The past year was a relatively quiet one for Millstone Township, aside from the havoc wreaked in late summer by Hurricane Irene.
January: Nancy Grbelja was elected to serve as mayor for the sixth consecutive year, while Michael Kuczinski began serving for the first time as deputy mayor. Township Engineer Matt Shafai reported that Battleground, Disbrow Hill, East and West Pine Branch and Bittner Roads are on the 2011 list for repairs.
State Sen. Jennifer Beck, Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande and Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders Director Lillian Burry attended the Jan. 19 Township Committee meeting to report on new legislation affecting horse racing, a major industry in the municipality and surrounding areas. February: The Monmouth County Historical Commission and the Board of Chosen Freeholders awarded a $5,275 restoration grant for the township-owned Clarksburg Methodist Episcopal Church on Stagecoach Road.
A large property off Disbrow Hill Road can now sprout solar panels instead of crops. The North Star Solar Energy Farm application received unanimous preliminary and final approval at the Feb. 9 Planning Board meeting. The farm will be developed on 126.29 acres off Disbrow Hill Road and 5 acres in the Moto Industrial Park at 700 Rike Drive.
The plans to develop two subdivisions on Route 526 received third and final oneyear extensions at the Feb. 9 Planning Board meeting. PerlAcres North consists of 44.69 acres, and received preliminary major subdivision approval for 11 lots in 2003. Nine of the lots would be located on a culde sac with access to Route 526, while two of the lots would have direct access to Route 526. The board gave the subdivision final approval on April 11, 2007.
The PerlAcres South subdivision across the street consists of 158 acres, and received preliminary major subdivision approval for 43 residential lots and two lots dedicated to the township in 2003, with the same memorialization date as Perl Acres North.
Residents voted 125 to 75 to pass Millstone Township Fire District’s $1.72 million budget. The spending plan, approved in the Feb. 19 election at the firehouse, relies on a tax increase of 0.4 cents per $100 of assessed value, setting the tax rate for fire services at 0.085 cents per $100 of assessed value. Taxes for a house assessed at the township’s average of $510,990 will increase $22.48 as a result of the passed budget.
March: Although a new ordinance regarding solar energy installations has yet to be reviewed and adopted, the Zoning Board agreed to allow a resident to install two solar panel systems at his residence. Applicant John Haines asked to install two groundmounted solar-panel systems measuring 2,342 square feet at his Lucas Lane home. Haines sought a variance because the current ordinance allows no more than 900 square feet. He told the board he would like to eliminate the electric bill for his 9,000- square-foot house by installing the solar panels. Although the Millstone Township School District’s proposed budget does not rely on increasing the tax rate, taxpayers will receive higher bills this year as a result of school spending. The school district has to collect $960,683 that the state restored to the 2010-11 budget. If voters approve the proposed $31.7 million spending plan for 2011- 12 in the April 27 election, the district will also have to collect $26,371,784 in taxes for a total of $27,332,467, according to Business Administrator Bernard Biesaida.
April: The Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association presented Millstone Township with a “Leadership Award for Environmental Protection” at its annual meeting April 25 for the community’s “outstanding efforts to preserve and protect the environment.”
The school district announced at the April 26 Board of Education meeting that it would hire Scott Feder, 42, of Plainsboro, as the district’s new superintendent of schools.
May: Kevin McGovern and David De- Pinho were tapped again for leadership positions on the Board of Education. During the meeting, McGovern took the oath of office for a one-year term on the board. Incumbents John Saxton and Sal Casale were sworn in for three-year terms. All three won the seats in the April 27 election. The board also swore in newcomer Suzanne Marasco, who received 82 write-in votes for a threeyear term seat; no one officially filed to run for that seat.
June: If Millstone Township adopts its proposed budget for the next year, the average homeowner would pay a tax increase of $55. The owner of a house assessed at $510,750 would see the municipal portion of the tax bill rise 1 cent per $100 of assessed value. The $6.1 million spending plan introduced at the June 1 Township Committee meeting is $104,000 less than last year’s budget.
In the June primary, no Democrats filed to run. The two Republican incumbents running for Township Committee, Michael Kuczinski and Fiore Masci, received 72 and 70 votes, respectively.
Ajudge ordered the Zoning Board of Adjustment to reconsider an application that it previously denied. Board members voted 4- 3 on May 26 to deny Seasonal World’s application for a variance to expand its Route 537 building with a canopy. InAugust, Seasonal World, owned and operated by Anthony Schiavone, filed a civil action suit in state Superior Court, Freehold, against the Zoning Board and the township. According to the complaint, Seasonal World applied for approval to expand its existing one-story building in Feb. 2010. The board had conducted public hearings on the proposed expansion at itsApril 28 and May 26 meetings, and no one came forward to oppose the application, according to the complaint.
July: The Millstone Township Committee has adopted a $6.1 million budget for 2011-12. The budget passed in a 4-0 vote at the July 6 meeting. Deputy Mayor Michael Kuczinski was absent.
August: A tornado tore through the northern section of Millstone Aug. 9, downing trees and power lines. The township received confirmation Aug. 11 that the tornado touched down just before 2:30 p.m. and caused damage to numerous trees, power lines and utility poles until 3 p.m.
The township contracted June 1 with Western Monmouth Animal Control (WMAC), overseen by the Manalapan Health Department, to provide animal control services. The Township Committee introduced an ordinance Aug. 17 that would affect fees for animal control-related services. Under the proposed ordinance, the administrative fee for removing a dog or other animal from the pound would remain the same at $25, but the shelter fee would increase to $100.
Hurricane Irene unleashed her wrath on the township over Labor Day weekend. The power went out in most of Millstone over the weekend, with Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) telling Deputy Mayor Kuczinski on Monday that residents might not have power restored for five days. Using rough figures JCP&L provided, Kuczinski estimated that 1,435 of 2,488 customers throughout town lost power, not counting portions of town with an Englishtown mailing address. This included Mayor Nancy Grbelja, who was among the last of township residents to have power restored.
September: If funding is available from the state or the county, Millstone Township plans to purchase a historic farmhouse and 7.5 acres of property on Baird Road. At the Sept. 7 meeting, the governing body introduced an ordinance to purchase the Wagner/ Baird property, also known as the historic Thomas Baird homestead at 24 Baird Road.
More residents and businesses than ever have been seeking township approval to install solar and other alternative energy systems. The Township Committee responded to the trend at its Sept. 21 meeting by introducing an ordinance that would regulate the installation and operation of these systems.
October: The Township Committee hired a new township administrator/Department of Public Works coordinator and appointed a new recreation coordinator Oct. 5. Thomas Antus, the longtime administrator for Freehold Township who retired from that position earlier this year, was named to the Millstone position. He replaced Phil Del Turco, who was terminated from the position at the previous committee meeting.
The township will reassess the tax base in response to a growing number of tax appeals. Millstone properties were revaluated for tax purposes by order of the county two years ago, with the average Millstone home valued at $510,750. At the Oct. 19 Township Committee meeting, the governing body voted 4-0 to authorize another reassessment.
November: In the Nov. 8 general election, Fiore Masci won his second three-year term on the Township Committee with 895 votes, or 48.99 percent of the total votes cast. Deputy Mayor Michael Kuczinski received 892 votes, or 48.82 percent of the total vote, to win his second full term. In January 2008, he was appointed to fulfill the remaining term of Ray Dilfanian and won election in his own right that November. Forty write-in votes brought the total vote count to 1,827.
December: County officials have approved funding for the preservation of two parcels in Millstone Township. The Monmouth County Board of Freeholders agreed to provide a total of $460,613.20 to help preserve a 25-acre tract as part of the farmland preservation program, and the 7.5-acre Wagner/ Baird property as open space that will house a cultural center within a historic home.