$1.3 million bond ordinance for park introduced in Montgomery

Hundred-acre county facility largely located in Rocky Hill.

By: David Campbell
   The Montgomery Township Committee unanimously introduced a $1.3 million bond ordinance Thursday night to finance a new county park. A public hearing is slated for Sept. 2.
   The 100-acre property, commonly known as the Schafer Tract, is largely located in Rocky Hill, although a portion extends into Montgomery. It is located east of Research Park in Montgomery with frontage on Princeton Avenue.
   The park will feature softball and multi-purpose fields, basketball courts, playgrounds and a pavilion as well as a large natural area with walking trails and a gazebo.
   Montgomery is bearing 80 percent of the cost for the planned Somerset County park and Rocky Hill is covering the remainder, Chief Finance Officer Randy Bahr said Thursday night. He said the project is currently out to bid.
   The park and its playing fields will be completed by 2005, said Township Attorney Kristina Hadinger.
   The bonding ordinance was drafted for $1.5 million originally, which included about $200,000 extra to cover possible cost overruns. Mr. Bahr and Township Administrator Donato Nieman said project estimates appeared to be light on soft costs. But the committee voted 5-0 to introduce the ordinance without the cushioning funds, with Mayor Louise Wilson noting, "We should work within our budget."
   In other business Thursday night, the committee voted down a resolution calling on Gov. James E. McGreevey to resign immediately to permit a special election this November to select his successor.
   The governor, who has revealed that he is gay and had an extramarital affair with another man, has said he will resign effective Nov. 15. Senate President Richard Codey (D-West Orange) will complete his term.
   Committeeman Mark Caliguire proposed the resolution Thursday night, noting that the real issue in the McGreevey scandal has to do with corruption in government, and he said it has to stop.
   "The bottom line is that I’m tired of New Jersey being a joke on late-night talk shows," said Mr. Caliguire.
   The Township Committee, which is all-Democratic except for Mr. Caliguire, who is a Republican, voted 1-3 against the resolution, with Mr. Caliguire casting the lone supporting vote and Committeewoman Cecilia Birge abstaining.
   "There’s nothing that disgusts me more than corruption," Ms. Birge said. She said she agrees with the "spirit" of Mr. Caliguire’s resolution, but abstained, she said, because the issue is a state matter outside the committee’s jurisdiction.