From the issue of Aug. 23, 2007.
Schools’ scheduling will be a hardship
To the editor:
I am going to be a senior at Hillsborough High School this coming year. As all of the district’s students have surely noticed by now, a decision has been made to not release schedules to students until the first day of school.
While this may not be an enormous hardship for students in the elementary schools and middle school, it causes much unnecessary stress and headache for those of us seeking to complete our graduation requirements in the high school.
As a student who is planning to take several AP courses, I am aware that these classes are often offered one or two periods of the school day, which can make a schedule full of them very difficult to work out. Many of my friends who have taken several AP classes in past years have experienced difficulties with fitting all of these classes into their schedule.
They receive a schedule in the mail in August only to discover some of their prospective classes missing. These students ended up in extended meetings with their guidance counselors at the end of the summer, trying to figure out what they would be doing for the next year.
Many students participating in programs that take up class periods, such as Vo-Tech, have experienced the same difficulties. It is for this reason that it is so important for students to receive their schedules with enough time for all problems to be worked out before school starts.
A student who ends up with schedule that does not work out on the first day of school will have to spend class time trying to sort it out and for those aforementioned APs, work begins on the first day. Any student who has problems with APs on their schedule will doubtless end up behind.
In addition, many seniors have last minute classes and credits to fit in that are required for us to graduate. If there is a problem with one of these classes in our schedules, it is imperative that it be solved immediately.
Finally, many classes, especially APs, require work to be completed over the summer. Students need to be secure in the knowledge that these classes will indeed work in their schedule before they go writing papers. To do the summer work for a class only to find out on the first day of school that you cannot take it would be brutal.
The English class (I hope) I am taking next year requires eight books and a writing assignment to be completed over the summer. Clearly, the decision to release schedules on the first day of school rather than in advance as usual is a terrible mistake.
This student would like to urge the guidance office to be accommodating to students hoping to sort out their schedules in advance despite this decision, and hopes the same mistake will not be made next year.
Amelia Lavranchuk
Camden Road
Summer reading list needs more offerings
To the editor:
After reading Daniel Spencer’s letter in the Aug. 9 Beacon issue regarding the summer reading assignments in Hillsborough, I would like to add my comments. I was also disappointed with the summer reading "list."
My son will be a freshman at HHS this fall, and I feel these years will be critical to his readiness as a future college applicant. While I have no particular problem with the freshman Halse Anderson selection per se, or even the 10th grade "An Inconvenient Truth," I do have an issue that there is only one selection.
Why do only honors/A.P. classes rate reading more then one book? Why not have some more choices to interest both boys and girls?
A book about teen rape is hardly conducive to eager summer reading for boys. What about some of the classics like "The Old Man and the Sea" or so many others?
There are some excellent current selections out there as well, such as "Life of Pi." You have only to check out the American Library Association’s site (www.ala.org/ala/yasla/) for Young Adult reading lists for ideas.
And do these selections need to be such downers? While bullying, teen rape and the plague (6th grade Middle School reading selection, another Halse Anderson book strangely enough) are all interesting subjects, can’t any books with anything happier or more positive material be used to make students relate to the subject matter?
My son has been reading more advanced books for years and I believe you do these young adults a disservice by dumbing down or limiting the literacy program. Challenge them. Give them options to make choices.
It might take a little more work on both student and teacher sides, but it’s all for the good of the student. And isn’t that what we expect in Hillsborough, excellent education? I certainly do. Isn’t this what teachers aim to do-make lifelong readers?
I sure hope they do.
Donna Pankulics
Camden Road
Development will impact all of town
To the editor:
The madness has begun.
The development "Gateway at Sunnymead" has started and for those who are not informed, this development will consist of more than 700 units on 198 acres of what used to be zoned as 2-acre parcels a 7.3 times increase in density. The developer got what he wanted from past closed-door deals. Yes, town officials can hide behind the fact that this was a court ordered solution, but those involved know what really took place and more could have been done to protect the current residents impacted.
If you want a picture of deforestation, you don’t have to look any further than my back yard. Acres of 60-70 foot trees leveled. We don’t have to worry about the Rain Forests being decimated our open space has been decimated.
I assume you’re questioning why at this time the developer is deciding to build when all signs point toward a downward real estate market there is a time limit imposed on construction of 10 years. Why such a long time? The developer wanted to extend this to a 20-year project the residents requested 5 years the planning board decided on 10 years.
This construction will go on next to our homes every Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
We tried to mention to the builder that Hillsborough has a tree ordinance their reply was this didn’t apply to them. The town also has a noise ordinance I’m sure that doesn’t apply to them, either.
Residents in my neighborhood rely on well water for our use and drinking. Against our wishes, the developer received permission from the planning board to build retention ponds equipped with well pumps, using well water, even though the housing units will have city water hook-ups.
I can mention many more items and concerns by residents that were ignored, but I’m limited in this space. Residents tried but can’t fight against deep pockets.
By the way, the only road improvement will be to Falcon Road Sunnymead and Weston roads will stay the same. The traffic engineer maintains there will be no impact to current traffic flow. The same was said about the Hillsborough Promenade. Anyone travel Route 206 by the Promenade lately?
The site plans call for massive 3-story rental units to be put up night next to my home. The developer and their architect couldn’t design a plan that could have placed the 3-story units more towards the center of the development, enticing a more community feel no they wanted to place the rentals as far from the other units as possible and its right next to my home with only a 40-47 foot space between.
Residents away from this development may think that this doesn’t impact them. This will impact the entire town and way of life. The little open space we had here is gone now, and what wildlife was here (especially the Wild Turkeys) is now gone.
The names of our roads only reflect what used to be around here Partridge, Grouse. The town should change our slogan to Hillsborough The Good life for builders and developers.
Thomas Rodriguez
Grouse Road
Town should control cell tower plans
To the editor:
Can a community have control over the siting of cell towers? Does the cellular industry dictate when a new tower is needed and where a new cell tower is placed?
Last spring, Sprint applied for variances to construct a 150-foot tower at the Woods Road Firehouse. This location was only 90 feet from a residence.
And the tower would have been 120 feet higher than the nearest tree.
According to the Center for Municipal Solutions Consultants, communities do not have to put up with this. Communities can have control of the sites where cell towers are placed.
The industry has acknowledged that it will need nearly 1 million more sites in the next few years. Communities that are not prepared to deal with this matter will find themselves answering to their constituents in regard to why their community has so many towers and ugly wireless facilities when nearby communities don’t.
While there are certainly many issues facing every community, few will have more of a long term, permanent impact and effect on the nature and character of a community than the erection of these wireless telecommunications towers.
The effects of today’s decisions regarding these facilities will have to be lived with for decades and the question is, is the nature, character and safety of the community worth protecting? Has anyone visited the municipal complex lately?
The good news is that if a community wants, it can control the issue. Cellular communication consultants that assist towns with the creation of cellular communication master plans exist. Their services are funded by the applicants not by our tax dollars.
Cellular companies should get what they can prove they need while the community gets expanded coverage and new technologies, without having to live with a multitude of unnecessary new towers several times higher then they need to be. In all but the most rural locales today, a new tower should be an aberration.
With today’s technology we should not be able to tell where an antennae is.
Two examples of these companies are Center for Municipal Solutions and JNS Enterprises, Inc.
The people of our community should prompt our Township Committees to draft plans for our future wireless needs. The new ugly tower at the municipal complex could be our last.
Doug Ely
Vliet Drive
Mr. Ely suggested two Web sites for more information on cell towers: http://www.telecomsol.com and http://www.jnsenterprises.net
Beware of storms’ potential for danger
To the editor:
I am writing a reminder that folks need every so often.
As we get more advanced in the Electronic Age, we seem to forget or ignore that operating electronic devices in electrical storms is dangerous. We have that "It Can’t Happen to Me Syndrome."
Last Friday night, our neighborhood listened and watched fire engines and an ambulance and volunteers with blinking lights come roaring down our street after several thunder storms blew through. We were told it was an electrical fire.
I had a coworker who thought nothing of being on the phone and computer during storms and taking showers. I found the page in the phone book that warned folks not to be on landline phones during storms except for emergencies.
I have asked repair folks how safe things are in today’s age and they all said the same as before: you take a chance being online or even watching TV.
The cable book says the same thing. It can travel the cable line.
I just had DSL put in and the man called headquarters to say my line wasn’t grounded! He proceeded grounding my line. The cable man had said the same thing a few years ago when he had to put a new line in and he grounded that. A bit later, it came out in the paper to check to see if everyone was grounded properly.
Before this, I had a phone line to the computer fried, my girlfriend got her ear burned as lightning traveled through her phone and another friend had her business computer fried in a storm. Another had her apartment burn from a TV.
Taking a shower or doing dishes is also a no-no in a storm. Water and electricity don’t mix well.
Lightning can come in through glass, also.
As part of my company’s Health and Safety Team, I think this is a perfect time to remind folks that "it can happen to you."
Don’t take chances and tell your kids not to take chances either.
Diane Jones
Scott Drive

