THE YEAR IN REVIEW
By: Cynthia Koons and Scott Morgan
Two-thousand-two was the first year the first full year of a strange new world. The nation entered 2002 barely three months removed from the still-resonant tragedy that was the Sept. 11 attacks; and as the sting of those attacks melted into steadier feelings of hope and resolve, business at the smallest levels of government worked to regain its rhythm.
WINTER
In early January, the U.S. Air Force and the federal Department of Defense announced they would begin cleanup of plutonium-contaminated ground in Plumsted. Back in 1960, a fire erupted inside a defensive missile silo at McGuire Air Force Base, causing plutonium waste to spill across 7 acres of the base and township. Efforts to clean the site stalled for over 40 years until federal authorities announced a plan that would clean the spill and transport the contaminated earth to Utah. The physical cleanup began in June.
In other ways, local commerce was simply business as usual. Upper Freehold kicked off the year with a continuing debate over how (or if) to refine its Master Plan. By early spring, the township Planning Board closed public input on the issue, which continues to pit environmentalists and development control activists against large-parcel landowners over how zoning should be defined for the future.
In February, the Millstone Township Committee released a controversial report that accused former Committeeman Bill Kastning of committing an ethical violation in a 2000 land deal. Mr. Kastning, who served as the committee’s liaison to the Open Space and Farmland Preservation Council at the time, was accused in September 2000 of trying to strong arm resident Susan Laone into surrendering a plot of land for less than its worth. The report, which was the result of a yearlong investigation, generated several heated exchanges between committeemen and the public, who stood at odds over the document’s validity. The suit between Ms. Laone and Mr. Kastning continues.
Also that month, the Washington Township school board paid $1.5 million to secure land for a new high school. The property, on Robbinsville-Edinburg Road, was bought from Princeton Research Lands at a cost of $20,000 an acre plus nearly $100,000 in interest.
In March, Plumsted voters OK’d a $19 million school district referendum that will see renovations to the township’s existing school buildings. The referendum was one of the largest expenditures in township history, and one Superintendent Gerald Woehr saw as vital to the quality of education in Plumsted.
Washington voters made a move in the opposite direction, defeating a $22.7 million school budget that would have raised school taxes 26 cents per $100 of assessed property value in the township.
SPRING
During the next few months, the Washington Township Committee pares the school budget but keeps most of the proposed increases. The resulting budget caused strife between the school board and committee and drew criticism from the community.
In April, Millstone’s two-year mayor, Evan Maltz, lost the Republican primary to former Township Committeeman Roger Staib and Environmental Commissioner Nancy Grbelja. The Millstone April primaries also saw the victory of Democrats Chet Halk and Committeeman Bill Nurko, who ultimately won the township general election in November. Mr. Nurko is returning for his second term on the Township Committee while Mr. Halka will begin his first.
In Allentown that March, longtime borough residents Margaret and Frank Armenante faced overwhelming community opposition to their plan to demolish an historic building on property they owned next to Borough Hall on Main Street. The building, which dates to the mid-1800s, was being used as their law office. The Armenantes have since decided to keep the building.
May saw the dedication of Millstone’s anticipated Veterans Memorial Monument. Constructed at the Clarksburg School on Stagecoach Road, the monument represents a triangular-folded American flag. Said its creator, Blaise Batko, "That represents all veterans."
In June, Plumsted received its long-awaited designation as a Main Streets New Jersey historic district, a title that opens the door for historic preservation and state grants to develop the once-sagging downtown core. But midsummer also brought the drought. Most communities in central New Jersey particularly Millstone suffered severe drought conditions that persist despite a relatively wet autumn. The drought also spurred new legislation in Millstone that the township emergency management coordinator be allowed to cite and fine violators of any declared state of emergency in town.
In Allentown, a solution to parking problems on Main Street angered residents when the council expressed interest in acquiring a plot of land on the street through eminent domain.
Because the property owner was not willing to sell the land, the borough planned to acquire it through condemnation proceedings that follow the negotiation and compensation requirements of the 1971 Eminent Domain Act. Public opposition to the land acquisition caused the Borough Council to back down on the plan.
SUMMER
In August, a stray bullet through one family’s home drove the Millstone Township Committee to draft its first-ever firearms law. Still in the works, the law seeks to protect hunters’ rights and protect residents from errant gunfire.
The first week of September introduced Plumsted residents to something they had never seen within their own school district a senior class. With the beginning of the 2002-2003 school year, Plumsted School District became, for the first time, a complete K-12 operation.
These early September celebrations quickly gave way to the solemn reflections of a bitter anniversary. Local towns throughout the area commemorated the first anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks with prayer services and other ceremonies.
In Washington, controversy surrounding the proposed Matrix warehouse project at the corner of Gordon Route and Roue 539 consumed most of the Planning Board’s August and early September meetings. A group of Upper Freehold residents, who lived near the site, opposed the project because they felt it didn’t fit the zoning requirements for the area. On Sept. 18, the Planning Board unanimously approved the proposal. In response, the residents filed a lawsuit against the board.
FALL
The November general elections returned many familiar faces to area governments, including the re-election of Plumsted’s sitting mayor Ron Dancer to the Township Committee. Mr. Dancer soon after was named to represent the 30th Legislative District, replacing Assemblyman Melvin Cottrell, who died Oct. 9.
Washington elections were tighter than in previous years with Independent candidate Mark Tobias garnering more votes than his previous attempts at committee. Mayor Dave Fried and Committeeman Doug Tindall were re-elected, with Mr. Tindall winning the majority of the votes. A nonbinding referendum question about changing the township’s name from "Washington" to "Robbinsville" was supported by voters.
In Allentown, Republican incumbents Mike Schumacher and Margaret Armenante were re-elected to council, beating Democratic candidates Stephanie Smith and Bill Soodul. During the race, Ms. Smith filed litigation against the Borough Council over a piece of property that she said was hers and the council planned to use as an entrance for Heritage Park.
A rededication ceremony for the Washington Township Senior Center in early November marked the end of a lengthy construction project. The new center, which was finished six months after schedule, will double as a community center when needed.
The old Farmers National Bank at the corner of Main Street and Waker Avenue in Allentown burst into flames in December, destroying almost half of the historic building.