Thanks for listening
To the editor:
The Hopewell Valley Senior Center Planning Committee wishes to thank the Hopewell Borough Council and the Hopewell Township Committee for the opportunity to share the data we have collected and publicly present our proposals..
Also, we are especially thankful for the number of citizens who came out in support.
Larry Mansier, chairman, Hopewell Valley Senior Center Planning Committee
Flood cooperation
To the editor:
On April 3, the Hopewell Valley was faced with the second flood of the Delaware River in approximately six months.
The police department, the fire departments, public works, health, and construction departments responded to this disaster and worked together as a cohesive unit to resolve the many issues that arose during the flood.
Traffic was diverted, cellars were pumped and homes were evacuated in a safe and orderly manner.
I would like to thank all of the team that so unselfishly gave of their time and expertise to assist those in need.
I also commend all of the residents who were affected by this event for their cooperation and understanding during these difficult circumstances.
Michael A. Chipowsky, chief, Hopewell Township Police Department; executive director, Hopewell Valley Office of Emergency Management
When should I pack?
To the editor:
Once again, the same boring distortion of the facts is in the paper by Anthony Arnone to whip up the anti-football, anti-school people so they will vote against the school budget. Lets’ review the facts once again.
He says we are spending so much money on only 40 children. This coming season there will be over 40 children just on the freshman football team! Include the JV and varsity teams and there will be over 90 players. Count the managers and many other students supporting the team and there are over 120 kids! He can’t face the fact that football is popular and a complete success here in Hopewell Valley.
Up until now, (three seasons in the record books), the district will have spent 25 percent of one season totaling approximately $26,000. This season, the district pays 50 percent of the costs, totaling some $28,500. That’s a total payout of about $54,500 by the district, but over $250,000 donated to the district by parents and supporters in the Valley!
Where exactly is all of this money going? To football rather than academics? Recent requests by seniors in the Valley have asked that a senior center be built for them at a cost of some $2 million. Will we vote on that? How many will use the center, some 100 people? Where will they want to build it and won’t we want that space to stay a vacant farm field for open space? Given the HOV (Honor Our Vote) doctrine, we should hear about huge protests against this.
His argument of "We voted football down and you started that program anyway" is really becoming boring. The vote was for the funding of the program for that year. Of course he knows that his HOV group brought the whole matter into court and that NJ Commissioner William Librera and a judge denied their complaint, thus saying that private funding of the program was legal. Of course he won’t talk about the thousands of dollars ($12,000) he cost the district in legal costs to go through this legal harassment.
"Teachers before bleachers!" is another battle cry from Mr. Arnone. Can you compare capital improvements to teachers? OK, I guess you can, but why not the $2 million theater before teachers or the hundreds of thousands of dollars on busing kids to practices? He’s really implying that just football needs the bleachers, so you should choose that way. But of course, the cost of the bleachers is approximately $150,000 (which is spread out over five years) but now may almost double since Mr. Arnone and his "neighbors" fought to have the bleachers moved 52 yards further away from their property line so they can see about 2 vertical feet less of them. The problem is the other side of the field, which has to be heavily graded because of the hill so the bleachers can be level and the baseball field they will sit on will have to be rebuilt somewhere else.
Now the angle by the CAVEmen (Citizens Against Virtually Everything) is to "reduce the size of Back Timberlane." For every year this area of school property sits idle, it costs us taxpayers more and more. Why would we want to "reduce" it when the whole area still might not meet the growing needs we have for field space? The cost of busing athletes offsite to practice and games is increasing every year.
Gene Ramsey’s letter somehow correlates failing septic systems and wells to building grass fields. If nothing is built there yet, how does it make your septic fail or your well go dry? May I suggest you use your rising equity in your home, due to the excellent reputation/results of our school district, to make repairs on your home? And the offer still stands, if living near the Timberlane Middle school is that horrible, there is a list of people who will trade their homes with yours in order to look at green fields and children playing everyday. Let me know when I should pack.
George Helmstetter, Hopewell Township
Tired of football issue?
To the editor:
Let me begin by apologizing to all of the residents of the Valley who are sick and tired of hearing and reading about the CHS football issue. If you just can’t read on, I will understand.
However, I need to respond to last week’s letter from Anthony Arnone because I cannot allow him to continue to misstate facts. I have seen him at many school board meetings and observing the CHS football games this past fall from his back yard, so I can only assume he is purposely distorting the numbers he quoted in his letter. I believe he (and SAFE-T and HOV) has been doing this to keep the student athletes "out of his back yard" (it just happens to back up to the Timberlane property).
Sixty-five high school football players, 24 high school cheerleaders, 16 high school student managers and statisticians (that’s 105 children, not 40, Mr. Arnone), and countless CHS, middle school and elementary school student fans participated in HVCHS football in 2004. Larger numbers already have signed up for next season. Hopewell Valley Pop Warner signups continue to grow yearly and have set a new record for the upcoming season. Clearly the youth in Hopewell Valley enjoy football as much as the youth in the rest of the county, state, and country. School districts that rank above us and below us all have football programs in their schools. Football does not and will not make or break a budget.
Please do not believe the propaganda that the members of SAFE-T, HOV, and especially Mr. Arnone spew. If you question their purported facts on any issue (not just football but Back Timberlane, the school budget, and their percentages and dollar amounts that they quote), do your own investigation. All it takes is a couple of phone calls. Since most of us don’t have as much time to research as they apparently do, keep in mind that there are always opposing points to consider. The history of distorted information in their letters to keep fields and children "out of their back yards" (but remember, it is on public school property) has been repeated time after time. They just hope that no one will take the time to dispute them.
Kris Kley, Titusville
Support school budget
To the editor:
Our school district has been faced with unprecedented challenges this budget cycle.
Cuts in spending are always difficult, but our representatives have spent months trying to do what is the best for our children and schools. Some of these cuts are painful, but voting against this budget would be counterproductive. The budget would then go before the municipal bodies, which would just result in further cuts. Let’s not exacerbate the situation.
Please join me in voting yes for our children and our schools on April 19,
Melissa Weeks, Titusville
It’s your turn!
To the editor:
Once again it is time for residents to vote on our annual school budget. Since I have been on the school board, this has been the most difficult year to prepare a budget due to state law (S-1701), which has forced our administration into making recommendations that they might not have made in previous years. Even though the budget is increasing 6.4 percent, we were still faced with eliminating teachers, programs, and other related expenses, in order to meet this new state law.
We clearly heard from our residents that they had several concerns regarding our budget reductions. Unfortunately, we have had to make some hard choices. We set our priorities accordingly, but hard choices had be made.
The question you need to ask yourself is "are you pleased with our schools and the overall education your children are receiving?" If you do not have children in our schools, the question you should be asking yourself is "have your home values increased over the past few years; if so, how much do you attribute this rise to the quality of our schools and a community that is highly regarded as a ‘great place to live’ in New Jersey?"
On Tuesday, April 19, you have an opportunity to support our teachers and administration. I urge you to send them a message that their hard work and commitment to students is not going unnoticed. Do not let a handful of residents twist and turn the facts like they do every year and attempt to undermine our school system. Our staff goes the extra step because they know how much our children appreciate their efforts; now it’s your turn to provide this support.
What about the costs? Truth is told, for an average home in Hopewell Valley, your school taxes will increase by $4-7 a week. According to my calculation, that is the cost of one café latte per week.
Our children are facing a world that is highly competitive, global in nature, and filled with complexities that prior generations haven’t faced in the past. Let’s equip our children with the critical thinking, technology, and overall educational skills that they need going forward. Please remember to vote on April 19.
Michael Bruno, Hopewell Township
Don’t stay home!
To the editor:
As a candidate for re-election to the Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education, I offer a few comments concerning my views about our public schools.
I believe in the importance of our public schools as one of the most important institutions for preserving our democratic form of government. Centralizing control of education is one of the first acts of a despot and others wishing to impose authoritarian forms of government on a people. Local boards of education in this country, by their existence, are an obstacle to efforts to centralize control of education.
Our schools are not perfect, but our school district has many highly qualified people who are committed to bring the best possible education to all of the children who enter the school doors every day. The public schools in Hopewell Valley are good schools, and reflect the high value this community has held for the education of its children and youth.
A Strategic Plan has been our blueprint for planning and decision making in the past and continues to be as we move along and face difficult decisions. This plan was developed a few years ago with the participation of staff, board members, parents and other members of the Hopewell Valley community. It defines our beliefs, our goals and sets long and short range priorities for our educational system. The Strategic Plan has undergone regular reviews and updating with input by members of our broad community ever since. Copies of the Strategic Plan are available at the Administration Building on South Main Street, in Pennington. It may also be viewed on the school district’s Web site: www.hvrsd.k12.nj.us.
I have been honored to serve on this Board of Education for six years, and I look forward to being a part of this board for another term. This election is not very much about who will serve on the board, since all candidates are running unopposed; it is very much about keeping our schools at the high standard we have come to expect.
Our over-reliance on property taxes for financing education in New Jersey is a poor system. But until the people elected to state office are willing to seriously confront the need to fix the problem, districts like Hopewell Valley will continue to be asking local taxpayers to bear this burden, if they wish to continue to have good schools. Staying home on April 19 should not be an option for those who value and wish to support our schools.
Carl Swanson, township candidate, Valley school board
Football experiment
To the editor:
Voters (the ones whose votes were cast aside when asked it they wanted football and then were surprised, no victimized, by the school board, when they found out there was already a plan afoot to go ahead without their say so) use your vote now to show that you were right. It is too expensive to continue the football experiment.
Ever since the Back Timberlane project got started we began to run into deficit spending as our taxes are showing. The football and the expanded recreation program are in the school budget. Budget is another word for taxes. When the school budget goes up, your taxes go up. There appears to be nothing in this budget (taxes) that reduces the expanded recreation effort, but there a reduction of the formal education (i.e. teachers and courses). Is that the trade-off you want to make?
American businesses are now thinking of outsourcing what used to be our greatest skills: math, science and computers, etc. This is because we do not budget our monies properly. I ask what will your children’s future be when there are less opportunities for jobs. Rethink the budget for your children.
Vote no! Play the games later when you can afford the luxury.
Don Mauer, Hopewell Township
Thanks for help!
To the editor:
Hopewell Council 7103 of the Knights of Columbus wishes to express its sincerest gratitude for the recent coverage in the Hopewell Valley News of two of the fund-raising events we recently sponsored: our Spaghetti Dinner at St. Alphonsus Church and our Pancake Breakfast at the American Legion in Hopewell in support of the families of our troops serving overseas.
These events, which were held in March, raised much-needed funds for two worthy causes. (The Spaghetti Dinner moneys went chiefly to Catholic Charities).
Your photographer, Robyn C. Stein, did a wonderful job. We appreciate all of her help, and we appreciate your efforts in publicizing our work.
Santi Buscemi, Hopewell