By: centraljersey.com
I’d like to thank everyone who attended the Manville Democratic Organization’s Octoberfest event this past Saturday at Gatto’s Sports Cafe.
We consider the event to be a complete success. We had a fun time running it and hope you had enjoyed yourselves, too. It was nice to see Manville residents, including community volunteers, family and friends, supporting our candidates Ed Komoroski and Frank Jurewicz.
Please remember to continue to show your support and vote for Ed and Frank on Nov. 2.
Gary Skirkanish Manville
The writer is the treasurer of the Manville Democratic Organization.
Rustic Mall should be downtown centerpiece
To the editor:
I read the letter from Councilman Ed Komoroski in the Oct. 2 paper and I would like to agree with Ed. I, too, attended the circus and it was nice to see something positive happening at the Rustic Mall site. It shows that if you put a good product at that location, customers will come. This was an opportunity to showcase the site as a valuable piece of property ready for future development.
This is where I have a problem. The owner of this property has negotiated an agreement with a previous Borough Council for a reduction of property taxes during the clean-up process due to the fact that the property is a Superfund site. While not the only property involved in this project (many of the homes in the Claremont section of town were affected), it is the only property that has not yet submitted their paperwork to the state to be removed from the Superfund list.
Why are they dragging their feet? Is it because the clock to end their tax abatement begins ticking when the site is removed from the Superfund list?
In a Manville News article on March 4, 2010, they are quoted as saying "The lack of businesses willing to open on the property has slowed the process." While this statement explains why they’re not willing to begin developing the site, it does not explain why this multi-million dollar corporation can’t, or won’t, complete their paperwork.
What has our Republican-led Progress and Development Committee done to make headway on this situation? I understand they have only met with the developer twice since the paperwork was distributed to all affected property owners in September 2008. I have been attending council meetings since March always asking the same question, "Has the owner of the Rustic Mall property submitted the paperwork in order to get the property off the Superfund list?" I have been told that it was submitted incorrectly so the state returned it to the owner and I have been told that the council thinks it has been resubmitted. The lack of initiative from this committee is costing the taxpayers money every day they fail to act. Do they think this two-year delay is acceptable?
I am running for Borough Council along with Ed Komoroski and we believe this property needs to be the centerpiece of the redevelopment of the downtown business district. If this property owner doesn’t want to be a partner in the redevelopment process then they become an obstacle to it.
I hope they are soon able to properly submit all paperwork but, and this is a big but, if they continue delaying the process, I believe it leaves Manville no other option than to begin condemnation which would allow us to get the property off the Superfund list and redeveloped.
I truly believe with all of the partners working together toward the same goal of redevelopment, we can turn the corner and once again have a vibrant, successful business property to complement our existing downtown business district. We have to start now!
Frank Jurewicz Dominic Street
The writer is a Democratic candidate for one of two three-year terms on the Borough Council on the November ballot.
Flooding has cost us too many neighbors
To the editor:
Now the real work starts. We need funding to complete our flood study with a sense of urgency. Hopefully a newly formed commission will carry more weight in Washington and do just that.
Yes, we have had four major flood events in the last decade but there were numerous close calls in the 1980s and 1990s. Waiting an additional 20 or 30 years before a shovel goes in the ground is totally unacceptable. That is not an option anyone wants to hear.
The Army Corps of Engineers can fix or mitigate the problem and all it takes is funding. We have two years left to complete a flood study that will take 13 years in total. We have waited long enough. Large sections of our town are at risk. I look forward to the day where we visualize solutions and see construction begin!
This is long overdue. We all have waited long enough and have seen so many of our good long-time neighbors leave town because of continued flooding.
Richard M. Onderko Manville
Mr. Onderko is a Manville Borough Councilman.
State needs new plan for its infrastructure
To the editor:
I recently read the editorial "America’s economic ‘backbone’ is crumbling," posted Oct. 6. As the chair of the 2007 New Jersey Infrastructure Report Card Committee, I want tothank you for raising awareness to imminent crisis of infrastructure decay.
Recent news events tell the story. Modern ships cannot enter NY/NJ ports because the Bayonne Bridge is too low to allow ships to cross safely. Crowded NJ Transit trains struggle to keep up with demand. Traffic jams on highways and interstates are increasing. Posted bridges force truckers to detour their routes through local roads. Posted bridges can also affect school bus and emergency vehicle routes. The list goes on and on.
New Jersey is in a precarious position, with many of the funding sources simply drying up. The Transportation Trust Fund is broke, the Environmental Infrastructure Trust Fund lacks the staffing and funds to secure financing for all eligible water/sewer projects, and the AmericanRecovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) has been sufficient to fund only a small fraction of the overall infrastructure need.
New Jersey needs a new plan.
Andres M. Roda, P.E. Director, NJ Section American Society of Civil Engineers

