LETTERS

From the issue of Aug. 23, 2007.

Everyone loses with Matrix vote
To the editor:
   Here is a case of everyone involved coming out losers, except, perhaps, Matrix.
   Now Matrix will go to court. Matrix may get everything asked for and maybe even more. The township pays the court costs and the senior community will get stuck with the initial warehouses plans.
   It appears to me that a great opportunity to compromise has been lost.
   The sensible way to settle a dispute is for the parties involved to sit down, discuss solutions and compromise. I haven’t seen any willingness about either the community residents (who turned out 100 at the hearing) or the board making any attempt at an equitable solution.
   In the past, warehouse developers have been more than willing to adjust and compromise their plans. Why not ask for mitigation this time? The township has almost already become a loser for this lack of communication.
   The senior community is probably the largest loser. Complaints about diesel pollution and backup noises may be serious and legitimate concerns. Now, I believe, warehouses will be built without possible mitigation. Rather than just say "No" to the warehouse application, the opportunity was there to:
   1) Request added building setbacks;
   2) Require loading docks be on the opposite sides of the buildings from the senior community;
   3) Require extra-dense plantings or sound walls to mitigate noise from the warehouses;
   4) Require tractor engines to be turned off immediately whenever and as soon as the vehicle stops moving;
   5) Make sure that tractors are using new diesel fuel, which is required to be low sulfur and mitigates pollution levels from years past;
   6) Persuade Matrix to limit or prohibit older, highly polluting tractors from unloading cargoes nearest the community and encourage the use of new tractors that are required to have expensive catalytic converters and other pollution controls;
   7) Possibly prohibit loading and unloading during most objectionable hours;
   8) And all the other possible mitigation I can’t think of.
   It hopefully may not be too late for the board or Township Council to approach Matrix and say, "We made a mistake. Let’s talk. We can all come out ahead."
   Let’s hope this will happen.
Paul C. Murray

South Brunswick

Help sponsor soccer tourney
To the editor:
   The 2007 South Brunswick Soccer Tournament is taking place Sept. 8 and Sept. 9 throughout the township. This looks to be an exciting tournament with teams coming from as far away as Virginia. It also offers the South Brunswick community the opportunity to highlight its businesses and services. The Soccer Tournament is largely sponsored by an advertisement journal. There are still openings in the journal. In addition, a number of local vendors will be at the fields to sell their products.
   The tournament will highlight our youth, our businesses and our community. If you would like to be part of the event please email us at [email protected]. We look forward to a huge turnout of fans and players to make this a year to remember.
Detective Jim Ryan

Assistant Tournament Director

South Brunswick

Board members deserve respect
To the editor:
   Its been sometime since I found the need to write a letter, but, I was watching the Planning Board Meeting last week and saw behavior I thought was troubling. I then drove past the subject property and found signs that I thought were equally troubling.
   I don’t like to see men and women appear at Planning Board meetings with signs threatening elected officials with votes if a certain application passes. I also don’t like to hear someone say "not in my back yard" when an application has a favorable effect on tax relief for the whole town and it is simply wrong to stand before any public forum and accuse others of wrong doing without due process.
   The truth of the matter is that the men and women who sit on our Township Council and the many volunteers who give time on boards and commissions are dedicated and caring members of South Brunswick. They take responsibility seriously. Furthermore, they represent the whole community not just the special interest groups who appear before them on a regular basis.
   I like the concept of warehousing on Route 130 and I believe the Matrix site is a good use of the zone. It may need to be reduced in size however to fit more comfortably on the land, but it is not logical to presuppose problems that can’t be remedied will take place.
   I lived 10 years in Southridge Hills and my bedroom was facing Dolph Chemical Company. I never heard them make noise nor did I ever have even the faintest smell of any chemical.
   Dolph was there long before me and they proved to be excellent neighbors.
   I agree with our mayor and the Township Council members who are concerned with tax rates. It makes sense to build a balanced tax base without putting a large financial burden on single-family homes.
   There are those in South Brunswick who may not be concerned with taxes, but I’m reasonably active in the community and I see many more who are.
   I rode past Matrix’s site on Route 130 and observed three large signs offering available space before having received approval from the Planning Board. Although Matrix is a highly respected taxpayer, that situation only serves to suggest their application was approved even before there was a hearing.
   I know many of the men and women who serve in South Brunswick and donate hundreds of hours of their time annually. We should learn to appreciate them and to treat them with respect.
Arthur Roedel

Monmouth Junction