Borough needs to take action, councilman says
By: Vic Monaco
HIGHTSTOWN The borough needs to take action to protect Stockton Street as a historic district, as it has been designated by the state and national historic registers, according to Councilman Walt Sikorski and Borough Attorney Fred Rafetto.
But Mayor Bob Patten, while saying he agrees, was none too happy this week when the council took unanimous action in an effort to see that happen.
And the players involved in the issue may be playing a bigger part than the issue itself.
Councilman Walt Sikorski, responding to a Planning Board meeting decision over a week earlier, on Tuesday asked that the issue be added to that night’s Borough Council agenda.
His intent: to have Mr. Rafetto draft an ordinance that would, among other things, prohibit subdivisions in the district and to send the ordinance to the Planning Board and Historic Preservation Commission for their review before having Borough Council adopt it.
His motivation: a May 8 decision by the Planning Board, of which he is a member along with Mayor Patten, to allow Richard Pratt, another member of the board, to subdivide a lot at Stockton and Grant streets in order to build a home on a lot that would face Grant Street. Mr. Sikorski and Fred Montserrat voted against the request, while seven others voted yes. Mr. Pratt did not vote.
Dan Buriak a former borough councilman who lives on Stockton Street urged the Planning Board to vote no, saying the borough’s Master Plan prohibits such subdivisions. The board decided that subdividing the land would not hurt the property’s historical value, saying the new lot would not affect the streetscape of Stockton Street.
And, the board is expected to consider a similar request, for an adjacent lot, from Mr. Pratt at its June 12 meeting.
A quick review of the people involved:
Mr. Sikorski is running for the Democratic nomination for mayor, while Mr. Patten is seeking re-election as a Republican;
Mr. Pratt took a lead role in the Democrats for Patten campaign that helped elect Mr. Patten about four years ago;
Mr. Buriak and Mr. Patten are bitter political rivals;
and Kathy Patten, the mayor’s wife, sits on the Historic Preservation Commission.
Mayor Patten first objected to having the issue "dropped on us" Tuesday night.
Mr. Rafetto sided with Mr. Sikorski’s general intent.
"The district has been designated by the National Register but it still needs to be done locally," he said, later adding, "National recognition is an honorific only. It doesn’t protect private owners from demolition and subdivisions. (Local designation) would empower the Historic Preservation Commission to review any and all plans within the district."
Councilman Sikorski’s draft ordinance also would prohibit the razing of any historic resources and ensure that singlefamily houses on Stockton Street not be turned into apartments.
Mayor Patten then called upon his wife, who said the commission is already reviewing ordinances.
When Councilman Patrick Thompson asked for information on the Planning Board’s recent decision, the mayor rebuffed him, saying there was no time to go over that. The mayor also demanded to know who had authored a draft ordinance supplied by Councilman Sikorski. The latter said he had taken most of it from the borough’s Master Plan.
Mr. Patten said Tuesday that he is "absolutely in favor of local designation." His objections, he said, were based in procedure, not politics.
"The boards and commission have their own authority. There’s no need for council to be rigid, demanding that those entities do things. To me, it was micromanaging," he said.
He declined comment on whether the people involved played a part in his stance. But he indicated that his affirmative Planning Board vote had nothing to do with his relationship with Mr. Pratt.
"If an application comes before the Planning Board, I don’t care who they are," he said. "I look at the merits of the plan."
In the end, council voted unanimously Tuesday to have Mr. Rafetto draft an ordinance for review by the Planning Board and Historic Preservation Commission.
As far as Council President Dave Schneider was concerned, a local historic designation is a no-brainer.
"It’s completely noncontroversial," he said.

