By: centraljersey.com
It is both sad and unfortunate that 439 acres of pristine open space and productive farmland in Robbinsville will now become another massive Sharbell development, including 150 residential units.
Robbinsville is quickly losing its rural identity and becoming another classic example of surburban sprawl, which will only lead to more traffic congestion, additional children for an already overburdened school district, and the need for extra municipal services (police, fire, public works).
Of course, the result will be more property tax increases, a diminished quality of life, and even fewer senior citizens being able to afford to stay and retire here.
Sharbell, which has so enriched itself with the Town Center development, should either abandon its plans completely and donate the property to the township as open space, or significantly scale down its project to eliminate any residential components and dedicate more acres as open space.
Joseph Mollica Robbinsville
Council should spend money responsibly
To the editor:
As a witness to the goings-on at the Jan. 27 Robbinsville Township Council meeting, I have to ask myself: Who is being served by our elected officials?
When a resident made a plea to the council to table a resolution to install a traffic light, council members did so in order to obtain additional information they were lacking. After the resident left the meeting, the mayor was called and, upon his arrival, chastised the council members for their failure to adopt the resolution. The council, in turn, voted to untable and adopt the aforementioned resolution, without receiving any additional information. This prompted Councilwoman Ciaccio to comment that they had, after all, already sent out the press release for a ribbon-cutting ceremony concerning the installation of the light. Regardless of the merits of the resolution, a resident was misled, and council members could not formulate a sound argument for adoption of the resolution on their own. Why are our elected officials voting on expending money when they, clearly, do not know why they are voting?
In a different instance, a resident asked council members when action had been taken to authorize the signing of letters of support for a development project in town. Council President McGowan stated they had not signed the letters. The municipal clerk had to correct her and informed the council president that she had, in fact, signed that letter of support only two weeks prior to the meeting. Why are council members unaware of their own actions?
In these difficult times we need strong leadership, not ill-informed decision-makers. Members of council vote to spend millions of dollars of our money. Shouldn’t we, as taxpayers, expect and demand them to do so responsibly, with knowledge and integrity?
Sonja Walter Robbinsville
The writer is a former member of the Township Council.
Conversion plan won’t affect Pines
To the editor:
Having read about Sharbell’s intent to change its original plan from active adult housing to a standard residential development for the Gordon-Simpson tract near Route 130 North ("Developer’s conversion plan draws heat," Messenger-Press website, Jan. 25) provides The Pines at Robbinsville with an opportunity to clarify two key issues.
First, The Pines, located on a self-contained, 16-acre parcel of land across from the planned retail shops and professional offices, is not a part of Sharbell’s proposed development plan changes. The revisions outlined are not expected to negatively impact The Pines’ new retirement community and that will allow the active town concept to remain intact.
Secondly, The Pines at Robbinsville is a new, locally sponsored, not-for-profit continuing care retirement community (CCRC) for senior adults ages 62 and older which is different from the described 55+ active adult community. A continuing care retirement community offers a smart choice for those who wish to continue to enjoy an active, independent lifestyle and want to have a plan in place should certain health-care needs arise. The Pines’ residents will be able to "age in place" as they move seamlessly between independent living, assisted living and memory care. Residents also will have access to a comprehensive range of amenities and conveniences along with maintenance-free living and personal support services as needed.
As Robbinsville Township’s first senior living community, we continue to be very excited about our location and the benefits of being so close to shops and professional offices, as it fulfills our goal of providing an exceptionally vibrant style of living for our future senior adult residents.
Bill Janson President/CEO The Pines at Robbinsville and The Pines at Whiting
Tax form checkoff aids spay-neuter program
To the editor:
New Jersey taxpayers can show their concern for our companion animals when they file their state income tax returns in 2011.
For the first time, the tax forms will provide an opportunity to make a painless donation to the state’s Animal Population Control program, a low-cost spay-neuter program operated by the state Department of Health and Senior Services.
The APC program contracts with hundreds of veterinarians across the state to provide surgeries at minimal cost, $20 for adopted pets and $10 for those owned by people on public assistance. Since its inception more than 25 years ago, the program has surgically altered about 100,000 cats and dogs and is credited with dramatically reducing the euthanasia rate in New Jersey’s shelters.
To date, the only funding sources have been a $3 surcharge on dog licenses and the sale of "animal friendly" license plates. The tax check-off will provide additional funding for more surgeries, so when you file your state tax return, please take a moment to check-off for the animals.
Barbara Wicklund Member New Jersey Domestic Companion Animal Council Montgomery
