MARLBORO – The people who spent months outside in the summer heat working to construct the new veterans memorial outside of Town Hall received certificates of recognition at the council’s Oct. 18 meeting.
Councilman Joseph Pernice spoke about the hard work the volunteers displayed over the course of the project’s construction.
“You guys did a great job,” he said.
Maria Kramer is the master gardener who helped design the memorial, which is a circular area containing monuments, plantings and benches. Kramer described how the volunteers worked in the heat for three months to complete the task. She said the memorial garden has been submitted for a design award.
Judges were expected to inspect the memorial garden on the Oct. 19.
“The fact that they are coming means they have taken notice” of the garden, Kramer said.
The individuals who were honored with certificates of recognition were Maria Kramer, her children Abraham and Jessica Kramer, her husband Scott Kramer, Bill Waple, Bob Michaels, Harold Chlup, Anne Galli, Pasha Ellis, Diane Allen, Jim Allen, Marsha Montgomery, Helene Schroeder, Jane Chou, Wanna Chin, Jeanne Patterson, Denise Corrigan-Dunne, Angela Nikitopoulos, Patrice McCoy, Bob Mellert, Howard Bodner, Artie Lee, Robert Lee, Patrick Dunne and Mike Stephan.
During the citizens voice portion of the meeting Bill Waple spoke about the need for a senior center. Waple described how seniors gather for coffee at the Marlboro Recreation Community Center twice a month only to have to leave in about two hours so that other activities can take place in the center. Waple said he would like to see a place where seniors can go every day. Waple said it was his understanding that funds had been set aside for the specific use of building a place for Marlboro’s seniors to gather.
Waple mentioned an existing senior center on Texas Road, but council President Jeff Cantor said that as far as he knew the facility on Texas Road was not active.
A lot of talk during the public portion of the meeting involved the purchase of two replacement dump trucks, which was listed on the agenda for the night.
Residents were concerned as to why the entire truck was being replaced and not simply the truck’s bed. One resident called it frivolous spending. The council eventually pulled the item from the agenda in order to further explore the options relating to the trucks.
On the agenda that evening was the first reading and introduction of an ordinance to amend the township’s code of uses in the light industrial (LI) zone. Under the proposed amendment, landscaping businesses would become a permitted use in the LI zone.
Township Attorney Andrew Bayer said the proposed change most likely came from the request of a resident or business owner.
Michael Fishman, chairman of the Zoning Board of Adjustment, spoke out during the citizen’s voice portion of the meeting to state his concern about the amendment to the ordinance.
Fishman said he appreciated the council taking action on some of the zoning board’s suggestions on different ordinances, however, he was concerned about action being taken on some items that the zoning board had not suggested, for example, the proposed amendment to the LI zone.
Fishman said the zoning board had not seen material concerning the matter, nor had the board even been informed of the request. He asked the council to speak with the zoning board members or officials since they have experience in these matters.
Bayer said that by law the council does not have to speak with zoning officials prior to taking action on an ordinance such as this.
“As a matter of courtesy then,” Fishman requested of the council.
Pernice said he had requested the zoning officer’s input on this topic. The councilman said officials must work on the lines of communication so that everyone would be aware of these issues.
In the end it was stated that information about the matter would be presented to zoning board members prior to the ordinance being adopted.
Toward the end of the meeting Councilwoman Patti Morelli spoke about her concerns regarding the section of the township code which discusses off-street parking regulations.
This concern stems from an application filed by Triangle Business Park, Amboy Road, before the Planning Board that Morelli heard as a member of that panel on Oct. 17. The applicant is seeking to amend the business park’s parking configuration.
Morelli was concerned because in the applicant’s plans businesses that would attract children, including daycare and learning centers, would be occupying space next to commercial companies that may have trucks loading near the children. In addition, it was noted that when the applicant received approval for the project it was expected to be a warehouse and office space use. Now with the other types of facilities occupying the space there is a concern as to the flow of traffic on Amboy Road.
The tenants have already received their mercantile licenses because there were no stipulations in the township’s ordinance stating otherwise. Morelli said she asked the board’s planner to look into possibly amending the code.
“My main concern is the children’s safety,” Morelli said.
The council will hold its next meeting on Nov. 7 in the caucus room of the municipal building. The meeting date was changed from Nov. 8 to Nov. 7.