dents must complete two full semes-ters of academic work and achieve aminimum grade point average of 3.5(on a 4.0 scale).

WESTFIELD – Keith Shaffer ofWestfield was enrolled in the L.C.Smith College of Engineering andComputer Science at Syracuse Uni-versity was recently inducted intothe Order of the Engineer.

Keith is a senior majoring in com-puter engineering.

The Order of the Engineer is a pub-lic induction of senior level engi-neering students into the engineer-ing profession. The Order sets forthan ethical code of public awareness,

safety and service.The L.C. Smith College of Engi-

neering and Computer Science atSyracuse University is nationally rec-ognized for excellence in educationand research. Diverse programs andlearning opportunities prepare stu-dents for professional careers in aero-space, chemical, civil, computer, elec-trical, environmental, and mechani-cal engineering, bioengineering, en-gineering physics, computer science,and systems and information science.

Excellence DemonstratedBy DECA at State Contest

DECA STANDOUTS…Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School DECA memberstook home 60 awards at the recent state conference in New Brunswick, also winningthree first place awards in chapter competitive events.

SCOTCH PLAINS — The ScotchPlains-Fanwood High School(SPFHS) DECA chapter, an associa-tion of marketing students, garnered60 awards at their annual statewidecompetitions, also winning first placeawards in three chapter competitiveevents. 75 SPFHS students wereamong over 1,300 participants from63 schools in the state, competing inareas such as financial services, re-tailing and sports and entertainmentmarketing.

Senior Sara Finkelstein, DECAPresident, commented, “A lot of usput a huge effort into our projects andcompetitive events this year, and itwas gratifying to see so many SPFHSstudents win awards, particularlythose who were competing for thefirst time.”

In the Free Enterprise Event, theteam of seniors Drew Machrone,Michael Zatorski and Steve Doremuswon first place for their report onbusiness ethics, which included in-terviews with representatives fromLiz Claiborne, CIBC World Markets,Ruder Finn and Fannie Mae.

Juniors Michael Hessemer, SeanColvin and Jack Meade won in theCivic Consciousness event for theirplanning and execution of a sub-stance abuse awareness program atPark and Terrill Middle Schools, aswell as a follow up dance at the highschool for seventh and eighth grad-ers.

In the Creative Marketing event,first place was achieved by seniorsChris Feighner and Anthony Brunoand juniors Jaime Mannino, ShaunBendik and Nick Bruno for their de-velopment of a brand new websiteand promotional program for localbusiness, “Sideline Sports.”

In the Public Relations event, se-niors Sara Finkelstein, Emily Cabal-lero, Anthony Bruno and sophomoreMichael Baumwoll captured secondplace for the group’s work with thehomeless families of the InterfaithCouncil.

Senior Lenore McMillion, juniorNick Bruno and sophomore Liz Elkogarnered a second place trophy fortheir Learn and Earn project, whichinvolved the sale of new products aswell as an upgrade of the DECA schoolstore.

Senior Ricky Fleissner and juniorsTed Sensor and Brian Kopnickiteamed up to achieve Gold level sta-tus in the Chapter Awards Programevent, which is an evaluation of allchapter activities.

In the Market Research category,the team of juniors Katie Bantz andJamie Kaye won second place in RetailMarketing and the team of seniorsLauren Ziegler, Lauren Bauman andZennie Piedad won second place inFood Marketing. Sophomores KristenZyla and Jeanette Franzone won sec-

ond place for their International Busi-ness project, and juniors RobertKuchinski and Catherine Milliganalso took second for their E-Com-merce business plan.

Sophomores Chris Doremus andKyle Rzonca achieved second placefor their Advertising Campaignproject. Seniors David Campbell andDan Kurtter achieved a second placefinish in the Sports and Entertain-ment marketing category, and seniorSara Finkelstein captured third placein the Retail Merchandising event.

Junior Ryan Breznitsky and sopho-more Mike Baumwoll were presentedwith an award for their participationin the Statewide Civic Conscious-ness project, in which they raisedover $300 for the Student MovementAgainst Cancer (SMAC), a charitableorganization founded by formerSPFHS students.

Seniors Dan Kurtter and Dan Choeas well as juniors Adam Corbin, MattCrawford, Nathan Parker and BrianSchweikert were recognized for fin-ishing among the top eight teams inthe Northeast Region in the DECAStock Market Challenge.

Other SPFHS students winningawards included seniors SaraGinsberg, Jonathan Bezrutcyk, JoshHeffler, Laura Klastava and DanielleHirschorn, and juniors AshleyBrownstein and Anne Weber.

Danielle Hirschorn received fur-ther recognition as she was awardeda $1,000 state scholarship.

38 SPFHS DECA students are noweligible to represent New JerseyDECA at DECA’s national competi-tion to be held in Orlando, Fla. onApril 26.

BREAD-MAKING TIME…Tiger Den No. 1 from Wilson Elementary School inWestfield recently enjoyed a comprehensive tour of the Great Harvest BreadCompany, located adjacent to the Westfield train station on North Avenue, givenby co-owner Barry Gold. Pictured with Mr. Gold, left to right, are: MichaelAndroconis, Austin Hatch, Will Allen, Ryan O’Connor, Ethan Beneroff, SeanBohrod, Daniel Sanchez and Jack Filipkowski.

Cambria Spends SpringSemester in FlorenceWESTFIELD – Clare Cambria of

Westfield is spending the spring 2003semester overseas in Florence, Italythrough Syracuse University’s (SU)Division of International ProgramsAbroad.

Clare is a junior majoring in fi-nance at Lehigh University inBethlehem, Pa.

For more than 40 years, Syracuse’sDivision of International ProgramsAbroad has offered credit-bearingstudy opportunities for SU studentsas well as those enrolled at othercolleges and universities across theUnited States and Canada.

The Florence program, establishedin 1959, enrolls more than 600 stu-dents each academic year. Studentsmay study art history, studio art, ar-chitecture and Italian language andculture, or take a wide range of coursesin the liberal arts. Many students livewith local families and visit historicsites in Rome, Venice, Assisi and otherdestinations.

Tabor Academy HonorsEric Ostrowski of WF

AUTHOR DAY…Tamaques Elementary School students in Westfield weretreated to a presentation for the school’s annual Author Day. Trinka Hakes Noble,a children’s author and illustrator, whose books include the “Jimmy Boa” seriesand “Apple Tree Christmas,” spoke to kindergarten through third graders aboutthe writing and illustrating process. She displayed galleys from “Apple TreeChristmas,” to show students the steps involved in illustrating a children’s book.Ms. Noble answered students’ questions.

WESTFIELD – Tabor Acad-emy in Marion, Mass. has re-ported that Eric Ostrowski ofWestfield has been named to theCommended List for Semester 1of the 2002-2003 academic year.

Eric, the son of Mr. and Mrs.Peter Ostrowski of Westfield,earned this honor for achievingan overall average of 80 or above,with no grade below 75 and nomore than one grade between 75and 80.

www.goleader.com!



THE WEEK IN SPORTSSee it all in color at!www.goleader.com

Sports Section Pages 11-14

POWELL, TOMASSO, DELDUCA, KRAMER, MENCH SHINE

Blue Devil Wrestlers EmergedTo Gain District, UC Respect

By DAVID B. CORBINSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

A huge transition has taken placewith the Westfield High School wres-tling team over the past four years,and it has been for the better.

In 2000, the Blue Devils hit rockbottom when they lost 73-(-1) toCaldwell and managed only to gettwo, second places and a third placein the District 11 Tournament. Thisyear, however, the Blue Devils fin-ished with a 10-4 record, won theKearny Tournament at the beginningof the season, placed fourth in theUnion County Tournament (UCT)with two champions, placed third inthe District 11 Tournament, claimingfour champions, and qualified sevenfor the Region 3 Tournament.

Although, the Blue Devils willgraduate Joe DeCampo (125-lbs),Jake Kramer (130-lbs), Ethan Powell(135-lbs), Dan MacDonald (152-lbs)and Gil Arbitsman (160/171-lbs),much varsity talent remains; how-ever, the foursome did leave an im-pact.

“It’s hard to replace the kids we arelosing,” stated Head Coach Glen Kurz.“Hopefully our younger kids havelearned from them. We were verystrong in the lower to middle weightsthis year.”

Of the seniors, Powell was the mostimpressive this year. His five mostimpressive victories came over toughguys, Charlie Mueller of Union, EricConnolly of Scotch Plains-Fanwood(twice) and Tim Vanderveer of Gover-nor Livingston (twice). Powell wonthe UCT crown and the District 11crown in his class and finished with a26-6 record.

“He really had a great year,” saidKurz. “We did have a number of kidswho were disappointed they didn’tmake it to states but look who Ethanwrestled, Tanelli, Caruso, Poulsen,all state place winners.”

Jake Kramer rose to the occasionby placing third in the UCT but as-cended from his second seed at thedistricts to claim the title with a domi-nating 10-3 victory in the finals.Kramer finished with a 19-7 record.

“Jake earned a lot of respect. He’s a

tough kid. When he’s wrestling hismatch, he’s great to watch. I waspleased to watch him progressthrough the years,” expressed Kurz.

DeCampo had to be a catalyst inthe Blue Devils’ successful reactionof success when he placed second in

his class in Region 3 and came withinone win of making the trip to AtlanticCity last year. Although, being side-lined much of this season, DeCampoplaced third in the districts and quali-fied for the regions.

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KLIMOWICZ APPROACHES 1,000 POINT PLATEAU

Raider Hoopster Ladies LookTo Improve ‘Nose’ for the Ball

RAIDER LOOK FORMIDABLE AGAIN FOR NEXT YEAR

Raider Matmen Tighten GripAs County, Area Powerhouse


Although still a very young team,the Scotch Plains-Fanwood HighSchool basketball team had its sec-ond banner year in a row, finishingwith a 23-3 record and outscoringopponents, 1,626-913. Featuring

three freshmen starters last year, theRaiders finished 21-5. However, de-spite having over 20 wins in bothyears, the goal of a Union CountyTournament (UCT) title and a sec-tional title has eluded them.

Last year, the second-seeded Raid-ers were stunned by seventh-seeded

Roselle, 46-38, in the quarterfinals ofthe UCT. This year, the top-seededRaiders were toppled, 36-30, by ahungry fourth-seeded Union Catho-lic (UC) team in the semis.

“We are still very young. UC was agreat defensive team and I think wewent into a shell a little bit againstthem,” explained Raider Head CoachBrian Homm.

Last year and this year, the Raiders’hopes of a North Jersey, Section 2,Group 3 title was shattered by 2003Tournament of Champions winners,Malcolm X. Shabazz.

To beat Shabazz, “We are going tohave to have a little better nose for theball,” said Homm, referring to re-bounding. “We got out-reboundedalmost every game.”

Homm added, “Shabazz has every-body back and they are very fast. Weneed to shoot very well against them.We need to improve offensively andattack the boards. If we don’t, theywill get the rebounds.”

Sophomore center HillaryKlimowicz, once again, led the Raid-ers in scoring, netting 503 points bring-ing her two-year total to 951 points toput the all-time SP-F record in jeop-ardy. She was the best on the team fromthe charity line, hitting 83-112 for 74percent. Although she also led the


Wrestlers throughout New Jerseyprobably have a better idea who theScotch Plains-Fanwood High SchoolRaider wrestlers are and where theschool is located after four Raidersmarched onto the mats at AtlanticCity and one returned as a fourth-place finisher.

The Raiders also tightened theirgrip as one of the top-two UnionCounty powers by winning theWatchung Conference and District11 titles for the second-straight year.Additionally, the Raiders claimed themost Union County Tournament(UCT) champions with four and en-tered 10 of their 14 wrestlers into theRegion 3 tournament, finishing withthree winners and one second-placefinisher.

Widespread recognition came earlywhen the Raiders claimed five cham-pions and placed second, missingfirst by only by 0.5 of a point, at thetough John Goles holiday tourna-ment held in late December. Four ofthose champions marched onto themats at Atlantic City (AC).

Junior Derek Francavilla, the win-ner of two-straight Goles titles, was theRaider who stepped on the mats at ACthe most and walked off with fourthplace in the 127-lb class. He finishedwith a 33-5 record, placed second inthe UCT, District 11 and Region 3.

“At 103 last year he took the sev-enth/eighth spot and a lot of peopledid not think he could handle the 125spot but wrestling there really treatedhim well,” said Raider Head CoachJohn Scholz. “His biggest opponentearly on was (Amin) Queen (Eliza-beth). I think losing those matchesreally taught Derek what he neededto do to move on. Having the experi-ence of being in the big show last yearreally helped him. For him to win a

prelim match and then make it to thesemifinals was big. He was there. Wewere so proud of him. He knows whathe has to do next year.”

Senior heavyweight Matt Loomis,a three-time Goles champ, won theUCT and pinned his way to the District11 and Region 3 titles to make the tripto AC. In his four-year varsity career,Loomis, who finished 27-3 this sea-son, elevated his record to 77-14.


EISENBERG, SHINEMAN WILL LEAD

Blue Devil Boys ExpectSuccessful Net Season

By RACHEL SKOLNICKSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

The Westfield High School boys’tennis team is looking forward towhat will hopefully be a very suc-cessful season. Having finished witha 20-6 record last year, it could betough, but the boys are confident intheir abilities.

“I am looking forward to a verysuccessful season,” Coach GeorgeKapner said. “This is a great group ofyoung men.”

Those young men will be guidedby senior veteran Co-Captains, DavidEisenberg, the 2001 Union Countychampion and 2002 runner-up at thirdsingles, and Doug Shineman, whoplaced second in the Union CountyTournament (UCT) at second doubleslast year, as well as junior Rich Moran,who placed second in the UCT atsecond singles last year. These threeare the only players remaining fromlast year’s starting lineup. Of the seven

CONTINUED ON PAGE 13CONTINUED ON PAGE 12


David B. Corbin (past files) for The Westfield Leader and The TimesBlue Devil senior Dave Eisenberg

David B. Corbin for The Westfield Leader and The TimesUCT, DISTRICT 11 CHAMP…Raider junior Charlie Bachi, top, won the UnionCounty Tournament and District 11 crowns at 162-lbs this season and finishedwith a 20-5 record.

David B. Corbin for The Westfield Leader and The TimesDOMINATING FORCE IN THE AREA…Raider sophomore Hillary Klimowicz,right, has been the dominating center in the Union/Middlesex County area for twoyears. It appears that her dominance will continue until graduation.

David B. Corbin for The Westfield Leader and The TimesSHOT TO BE THREE-TIME DISTRICT CHAMP…Sophomore Tom DelDuca, top, won the 142-lb title at the District 11Tournament this season and has the chance to be in the Westfield elite should he win two more district titles.




Blue Devils ExpectNet Success

PUBLIC NOTICESPECIAL MEETING

BOARD OF ADJUSTMENTTOWN OF WESTFIELD

425 EAST BROAD STREETWESTFIELD, NEW JERSEY

PLEASE TAKE NOTICEThat the Temple Emanu-El has made

application to the Zoning Board of Adjust-ment for the Town of Westfield seekingpreliminary and final site plan approvaland related variances for the demolition ofan existing dwelling and the constructionof a parking lot and related improvementsfor the existing temple. The propertiesinvolved in this application are located at750, 752 and 756 East Broad Street,Westfield, New Jersey and are identifiedas Block 3501, Lot 9, 10 and 11 on theofficial tax maps of the Town of Westfield.The property is located in the RS-12 zonedistrict.

The application includes a request forrelief from several requirements of theWestfield Land Use Ordinance, as fol-lows:

1. Maximum coverage by improve-ments. Section 18.08D requires thatthe coverage by improvements notexceed 50% of the lot area. Theproposed coverage by all improve-ments is approximately 70% of the lotarea.

2. Minimum number of parkingspaces. Section 17.02C.3a requiresthat houses of worship provide off-street parking at the rate of onespace for each 3 fixed seats, or foreach 90 square feet of floor area,that could reasonably be in use atone time in the foreseeable future, asdetermined by the Board. Althoughinformation has not been providedconcerning the number of fixed seatsin use at one time, the zoning sched-ule on the plans indicates that basedupon floor area requirements, 330spaces are required. Only 170spaces are proposed.

3. Access to parking spaces. Sec-tion 17.05 requires that access aislesbe provided adjacent to parkingspaces and that such aisles be un-obstructed at all times. Seven park-ing spaces, to be used by employ-ees, are proposed in a “stacked”arrangement in the southwest cor-ner of the property, whereby otherparked cars will block access tosuch spaces.

4. Maximum illumination level atproperty line. Section 17.10C pro-hibits illumination from parking areasthat exceeds 0.3 footcandle, mea-sured at the abutting residential prop-erty line. The proposed parking arealighting results in an illumination levelof is approximately 0.8 footcandle atthe rear lot line of adjacent Lot 8.

5. Minimum height of screenplantings. Section 17.11B and Sec-tion 10.20D.3 require that screenplantings be at least 5 feet high at thetime of installation. Most of the pro-posed screen plants are only 2 to 2½ feet high.

6. Pedestrian access. Section 17.12requires that paved pedestrian walk-ways be provided as necessary toinsure safe pedestrian circulationthroughout parking areas and intobuildings entrances. No pedestrianwalks are proposed to serve thenew parking area.

7. Locking manhole covers andinlet grates. Section 10.09E re-quires that manholes and inlet gratesbe equipped with locking devices.No locking devices are proposed.

8. Yard location of shed. Section13.02B.1 requires that sheds be lo-cated only in the rear yard. Theexisting shed is proposed to be relo-cated in the side yard of the templeproperty.

The applicant also seeks approval ofany and all other relief not indicated abovethat may be determined necessary duringthe course of the public hearings. Publichearings have been ordered for April 10,2003 at 7:30 p.m. in the Council MeetingRoom of the Town Hall, located at 425 EastBroad Street, Westfield, New Jersey, atwhich time you may appear and partici-pate in the hearing in accordance with therules of the Board.

Information, maps, plans and the appli-cation are available for your inspection inthe Public Works Building, 959 North Av-enue West, Westfield, New Jersey, andmay be reviewed Monday through Friday,8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Colleen Mayer, SecretaryBoard of Adjustment

1 T - 3/27/03, The Leader Fee: $88.74

on 2002’s starting team, four havegraduated.

The starting lineup this season hasyet to be announced, but juniors AlecJaslow and Adam Gerckins and sopho-more Alec Wasserman are three rook-ies to keep an eye on this year.

“Since we have a younger team thisyear, we are working especially hardon match toughness, strategy and en-durance to prepare ourselves for whatshould be a grueling, yet excitingseason,” said Co-Captain Eisenberg.

Last year the boys captured theWatchung Conference title, and arelooking forward to retaining it. Theyare also eager to hopefully regain theCounty Championships after 3 yearsof losses to Summit. The State Sec-tional title is not out of reach eitherfor the Blue Devils.

“We plan on having a great year,and we hope to win our conference,counties, group, and hold our own inthe state tournament. We have a solidstarting team this year, even with theloss of four starters. We have the con-fidence that we’ll make our way intothe top 10 in the state,” said Shineman.

The boys will open up their seasonnext Thursday, April 3 at Millburn.

WEXLER, HENSAL, ADAMS NAMED TEAM CAPTAINS

Raider Baseball Boys ExpectStrong Pitching for Success

By FRED LECOMTESpecially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

Expecting to be very competitive,much responsibility will be placedon the strong and experienced pitch-ing battery of the Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School baseball teamthis season. The Raiders will takethe mound with three senior right-handers.

“We have our number one, twopitchers returning in righthandpitcher David Senatore and StevePietrucha along with righty StevenHorn,” said Raider Head baseballcoach Brian Homm. “We expect themto perform well for us because theWatchung Conference will be verystrong this year. If they are able tohold their own, I believe we are go-ing to be competitive and it will be

a dogfight, so hopefully we will beright in the thick of things.”

Despite a rebuilding year and fin-ishing with a 10-12 record, goodthings happened toward the end ofthe season as the Raiders honedtheir skills and won six of their lasteight games. This year, the Raidersappear to be more refined defen-sively.

“We have some kids backfrom last year, so we do haveexperience,” said Homm.“We expect to start threesophomores, two juniorsand three seniors in thefield, so we kind of have amix, not senior dominated.Additionally, we have astrong nucleus of some niceyounger players that cameup.”

Sophomore Kevin Urbanwho experienced some var-sity time last year, will stepup to fill the catching dutiesand may see limited actionat third. Although the in-field is relatively young, themost prevalent problemHomm faces is filling theholes at first and third. Jun-ior Jared Montagna, a stronghitter, and sophomore JamesScalfaro are battling to fillthe va-

cancy at firstwhile third is upfor grabs betweensophomore An-thony Stipola andHorn.

“I don’t knowhow they will bedefensively be-cause of their in-e x p e r i e n c e , ”noted Homm.“They’re good butyoung and theyare going to makemistakes.”

Second base issolid and will beoccupied by se-nior Jeff Hensal.Sophomore ChrisD’Annunzio is themost likely can-didate to start atshortstop but ischallenged by

junior Ed Zazzalli who is also vyingfor a spot in the outfield.

The Raiders return experience inthe outfield with seniors Kyle Adamsin center and Josh Wexler in rightand junior Kyle Baker or Zazzalliplaying left.

“We only had two scrimmages sofar, so at this point it is really hardand a little early to make decisions,”said Homm. “You have to movepeople around to play different po-sitions, move them around in thebatting order and in the field. Westill have numerous scrimmagesahead. Only then will I know a lotmore than I do now.”

The Raiders plan to score plentyof runs led with “thunder stick” men,Baker to lead off followed by Hensaland Wexler. Urban may bat cleanupfollowed by Adams.

“Yes, I think we are going to hit theball a little bit. We also have somekids who can run, so we are going tolook to hit-and-run and put pressureon other teams,” added Homm.“Hopefully, with the experienceback, we will pick up from where weleft off last year and things will workout for us. We want to qualify for thestate tournament. We want to gopretty far in the counties and I thinkfor us to do that, our pitching isgoing to have to come through. We

have two of the better pitchers in thecounty in Senatore and Pietrucha. Ifthey are able to hold us in everygame and hold teams down, then weare going to be in those games. Thekids are working hard, anxious toplay and excited about the season.Let’s see what we can do.”

Raider Hoopster Ladies LookTo Improve ‘Nose’ for the Ball


team in rebounds with 161 – 79 offen-sive and 82 defensive – she fell shortof her 224 total from her freshmanyear; however, she boasted a remark-able 96 blocks and added 33 steals.

“I think the school record for pointsis somewhere around 1,300. She maybreak that next year,” guessed Homm.

Sophomore guard Maura Gilloolywas amazing from three-point rangehitting 55-128 and finished secondin scoring with 287 points. She hit24-34 from the foul line for 70 per-cent, was second in assists with 78,

had 62 rebounds and 32 steals. Lastyear, Gillooly totaled 167 points andhit 35 three-pointers.

Sophomore point guard JennyBurke, who bucketed 13 three-point-ers, was third in scoring with 245points, bringing her two-year total to392, and was 70 percent from the foulline, hitting 50-71. Burke led theteam in assists, pulled 20 reboundsand had 30 swipes.

Senior Lindsay Pennella was thechief thief with 41 steals and wasthird on the team with 53 assists.Pennella hit 25-35 from the foul linefor 71 percent and totaled 161 points.

Forward Jen Russell made thingshappen on the court and was secondin steals with 35 and second in re-bounds with 115 – 47 offensive and68 defensive. She put in 148 points,hit 24-63 from the foul line and abet-ted with 49 assists.

Freshman Chanelle Freeman hadan impact both offensively and de-fensively. In her time off the bench,she sank 125 points, hit 23-39 fromthe foul line for 59 percent, was thirdon the team with 94 rebounds – 42offensive and 62 defensive – and wassecond in blocked shots with 28.

Getting adequate playing time wasguard Elizabeth DeCataldo who con-tributed 83 points, 25 assists, 15 re-bounds and 13 steals. Ashley McCoy,who had 28 rebounds and nine steals,and Loni Kaye each had 18 points.Kit Kat Dill had 15 points and 11assists and Lauren Benivengo fin-ished with 13 points and 14 rebounds.

With the bulk of his team returning,“We should be pretty much like wewere this year but we want to do betterin the county tournament. I think wecan. We have all of our girls on weighttraining programs to increase theiragility and quickness,” Homm said.

Wendel, Carmody GetAll-State Track Honors

Westfield High School senior AdamWendel and Governor Livingston jun-ior Mike Carmody received All-StateThird Team honors in Boys IndoorTrack by The Star-Ledger. Five ScotchPlains-Fanwood High School Raiderboys, two Westfield Blue Devils andone GL Highlander also received All-Union County (UC) honors.

Wendel, who cleared 6’6” in thehigh jump, also received All-UC FirstTeam, All-Area First Team (CourierNews) and All-Group Third Team hon-ors. Carmody, who competed in the800-meters, was selected to the All-Group 2 First Team, All-Area First Team(Courier News) and All-UC First Team.

Raider senior Chris Feighner wasnamed to the All-UC First Team andAll-Area Second Team (CourierNews) for shot put. Raiders ZackMcGuire (1,600-meters) and BrianKopnicki (3,200-meters) made theAll-UC Second Team and WalterBiner (1,600-meters) and Sean Smith(high jump) were named to the All-UC Third Team. Blue Devil Dan Lynes(800-meters) was selected to the All-UC Second Team.

PUBLIC NOTICESUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY

CHANCERY DIVISIONUNION COUNTY

DOCKET NO. F-18694-02

NOTICE TO REDEEM

THE PARAMOUNT GROUP,INC., Plaintiff vs. JANICELAVETTE HORSLEY; et als,Defendant(s)

TO: JANICE LAVETTE HORSLEY;JOHN DOE HUSBAND OF JANICELAVETTE HORSLEY, SAID NAMEJOHN DOE BEING FICTITIOUS;

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that an ordermade on March 6, 2003, the SuperiorCourt Fixed April 15, 2003, between thehours of nine o’clock in the forenoon andfour o’clock in the afternoon, prevailingtime, at the office of the Tax Collector forthe CITY OF ELIZABETH, located at 50Winfield Scott Plaza, Elizabeth, NewJersey 07201, as the time and placewhen and where you may pay to theplaintiff the amount so found due forprincipal and interest on its certificate oftax sale as follows:

LOT 497, BLOCK 8 on the tax duplicateof the City of Elizabeth. Total amountrequired to redeem is $28,237.98, to-gether with interest from February 6,2003 and costs.

And that unless, at the same time andplace, you or one of you redeem by payingthe aforesaid sum so found due to plain-tiff, then you, and each of you shall bedebarred and foreclosed of and from allright and equity of redemption of, in and tothe lands and premises above set out anddescribed in the complaint and every partthereof, and that the plaintiff be vestedwith an absolute and indefeasible estateof inheritance in fee simple in said landsand premises.

Anything to the contrary notwithstand-ing, redemption shall be permitted up untilthe entry of final judgment including thewhole of the last date upon which judg-ment is entered.

MICHAEL G. PELLEGRINO, ESQ.Attorney for Plaintiff

CASALE & PELLEGRINO, L.L.C.One Gatehall DriveParsippany, New Jersey 070541 T - 3/27/03, The Leader Fee: $46.92

PUBLIC NOTICE PUBLIC NOTICETOWN OF WESTFIELD

BOARD OF ADJUSTMENTThe Board of Adjustment of the Town of Westfield, New Jersey will meet on Monday,

April 14, 2003 in the Council Chambers at the Municipal Building, 425 East Broad Street,Westfield, New Jersey at 7:30 p.m. to hear and consider the following appeals forvariance from the requirements of the Westfield Land Use Ordinance:

Bethel Baptist Church, 539 Trinity Place, Block 3010, Lot 27 seeking permissionto erect a two-story addition to the rear of the church and site plan approval of same.This constitutes an expansion of a nonconforming use (“d” variance). Applicant seeksvariance from the following:

LIST OF NEW C.40: 55D-70 c and d VARIANCES REQUIRED:

Section 19.03 of the Land Use Ordinance. Ordinance prohibits the expansion of anon-conforming use.

Section 18.08D of the Land Use Ordinance. Ordinance allows maximum improve-ment coverage of 50%. Proposed is 60.5%.

Section 18.08F of the Land Use Ordinance. Ordinance requires maximum allowableside yard set back of 35.25 feet. Proposed is 5.03 feet.

Section 18.08G of the Land Use Ordinance. Ordinance requires minimum rear yardsetback of 50 feet. Proposed is 11.27 feet.

Section 11.12E10 of the Land Use Ordinance. Ordinance allows maximum allowablecoverage by buildings of 20%. Proposed is 35.9%.

Section 17.02C3 of the Land Use Ordinance. Ordinance allows minimum number ofparking spaces required to be 83. Proposed are 4.

List of existing nonconforming zoning conditions:

Section 18.08B of the Land Use Ordinance. Ordinance requires a minimum lot areaof 75,000 square feet – 14,527 square feet exists.

Section 18.08C of the Land Use Ordinance. Ordinance requires a minimum lotfrontage of 225 feet – 98.12 feet exists.

Section 12.03D of the Land Use Ordinance requires a setback of 37.75 feet(E.F.Y.D.) – 30.40 feet exists.

Section 17.02C.3. of the Land Use Ordinance. Ordinance requires 73 parkingspaces – 4 exists.

Section 17.10D of the Land Use Ordinance. Ordinance requires shielded lightfixtures. Unshielded flood lights exits.

F & J Foot Inc., 112, 112 ½ and 114 Cacciola Place, Block 4001, Lot 2 seekingcertification that the property is an-existing nonconforming use (multi-family). In theevent the certification cannot be proved, the applicant is requesting a use variance(and site plan approval) for a seven units (6 units and a manager’s office) and requestvariances from the following sections of the Land Use Ordinance:

List of existing nonconforming zoning conditions:

Section 11.16A.5. permits only specific multi-family residences and the typerequested are not listed among those permitted.

Section 11.16D prohibited all uses not specifically permitted.

Section 11.16E.5 permits a maximum density per dwelling unit of 1,742 square feetper unit, therefore for seven units 12,194 square feet is required – 7,102 squarefeet is existing.

Section 11.16E.14 allows a maximum continuous wall length of 50 feet – 61 feet isexisting.

Section 17.02C.1.b requires adequate off street parking.

Section 11.16E.1 requires a minimum gross area of 15,000 square feet – 7,102square feet is existing.

Section 11.16E.2. of the Land Use Ordinance requires a minimum lot width of 100feet – 50 feet is existing.

Section 11.16E.3 requires a minimum front yard setback of 40 feet – 0 is existing.

Section 11.16E.4. requires a minimum side yard setback of 30 feet – 1.02, 2.86 and+ 13 feet are existing.

Section 11.16E.4. requires a minimum rear yard setback of 30 feet – 10.41 feet areexisting.

Section 11.16E.3 requires a minimum distance between buildings of 30 feet – 8 feetis existing.

Additional variances may be sought for screening; minimum floor area per dwellingunit; maximum building height (2 habitable floors) and basement attic use.

John and Christy Callinan, 20 Gallowae seeking an appeal from the Zoning Officialdecision that the application was constituted “Res judicata” and can not be heard bythe Board. If the Board decides in favor of the applicant and decides to hear theapplication the applicant will be seeking permission to erect a second story additioncontrary to the requirements of Sections 12.03D, 11.07C6, and 12.04F1 of the Land UseOrdinance. Front yard setback proposed (and present) is 24.98 feet. Ordinancerequires the estimated front yard depth, which is 28.20 feet. Side yard setback proposed(and present) is 7.25 feet. Ordinance requires 10 feet. Maximum building coverageproposed is 20.5%. Ordinance allows 20%.

Gail Stock, 715 Woodland Avenue seeking permission to erect an addition in therear contrary to the requirements of Section 11.07 E7 of the Land Use Ordinance. Rearyard setback proposed is 12 feet 7 inches. Ordinance requires 35 feet.

Robert M. and Teresa Whitehead, 1903 Boynton Avenue seeking permissionto erect an addition contrary to the requirements of Section 11.09E5, 12.04F1 and12.04F2 of the Land Use Ordinance. Side yard setback proposed is 10 feet 3 inches.Ordinance requires 20 feet. Allowable building coverage proposed is 22.1%. Ordinanceallows 20%. Allowable building coverage with deck proposed is 23.1%. Ordinanceallows 22%.

Michael Posluszny, 1722 Boulevard seeking permission to erect an addition togarage contrary to the requirements of Section 13.01G1c of the Land Use Ordinance.Rear and side yard set back proposed (and present) are 5.25 feet and 6 feet. Ordinancerequires 10 feet.

261 Orchard Street, LLC, Lot 9, Block 2406, 261 Orchard Street seekingmodification of its resolution dated December 9, 2002 specifically, to change arequirement to install a sign at the front entryway to the premises at a location approvedby the Construction Code Official advising that the entrance to the Office Facility is inthe rear of the property and that the applicant was to install a sign over the back doorto the office premises marked clearly “Entrance” with the sign to be approved by theZoning Official prior to installation.

Charles and Nancy Zaffuto, 25 Burrginton Gorge, seeking permission to erectan addition contrary to the requirements of Section 11.06 E6 of the Land Use Ordinance.Side yard setback proposed (and present) is 11 feet 2 inches. Ordinance requires 15feet.

Joseph Scerbo, 100 Hardwick Avenue seeking permission to erect a deck andretain an existing shed contrary to the requirements of Section 13.02C1, 13.02C3,12.04F2 and 13.01G1b of the Land Use Ordinance. Yard location for deck proposedportion in side yard. Ordinance allows only in rear yard. Deck setback from rear propertyline proposed is 11.87 feet. Ordinance requires 25 feet. Deck setback from side propertyline proposed is 9 feet. Ordinance requires 10 feet. Allowable coverage with deckproposed is 22.7%. Ordinance allows 22%. Setback required for sheds present is 1.29feet and 2.96 feet. Ordinance requires 5 feet.

George and Maureen Contini, 216 Ayliffe Avenue seeking permission to erectan addition contrary to the requirements of Section 11.08E5 of the Land Use Ordinance.Depth of side yard, corner lot proposed (and present) is 18.44 feet. Ordinance requires20 feet.

Giovanni and Eileen Di Fabio, 102 Oxford Terrace, Lot 18, Block 4912, a/k/a1129 Central Avenue seeking permission to erect an addition contrary to therequirements of Section 11.08E7 and 12.03D of the Land Use Ordinance. Minimum rearyard setback proposed is 28.9 feet. Ordinance requires 35 feet. Front yard setbackproposed is 26.07 feet. Ordinance requires the estimated front yard depth, which is 29.9feet.

Michael and Michelle Massa, 417 South Euclid Avenue seeking permission toerect an addition contrary to the requirements of Section 11.06 E6 of the Land UseOrdinance. Side yard setback proposed is 10.63 feet. Ordinance requires 15 feet.

Ken and Allison Haas, contract purchasers for 634 Scotch Plains Avenue(Owner/Susan Gecchio) seeking permission to erect a second floor addition contraryto the requirements of Section 11.07E6 of the Land Use Ordinance. Side yard setbackproposed is 7.7 feet (6.3 feet at the walk out bay). Ordinance requires 10 feet.

Eric and Lisa Bass, 731 Norman Place seeking permission to erect a two storyaddition contrary to the requirements of Section 11.07E6 of the Land Use Ordinance.Side yard setback proposed is 9 feet 2 inches. Ordinance requires 10 feet.

Keith and Elisa Fitzmaurice, 117 Cedar Street seeking permission to erect anaddition contrary to the requirements of Section 11.09E6 of the Land Use Ordinance.Minimum side yard setback proposed (and present) is 5.3 feet. Ordinance requires 10feet.

David Blackford, 785 Clarence Street, Lot 21.01, Block 2814, a/k/a 355Lamberts Mill Road, seeking permission to erect a fence plus retaining wall contraryto the requirements of Section 12.07 C and D of the Land Use Ordinance. Maximumallowable fence height proposed is 4 feet + 6 feet = 10 feet. Ordinance allows 4 feetand 6 feet only.

Michael D. and Linda T. Helfand, 616 Shackamaxon Drive seeking permissionto erect a wrought iron fence contrary to the requirements of Section 13.02 D5 of theLand Use Ordinance. Proposed enclosure and screening of pool is 6 feet wrought irontype aluminum fence. Ordinance requires 6 feet solid fence.

Charles A. and Elizabeth Reese, 956 Summit Avenue seeking permission toerect an addition contrary to the requirements of Section 11.12 E7 of the Land UseOrdinance. Rear Yard setback proposed is 30.33 feet. Ordinance requires 35 feet.

Carmine and Kathleen Pindilli, 41 Sunnywood Drive seeking permission to erectan addition and deck contrary to the requirements of Section 11.05E6, 2.07C and 13.02Cof the Land Use Ordinance. Minimum side yard setback proposed is 12 feet and 6.9 feet.Ordinance requires 15 feet. Deck does not comply with definition of deck regardingheight proposed of 5+ feet. Ordinance allows a maximum height of 4 feet. Ordinancerequires that the deck sub floor area have screening. None is proposed.

Documentation of the above is on file in the Office of the Town Engineer, 959 NorthAvenue West, Westfield, New Jersey and may be seen Monday through Friday, 8:30a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Any interested party may appear at the hearing, either in person, or by their attorney,and be given an opportunity to be heard with respect to this application.

Variances, waivers or exceptions from certain site plan details or relief fromrequirements may be sought as appropriate.

Colleen Mayer, SecretaryBoard of Adjustment

1 T - 3/27/03, The Leader Fee: $260.10

PUBLIC NOTICE PUBLIC NOTICE

Klimowicz, Burke GetAll-Area First TeamScotch Plains-Fanwood High

School sophomores HillaryKlimowicz and Jenny Burke havebeen selected to the Courier NewsAll-Area First Team. Raider sopho-more Maura Gillooly received Hon-orable Mention recognition as didMargy Goodspeed of GovernorLivingston.

PUBLIC NOTICETOWNSHIP OF SCOTCH PLAINS

NOTICE is hereby given that at a meetingof the Township Council of the Townshipof Scotch Plains, held in the Council Cham-bers in the Municipal Building of saidTownship on Tuesday, March 25, 2003,there was introduced, read for the firsttime, and passed on such first reading, thefollowing ordinance:

AN ORDINANCE TO AMENDSALARY ORDINANCE NO. 96-19 ADOPTED JUNE 12, 1996ESTABLISHING SALARIESAND WAGES FOR MUNICIPALEMPLOYEES

Purpose: Adding salary or wage rangeclassification for Golf Facility Manager tobe $55,000 - $65,000.

A public hearing for same will be held onTuesday, April 8, 2003 at 8:00 p.m. in theCouncil Chambers of the Municipal Build-ing, or any time and place to which ameeting for the further consideration ofsuch ordinance shall from time to time beadjourned, and all persons interested willbe given an opportunity to be heard con-cerning such ordinance.

A copy of same may be obtained fromthe office of the Township Clerk, 430 ParkAvenue, Scotch Plains, New Jersey, be-tween the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.Monday through Friday by any member ofthe general public who wants a copy ofsame without cost.

BARBARA RIEPETownship Clerk

1 T - 3/27/03, The Times Fee: $31.62

Fowler, Euwer BoostWilliam Smith CollegeGirls Swimming Team

GENEVA, N.Y. – Sophomores JennyFowler and Sarah Beth Euwer ofWestfield were members of the 2002-03 William Smith College Swimmingand Diving team. The Herons fin-ished the season, winning seven oftheir nine dual meets and earningfourth at the Upstate Collegiate Ath-letic Association Championships.

Fowler, competed in many eventsfor the Herons, but focused mostly onthe 200-free and 200-medley relay.Her free relay team set a new schoolrecord of 1:41.33 in a time trial eventat the NYSWCAA Championships,while their time of 1:41.73 in thefinals earned them a fifth place finish.With her best individual time of0:25.40 in the 200 medley relay at theNYSWCAA Championships, shehelped lead her team to a sixth-placefinish with a time of 1:55.05.

Euwer raced in everything from the50 to the 1,000-freestyle. She put upher best time in the 50-freestyle atIthaca, touching in 0:30.7.

Fred Lecomte (files) for The Leader and The TimesSenior Dave Senatore

Fred Lecomte (files) for The Leader and The TimesSenior Steve Pietrucka

David B. Corbin for The Westfield Leader and The TimesALL-AREA POINT GUARD…Raider sophomore point guard, Jenny Burke,was selected to the All-Area First Team. Burke was a primary factor in the Raiders’formula for success this season.



“When Matt came to us we thoughtwe had gold with him placing sec-ond in the Goles as a freshman. Hisnext two years were a little rockybecause he got sick. He got discour-aged but he came back, lifted andgot very strong. We had a hard timehandling him. He was healthy andhad a great season,” explainedScholz. “He took care of all his goalsexcept for placing in the states butgoing down as a senior is a real toughthing. You don’t know the level ofcompetition until you get there.”

Junior Andrew Silber, a Goleschamp at 171-lbs, also won the UCT,placed second in District 11, thenrebounded to capture the Region 3title and skip to AC. He won a bout atAC and finished with a 28-6 record.

“Here’s a kid with big credentialsexcept for taking second in the dis-tricts, but he avenged his loss. Hetook care of business. We knew fromthat point on that Andrew was deter-mined,” said Scholz.

Sophomore Steve Mineo, a Goleschamp, made his presence known inthe 121-lb class by winning the UCT,District 11 and Region 3 titles tocarry a 29-0 record to AC.

“He went into the big show 29-0but he got into that top bracket andhad to meet Bridge from Absegami.Now he knows what he needs to do.He knows the level that he has tochange to, that he has to slow downin certain situations and let thingshappen. He wants to be there again.He told me, ‘coach, I had fun’,” saidScholz.

Three other Raiders, juniors EricConnolly (137-lbs) and CharlieBachi (162-lbs) and sophomoreMarc Fabiano (191-lbs) had fine sea-sons and have the potential for mak-ing the trip for AC next year.

Connolly placed second in theGoles, UCT and District 11 tourna-ments and finished with a 24-5record.

“Eric’s biggest thing this year wasweight. He wanted to go 130 but

going 135 was his best bet,” saidScholz. “He’s a strong boy! He didn’tfeel as positive as he should havebeen in a couple of matches. Heneeds to relax now. I definitely seehim going down (states). There wereboys who he beat or lost to by a pointwho were down there.”

Bachi won the UCT and District11 crowns and finished 20-5. Heemerged as a fine wrestler last yearalso collecting 20 victories.

“He had a great season,” saidScholz. “Now that he saw someonewho he wrestles with everyday inpractice make it to the states, I knowthat he believes that he can make itdown.”

Fabiano, through his work ethicand athletic ability came on verystrong this season, earned third inthe UCT, grabbed first in the districtsand finished 21-7.

“He put so much time in with coach(Ken) Hernandez. Marc is under-standing what wrestling is all about.He has mat sense, natural ability anda couple of signature moves He wantsto be there,” stated Scholz.

Senior Chris Sprague placed fifthin the UCT at 142-lbs and seniorEugene Klushnichenko placed fifthin the UCT and third in the district at217-lbs. Junior Pedro Coyt turnedon toward the end of the season andplaced second in both the UCT anddistricts. Junior Ronnie Ferraraplaced fifth in the UCT and third inthe districts at 114-lbs. Other varsityregulars were: freshman MattFleissner (103-lbs), sophomore An-thony Ferrante (130-lbs) and juniorYoav Nudell (152-lbs).

Although graduating three varsitystarters, the Raiders look formidablefor next year. Scholz commented, “Ihave a lot of big guys who could fillin the spots and Andrew Loomis (thefifth Goles winner at heavyweight)is looking very agile. I have a lot ofeighth-grade boys who have muchexperience and can fill in the lowweights.”

“He had some injuries and illnessesthat prevented him from getting intoa rhythm. You can’t really explainhow much he meant. What he did lastyear in the regions did a lot for theprogram,” said Kurz.

MacDonald, who placed second inthe UCT and second in the district in2002, and Arbitsman, along with jun-ior Chris Johnson (189-lbs) had theburden of providing key wins in thesomewhat inexperienced upperweight classes. Johnson showed mas-sive improvement, placed fifth in theUCT and just missed qualifying forthe regions. Johnson looks to be astrong force in his class next year.

Competing in a highly competi-tive weight class (103-lbs), juniorRob Mench was a pinning expert.Finishing 26-4, Mench recorded 21via fall and added two technical falls.He won his class in the Kearny Tour-nament and the Blue Devil Classicand placed second in the UCT and thedistrict, losing both title bouts toDarrion Caldwell of Rahway whoplaced fourth in the state.

“It was unfortunate that he had thefirst, third and fourth state place win-ners in his region. Given one morechance at him, Robbie could havepossibly beaten Caldwell. This sea-son gave him a lot of confidence andhe should have a great senior year,”predicted Kurz.

Junior Lee Tomasso (145-lbs)climbed to the top of the podium inthe UCT and districts and entered theregions with an undefeated record.With his wrenching tight waist andcontorting half nelsons, he accumu-lated many back points from the topposition. Tomasso finished 17-2.

“We knew he had the talent to putpoints on the board. Through the sea-son he was heads and shoulders abovehis competition. That may have hurthim towards the end of the year. If hemakes up his mind, he can be a stateplace winner,” expressed Kurz.

Sophomore Tom DelDuca (140-lbs)placed third in the UCT then claimedthe title at the districts, qualifying forthe regions for the second time.DelDuca finished with a 24-5 record.

“He had an outstanding sophomoreyear to follow an outstanding fresh-man year. He surprised me that he wasable to pull out a lot of close matches.It’s great to know he’s coming backfor two more years. He has a shot to bea three-time district champ and be inthe Westfield elite,” said Kurz.

Sophomore Sam Kramer (112-lbs)placed fourth in the UCT, second inthe districts and finished with a 20-12record.

“He accomplished a lot and every-thing can be attributed to heart andtoughness. He gives 100 percent.His losses were to top kids in theregion. Sam was right there withthem,” said Kurz.

Sophomore Craig Hewit did a finejob at 119-lbs all season and won acrucial bout at North Plainfield tosecure a Blue Devil victory. JuniorDave Israelow (152-lbs), freshmenSteve Cruickshank (215-lbs) andZack Bullock (heavyweight) gainedsome experience at the varsity leveland will be an asset next season.

“We should be more balanced nextyear. We have some younger kids inthe upper weights who have greatwork ethics,” said Kurz.

Blue Devil Wrestlers EmergedTo Gain District, UC Respect


NJ Sport Pics for The Westfield Leader and The TimesQUALIFYING IN 6 EVENTS…Erin O’Connor, a sophomore at Union CatholicHigh School, qualified in six events and came away with five National Long Coursequalifying times as well as a National Short Course (NSC) qualifying time at theNew Jersey Short Course Junior Olympic Swimming Championships at RutgersUniversity.

Raider Matmen Tighten GripAs County, Area Powerhouse


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Viking O’Connor QualifiesFor Swim Junior Nationals

The indoor swimming season cul-minated on March 23 with the NewJersey Short Course Junior OlympicsSwimming Championships held atRutgers University in Piscataway.Erin O’Connor, a sophomore at UnionCatholic High School, qualified insix events and came away with fiveNational Long Course qualifyingtimes as well as a National ShortCourse (NSC) qualifying time.

O’Connor, age 16, accomplishedmuch within the last month. Twoweeks ago, she had qualified for onlytwo events in the Women’s 15-19-agegroup (100-yard backstroke and 200-yard butterfly). Last weekend at theSilver Junior Olympic Meet, shedropped times substantially in fourmore events giving her six Gold quali-fying times for this past weekend’schampionships.

O’Connor saved the best for last.

Seeded 69th with a qualifying time of2:26.97 in the 200-yard butterfly onSunday morning, she dropped hertime an unbelievable 11.13 secondsand made it to the evening finals in15th place with a time of 2:15.84.Needing a time of 2:14.99 to make aNSC qualifying time, she shavedanother 1.58 seconds to finish with11th with a time of 2:14.26.

“Erin is an extremely gifted swim-mer and true competitor. Based on herperformance this weekend, she ex-ceeded my expectations,” said Erin’sCoach Chris Chang of the Metuchen-Edison YMCA. “When Erin is com-mitted and focused, nothing gets inher way in achieving her goals.”

O’Connor’s Qualifying Times:100-yard freestyle 55.54200-yard freestyle 2:01.40100-yard backstroke 1:03.37100-yard butterfly 1:02.06200-yard butterfly 2:14.26

Matt Rothstein NamedNJ Bowler of the YearWestfield High School senior Matt

Rothstein has been selected FirstTeam All-State in bowling and hasalso been named New Jersey Bowlerof the Year. Rothstein and senior team-mate Willy Masket also made theNorth Jersey, Section 2 First Teamand junior Andrew Royston made theSecond Team.

Rothstein bowled them over at theNJSIAA championships on February14 at the Brunswick Zone CarolierLanes, averaging 250 pins per gamein the six-game qualifying round togain the top seed. He then topped itoff by defeating Rob Paul of LenapeValley, 201-158, in the top rung of thestepladder finals.

Westfield Boys RuleAll-Area Swimming

The Westfield High School boysswimming team dominated theCourier News All Area First Teamlist. The Governor Livingston HighSchool girls were selected to theSecond Team in three events andthe Westfield girls were named tothe Second Team in two events.

Blue Devils Vin Shen, SamGurdus, Zack Coppa and RyanBartholomew received top honorsin the 200-medley relay. Shen, ChrisHeinen, Sean Baran andBartholomew received top honorsin the 400-freestyle relay andHeinen, Josh Schoenfeld, Baran andBartholomew received top honorsin the 200-freestyle relay. Shen wasalso named Swimmer of the Year.

The Highlander foursome ofAnge Pflug, Caitlin Zimmerman,Jen Pflug and Sandy Zaeh werenamed to the Second Team in the400-freestyle relay as was Zaeh forthe 100-freestyle and Jen Pflug forthe 200-individual medley. BlueDevil Amanda Dickson was se-lected twice for her efforts in the100-breaststroke and 500-freestyle.

See it all on the Web!www.goleader.com

David B. Corbin for The Westfield Leader and The TimesUCT AND DISTRICT 11 CHAMP AT 137-LBS…Blue Devil senior Ethan Powell,top, placed first in the Union County Tournament and the District 11 Tournamentat 137-lbs.

David B. Corbin for The Westfield Leader and The TimesFIFTH IN THE UCT AT 142-LBS…Raider senior Chris Sprague, top, placed fifthin the Union County Tournament this season.

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LEAGUE HOOPS CHAMPIONS…The Westfield Huskies recently won theCentral Jersey Basketball League title. Pictured, left to right, are: front row;Gabrielle Cerami, Casey Williamson and Amanda Simmons; second row, NicoleBlackman, Tara Zierler, Danielle Cofone and Charlotte Oleary; third row,Shannon Murray, Nikki Aaronson, Diana Venezia, Elizabeth Schoenbach andMaria Niemira; back row, Assistant Coach Bill Taylor, Head Coach Tony Cofoneand Assistant Coaches Sean Murray and Mike Venezia

Westfield Hoops Girls ReachTri-County League Finals

The Westfield 7th grade girls travelbasketball team beat Cranford, 43-22,to move into the Tri-County Leaguechampionship game to face EastHanover. Westfield, now 24-1, is alsoinvolved in two hoops tournaments.

Westfield used a balanced scoringattack to reach the Tri-County finals.Stephanie Slodyzcka led the way with15 points and 10 rebounds. RoseDriscoll netted eight points and sixassists. Gabrielle O’Leary put in sevenpoints. Erin Miller sank six points.Alli Macdonald had five points andeight rebounds. Elizabeth Harbaughhad two points, seven rebounds andthree blocked shots. Claire Bennett

had a team-high, 12 rebounds. KrissyWendel, Danielle Infantino, andAllison Oberlander also made keycontributions.

The team advanced to the IHMMarch Madness Tournament semifi-nals after beating IHM 6, 58-24.O’Leary led the way with 14 points.Driscoll bucketed nine points whileSlodyzcka and Bennett had eightpoints each. Macdonald had six, Millerhad five and Infantino had four.Oberlander, Harbaugh and Wendel hadtwo points each.

In the opening round of theBranchburg Tournament, Westfieldshowed its depth when they beatFlemington, 55-39. Slodyzcka firedin 22 points. O’Leary had 14 points,Miller had eights, Bennett five andDriscoll netted four points whileInfantino and Wendel had two pointseach. Harbaugh pulled down 10 re-bounds.

St. Helen’s 4th Girls Get 2ndIn Metuchen Diocese Hoops

REGIONAL GYMNASTICS QUALIFIERS…Pictured, left to right, are: JustinMoss, Daniel Pesin, Zachary Caplette, Kevin Moran, Conner Streaman andSamuel Meyer. Not pictured: Matt Riviere, Samuel Eliades.

Eight Local Gymnasts QualifyFor Northeast Regional Meet

Eight Surgent’s Elite Level VI boy’sgymnasts had an outstanding day atthe NJ State Championship Meethosted by Surgent’s Elite on March15-16 at Kenilworth High School andqualified for the Regional Gymnas-tics Meet. Zachary Caplette, SamuelEliades, Samuel Meyer, Kevin Moran,Justin Moss, Daniel Pesin, MatthewRiviere and Conner Streaman willcompete with gymnasts from the en-tire Northeast at the Prince GeorgesSports and Learning complex inLandover, Maryland on April 26-27.

In the 9-year-old division, Capletteplaced fifth on floor exercises with a9.4 and fifth in the all-around with a51.9 score. Streaman placed third onpommel horse with an 8.1 and ninthin all-around. Billy Frank placed sixth

on pommel horse with a 7.7 and JoshBerman placed ninth on the high barwith a score of 8.6.

In the 8-year-old division, Pesinplaced second on the floor exerciseswith a personal best score of 9.7 andsixth in all-around with a season-high 52.9. Moss placed seventh inboth the vault and high bar with anidentical score of 9.1.

In the 7-year-old age group, Moranscored 9.1 on both high bar and stillrings, earning him second and sev-enth place, respectively. Meyer placedsixth on high bar with an 8.7. Eliadesplaced ninth on floor exercises withan 8.9. All three boys placed in thetop-12 for all-around. In addition,Patrick McCuster placed 10th onfloor exercises with an 8.9.

After upsetting the previously un-defeated top-ranked team in the firstround of the Metuchen Diocese WhiteDivision playoff, St. Helen’s fourth-grade girls basketball team lost in thechampionship game by one-point.Although a bit disappointed by thesecond-place finish, the girls went onto take first place in the B Division ofthe St. Frances Cabrini postseasontournament.

The team was led by leading scorerKatie Ponce and point guard DanielleMiller and Martina Landeka showedthat she could make the long shot bysinking three-pointers. Sammy

Weidman and Maggie Fitzpatrickadded offense by hitting most of theirshots from the deep corner.

Center Christina Scaglione, alongwith forwards Emma Franks and Sa-rah Crawford, forced most of St.Helen’s opponents to shoot from theoutside, while Taylor Anderson, MaraPantano, Ashley Kattak and BraedanJudd showed great versatility in play-ing different positions and setting upsome big plays. Third graders CarleyDavis and Grace Antonelli assistedby keeping the pressure on the oppo-nent and forcing many turnovers.

Lou Ponce coached the St. Helen’sgirls and was assisted by Ellen Ander-son and scorekeeper Cathy Kattak.


NOTICE IS hereby given that at a regularmeeting of the Township Council of theTownship of Scotch Plains, held on Tues-day, March 25, 2003 the following ordi-nances entitled:

AN ORDINANCE SUPPLE-MENTING AND AMENDINGCHAPTER XXIII, ZONING, OFTHE REVISED GENERAL OR-DINANCES OF THE TOWNSHIPOF SCOTCH PLAINS, 1978,DELETING “FLAG LOTS”FROM THE ZONING ORDI-NANCE

AN ORDINANCE SUPPLE-MENTING AND AMENDINGCHAPTER XXIII, ZONING, OFTHE REVISED GENERAL OR-DINANCES OF THE TOWNSHIPOF SCOTCH PLAINS, 1978,RE-ZONING PORTIONS OFLOTS 24 & 25 IN BLOCK 6102FROM THE “M-1 ZONE” TOTHE “R-3B ZONE” AND RE-ZONING PORTIONS OF LOTS4, 5, AND 6 IN BLOCK 6201FROM “R-3B” TO “M-1”

AN ORDINANCE SUPPLE-MENTING AND AMENDINGCHAPTER XXIII, ZONING, OFTHE REVISED GENEARAL OR-DINANCES OF THE TOWNSHIPOF SCOTCH PLAINS, 1978,CHANGING THE HEIGHT RE-QUIREMENT FOR STRUC-TURES IN THE R-3B ZONEFROM 25 FEET TO 35 FEETAND CHANGING THE ALLOW-ABLE NUMBER OF STORIESFROM 1 ½ TO 2 ½

were duly passed on second and finalreading.

TOWNSHIP OF SCOTCH PLAINSBarbara Riepe

Township Clerk1 T - 3/27/03, The Times Fee: $40.29

Westfield Huskies WinCNJBL Hoops TitleThe Westfield Huskies 5th and

6th-grade girls traveling basketballteam recently completed an overthe top season in the Central NewJersey Basketball League with adramatic, 18-17, victory overarchrival Montgomery in the leaguechampionship final at NorthBrunswick.

The Huskies finished second toMontgomery in regular season play,having lost to them twice in closegames.

In the title game, the Huskies dis-played fine defensive pressurecoupled with ball movement andtimely shooting. The Huskies wereable to withstand a late Montgomeryrally to come away with the victory.

FSPY Gymnasts Fare WellAt Girls ‘A’ Division Meet

Ten Fanwood-Scotch Plains Y(FSPY) ‘A’ Division Gymnasts com-peted against host Madison Area Y,South Brunswick Y and Montclair Yon March 16. The FSPY girls had avery successfu1 meet, earning manyawards in both the Level 8 and Level9 competitions.

In the Level 8 competition, Lind-say Robinson and Gina Pelosi com-peted in the 12-and-under age group.Robinson took second in All-Aroundand third on vault. Jenna Skoller andLaurel Devlin competed in the Level8, (13+ group) Skoller placed fifth in

the All-Around.Six FSPY gymnasts competed in

Level 9. Allegra Kenwell competedin the 14-and-under group. KateBreuninger, Tayler Montagna, Jes-sica Sussman, Katie Zaleski andRachel Skolnick competed in the (15+group). Breuninger captured secondin the All-Around and uneven barswhile earning third on vault. Skolnickplaced fourth in All-Around, secondon vault and third on unevens.

FSPY will be hosting a B/C Divi-sion meet on April 12. Spectators arewelcome. FSPY also offers gymnas-tic classes for all, including parent/toddler classes, preschool and Kin-dergarten as well as school age andteen classes. Registration begins onSaturday, March 29. For more infor-mation, please call (908) 889-8880.


NOTICE is hereby given that at a meetingof the Township Council of the Townshipof Scotch Plains, held in the Council Cham-bers in the Municipal Building of saidTownship on Tuesday, March 25, 2003,there was introduced, read for the firsttime, and passed on such first reading, thefollowing ordinance:

AN ORDINANCE PERMITTINGGAMES OF CHANCE ON SUN-DAY AUGUST 31, 2003 IN THETOWNSHIP OF SCOTCHPLAINS

Purpose: Permits any charitable organi-zation to conduct games of chance (raffle)on Sunday, August 31, 2003 providedappropriate steps are taken as providedby law to secure a license for the holding,operating and conducting of said gamesof chance.

A public hearing for same will be held onTuesday, April 8, 2003 at 8:00 p.m. in theCouncil Chambers of the Municipal Build-ing, or any time and place to which ameeting for the further consideration ofsuch ordinance shall from time to time beadjourned, and all persons interested willbe given an opportunity to be heard con-cerning such ordinance.

A copy of same may be obtained fromthe office of the Township Clerk, 430 ParkAvenue, Scotch Plains, New Jersey, be-tween the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.Monday through Friday by any member ofthe general public who wants a copy ofsame without cost.

BARBARA RIEPETownship Clerk

1 T - 3/27/03, The Times Fee: $34.17


At a regular meeting of the TownshipCouncil of the Township of Scotch Plainsheld on March 25, 2003 the followingdecision was rendered:

Granted permission to the renewal ap-plication for a Special Use Permit for theScotch Plains Business & ProfessionalAssociation for the weekly farmer’ pro-duce market, on Saturdays between8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. from mid-Junethrough November (depending uponcrop availability) at 430 Park Avenue,Block 1105, Lot 1, “P” Zone, as noted ontheir application, provided that ingressand egress is maintained in the parkinglot so the firefighters can respond tocalls and exit the fire house with nodifficulty.

Barbara RiepeTownship Clerk

1 T - 3/27/03, The Times Fee: $18.87

PUBLIC NOTICESCOTCH PLAINS-FANWOOD

BOARD OF EDUCATION

NOTICE OF MEETINGS

(In Compliance with OPEN PUBLICMEETINGS ACT - Chapter 231)

*ADDENDUM TO REGULARLYSCHEDULED MEETINGS*

TYPE OF MEETING: Executive SessionMeeting

DATE OF MEETING: Thursday, April 3,2003

LOCATION: Administration Building,Evergreen Avenue & Cedar Street, ScotchPlains, New Jersey 07076

TIME: 7:30 p.m.PURPOSE OF MEETING: The Board will

meet in executive session to discusspersonnel issues.

ACTION TO BE TAKEN: Action will notbe taken.1 T - 3/27/03, The Times Fee: $20.40

PUBLIC NOTICENOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of: ETHEL A. SACKEL, ALSOKNOWN AS ETHEL SACKEL, Deceased

Pursuant to the order of James S.LaCorte, Surrogate of the County of Union,made on the 21ST day of MARCH, A.D.2003, upon the application of the under-signed, as EXECUTOR of the estate ofsaid deceased, notice is hereby given tothe creditors of said deceased to exhibitto the subscriber under oath or affirmationtheir claims and demands against theestate of said deceased within six monthsfrom the date of said order.

JOSEPH J. SACKEL, JR.,EXECUTOR

416 WILLIAM STREETSCOTCH PLAINS, NEW JERSEY 07076

1 T - 3/27/03, The Times Fee: $17.85

PUBLIC NOTICENOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of: PEGGY SCHROEDER, ALSOKNOWN AS PEGGY C. SCHROEDER, De-ceased

Pursuant to the order of James S.LaCorte, Surrogate of the County of Union,made on the 21ST day of MARCH, A.D.2003, upon the application of the under-signed, as EXECUTOR of the estate ofsaid deceased, notice is hereby given tothe creditors of said deceased to exhibitto the subscriber under oath or affirmationtheir claims and demands against theestate of said deceased within six monthsfrom the date of said order.

SANDRA SCHROEDEREXECUTOR

ATTORNEYSBERKOWITZ, LICHTSTEIN, KURITSKY,GIASULLO & GROSS443 NORTHFIELD AVENUEWEST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY 070521 T - 3/27/03, The Leader Fee: $20.91

Bernstein Gets BronzeIn 800-Meter Run

Irwin Bernstein of Westfield won abronze medal in the 800-meter run atthe Front Runners Indoor Track Meetat the Armory Track and Field Centerin New York City on March 22. Rep-resenting the Shore Athletic Club inthe 60-and-older category, Bernsteinplaced third behind David Galligani,Irish American Track Club (2:34.1),and John Saarmann, Shore AthleticClub (2:39.8). Irwin’s time of 2:51.3was his fastest since 2000.

WTA Now AcceptingTennis Applications

The Westfield Tennis Associationextends an invitation to all Westfieldresidents to apply for 2003 member-ship. Membership offers players ten-nis lessons, tennis ladders, tourna-ments and bi-annual socials as well asother activities. Application forms canbe found in the Westfield RecreationOffice located in the town municipalbuilding and in the Westfield Library.

The cost for membership is $15. Anapplication form can be downloadedfrom the WTA website:www.westfieldnj.com/wta. The formwith a check made payable to W.T.A.should be mailed to: W.T.A., P.O. Box125, Westfield, N.J. 07091 by April 11.

Tennis ladder competition beginsMay 1 and continues through LaborDay with standings published once aweek on the WTA website and everytwo weeks in The Westfield Leader.Town badges are required to play onthe town courts and may be purchasedat the Recreation Office.

St. Helen’s 6th BoysAdvance to IHM

Hoops QuarterfinalsSt. Helen’s sixth grade boys bas-

ketball team won two games lastweek to up their overall seasonrecord to 31-8 while advancing tothe quarterfinal round of the Im-maculate Heart of Mary MarchMadness Tournament in ScotchPlains.

St. Helen’s knocked off host IHM,39-37, behind Matt Isabella’s sea-son-best 18 points. Chris Sheehanpumped in eight while TommyMcManus and Spencer Cassidyadded four each.

St. Helen’s then bumped off NewProvidence, 41-29, behind JimmyReardon’s 11 points. James Hughes,Neil Amato and Isabella eachchipped in with five while CraigDyer, McManus and Cassidy scoredfour apiece in a balanced attack.




Anne Riegel Addresses District Field Conditions

WESTFIELD — “Addressing dis-trict field conditions remains one ofour toughest challenges,” assertsAnne Riegel, current VicePresident of the Board.She agrees with manycommunity members thatour fields need substan-tial improvements forsafety and improved play-ability.

Our current field con-ditions results from heavyusage starting in earlyspring through late fall,and from damage causedby playing on wet fields. To assistthe board and community in betterunderstanding our field usage, Mrs.Riegel analyzed field schedules tocompare usage of school teams andphysical education classes to com-munity groups and sports leaguessuch as town leagues, camps andrecreation programs. In 2002, theeleven district-owned fields wereused over 15,000 hours. Signifi-cantly, she found that town leaguesuse the fields more than school

teams. Leagues generally use thefields at no cost.

In a perfect world, the schoolbudget would haveenough money to fundfirst-class fields, alongwith many other valuableprograms. Unfortunately,as Chair of the FinanceCommittee, Mrs. Riegelrecognizes our budgetlimitations. The consult-ants who evaluated ourfields recommendedcostly upgrades that farexceed the budget.

Since the community uses ourfields so extensively, Mrs. Riegelbelieves community groups can playan important role in accomplishingimprovements. The generous offerby the Westfield Y’s Men’s Club toimprove the Elm Street field estab-lishes a model of partnership thatbenefits the community, sportsgroups and the school district. Mrs.Riegel hopes that “next year, we’lllook back and see how much we’veachieved by working together.”

Anne Riegel

BOE Press ReleasesContinued From Page 5


SP-F Schools are not Receiving Their Fair Share In State Aid

SCOTCH PLAINS — Comparedwith the money sent to many otherlocal school districts, the State ofNew Jersey does little for our schooldistrict. In 2003-2004 weexpect to receive $4.2million from the State,about 7 percent of ourbudget. This pales incomparison to the state-wide average of 32 per-cent. I don’t think we aregetting our “fair share”,nor do a majority of NJresidents who believe theState should pay at leasthalf of local educationcosts according to an August 2002Eagleton Institute Opinion poll.

I would love to see the State domore, but as I watch our legislaturetry to close their own huge budgetgap hope wanes. A more viableproposal is a State take over ofSpecial Education costs. Thatwould provide the kind of relief we

need, since Special Education costsappear to account for about $10million of our total budget (includ-ing out of district tuition and trans-

portation). Don’t get mewrong. I am a strong sup-porter of Special Educa-tion programs. No childshould be denied an edu-cation appropriate totheir needs. In fact, Ibelieve the earlier theseprograms begin, the moremoney we save later. Butthe State’s extensiverules and regulations inthe area of Special Edu-

cation create an incredibly expen-sive program. The State of NewJersey has a lot to do with the Stateof Education in the Scotch PlainsFanwood School District. Write,call or email the legislature. Forevery dollar that the State providesin Special Education, our tax billcould go down.

Betty Woerner

BREAD-MAKING TIME…Tiger Den No. 1 from Wilson Elementary School inWestfield recently visited the Great Harvest Bread Company, adjacent to theWestfield train station on North Avenue. Pictured with co-owner Barry Gold,left to right, are: Michael Androconis, Austin Hatch, Will Allen, Ryan O’Connor,Ethan Beneroff, Sean Bohrod, Daniel Sanchez and Jack Filipkowski.

The Dharma Center in WFOffers Massage Therapy

WESTFIELD – Neil Pinkman, theowner of The Dharma Center for Heal-ing Arts in Westfield, has recentlycompleted a course of study in mas-sage and bodywork for cancer. Hestudied under Cheryl Chapman, whois a registered nurse, a certified ho-listic nurse practitioner and nation-ally certified massage therapist anda national certification board ap-proved continuing education pro-vider and instructor for cancer mas-sage.

Mr. Pinkman explained that forthe person and families living withcancer, a gentle touch could providequality of life and relief from painand stress. It will give a boost to theimmune system and relieve the ten-sion in tight muscles.

Mr. Pinkman is a graduate ofHealth Choices Massage School.Besides his certification in CancerMassage, he is also a nationally cer-tified massage therapist, a reflexolo-gist and a reiki master. He also teachesmeditation to help patients and theirfamilies find a healing stillness andpeacefulness.

The Dharma Center has on staff aholistic psychotherapist, ArleenKapian, MSW, LCSW, who workswith cancer patients and their fami-lies to cope with the emotional and

spiritual issues created while livingwith cancer.

Mr. Pinkman and Ms. Kaplan areavailable to speak free of charge foran organization or group interestedin the various modalities of the heal-ing arts.

The Dharma Center for HealingArts, located at 208 Lenox Avenue inWestfield, offers a range of massagetherapies, including swedish, deeptissue, hot stone, prenatal, neuromus-cular, polarity, craniosacral, shiatsu,myofascial, as well as reflexologyand reiki to help clients relax and livepain free. Additionally, various work-shops and classes are scheduledthroughout the year, in the areas ofwellness and well-being.

The center is open Mondaysthrough Thursdays, from 10 a.m. to 8p.m., Fridays 10 a.m. through 6 p.m.,Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sun-day by appointment only. The staffwill also accommodate clients dur-ing off-hours, if scheduled in ad-vance.

For more information, please call(908) 317-9977.

Y Reveals ProgramsFor Lunch and Learn

WESTFIELD — The Westfield Y,located at 220 Clark Street, has an-nounced its 2003 Spring schedule ofLunch and Learn programs for olderadults.

On Wednesday, April 23, “Bunco”experts will teach those in attendancehow to play the game. Participants willalso have an opportunity to win a prize.

“Recipes and Memories” will be theprogram topic on Wednesday, May 21.Attendees will be asked to bring afavorite recipe; it doesn’t have to be

prepared, just written. The recipe pageswill be compiled to create an originalcookbook.

All Lunch and Learn programs arefree and open to the public. Partici-pants are asked to bring a bagged lunchand enough dessert to share with ap-proximately five people. The Y willprovide a beverage.

The programs will begin at 12:15p.m. To reserve a spot, please call(908) 233-2700, extension no. 263, orregister at the front desk.


WESTFIELD OFFICE 600 North Avenue West • Westfield, NJ 07090 • (908) 233-0065

For all your mortgage needs Call ERA Mortgage at 888-421-3813

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This center hall colonial, located in a desirable neighborhood on thenorth side of Westfield, is framed by a beautiful professionallylandscaped level lot measuring nearly half an acre. A raised hearthwood burning fireplace warms the family room, the hardwood floorsgleam and the bright eat-in kitchen highlight this four bedroom - 2½ bath home. Offered at $739,900. WSF#2035

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Set on a secluded cul de sac in south side Scotch Plains amongalmost an acre of luscious gardens and mature trees, this relaxed“country” colonial overlooks the beautiful golf course of a privateclub. Large rooms and all the conveniences are found in this uniqueand comfortable five bedroom, thre and one half bath residence.Offered at $799,000. WSF#6900

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WESTFIELD OFFICE

209 CENTRAL AVENUE

(908) 233-5555



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HARDWOOD FLOORSRefinished, 1 year no interest fi-nancing available. Free Estimate& Application.

Call (908) 753-9638 Ad#WA

FOR RENTMountainside: Pristine, light/brightColonial home has 3 BRs, 2 fullbaths, large EIK, plus formal DR.Gas heat/CAC. Avail. 5/1/03,$2800 mo.

Prudential NJ PropertiesRealtors

(908) 232-5664

OFFICE BUILDING FOR SALEProfessionally zoned, well main-tained two story residence con-verted to comfortable offices.Building is fully wired with a full,partially finished, basement andis located two blocks from down-town Westfield. Perfect for legalor accounting practice. Reason-ably priced at $440,000.Contact Trish at (732) 681-0303

FOR SALEAntique mahogany empire drop-leaf table, very good condition.Size 5’ x 3.4’. $1200.

Call (908) 889-0424

ROOM FOR RENTScotch Plains - Lg rm in 9 rmhouse share with female prof.Female pref. $600/mo incl someutl. Full house priv. Avail 4/1.

(908) 322-5257

MOVING SALESat., Mar. 29 & Sun., Mar. 30

739 Scotch Plains Ave., Wtfld.Dining set, 6 pc. Thomasville bdrmset, professional mahogany of-fice desk/filing/system, speakers,2 blk leather loveseats, 3 leatherchairs, 2 blk workstations, antiquesewing table & typewriters, dress-ers, framed artwork, 8pc patiofurniture, NordicFlex wgt. ma-chine, Toro lawnmower CB450motorcycle,Yamaha Blaster quadand more.

HOUSE FOR RENTFanwood - Split-Level, 2 Bedroom,Living Rm, Dining Rm, Den,Kitchen, utilities included. No pets.$1600.

(908) 889-5073HOUSECLEANING

My aunt and I are honest,hardworking, professional housecleaners. We are personally commit-ted to providing a reliable, trustworthyand high quality service. We custom-ize our services to each indiv’s need.No contracts to sign. For a personal-ized price estimate please call (732)424-8227 or (908) 668-7954

SPACE FOR LEASEWestfield, NJ - Profess. ofc. andmedical space avail. for July 2003,4,800 sq. ft.+/-, will divide. Singlestory, luxury, custom space for lease.

Contact Realty Network(908) 756-7373

RENTAL SPACE AVAILABLERENTAL SPACE AVAIL-PART-TIME-HOURLY IN WESTFIELD.PERFECT FOR DANCE STU-DIO, TAICHI, YOGA, PILATES.

INQUIRE (908) 232-6440

OFFICE CLERKGood comm./organizational skillsneeded for fast paced environment.PC skills in Word & Excel needed.FT/Benefits. Kenilworth location.Fax resume to (908) 298-6386

HELP WANTEDVOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Westfield Volunteer RescueSquad seeks persons willing totrain as Emergency MedicalTechnicians. No prior exp.needed. Valid NJ Driv. Lic., req.,min. 4 hrs/wk. We offer 24 hr.coverage. Wkday 9am - 1 pm or1-5pm slots are perfect for par-ents of school children. Childcarereimbursement available!Seeks trainees as Dispatchers. Min.2 hrs./wk. All training provided.

Call the Recruiting Team at(908) 233-2500 for details

PROFESSIONAL SERVICESTax preparation services for Indi-viduals. Most returns $75 only.Confidentiality assured. Profes-sional, courteous service.Call Suresh Subramaniam at

(908) 822-0482

HELP WANTEDSummer Job: Day camp coun-selor! No nights or weekends (ex-cept training). Group counselors,lifeguards, traveling camp, instruc-tors for challenge course/ropes,crafts, dance/movement, drama,karate, lacrosse. Must be HighSchool grad. Teachers welcome.Interviewing now.

(908) 647-0664 [email protected] or

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PIANO LESSONSTEACHING SINCE 1970

(908) 889-4095

PAINTING CONTRACTORHANDYMAN

WILL PAINT 2-3 ROOMSREASONABLE

Call Bruce (908) 232-5905

FOR RENT

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IMMEDIATE OCCUPANCY,SAFE, SECURE LOCATION,

IDEAL FOR STORAGE$295.00/M

Call Lori (973) 397-3541

HOUSE FOR SALEOPEN HOUSE

Sun., Mar. 23 & Sun., Mar. 301 - 4 p.m.

1755 Boulevard, WestfieldWestfield - By owner. 4 Bdrm, 2Full Bath Cape Cod. UpdatedKitchen & Baths. New landscap-ing & paver patio. Sprinkler sys-tem. New Family Rm addition w/cathedral ceiling. 1 car garage.CAC. Beautiful park-like property.$459,000.

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WAIT STAFFLe Rendez-vous Bistro seeks F/T,P/T waiter/ress and bus person.Willing to train the right candidate.

Contact Philippe forappointment at (908) 966-1705

TOWNHOUSE FOR SALE2 Bedroom Townhouse inWestfield. 2 Floors, 1 1/2 Baths,Full-Basement, Central Air, Heat,& Alarm. New H.W. Floors & Car-pet. New stove, ref., & washer.Walking distance to R.R. station& bus stop. $349,500.

Call Carl (732) 738-4441

WF Resident Named to No ChildLeft Behind Advisory Council

WF Doctor Appointed PresidentOf Rahway Hospital Medical Staff

Paul Schackman, MD

WESTFIELD — Rahway Hospi-tal has announced the appointmentof Paul Schackman, MD,as the new president ofRahway Hospital Medicaland Dental staff.

Dr. Schackman, a cardi-ologist, who has been af-filiated with Rahway Hos-pital since 1985, graduatedfrom the Medical Collegeof Wisconsin in 1975. Heserved as the Chief Resi-dent at that institution from 1979-80 before completing a CardiologyFellowship at St. Luke’s Hospital,

New York, in 1982.Dr. Schackman has been in pri-

vate practice for invasiveand non-invasive cardiol-ogy in Westfield sinceApril 1983. In addition,he has served as the chair-man of the hospital’s Criti-cal Care Committee, vicechairman of the divisionof cardiology and most re-cently held the position ofvice president for the

medical staff. He will serve a two-year term as president of the RahwayHospital Medical and Dental Staff.

WESTFIELD – Diane Genco, ex-ecutive director of the NJ School-Age Care Coalition, has beennamed to the No Child Left BehindAdvisory Council for the NJ De-partment of Education.

The council is composed of edu-cators, parents and members ofcommunity-based organizationsand local boards of education whohelp identify local implementationopportunities and challenges sur-rounding education funding.

No Child Left Behind is a federaleducation mandate that gives statesmore flexibility on how educationdollars are spent and requires themto set standards for student achieve-

ment, and holds students, teachersand other educators accountablefor results. Under the law, parentshave new opportunities to makesure their children receive the verybest education possible.

Ms. Genco, a resident ofWestfield, is also a Training Asso-ciate for the National Institute onOut-of-School Time at WellesleyCollege, serves on the local Educa-tion Fund for the Westfield Boardof Education and is the chair of theChild Care Committee of theWestfield YMCA Board of Direc-tors. Ms. Genco earned her Mastersin Science in Education and ChildCare.

FW Resident Investigates EffectsOf COX2 on Bone Healing

FANWOOD — Recent Centers forDisease Control statistics revealed thatarthritis is at almost epidemic propor-tions. There are currently 2.1 millionNew Jerseyeans with arthritis. Manyof these patients take some kind ofCOX2 inhibitor — a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication that reducesinflammation and pain by blockingthe production of prostaglandin (hor-mone-like amino acids that mediatephysiological functions such assmooth muscle activity and nervetransmission). But, do treatments likeVioxx, Celebrex or an over-the-counteranti-inflammatory prevent bones fromhealing after injury? Total knee re-placements are one of the most com-mon surgeries performed in hospitals- approximately 250,000 a year - whichmakes the answer to this question, animportant one.

Thanks to a $50,000 research grantfrom the Arthritis Foundation, NewJersey Chapter, Dr. James PatrickO’Connor of Fanwood, is getting an-swers. An Assistant Professor inUMDNJ Medical School’s Departmentof Orthopedics, Dr. O’Connor beganresearching this issue following thelaunch of COX2 inhibitors in 1999.

His research will determine the fol-lowing:

* If COX2 inhibitors prevent bonehealing.

* If they can be used safely follow-ing a fracture or other orthopedicprocedure, such as a hip or kneereplacement.

* If there is maximum safe dosethat can be used during healing.

* And, when can a patient safelyresume medication following an in-jury.

Dr. O’Connor will be publishinghis second set of findings this sum-mer. He is willing to discuss hisresearch and the implications theseresults have on New Jersey’s arthritispatients.

HEALTHY TEETH…Three-year-old students at Westminster Preschool inFanwood learned all about taking care of their teeth during “Dental HealthMonth” when Dr. Fred Leahy recently visited. Pictured, above, with Dr. Leahyis his s on, Ross, and his classmates.

PIONEER DAYS…Second grade students at Franklin Elementary School inWestfield experienced “Pioneer Living Day”, a special program sponsored by theCultural Arts Committee of Franklin’s Parent Teacher Organization. To culmi-nate the second grade study of pioneer life, co-chairpersons Dawn Hayes and SaraMiller-Dorwart set up several hands-on exhibits. Students played with pioneertoys, carded wool, ground wheat, took an old-time shave, panned for gold, baked,and sampled other implements used by pioneers and Native Americans.

Special Program to HighlightWestfield Design Guidelines

WESTFIELD — A special pro-gram on the new Westfield DesignGuidelines for Historic Sites andDistricts will be presented at 7:30p.m. on Wednesday, April 9, in theMunicipal Building CouncilChambers.

Gail Hunton, the Historic Pres-ervation consultant for these guide-lines, will discuss how the guide-lines will work for individual prop-erty owners.

Among the planned topics aremaintaining historic materialswhen repairing windows, doors,porches and roofs, and site plan-ning for new construction and ad-ditions.

The Design Guidelines were ini-tiated by the Westfield HistoricPreservation Commission(WHPC), authorized by Ms.Hunton in conjunction with thecommission and financed by the

commission’s budget.The guidelines will assist the

WHPC in its reviews of proposedwork on designated historic prop-erties and guide property owners inplanning and designing their con-struction projects.

The guidelines are intended tohelp protect the community’s his-toric buildings and places; to expe-dite and ensure consistency in lo-cal decision making, and to benefitproperty owners by clarifying com-munity expectations.

The Design Guidelines are avail-able at the Town Administrator’soffice for $10. There will be re-freshments after the presentation.

For more information, pleasecall Claire Gray at (908) 789-4040,extension no. 4041. This programis part of the celebration of thetown’s organization Centennial,1903-2003.

PUBLIC NOTICEBOARD OF EDUCATION

WESTFIELD, NEW JERSEY

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

Sealed proposals will be received by theBoard of Education of the Westfield SchoolDistrict, Union County, New Jersey, at theBoard of Education, 302 Elm Street,Westfield, New Jersey, for the followingsupplies, equipment or services:

BID FOR:B 04-10 PRINTED FORMS FORTHE 2003-2004 SCHOOL YEAR

BIDS DUE:APRIL 18, 2003 AT 1:00 PM

The bids will be received at the Adminis-tration Building, 302 Elm Street, Westfield,New Jersey 07090, on the date and at thetime indicated, and then publicly openedand read aloud.

Bids must be in strict compliance withspecifications. Bids must be made on theproposal forms in the manner designated.Proposals must be endorsed on the outsideof the sealed envelope, with the name ofthe bidder, the bidder’s address and thename of the supplies, equipment, or ser-vices for which the bid is submitted. It isunderstood and agreed that proposals maybe delivered before the time or at the placespecified for opening. The Board of Educa-tion assumes no responsibility for bids mailedor misdirected in delivery.

The Board of Education of the Town ofWestfield, in Union County, New Jersey,reserves the right to accept or reject anyand/or all bids for the whole or any part andwaive any informalities in the interest of theBoard of Education. No bid may be with-drawn for a period of sixty (60) days after thedate set for the opening thereof.

Bidding shall be in conformance with theapplicable requirements of N.J.S.A.18A:18A-1 et. seq., pertaining to the “PublicSchool Contracts Law”.

Bidders are required to comply with therequirements of P.L. 1975, C.127, (NJAC17:27).

By order of the Town of Westfield Boardof Education, Union County, New Jersey.

Robert A. BermanBoard Secretary

1 T - 3/27/03, The Leader Fee: $45.39

PUBLIC NOTICEBOARD OF EDUCATION

WESTFIELD, NEW JERSEY

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

Sealed proposals will be received by theBoard of Education of the Westfield SchoolDistrict, Union County, New Jersey, at theBoard of Education, 302 Elm Street,Westfield, New Jersey, for the followingsupplies, equipment or services:

BID FOR:B 04-09 DATA PROCESSING COM-

PUTER SUPPLIES FOR2003-2004 SCHOOL YEAR

BIDS DUE:APRIL 18, 2003 AT 2:00 PM

The bids will be received at the Adminis-tration Building, 302 Elm Street, Westfield,New Jersey 07090, on the date and at thetime indicated, and then publicly openedand read aloud.

Bids must be in strict compliance withspecifications. Bids must be made on theproposal forms in the manner designated.Proposals must be endorsed on the outsideof the sealed envelope, with the name ofthe bidder, the bidder’s address and thename of the supplies, equipment, or ser-vices for which the bid is submitted. It isunderstood and agreed that proposals maybe delivered before the time or at the placespecified for opening. The Board of Educa-tion assumes no responsibility for bids mailedor misdirected in delivery.

The Board of Education of the Town ofWestfield, in Union County, New Jersey,reserves the right to accept or reject anyand/or all bids for the whole or any part andwaive any informalities in the interest of theBoard of Education. No bid may be with-drawn for a period of sixty (60) days after thedate set for the opening thereof.

Bidding shall be in conformance with theapplicable requirements of N.J.S.A.18A:18A-1 et. seq., pertaining to the “PublicSchool Contracts Law”.

Bidders are required to comply with therequirements of P.L. 1975, C.127, (NJAC17:27).

By order of the Town of Westfield Boardof Education, Union County, New Jersey.

Robert A. BermanBoard Secretary

1 T - 3/27/03, The Leader Fee: $46.41

PUBLIC NOTICETOWN OF WESTFIELD

NOTICE OFPRE-CONSTRUCTION MEETING

PROJECT: RAHWAY AVENUE TRAF-FIC CALMING IMPROVEMENTS

DATE OF MEETING: TUESDAY, APRIL16, 2002

TIME: 10:00 A.M.LOCATION: OFFICE OF THE TOWN

ENGINEER, PUBLIC WORKS CENTER,959 NORTH AVENUE WEST,WESTFIELD, NEW JERSEY

PLEASE CALL MS. NORMA YURO, 908-789-4100 EXT. 603 IF THERE ARE ANYQUESTIONS, OR IF YOU WILL BE UN-ABLE TO ATTEND.1 T - 3/27/03, The Leader Fee: $16.32

Michael C. Buccola Realtor/Broker

301 Lenox Avenue • Westfield

908 • 232 • 9500

www.westfieldrealtynj.comService

.

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home features approximately 3,000 square feet of living space.

Features include nine foot ceilings and hardwood floors on the

first floor, family room with fireplace, master suite with sitting

room, master bath with raised platform whirlpool tub, finished

basement and two zone heat and air. Affordable at $679,900.

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SCOTCH PLAINS New cul-de-sac w/6 homes $ 699,900

SCOTCH PLAINS Custom home on 2 acres $1,474,900

SOUTH PLAINFIELD Eight new homes from $ 459,900

Hye-Young Choi#1 Realtor in the Westfield Office 1994-2002

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Contact Hye-Young Choi Today for the Perfect Home!

Newly Listed, in “The Gardens”. . . True 4 BR, 2 ½ BTH center hall colonial with quality craftsmanship,architectural integrity and an air of elegant formality. Spacious rooms, beautiful moldings, classic 8 over 12 panedwindows and gleaming hardwood floors. LR w/ frplc, DR, newer “Dudick: EIK w/ slider to rear yard & ingroundpool, FR, REC RM, & lrg expandable wlk-up attic, CAC, 2CG. A must see! (WSF1084) $1,125,000

Westfield Office209 Central Avenue908-233-5555, ext. 169Direct Line: 908-301-2015 RESIDENTIAL BROKERAGE


PLANNING BOARDNOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that at the

Planning Board Meeting of the Townshipof Scotch Plains held on March 24, 2003,the Board memorialized the followingResolutions:

Ralph Checchio, 661 Jerusalem Road,Block 6102, Lot 24, for Modification andWaiver of Site Plan.

Needle-Point Homes, LLC, 1660 Coo-per Road, Block 12201, Lot 8, for MinorSubdivision approval.

Steven Needle, 1231 Cooper Road,Block 15101, Lot 38.02, for Minor Sub-division approval.

The file pertaining to this application is inthe Office of the Planning Board andavailable for inspection during normalbusiness hours.

Barbara HorevSecretary to the Board

1 T - 3/27/03, The Times Fee: $20.91


FULL-TIME NANNYExp’d, loving and energetic nannyneeded to care for our 2 children inWstfld home. Must have valid driv-ers license and solid ref’s.

Please Call (908) 377-5109



Arts & EntertainmentArts & EntertainmentArts & EntertainmentArts & EntertainmentArts & Entertainment

Author Jamie Novak of SPTo Attend ‘Meet and Greet’

Local StarsLocal StarsLocal StarsLocal StarsLocal Stars

SCOTCH PLAINS – Scotch Plainsresident Jamie Novak, the author of anewly released book, “A BusyPerson’s Guide to a Life YouLove,” will be featured dur-ing an author “Meet andGreet” at the Town BookStore in Westfield on Satur-day, March 29, from 11 a.m.to 1 p.m.

The longtime professionallifestylist and owner of Life ULove in Scotch Plains, stated,“Ever since I was a child I’veloved books. I knew one daythere would be a book with my name onit in the bookstore. And now, that day ishere!”

Novak works with busy families and

individuals looking to make positivechanges in their lives.

After starting her company back in1990, she noticed a need for a simple

book that gave busy people thetips and advice they needed toget their life in order.

“Instead of reading a 200-page book on clutter control,you can read my one chapterand get as much or more help-

ful information,” Novak said.During her visit, Novak willsign copies of her new book,talking about what it means

to be a lifestylist and offering tips toaspiring writers.

For more information, please call theTown Book Store at (908) 233-3535.

Jamie Novak

Carle Schwab-Brody for The Westfield Leader and The TimesSCENE STEALERS...A band of pirates invaded the stage of Westfield High School on March 15 with a professional scenestealing rendition of The Pirates of Penzance, the school’s first Gilbert & Sullivan operetta. The cast included Lindsay Rose-Sinclair, JD Hyman, Maurice Blackman, Chris Lynn, Josh Lerner, Sean Devanney, Jeff Greenlaw, Jeff Hogan, ElliottJohnson, Jason Mesches, Mike Sherry, Zal Spialter, Nick Williams, Tyler Patla, Kristin Aguero, Emily Greenberg,Kim Lam and Christine McGrath.

POPCORNPOPCORNPOPCORNPOPCORNPOPCORN™

One Popcorn, Poor • Two Popcorns, Fair • Three Popcorns, Good • Four Popcorns, Excellent

Get OuttaThe House

The Hunted: NotMuch of A Catch

By MICHAEL S. GOLDBERGER2 popcorns

Representing the operatic subdivision ofthe manhunt genre, The Hunted brought meback to when I watched professional wrestlingon TV with my Dad. In both instances, therewere moments that could make you nervous.

Judging from the scene in our living roomback then, you’d think the fate of the worldhung on each match. Psst...I knew it was fake.But I’m not too sure what my Dad thought.

Go figure. Here was a self-made man whocould never understand the concept of fiction.Why someone would want to watch some-thing that wasn’t true eluded him. The cir-cus... now that was real entertainment. Andso was “The Ed Sullivan Show”...though, Idon’t remember exactly what he thought ofTopo Gigo, the Little Italian Mouse.

But the starkly contrasted good guysand bad guys of wrestling fighting it out tothe death, which director William Friedkin’sThe Hunted will remind you of, was Dad’sabsolute favorite. For me, it was a chanceto hang out with my father. And it sure beatholding the ladder while he enclosed theporch or put a new roof on the house. Littledid we know that we were bonding.

There is no deep characterization here,and only a token bit of lip service paid tomotivation as survivalist maven L.T.Bonham (Tommy Lee Jones) is solicited topull the plug on one of his trainees (BenicioDel Toro). It seems officer Aaron Hallam,who was put in killer mode back in Kosovo,has now run amuck. And thus far, the FBIhasn’t been able to rein-in the killing ma-chine.

Litterateurs in need of justification tosee this moderately diverting action yarnmay want to foist a connection with MaryShelley’s “Frankenstein.” Youknow...the creation turns on its master.Philosophers who like to dip down intothe primordial muck from time to time,perhaps just to stay centered, may ratio-nalize that this cat and mouse gambit, withits clearly drawn lines, symbolizes a knee-jerk reaction to the moral uncertainty soprevalent today.

And while we’re stretching things, en-vironmentalists may be gladdened to know

that Del Toro’s professional killer gonewild takes particular umbrage with so-called sportsmen who use high-poweredrifles with scopes to hunt deer.

Actually, it’s when he dispatches acouple of these folks in the Oregon woods,and then performs what the Feds assumeis some sort of ritualistic butchering, thatgood old L.T. is summoned.

Connie Nielsen is FBI Agent AbbyDurrell. She’s all business. But do wedetect a slight flirtation between the oldtracker and the new generation law officer?

Naturally, Jones’ man-hunter is at firstreluctant to take the assignment. The rules ofhackneyed screenwriting, properly adheredto in this instance by brothers David and PeterGriffiths, say that the hero must initiallyregale both the FBI and the audience with thecliché, “I don’t do that kind of work any-more.”

Furthermore, no one is to be given anyinsight whatsoever into that decision. We mustsimply assume that something really bad hap-pened between the time L.T. Bonham regu-larly provided the government with a steadysupply of proficient murderers and now.

Jump a few frames and as equally mys-terious must be his change of heart. In therare event that the representative of gooddoes not reverse his stance, the film abruptlyends right there and the audience is promptlygiven a pro-rated refund.

However, to the best of my knowledgethis hasn’t occurred to date. And it certainlydoesn’t happen in The Hunted.

L.T. thinks better of his original demur-ring. And that’s not good news for serialkiller Hallam. Thus the stage is set. Or,should we say, the ring is set?

In this corner, in his mid-50s and per-haps a little worse for wear, but still repre-senting everything that’s good aboutAmerican ideals, L.T. Bonham. And in thisother corner, symbolizing everything thatcan go wrong when an empire tries to exertits will throughout the world, a young lifegone tragically awry, Aaron Hallam.

It’s the pupil challenging teacher, youngversus old, squaring off against each otherin the feature attraction. But putting it inmuch simpler wrestling parlance, it’s thegood guy against the bad guy. All that’smissing is for Hatpin Mary to run up to thescreen and jab the villain whenever theopportunity presents itself.

But if she does, Mary better be careful.For this is one dangerous dude. And cin-ematographer Caleb Deschanel does a nicejob of bringing home that fact.

Accenting Del Toro’s piercing looks ofconsternation and revulsion through a per-ceptive use of light and shadow, Deschanelvaliantly tries to supply nuance to a screen-play in desperate need of intellectual shad-ing.

But his most interesting accomplish-ment is in how he presents the geographicalcanvas where all this tussling betweengood and evil takes place. The real star hereis neither Tommy Lee Jones nor BenicioDel Toro, but rather Portland, Ore., whereParamount Pictures reportedly spent $30million to make it their backdrop.

It’s nice to see a few statues you don’trecognize. From its city streets and shorelineto its infrastructure and nearby woods, theunsentimental and sometimes even grittyportrayal of this rarely filmed locale is per-haps The Hunted’s only bit of truth. And it’sa refreshing change of pace from the nonde-script urban amalgams that indistinctly frontas America’s cities in our motion pictures.

Granted, filmmaker Friedkin, who wasresponsible for raising the hairs on the backof our necks with The French Connection(1971) and causing us eternal nightmares viaThe Exorcist (1973), hasn’t delivered thatquality of excitement in quite some time. Andwe’ve already established that The Huntedisn’t going to be playing the art house circuit.But in all fairness, the director obviously stillknows his way around an action flick.

So now here’s the irony. Yes, the filmprovides a few gory scenes, a conveyorbelt-full of fairly taut suspense and somerather risky behavior. Still, I’ve been outthere with them on Saturday night...themultiplex crowd, that is.

Remember: This is the gang that judgesa film by the size of its body count. I’veheard them howl for their fix of violence.And I suspect that they’ll deem the manoy mano convolutions perpetrated byMessrs. Jones and Del Toro as too long ontalk and too short on mayhem.

Bottom line: Less than fair game forhighbrow and slice-and-dicer alike, TheHunted is a film in search of an audience,no matter how you wrestle with it.

* * * * *The Hunted, rated R, is a Paramount

Pictures release directed by WilliamFriedkin and stars Tommy Lee Jones,Benicio Del Toro and Connie Nielsen.Running time: 94 minutes.

By CAROL F. DAVISSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

You may be old enough, or youngenough, to remember Blues Guitar-ist John Hammond. This GrammyAward winner has been performingfor more than 40 years, and he’s stillperforming his legendary solo-acoustic traditional music. “Readyfor Love” was just released on Feb-ruary 11. He will make an appear-ance at the Watchung Arts Center(WAC), with guests BBQ Bob andDenny Kronemeyer on Saturday,March 29, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25.The WAC is located at 18 Stirling onthe Circle. Call them at (908) 753-0190 for more information.

* * * * *Also at the Watchung Arts Center,

on Friday, March 28, there will be asilent charity art auction, Empower-ing Women, at 8 p.m. The proceeds ofthis fundraiser, whose admission isjust $10, will benefit the Rape, Abuse& Incest National Network. In addi-tion to finding some interesting art,there will be entertainment and re-freshments. Call the same number asabove for information.

* * * * *Don’t miss Francois Truffaut’s clas-

sic film, Fahrenheit 451, at theCranford Community Center onApril 7. If you start now, you can readthe Ray Bradbury novel upon whichthe film is based before the screen-ings. The political statement of the60s focuses on totalitarianism andthe firemen who regulate the burn-ing of books. Of course, there’s a pro-literature underground and justenough romance. There will be twoshows, at 1:30 and 7 p.m. The Centeris located at 220 Walnut Street, andthe telephone number for informa-tion is (908) 709-7272.

* * * * *Company will be at the Brook

Arts Center in Bound Brook onMarch 28 and 29. The play is thestory of five married couples, toldthrough the eyes of their bachelorfriend Robert. Performances willbe at 8 p.m. each evening, andtickets are $17 to $20. The boxoffice number is (732) 469-7700.

�� 79th Annual Members’ Exhibition

��PAINTING SCULPTURE GRAPHICS PHOTOGRAPHY

��

��

Free Admission • Handicapped AccessibleInformation Call: (908) 687-2945

AWARDS RECEPTIONSunday March 23 • 2-4 p.m.

Awards at 3 p.m.

MARCH 22 - 30Saturday March 22, 29 • 12-4 p.m.Sunday March 23, 30 • 12-4 p.m.

Monday March 24 • 12-2 p.m.Wednesday March 26 • 12-2 p.m.

Friday March 28 • 12-2 p.m.

My Take on ItMy Take on ItMy Take on ItMy Take on ItMy Take on ItWith Kerrianne Spellman CortWith Kerrianne Spellman CortWith Kerrianne Spellman CortWith Kerrianne Spellman CortWith Kerrianne Spellman Cort

Political Views, DirectionlessSpeeches Made Oscar Boring

By KERRIANNE SPELLMAN CORTSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

This past Sunday, the75th Annual Acad-emy Awards wereheld in Los Ange-les. Obviously, itwas somewhat of asolemn ceremonythis year. With ourtroops fighting forus overseas, it doesseem a bit extravagantto celebrate excellence infilm. However, the showmust go on, and, for themost part, the broadcast wasunderplayed and quietlyrespectful.

The famous red carpetarrival was cancelled andmost presenters and awardrecipients kept their po-litical beliefs to them-selves.

Funnyman Steve Mar-tin hosted, and I think hedid a terrific job trying to keep theevening humorous and light. Only afew winners chose to use their accep-tance speech as a political platform,and frankly, it was unnecessary andmade them look like buffoons.

Filmmaker Michael Moore, win-ning for his documentary Bowling forColumbine, went off on a rampage,insulting President George W. Bush,saying he was a fictitious presidentwho won a fictitious election and“shame on you, President Bush.”

Some patrons clapped for Moore,but most booed his self-serving dia-tribe. I was appalled. It was rude andignorant. Everyone is entitled to hisown opinion, of course, but thingscan be said in a much more humanemanner. What a clown. Shame on you,Mr. Moore.

The best actor award went to AdrienBrody for his work in The Pianist. A fineactor, Brody was obviously moved byhis win, but he went a bit too far and Ireally wanted to throw a tomato at him.He slobbered all over presenter HalleBerry when he arrived on the stage andthen he had the audacity to silence theorchestra as they began his exit music.

Take your award, say thank youand leave. Don’t drool on the pre-senter who is probably taking antibi-otics right now, and please don’t need-lessly extend your speech when theshow has already passed its three-hour mark.

While saying that “I hope for apeaceful resolution” is a lovely no-tion, telling the band to be quiet isjust impolite. The exit music is therefor a reason, people. Use it.

Lovely Nicole Kidman won bestactress for her work in The Hours. Sheis a fine actress and certainly de-served her nod. I did expect a muchmore eloquent speech from her, how-ever. She stumbled over her wordsquite a bit, taking up more than hershare of time. I’m sure that she wasnervous and didn’t really know whatto say but she wound up not makingmuch sense.

Kidman did say that coming to theOscars was important because art isimportant and that is a very goodpoint. I agree with you. Now, get offthe stage.

There were quite a few surprises.Roman Polanski took the award forbest director for The Pianist. He is anadmirable director, no doubt, but Ireally think Martin Scorsese (Gangsof New York) and Rob Marshall (Chi-cago) were robbed. Plus, bothScorsese and Marshall would be ableto enjoy their award in America with-out being arrested. I’m sorry. Did I saythat?

Supporting actress went to CatherineZeta-Jones. Good. Supporting actor toChris Cooper. Great. Best film was Chi-cago. Fabulous. Lifetime achievement

NEED THEY SAYM O R E ? . . . M i c h a e lMoore went bowling for“boos” on Oscar nightwhen he insulted Presi-dent Bush, while Brodyand Kidman shouldhave kept their speechesshort and sensible.

Carle Schwab-Brody for The Westfield Leader and The TimesMAKING BACH PROUD...On March 9 at the Westfield Bach Festival, baritoneDavid Aronold performed for an attentive audience. Members of the FestivalChorus joined Arnold, some of which sing with the Metropolitan Opera.

to Peter O’Toole. Bravo. But the rest ofthe ceremony? Yawn. It just didn’t do it

for me this time.I don’t think it

was just becauseof the war. Thewar is awful andit’s on all of ourminds. Butsomething justseemed off about

this year’s awards.I was bored. It lacked

a certain passion. And thepassion that was shownseemed forced, somehow.When the camera went intothe audience to film otheractors, even they seemedbored. Perhaps award showoverkill is to blame.

We have the TonyAwards in June and theEmmys in September. Per-haps, by then, our worldwill be a more peacefulplace.


Book Nook

tion should be forced to end theirterrific run. Fundraisers and benefitsare always an option, but since YPT isentirely made up of volunteers, find-ing the manpower to produce suchoccasions is difficult.

Monzella said that if every parentin the Scotch Plains-Fanwood areadonated just $1, the group wouldeasily be back on its feet again.

Monzella said that none of YPT’ssuccess would be possible withoutthe help of her comrades, particu-larly the group’s treasurer, CynthiaLevy. All of the parent volunteershope that things will turn aroundsoon.

It is still unclear what will happento Young People’s Theatre. An eventthat was held last Saturday hopefullywill have made the group enoughmoney to at least make a deposit fora production next season.

With or without funding, Monzellawould still like to try to keep YPTgoing strong.

For further information or to makea donation, please write to YoungPeople’s Theatre, c/o Elisha Monzella,School One, Willow Avenue, ScotchPlains, 07076.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18Monzella

and imaginative adult writing Barkeris known for translates well into this,his second book for young people.“Abarat” chronicles the story ofCandy Quakenbush fromChickentown who travels to the 25magical islands of Abarat.

Barker’s own artwork graces thepages of “Abarat” allowing the readerto visually follow the story along.Appropriately enough, Barker hastoned down the violence and horror inAbarat, and his suspenseful endingmakes us wonder if a sequel couldpossibly be in the works.

Borders awards a cash prize of$5,000 to each Original Voices® win-ning author.

THE BEST OF: The Westfield Art Association’s 79th Annual Members’SALON 2003 Painting, Graphics, Sculpture & Photography Exhibition

Michelle H. Le Poidevin for The Leader/The Times“Perfume Bottles,” by Hanna Keselman, oil, $1,200.

Michelle H. Le Poidevin for The Leader/The Times“Energy,” by Evan Marx, acrylic,$1,500.

Michelle H. Le Poidevin for The Leader/The Times“Twelve Meter Racing,” by RalphGarafola, oil, not for sale.


Oils Improve in SALON 2003dice and a game of jacks. It seemsunimaginable how much work andtime must have been invested in this

piece. Bravo to Gardiner.Paying homage to hometown land-

scapes, Darsey Hoelzer’s pastel, “EastBroad and Elm” was an HonorableMention award winner. Tiny blue ban-ners lining the lampposts were cap-tured by Hoelzer, as well as the town’sstore facades, busy streets and paradesof automobiles.

Finally, the piece worth many acco-lades – Dolores Brink’s “IndependenceDay” – depicted love of country andinnocence of youth with extreme pre-cision and detail. This charcoal/Contécrayon creation holds four childrenwithin a modest frame – their laughterand their introspective nature. Brinkspared nothing to bring this piece to itsglorious fruition. An Honorable Men-tion is a quick pat on the back com-pared to the Award of Excellence whichBrink actually deserved for this mas-terpiece.

More photography and multimediapieces would be welcomed in SALON2004.

SALON 2003 will continue tomor-row inside the Westfield CommunityRoom Gallery in the Westfield Munici-pal Building, 425 East Broad Street, onMarch 28 from 12 to 2 p.m., Saturday,March 29 from 12 to 4 p.m. and end onSunday, March 30 with a 12 to 4 p.m.schedule. Admission is free and thebuilding is handicapped accessible.

Michelle H. Le Poidevin for The Leader/The Times“Toy Box,” by Brooke Gardiner, glasssculpture, $1,200.



Arts & EntertainmentArts & EntertainmentArts & EntertainmentArts & EntertainmentArts & EntertainmentHow Two Residents Are Waging Their Own Wars

On Governor’s Attempt To Cut Arts Funding

Bill Sheppard for The Westfield Leader and The TimesCULTURE CRUSADER...During a forum sponsored by Senator ThomasKean, Jr., and Assemblymen Eric Munoz and Jon Bramnick, Westfield residentMagaly Roig, Assistant to the Artistic Director at the Shakespeare Theatre ofNew Jersey, informed the Republican politicians that she has been trying tocontact some of the state’s most notable celebrities to encourage them to speakout against the cuts in arts funding.

Partial Restoration of FundsIs Not Enough for Ms. Roig

By MICHELLE H. Le POIDEVINSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

WESTFIELD – Since MagalyRoig’s appearance in the WestfieldCommunity Room before politiciansand peers seeking to restore full artsfunding in the next state’s budget,Governor James McGreevey haspromised partial restoration of themonies.

“We’re pushing for more,” saidRoig. The Westfield resident andAssistant to the Artistic Director atThe Shakespeare Theatre of New Jer-sey stressed that only full restoration

“We’re not ‘preaching to the choir,’”Roig explained, “but we want to reachout to those who don’t know aboutthis.”

When asked what her organizationwould do if arts funding will not befully restored, Roig replied, “We don’tknow. We’re crossing our fingers.”She added that Monte, her employer,refuses to reduce salaries, fire em-ployees or cut benefits.

“She has a commitment to us andshe pretty much feels that we willhave to cross that bridge when wecome to it,” said Roig.

However, McGreevey’s originalproposal to slash the arts in the statestill leaves a bad taste in her mouth.

“I am personally disgusted,” shesaid. “I pray the day comes when his(McGreevey’s) daughter turns to him

and says, ‘Dad, Iwant to be an ac-tress,’ and he’llhave to say, ‘Well,honey, thanks tome, that occupa-tion doesn’t existanymore.”

Actively in-volved in theatrearts throughouther life, Roig at-tended Roosevelt

Intermediate School and graduatedfrom Westfield High School.

Ed Herrmann Kelly Bishop

Dan Hsu’s ChineseDan Hsu’s ChineseDan Hsu’s ChineseDan Hsu’s ChineseDan Hsu’s ChinesePaintings Land OnPaintings Land OnPaintings Land OnPaintings Land OnPaintings Land OnReeves-Reed’s WallsReeves-Reed’s WallsReeves-Reed’s WallsReeves-Reed’s WallsReeves-Reed’s Walls

By MARYLOU MORANOSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

SUMMIT -- China and Summitmeet in an exhibit of modern Chinesepaintings by painter, architect andlandscape designer,Dan Hsu, at Reeves-Reed Arboretum’sWisner House.

Born in Hangzhou inChina’s Zhejiang prov-ince, Hsu’s architecturaland landscape designsare found in his nativeland, as well as in Texasand California.

One of Hsu’s paint-ing, “Dawn at the Chi-nese Capital,” paintedin 1981, is on perma-nent display at theGreat Hall of the People in Beijing,China.

Hsu’s work at Reeves-Reed spot-lights his many forms of artistic ex-pression. The result of a combinationof traditional Chinese heavy inkstrokes with novel colors, his naturescenes are soothing and demonstratea connection that is both gentle andrespectful.

One example of his calming land-scape is “Scene in Canada.” In an-other painting, “Canals of SouthChina,” there is juxtaposition be-tween the calm of the water and thevigor of the trees surrounding it.

Hsu’s work has also been compiledinto a book published in China titled,“The Paintings of Hsu Dan.”

Hsu studied at the National ArtAcademy in Hangzhou, the Tong JiUniversity in Shanghai and the Re-search Institute at Harbin University,also in China. He came to America in1985, when he was invited by theHollywood Company to lecture inthe United States on Chinese water-color painting.

He currently resides in Gillette,where he has a studio and gallery, andgives private lessons in Chinese wa-

tercolors. Hsu is a special member ofRutgers’ Zimmerli Art Museum, andis associated with art centers and so-cieties in Texas and California.

The public is in-vited to attend Hsu’sartist’s reception atWisner House onSunday, April 13,from 1 to 4 p.m.,where he will dem-onstrate Chinesecalligraphy. Hispaintings are for sale,and he will donate20 percent of the pro-ceeds of each sale tothe Arboretum.

Dan Hsu’s exhibitis open until June 3during Arboretum of-

fice hours Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to3 p.m. The Wisner House is handi-capped accessible. For more informa-tion, contact the Arboretum office at(908) 273-8787.Oratorio Singers of Westfield

with Soloists & Orchestra

BrahmsRequiem�Schicksalslied

Alto RhapsodySunday, March 30, 2003

at 3 p.m.First United Methodist Church

One East Broad Street, Westfield, New Jersey

Trent Johnson, Music Director

Tickets on sale at Lancaster’s and the First United Methodist Church in Westfield,and the Scotch Plains Music Center. For information call 908/233-4211.

General Admission $18, Students & Seniors $12

HSU’S HUES...Dan Hsu’s mod-ern Chinese paintings are spic-ing up the walls of Reeves-ReedArboretum’s Wisner House.

will help save New Jersey arts pro-grams in the state from impendingfinancial peril.

“We have a benefit gala coming upon the 29th of March,” reported Roig,who helped launch a campaign tocontact actors, art-ists, musiciansand other celebri-ties with roots inthe state, hopingthey might attendthe gala or contrib-ute their ownmoney to giveback to their com-munity.

The only twoactors, KellyBishop of South Orange and EdHermann, both of “The GilmoreGirls” (Warner Brothers) have re-sponded.

Actor Danny DeVito of Neptune(“Taxi”), Jason Alexander of Newark(“Seinfeld”), native Westfielder andPingry School graduate AndrewMcCarthy (Pretty in Pink), SusanSarandon of Edison (Thelma andLouise), Jane Krakowski ofParsippany (“Ally McBeal” and“Everwood”) turned down Roig’s re-quest.

“Sorry, we’re not available” was theresponse she received from the actors.Roig also contacted John Lithgow,whose father managed severalShakespeare festivals and worked atthe McCarter Theatre in Princeton.Lithgow has also said “no.”

Musicians Bruce Springsteen, withroots in Freehold and Asbury Park,and Sayreville/Woodbridge/Edison-born band Bon Jovi, have also beencontacted.

“No one seems to remember wherethey come from,” said Roig, who saideach of the stars received a gala invi-tation and a proposal detailing thearts industry’s funding crisis.

“Kelly called in person and saidshe would love to come and help,however, she will be filming in L.A.,”said Roig. However, if she was notneeded for filming in California, shewould fly back and give her support.Roig said Hermann offered the samepromise.

Last Tuesday, the ShakespeareTheatre’s Artistic Director, BonnieMonte, testified at Senate hearingsheld at Morris County College re-garding how her organization wouldbe impacted if arts funding does notreceive full restoration.

The feedback was positive, Roigsaid, adding that Newark MayorSharpe James extended his support.Approximately 12 individuals readstatements before the governing body.

“But, there weren’t a lot of artists atthe hearing. There wasn’t a lot ofpresence,” she said.

For her part, Roig said she is help-ing the Shakespeare Theatre’s effortsin “being vocal, calling non-stop forpledges of support, keeping our signson cars, and going anywhere we pos-sibly can to get the word out.”

Last Thursday, during an OpenHouse at Drew University in Madi-son, the Theatre’s headquarters andRoig’s alma mater, Roig ensured thatpostcards and petitions were signedand that prospective students werelearning about the issue.

EVERYBODY CUTS FOOTLOOSE…The Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School(SPFHS) Repertory Theatre will present Footloose on March 28 and 29 at 8 p.m.in the SPFHS auditorium in Scotch Plains. The lead cast includes Ryan Aspell,Matthew Capodicasa, Jill Prefach, Katie Downey and Deanna Mustachio. Songsthat topped the charts in the 80s will be revived; such as “Let’s Hear it for the Boy,”“Mama Says” and “The Girl Gets Around.” Ticket prices are $10 for adults, $5for students and senior citizens, and $3 for students with Renaissance cards.Reserve seats can be purchased by calling (908) 233-8643 in advance or on theevening of the performances.

Budget Reductions Put FateOf People’s Theatre in Peril

By KERRIANNE SPELLMAN CORTSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

FANWOOD – As many readers maybe aware, New Jersey’s arts organiza-tions are in a bit of a crisis over whatGovernor McGreevey will decide inJune in regards to arts funding for theupcoming year.

Many arts groups rely solely onfunding from the state in order tofunction. With the cost ofanti-terrorism efforts andemergency response sys-tems on the rise, it is verypossible that arts organiza-tions will suffer as a result.

Locally, one such organi-zation that is in danger is theYoung People’s Theatre(YPT). In existence for over 25years, this non-profit group isrun entirely by parent volunteers fromthe Scotch Plains-Fanwood area.

The goal of YPT is to provide af-fordable live performances to fami-lies at a low cost and with easy acces-sibility. The troupe tries to provide atleast four separate venues a year. Per-formances are held at Terrill MiddleSchool at an extremely low ticketprice and the quality of the produc-tions is always professional.

Fanwood resident ElishaMonzella, YPT Chairperson, and oneof the organization’s 14 parent vol-unteers, is concerned what will hap-pen to YPT if the funding is cut.

A speech pathologist, wife andmother of two, Monzella still man-ages to find the time to try to keep this

non-profit group alive.When she spoke with The Westfield

Leader and The Times of ScotchPlains-Fanwood, Elisha was busymaking cookies for a bake sale.

When she was asked how she foundthe energy to donate so much of hertime to such an organization, Monzellaadmitted that it was time consumingand often frustrating, but that the re-

wards far outweighed anyblood, sweat and tears.

To be able to bring cultureand family entertainment toa child is all that matters, shebelieves.

In the past, YPT was able todo two performances of eachof the four productions. Thisyear, they had to reduce it toone. Ticket prices had to be

raised $1, which is something thathasn’t happened in years.

The funding that is made possible bythe New Jersey State Council of theArts, in association with The UnionCounty Division of Cultural and Heri-tage Affairs, used to be roughly $2,000.This year, it was less than half.

Could this be the end of the YoungPeople’s Theatre? Sadly, perhaps, yes.

Monzella stated that it is such a joywhen patrons approach her at events,saying that they remember coming toYPT productions as children, and thatnow they are happy to be able to bringtheir own kids.

It doesn’t seem fair that an educa-tional and life-enriching organiza-

Book NookBook NookBook NookBook NookBook NookBy Marylou Morano

‘Mrs. Biddlebox,’ ‘Abarat’‘Mrs. Biddlebox,’ ‘Abarat’‘Mrs. Biddlebox,’ ‘Abarat’‘Mrs. Biddlebox,’ ‘Abarat’‘Mrs. Biddlebox,’ ‘Abarat’Garner Borders’ ApplauseGarner Borders’ ApplauseGarner Borders’ ApplauseGarner Borders’ ApplauseGarner Borders’ Applause

Continued on Page 17

By MARYLOU MORANOSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

Borders Books & Music, the parentcompany of Walden Books, recentlyannounced the winners of their sixthannual Borders Original Voices Awards.

The honor is awarded to authors,who challenge the boundaries of mod-ern writing, and is given to new writ-ers, or established writers who havewritten a book that represents a newdirection for their writing.

Books eligible for the award arenominated by Borders employees andbooksellers throughout the UnitedStates. Home office staff members inAnn Arbor, Mich. form a panel tomake the final se-lections.

Awards are pre-sented in four cat-egories: adult fic-tion and nonfic-tion, children’spicture books,and young adultbooks.

The Winner ofthe Children’s Picture Books categoryis “Mrs. Biddlebox” written by the lateLinda Smith, and illustrated by MarlaFrazee Smith, whom I had the honor ofknowing as part of an Internet commu-nity of children’s book writers, suc-cumbed to breast cancer in 2000. She

wrote the ending of“Mrs. Biddlebox”from her hospitalbed.

Like Smith’sother posthu-mously publishedbook, “WhenMoon Fell Down,”“Mrs. Biddlebox”contains an en-chanting character

whose story is told in rhyme andphrase.

The text, set in the context of a cook’sbad day in the kitchen, combined withthe dramatic illustrations done mostlyin shades of gray, present the youngreader with the message that troublescan be overcome through perseverance.

“Mrs. Biddlebox” is published byHarperCollins Juvenile Books.

Adult Horror writer, Clive Barkerreceived an award for his young adultfantasy book, “Abarat”, published byJoanna Cotler Books. The creative

Continued on Page 17

Support

the Arts

Michelle H. Le Poidevin for The Leader/The Times“Benefit Street,” by Mark Albertson, oil, not for sale.

Michelle H. Le Poidevin for The Leader/The Times“Halloween Eve,” by Phil Kass, watercolor, $600.

Michelle H. Le Poidevin for The Leader/The Times“Strawberry Tea Time,” by Tobia Meyers, oil, $550.

Michelle H. Le Poidevin for The Leader/The Times“Morning Journals,” by Linda Kolar, oil, $500. Continued on Page 17

WAA Members Don’tWAA Members Don’tWAA Members Don’tWAA Members Don’tWAA Members Don’tLet Skills Slip in Oils,Let Skills Slip in Oils,Let Skills Slip in Oils,Let Skills Slip in Oils,Let Skills Slip in Oils,But Only Get StrongerBut Only Get StrongerBut Only Get StrongerBut Only Get StrongerBut Only Get StrongerBy MICHELLE H. Le POIDEVIN

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

WESTFIELD – Flashback for amoment to the Westfield ArtAssociation’s (WAA) SALON 2002 Ex-hibition, when dexterity in oil paint-ing was not a strong suit for WAAmembers. While the watercolors wereever-appealing, members clearlyneeded to brush up on the art of oils.

Meanwhile, in the Township ofScotch Plains, mem-bers of the ScotchPlains and FanwoodArts Association hadthe oil genre perfectedbut their watercolorswere mediocre.

SALON 2003, whichwill run through Sun-day, March 30, confirmsthat members of theWAA not only amplifytheir strengths, but theyare willing to keepsharpening and reedu-cating themselves.

For, several of theWAA’s best pieces inSALON 2003, the 79thAnnual Members’ Ex-hibition of Painting,Graphics, Sculptureand Photography, tran-scend amateur oilpainting methods andreach for the superior-ity that was alwayswithin their grasp.

Cobalt and whitefabric folds beneathplace settings whichare dappled with sumptuous straw-berries motifs in Tobia Meyer’s“Strawberry Tea Time,” one of thepremier pieces in the SALON collec-tion. The crashing waves and undulat-

ing deep blue waters challenge two ad-venturous boaters in Ralph Garafola’s“Twelve Meter Racing,”which was one of thehighlights of this exhibit.

A woman’s pensivemood commands thecanvas of Linda Kolar’sprofound “MorningJournals,” while MarkAbertson uses the me-dium to spotlight a Co-lonial architecturalnugget in “BenefitStreet,” a personal fa-vorite. The harmonioustones and consider-ation of detail are ap-preciated.

Bernice Shah’s“Swiss Dot Applique,”one of the few forays made by a WAAmember into the world of abstract art

disappoints, however. Though the brushstrokes force the tiny white blocks tovary somewhat atop a swirling of deepcolors, this uniform method becomesalmost distracting and doesn’t forcethe viewer to take a second look.

The final oil worth mentioning,Hanna Keselman’s “Perfume Bottles,is surely an eye-catcher. Shades ofbrilliant blue and blood red screamacross the room in a montage which

includes a sitting clown and bottlesacross the Union Jack. Keselman cer-tainly fills up the canvas and uses colorwell, but a contrasting shade (besideswhite) might have made this piece trulydeserve its “Award of Excellence.”

In the watercolorarena, BurtonLongenbach’s “P.B.Woods, Winter,” withremarkably blendedhues of blues andpurples, defines thesolemnity of a winternight. Legend PhilKass tips his hat and,with respect, tips hisbrush to Marylou’sMemorabilia in “Hal-loween Eve.” The wa-tercolor details someof the clever vintagecostumes which weresold by the formershop owner.

Acrylics by EllenRenner and Evan Marx, while di-verse in theme and texture, proved

remarkable. In Renner’s “Boating,” asmall boy nestled in a canoe looks up

inquiringly through thecanvas, while the crew inhis boat and one ahead con-tinue to row on through asummer afternoon. Mean-while, “Energy” by Marx, isall about impulsive, color-ful and constant movementthat pulsates beyond theframe. Marx’ venture intothe abstract is a success.

A glass sculpture byBrooke Gardiner could notbe passed up. “Toy Box” isa clear glass hollow struc-ture, filled with miniaturecolored glass designs, suchas a hissing snake, a teddybear, a flowing kite, some

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