The trespass ‘tradition’
To the editor:
Another deer hunting season has just ended and like previous years this one included hunters trespassing on private property. Apparently many of those hunting in Hopewell Township these days believe that tearing down "No Trespassing" signs means they can enter private property, or, because they aren’t carrying a gun they can go wherever they please to drive deer to other hunters, or, because they have permission to hunt one property they can just use that as a place to park so they can trespass on neighboring private properties, or, because property owners are at work during the day they can trespass.
I am tired of having grown men walk through my property when we have children playing outside. These people have become so brazen, or perhaps merely stupid, that they trespass in the snow and then their tracks can be detected.
Something must be done before this ruins hunting for the rest of us. Some ideas: 1) Hopewell Township needs to increase the penalty for trespassing so that it will really hurt when someone is caught; 2) The State Fish and Game Council needs to increase penalties for trespass, with or without a weapon, to include a lengthy loss of license and stiff fines; 3) Those allowing others to hunt their ground must understand the potential liability their "guests" bring on them by trespassing on other properties and withdraw hunting privileges to those who don’t have the discipline or ethics to hunt only where they have permission.
As a hunter, I am ashamed of the actions of these trespassers especially those who share this trespass "tradition" with their younger counterparts. It better stop or I’m afraid hunting in Hopewell Township will.
Fred Sickels, Hopewell Township
A misunderstanding
To the editor:
As both a fire commissioner and a police officer I have seen first-hand, on many occasions, the fine work done by both the paid and volunteer firefighters and EMTs that serve our Valley.
Thank you for helping to publicize their efforts in your article in the Feb. 19 edition (HVES is there to help volunteer with daily tasks), but please allow me to correct a misunderstanding. The article included comments attributed to me as Capt. George Meyer of the Hopewell Township Police Department.
I obviously did not make it clear to the reporter that these comments were being made from my position as a Hopewell Township fire commissioner and not from my position with the police department.
Usually when I speak to the Hopewell Valley News it is in my capacity as a police officer, so the misunderstanding is very understandable.
My apologizes for any confusion caused by this.
Fire Commissioner and Capt. George Meyer, Hopewell Township
Open space equity needed for Diverty area
To the editor:
Like my neighbors on Diverty Road, as well as many other township residents, I have a vital interest in the current debate about the use of the open tracts of land on either side of Diverty. I would like to see open space equity for the residents of the lower end of Hopewell Township, and I would like Diverty residents and other residents of this diverse and cohesive neighborhood to be respectfully included in the dialogue about what happens to these parcels.
The developer, Pennington Properties, recently sent a letter to some of us inviting us to a meeting "to discuss possible uses for the property that would be beneficial to all." The letter stated the desire to avoid having "neighborhoods pitted against each other in the planning of this area." However, I was surprised to discover that only residents of the north side of Diverty appear to have received this letter. No one I spoke to from the south side of Diverty reported getting a copy. This seems to me a strange way for Pennington Properties to avoid pitting neighborhoods against each other. Surely whatever happens to the parcels on the north side of Diverty will affect residents on both sides. The entire street, indeed the entire southern tier, would feel the impact of increased traffic, taxes, and diminished open space that would follow any further development in the already congested Diverty-Reed area. If Pennington Properties truly wished to make a good faith effort to work with the neighborhood, why did they only target half of it?
Furthermore, I worry that some vague language in the letter may seem intimidating to some. I refer to statements such as: "Something is going to happen with this property in the near future" and "If a plan is not developed in the very near future, it will happen further down the line and our assumption is that the intensity of the development will be greater than what could be considered today."
As I understand it, both Pennington Properties and the Diverty residents they invited to the meeting are bound to abide by whatever decisions the township Planning Board and Township Committee, informed by the community, make about these parcels. Therefore, if residents want to have an impact on the fate of the parcels, they should remember that they and Pennington Properties have an equal voice in the matter. All of us who reside in the township can take part in the dialogue about the parcels by informing ourselves, voting for the Township Committee candidates who support our vision for the area, and making our opinions known to the planning committee.
For residents invited to the meeting by Pennington Properties, which is slated to take place on Feb. 26, I hope they will attend and express their concerns to Pennington Properties.
Together we can make a difference.
Molly Weigel, Hopewell Township
Doctor leaving town
To the editor:
After 28 satisfying years of practice in Hopewell, I am relocating to Flemington. Though this move will relieve me of most administrative and business responsibilities, I shall still actively care for patients.
My years in Hopewell will always define my life. My family and I wish to thank you all for that.
I’ll see you around Hopewell.
James B. Johnson Jr., M.D., Hopewell
Backyards are needed
To the editor:
Your backyard could be a summertime oasis to an inner-city child. With your help more children from disadvantaged neighborhoods in New York City will get to experience other areas.
Nearly 5,000 New York City children are granted the opportunity to live in wide open spaces for two weeks or longer each summer through The Fresh Air Fund. They can run their hands and toes through freshly cut grass, skip over a sprinkler and watch the night sky fill with stars.
"We love our Fresh Air guest. He is a part of the family when he is here. I haven’t met a more pleasant and polite kid," said a Fresh Air host. Host families enjoy rediscovering their community through the eyes of a city child.
This year, The Fresh Air Fund needs more families to volunteer as hosts for the Friendly Town Program. There are no financial requirements, and the host family can choose the age and gender of their visitor; all that is needed is time and love. First-time visitors range in age from 6 to 12 and can be invited back through The Fund until age 18. Many families, however, keep in contact all year round and form lifelong bonds.
Take the opportunity to learn more about The Fresh Air Fund and hosting a child this summer. Contact Betsy Bloemeke at (609) 448-1027 or call The Fund at (800) 367-0003. You can also visit the fund’s Web site at: www.freshair.org.
Betsy Bloemeke, The Fresh Air Fund
