Community Corner

The Week in Union County

Here's the top stories from around the region this past week.

Every week, Patch takes a look at what made the headlines in Union County. Among the top stories, Mountainside school district's chief school administrator has resigned, Scotch Plains-Fanwood Patch published a three-part series on a controversial neighborhood battle that pits a Catholic school against nearby residents over a renovated baseball field, and Clark mourned the loss of

 

BERKELEY HEIGHTS-MOUNTAINSIDE

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If you are a homeowner in Berkeley Heights lucky enough to have the Passaic River pass through or alongside your property, you are also cursed.

This is the conclusion of several residents after expressing their concerns about destructive flooding on their property from the Passaic River at the Town Council meeting on Tuesday night. 

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Residents turned out Tuesday night to voice their concerns over an ordinance on the agenda to amend the township's code on flood damage prevention to include riparian zone protections. A riparian zone is the interface between a land and a river or stream.

Despite the outcry, the ordinance extension passed unanimously.

Residents across New Jersey who live in a riparian zone against the Passaic River are bound by state mandates that protect the zones. The state seeks to "conserve the natural features important to land and water resources under the New Jersey Municipal Land Use Law," according to the ordinance.

There are specific elements of the mandate that prohibit the disturbance of the land in the zone regardless of whether it is on a homeowner's property. That means that residents are not allowed to repair enbankments or reroute the waterway, no matter how destructive the water can become.

In other news, Dr. Jeannette Baubles has submitted her resignation as the Mountainside school district's chief school administrator.

"The board has not yet acted on the resignation of Dr. Baubles, but apparently she has mentioned it to a number of people before the board has had an opportunity to accept it," Board of Education Vice President Christopher Minks said by phone on Monday evening.

Dr. Baubles joined the Mountainside school district in 2007 as principal of Deerfield School. She has been Chief School Administrator since April 14, 2008. Her contract expired on June 30.

When contacted via e-mail by Patch, Dr. Baubles confirmed her resignation but declined any further comment, indicating that she would issue a public statement on her resignation the week of July 18.

Some members of the Board have recently been at odds with Dr. Baubles over the public release of confidential information. At a June 15 Board meeting, Minks indicated he had suspicions that Dr. Baubles had released confidential communications to former Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction, Thomas Conroy, prior to his resignation. Conroy read his resignation statement during the meeting.  

"Her resignation did not happen overnight and it certainly did not have anything to do with an isolated incident," Minks said. "I would certainly not be so arrogant as to suggest that Dr. Baubles left because she and I had some friction in the past. We also worked well together on other items."

Once nominated for Who’s Who among America’s Teachers and Educators, Dr. Baubles is a former Principal, Vice Principal, and elementary and middle school teacher. She maintains membership on the New Jersey Association of School Administrators and the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association.


NEW PROVIDENCE

New Providence may be entering an agreement with Millburn and other nearby towns to  on an hourly, as-needed basis. At the council meeting on Monday, Borough Administrator Doug Marvin said he recently spoke with the administrator in Millburn about the services, which are offered at a rate of $43.05 per hour. Other towns interested in, or already involved with, the service include Chatham Township, Springfield, Livingston and Summit. The borough's current agreement with Associated Humane Society in Newark costs the borough $33,000 annually and will expire at the end of the year.

The Colonial Crossroads Chapter of the American Red Cross is urging local residents to . In May and June, while demand for blood products remained steady, donations were at the lowest level the Red Cross has seen during this time-frame in more than a dozen years. Because of that, the Red Cross needs blood donors now more than ever. On Monday, July 18 from 1 to 7 p.m. there will be a drive at the Summit Chapter house at 695 Springfield Avenue in Summit. On Tuesday, July 19, the Madison Volunteer Ambulance Corps will host a drive from 1 to 7 p.m. at 29 Prospect Street in Madison. Donors may call 1-800 RED CROSS to schedule an appointment at one of these drives or to locate additional blood drive dates.

 

SPRINGFIELD

For Springfield, this was the week of . According to a Springfield police report, on July 1, 39-year-old Elmwood Park resident Eric Lau invented an armed robbery after repeated phone calls from his wife during a late night at a Newark strip club. Springfield police noticed that his story had some holes—for example, despite claiming a robbery, he still had his cell phone and license—and realized his story was a fake.

In sports news, Springfield’s Senior Legion baseball team with a playoff loss to Westfield. With the 12-3 loss, Springfield ended the year with an overall 9-7 record.

 

CLARK-GARWOOD

The impact caused Urban to be thrown off his bike and into a telephone pole around 3 a.m. that morning, police say. On Sunday night, more than 100 people gathered at the site of the accident for a candle-light vigil. Urban's favorite hangout was the Clark Dunkin' Donuts, where he would spend time with a close-knit group of regulars.

On Thursday, Amazingly, no one was seriously injured and the woman was able to get out of the vehicle from her driver's side window with the help of police.

 

SCOTCH PLAINS

Too Close to Home: The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Patch ran a three-part series that explored the ongoing legal fight between Union Catholic Regional High School and the residents whose homes abut the school's renovated baseball field. Check out the series overview, which includes links to each installment, .

 

WESTFIELD

from Westfield High School left Wednesday to conduct environmental research in South Africa and Mozambique. Led by WHS teachers Sara Soriente and Josh Garodnick, the group will study the impact of elephants and controlled burns in Kruger National Park and scuba dive to study reef ecology. The group returns to the United States on July 31.

Republican Mark LoGrippo was  to the vacant third ward seat on the Westfield Town Council Tuesday evening. LoGrippo will complete the remaining six months of the term of former Councilman Mark Ciarrocca, who resigned to become a state judge. LoGrippo faces off against Democrat Matt Sontz and independent Greg Kasko for a full four-year term in November. LoGrippo  to win the interim appointment.

Westfield Councilman Dave Haas  that he was changing his position on the controversial pedestrian activated stoplight on Central Avenue near Clover Street. Haas, the Council's lone Democrat who voted for the light's placement, said he now believes the light should be at the intersection instead of on the front lawn of resident Adina Enculescu. Central Avenue resident Maria Carluccio, who has been fighting alongside Enculescu to have the light moved since September, declared war on Westfield Mayor Andy Skibitsky Tuesday night over the stoplight.

 

SUMMIT

Common Council once again failed to pass the bonding ordinance to make paid shopper parking a reality in Summit. After a philosophical debate about charging for parking in downtown Summit, council vote 4-3 to pass an amendment to the parking ordinance setting the fee schedule in the lots but then failed to pass the funding mechanism to pay for the equipment to collect the money.

 

CRANFORD

Cranford schools got some welcome news when Governor Chris Christie announced that the district would receive  for the 2011-2012 school year. Cranford schools will receive an increase of $1,038,944, a 138.2 percent increase from the numbers released in February. Cranford was one of several 21st District schools to receive a state aid boost.

In other news, Boy Scout Troops 75 and 80 will coordinate , an overnight disaster preparedness drill. Participants will camp out at Orange Avenue School for the night in order to learn the proper response in the event of a natural disaster Operation Cranford costs $25 for a family of four, with all proceeds going toward ShelterBox, a non-profit organization that provides emergency shelter and supplies to victims of disasters worldwide. The evening will also feature games and entertainment, including an outdoor movie.


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