Letters to the editor

July 26, 2007

By:
CARS attorney gives group’s side

To the editor:
   I read with interest and some amazement the article ("The road ahead") written about Sharon Station Road by Ms. Latham and Ms. Robinson in the July 26 edition of the Messenger.
   I wish to correct a number of misstatements and misconceptions, which are fostered by the article.
   First, the article states that calls to me from the Messenger were not returned by Tuesday, in time for the article. The fact of the matter is that I was never contacted by anyone from the Messenger in connection with this article at any time. I would have gladly discussed the issues if asked.
   A better example of non-communication is a letter, which I wrote on behalf of the citizen group CARS, to Mayor Steve Fleischacker and the Township Committee on Oct. 4, 2006, attempting to initiate a long-lacking dialogue on safety issues related to Sharon Station Road. Among other things in that letter, I wrote "Heavy traffic, at high speeds, in a residential area traveled not only by adults but also by children and school buses, creates a dangerous condition," a statement which was true then and is still true now. However, I have never — right up until the present day — received an answer to that letter. This lack of response contributes in large measure to the frustration of the residents aggrieved by the unacceptable safety conditions on the road.
   Second, the lawsuit filed by CARS concerning the transfer of the road to the county is no "roadblock" to anything, except non-compliance with state law. There are specific, formal requirements under the law for actions such as those taken by the Township Committee. The suit alleges that they were not followed, plain and simple. However, CARS has not impeded and progress, and it has neither sought nor obtained any preliminary injunctive relief. The CARS goal is to advance the discussion about creative solutions, not to impede it.
   In a much broader sense, CARS is a non-profit organization seeking only to promote a safe road and a safe neighborhood, free from heavy, out-of-town trucks, barreling through at high speeds. It has taken no actions to negatively impact local businesses, and it has no desire or intention to do so. Instead, it seeks only rational solutions, achieved with citizen input and local municipal input at every level, including the county and state levels of government. This is a situation which can be corrected, but — for example — CARS is concerned about the negative impact of an interchange at I-195 and Sharon Station Road, and CARS, both directly and through me, has suggested a number of reasonable solutions to the problem, including such simple and direct ones as weight and speed restrictions which must be vigorously enforced.
   This is a time for banding together to solve a local problem. It is not a time for either the municipal government, or the Messenger, to promote discord through misinformation. The lawsuit will run its course and, hopefully, be resolved soon. Upper Freehold would be in better shape, however, if the issue of safety on Sharon Station Road was of as much concern to the mayor and council as it is to CARS.
   
Stephen Edelstein

Attorney, CARS,

Florham Park
Good story, bad photo

To the editor:
   
Your front page feature "A lesson in store" (July 26) was a wonderful reporting job on the businesses that so many of us in the Robbinsville area have come to appreciate over the years.
   Unfortunately the photo you chose to run with that story is not so wonderful. Why a Dunkin’ Donuts (a national chain) that opened only a month ago in the Marrazzo Market? Why not a photo of one or more the local stores the article describes — businesses that have particular meaning to this community?
   
Henry MacAdam,

Washington
Funding formula needs solution
To the editor:
   
In an effort to stop some misinformation regarding the joint lawsuit that Washington Township and the Board of Education filed against the State of New Jersey, consider the following:
   The state admitted that its CEIFA (schools) funding formula is unfair, but hasn’t enacted change. The Joint Committee On School Funding came to the same conclusion last year, but the governor failed to act on their recommendations.
   Fact: 20 percent of school districts get 60 percent of the funding. Other districts that have the same wealth factor as Washington Township (known as a District Factor Group) get core curriculum state aid-many to the tune of several million dollars a year. We have lost over $20 million in aid over the years due to the inequity of the state’s school funding system. The school board and township are asking for the same aid that other school districts, like Millstone Township, get. The current system appears arbitrary.
   District officials have met repeatedly with our Assembly and Senate representatives, to no avail. They seem sympathetic to our problem, but failed act. In June 2006, the Board of Ed and Township Council hosted a public forum to discuss the problem of state funding with the representatives, again, to no avail.The tax situation has been a burden on the township residents, and the time came to fight for our share of state aid.
   It’s clear that the revenue stream has been relatively flat in a district that has grown from 450 to over 2,500 students in the past 12 years. The school district should be (and is) always looking for ways to save money and reach out for alternative sources of funding. Our district continues to deliver a high quality program on just over $11,000 per student, $2,000 less than the state average, even in the face of no core curriculum state aid. This demonstrates that we don’t have a spending problem, but we do have a revenue problem. The schools directly affect property values. It is imperative to everyone to maintain a high level of educational standards for our children, community and future.
   
Maxine Fox,

Vice President,

Washington Township

Board of Education