LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 10/03

From the Oct. 3 edition of the Register-News

By:
You’re kidding …

another committee?

To the editor:
I cannot possibly be reading (Register-News, Sept. 26) that Mayor Roselli and Assemblyman Joseph Malone (R-30th) are planning to develop a committee to research the pros and cons of the Conectiv plans for Bordentown Township.
Mayor Roselli and Assemblyman Malone … wake up!
The public has already formed a committee and has already completed extensive research on the issues of power plant pros and cons. Our research shows that there are more cons than pros.
You say that you want information delivered in a concise fashion. Hasn’t the public been concise and informational in our presentations during meetings in the past? What have all the township meetings as well as the past few Conectiv presentations been?
Seems to me what you really want is time to regroup since you did not count on your constituents to research the issues regarding Conectiv and other power plants so well. I do not think you were ready for the public to be educated on the issues surrounding the Conectiv plan.
People who attend the public meetings regarding Conectiv are already knowledgeable representatives of the neighboring towns as well as the Bordentown community.
Why, Assemblyman Malone and Mayor Roselli, are you so pressed on reinventing the wheel by setting up another committee? Why is it that Mayor Roselli and Assemblyman Malone want this plant in our community so badly?
Possibly, each of you cannot see the trees through the forest. The people do not want Conectiv in or near Bordentown!
Remember Mayor Roselli and Assemblyman Malone, Christ was sold for 30 pieces of silver. Will the residents of Bordentown and its neighboring communities be sold for less over this issue? Is our property values, pollution and compromises to our children’s health, etc., worth approximately $70 per household?
Mayor Roselli and Assemblyman Malone, who’s really getting the money if the Conectiv plans go through?
By the way — the high school students on the committee? Nice warm and fuzzy touch. What ever happened to kissing babies?
Judy Alexander

Bordentown Township

He can’t

support plant

To the editor:
After researching this proposal, attending the meetings and presentations connected with this project, I have concluded, I can not support the Conectiv power plant proposed for the southern end of our township.
With all the facts and data presented on both sides, these are some things I’ve been thinking about.
• By far, for me, the most shocking fact is that the EPA permit will allow Conectiv to dump up to 1,000 tons a year, of regulated pollutants per generator into the atmosphere.
They will have three Generators – that’s 3,000 tons a year that we and our children will be breathing. That hardly seems clean to me.
• Why would we want to invite a known polluter ($2 million for not meeting the air quality standards) upwind from 400 new homes, into our township?
• Why would we want to put a power plant on a currently pristine area of our waterfront? This area is better suited for a use that will take advantage of the site’s attributes, i.e. a hotel, conference center, marina, golf course or park.
These uses would be benign to our environment and an asset to our township.
• The Delaware River is a great natural resource. Do we need to subject it to thermal pollution or possibly an oil spill (2 million on site)?
• Conectiv has said they will pay approximately $500k a year in taxes. Does that mean they will not accept or expect a tax reduction from the redevelopment zone authority?
• A nonbonding referendum should be on the ballot to get the feelings of all concerned citizens. This would give our leaders firm direction which way to proceed.
Barring that, the Citizens Advisory Committee is a good substitute to get quality input from all concerned.
These are some of my issues that needed to be addressed before we can even think of Conectiv coming into our township. We live in a great place, let’s make it better, not defile it.
Bill Housell

Bordentown Township

Resident responds

to two letters

To the editor:
I would like to comment on two letters published in the Sept. 26 edition of the Register-News.
The first concerns Mr. Victor Traino’s letter. Congratulations on your excellent, tongue-in-cheek letter as it was an accurate summary of the objections to the construction of a new civic center, AKA recreation building, presented during Mansfield Township’s Sept. 11 meeting.
The meeting became dysfunctional when the public sensed that some members of the committee were listening, but not hearing.
This feeling may have some basis in fact. Despite public concern, plans for the civic center continue to be fast-tracked.
To date, over $50K has been appropriated for plans. The reluctance of the committee to let the public decide if we need a new civic center is difficult to understand as some members of the committee have stated the public supports its construction.
If so, there should be no problem in letting the public decide.
(My other comment concerns) Assemblyman Malone’s advisory committee (for Bordentown Township and the proposed Conectiv plant). If the findings of the committee suffer the same fate as those from his task force on regional school districts in February, 1999, it will be like the old adage, "after all is said and done, there will be more said than done" as we are still waiting for implementation of the findings and recommendations of that committee.
Rahn O. Beeson
Columbus

Thank you,

city police

To the editor:
A few days ago, at 12:30 a.m., an intruder was inside my wife’s car parked on the street outside our home. He used a flashlight to rummage through the contents.
We called 911 and, in about 60 seconds, two Bordentown City police cars were blocking the intruder’s truck and they were questioning the man.
We’ve lived in Bordentown City for 26 years, raised four children, paid taxes but never needed the police patrols. The night we needed the police they came, in a minute.
These officers were professional, efficient and provided all rights, privileges and benefits-of-the-doubt reasonable men take. They do this by law, all the time. Their oath is to do so.
I compliment these officers and their brother-officers. Kudos to the city administration for providing such guardians. That is what these officers are, our guardians.
They deserve state-of-the-art equipment, training, pay and benefits. We should provide such for these men and woman.
They are our first line of defense and they are the first on a scene which could be out of science-fiction. We give them great powers. We expect great things from them.
Bordentown City is a very good place to live and raise children. It is an island of civility. Her skirts have a little dirt in them, but only some — thanks to good government, devoted public employees and citizenry who care.
In a self-centered, narcissistic, materialistic society, the individual Bordentown City taxpayer is still number one. We sleep this night in particular, knowing we take care of our own.
John and Jimette Toth

Bordentown City

Clearing up

Green Acres issues

To the editor:
I would like respond to the letter by Jean Wainwright in the Sept. 26 edition of the Register-News, in which she stated that Mansfield Township "gave up all our parks to Green Acres (state control)" when grant funding was accepted to preserve land on Island Road.
This is just not so.
Towns that accept Green Acres funding do not give up control of their land to the state. The parks are still owned, operated, maintained, scheduled, used, developed and enjoyed by the township without state involvement.
Basically, the only thing the township agreed to do is to keep our parkland as parkland forever.
A future council cannot sell our parks and they can’t turn them into something else. And with our growing population, why would we want to run the risk of having less parkland and open space in the future?
In fact, a few years ago, Mansfield residents were asked if township funds should be used to preserve open space. That ballot question was enthusiastically approved.
Residents want more parks to play in, more protected farms to control development and more preservation of our natural resources, such as our water supply (something that is an even higher priority right now in the face of our current drought).
Green Acres provides matching grants to towns, counties and land trusts that want to do just that. Matching grants means that we can basically double our money and preserve twice as much as we can if we act alone.
I, for one, would be happy to see Mansfield Township double its successes. And if we can get an added level of protection (no, not control) from the state so that someone can’t sell off our precious parkland in the future … well, that’s even better.
Let’s explore every option, and be open to new opportunities, to keep Mansfield green. Let’s move in the right direction and not let unfounded fears and misinformation hold us back and invite rampant development.
The choice is ours.
Keith Sapp

Mansfield Township