BY JOHN DUNPHY
Staff Writer
A split Sayreville Borough Council has approved the closure of Washington Road for the Dwarkadhish Temple’s 10th anniversary celebration parade.
Following a lengthy public discussion among council members, Mayor Kennedy O’Brien and Business Administrator Jeffry Bertrand, the council voted 3-3 on the approval, with Thomas Pollando, Thomas Marcinczyk and Dennis Grobelny opting against approving the road closure.
O’Brien then broke the tie with an affirmative vote.
Scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 24 at Kennedy Park, a procession of approximately 2,000 to 4,000 people will make its way down Washington Road to the temple by 3 p.m.
His divine holiness, Shri Vrajesh Kumarji Maharajshri, is coming from Gujarat, India, to offer blessings on the temple grounds. His arrival next week is expected to bring thousands to the temple.
The procession, which has been the subject of discussions between temple and borough officials, was originally supposed to start at the temple and conclude at Kennedy Park. Temple officials’ subsequent decision to reverse that route and change a date that was also discussed irked borough officials.
Temple Chairman Pankaj Sheth said that while the temple had originally agreed to have the parade begin at the temple and end at the park, it was changed for two reasons — the weather is too chilly for it to be conducted at the park, and the Maharajshri must bless the holy place following the procession.
“It has to be the holy place, which is the temple,” Sheth said.
The equivalent in religious importance as Catholicism’s Pope John Paul II, this is only the second time the Maharajshri has been to the temple; the first was when it opened 10 years ago.
“The temple is run under his faith and guidance,” Sheth said. “His father and grandfather founded the [Dwarkadhish] sect of Hinduism.”
The second largest sect of Hinduism in India, there are more than 1,000 Dwarkadhish temples in India, according to Sheth. The Sayreville temple is the only one in the United States, he said.
While the 10th anniversary celebration of the temple will run at various times from Oct. 16-24, the main events are the Chhappanbhog Mahotsav on Oct. 23, when the Mahararajshri will arrive, and the procession on the following day.
Borough Business Administrator Jeffry Bertrand said officials are anticipating between 7,000 and 15,000 people to attend Oct. 23, which is being called the single largest event the temple has ever held.
The Oct. 24 procession of 2,000 to 4,000 people is the first time Washington Road will be closed for such an event.
Pollando cited safety as his main concern.
“We’ve never had a parade down this area,” the council president said. “Though we’ve had parades [in the borough] and closed areas, we’ve never closed this area. This is a critical area.”
Further, Pollando said that on any given day, Washington Road is already a busy thoroughfare.
“It’s a safety issue for not only residents but the temple patrons as well,” he said. “We’re going to cripple the area [by approving this].”
Marcinczyk and Grobelny voiced similar concerns.
Bertrand and O’Brien attempted to alleviate confusion regarding the number of patrons at the different events being held that week, as the only thing to be voted on was the actual closure of Washington Road for the procession.
“We have no decision over [Oct. 23]. They’re coming,” Bertrand said.
Marcinczyk raised further issues about closing Washington Road, asking how the Lakeview senior community and other apartment buildings would be taken care of.
The borough Office of Emergency Management (OEM) Coordinator Barry Eck said officials had met with representatives of the fire department, police and the first aid squad and had agreed that, aside from traffic issues, there were no safety concerns in closing the road.
“I truly believe we’re well prepared,” he said. “The time the road is closed is relatively short.”
Eck said people from Lakeview would be able to turn right onto Washington Road when the procession begins. Once it reaches and passes Lakeview’s entrance, people will then be allowed to only turn left.
He added that standby units will be at local fire and first aid facilities, should any problems arise, and the OEM’s mobile command unit will be on site to cover the area.
“I have no problem giving them their parade, I just don’t want it in that area,” Pollando said.
The temple has agreed to cover additional costs to the borough related to the events. It was expected that $18,000 would be deposited into an escrow account by the temple tomorrow.
Bertrand said he could almost guarantee that Oct. 23 will be the busier day, due to the extraordinary number of people expected to attend.
Faith Fellowship Ministries on Main Street Extension has agreed to open its parking lot for temple’s use on that date, providing patrons with 1,500 additional spaces.
“We’ve had meetings with the borough, we’ve worked hard, planned, addressed all the issues,” Sheth said. “We don’t expect any problems.”