By Amy Batista, Special Writer
EAST WINDSOR — Mayor Janice Mironov declared “East Windsor remains relatively strong” and “undaunted in spirit” in her “State of East Windsor Township” address May 10 at the Holiday Inn on Monmouth Street.
She also said her two goals for the year are preserving open space and farmland, which she said has always been a passion of hers and the governing body, and promoting high quality commercial development and job generation in the community.
The Mercer Regional Chamber of Commerce and its 10 local chapters host “state of” addresses for most municipalities in the Central New Jersey region.
The event was attended by around 100 people comprised of local business owners and elected officials, who included Sen. Linda Greenstein and assemblymen Dan Benson and Wayne DeAngelo, all of the 14th District; Mercer County Sheriff Jack Kemler, Mercer County Clerk Paula Sollami Covello, Freeholders Pat Colavita, John Cimino, Anthony Carabelli, Sam Frisby and Ann Cannon and East Windsor councilmen, Deputy Mayor Perry Shapiro, Alan Rosenberg, Hector Duke, John Zoller and Peter Yeager.
In her remarks, Mayor Mironov said, “East Windsor remains relatively strong, undaunted in spirit in moving forward to face those challenges effectively and, in most cases, successfully. We expect to take that same spirit into the year as we expect to work with all of you.”
One of the areas most challenging today is the fact that revenues have declined significantly, Mayor Mironov said.
”The state has withheld much of the money we believe belongs to us,” she said. “Declining valuation in tax appeals have taken a tremendous toll on municipalities throughout the state.”
Mayor Mironov talked about the township’s 2012 budget.
”In 2012, spending in East Windsor has declined,” she said. “And, in fact, spending in our 2012 budget is over $1.4 million below the 2009 budget. Now that’s good news. We have always worked hard to keep our operations quite fiscally tight and to recognize and take advantage of funding opportunities and efficiencies whenever we can.”
Mayor Mironov explained why property taxes have gone up even though there is a decline in the budget.
”How does that make sense even though spending is way down, but property taxes are up” Mayor Mironov said. “Some of that is the issue with valuation and the tax appeals, but a significant part of that is, I must say, is because the State of New Jersey . . .we understand they have their own challenges, but they have chosen to take money that belongs to us in East Windsor and other towns across the state for use in their own state budget. That’s not right.”
She said, “We have our own challenges. That was money we expected to receive and we depend upon.”
According to Mayor Mironov, the consequences of the state withholding East Windsor’s money — energy tax receipts and other property tax relief funds — is that East Windsor has been shorted $2.8 million this year.
Mayor Mironov said it was in the interest of the business community as well as municipal officials to stand up and address this issue. She said this was the No. 1 issue she hears as she talks to local business owners and those businesses that want to stay in New Jersey, grow in New Jersey or come to New Jersey. It is a common goal they all share and should be working together on, she said.
Mayor Mironov also offered a challenge to state officials, the governor and state legislators “to return the money that rightfully belongs to the people in our community and to make this the year that they do that.”
Mayor Mironov thanked the New Jersey League of Municipalities and Sen. Paul Sarlo, chairman of the Budget Committee in the Senate, who have helped put together a proposal to begin the process whereby that money is returned and said it was “the right direction.”
Regarding shared services, the mayor said, “We’re all for shared services. I don’t know many municipal officials who are not for shared services. Shared services would save you money . . . give you better services. I’m for that.”
Mayor Mironov listed shared service opportunities in East Windsor.
Some of these shared services include the state health benefit program — the township saved more than $1 million annually — and a contract with a private daytime emergency services provider — it saved $300,000 since program started. It also has shared services with a health officer, its Senior Center, transportation, animal control, a fueling facility and energy costs, according to Mayor Mironov.
”Understand, we support shared services,” she said. “We support doing things together. It’s smart. It does save a lot, but it hasn’t solved the issues that municipal governments are grappling with, and it’s not resulting in a type of impact on property taxes that all of us really need to see.”
The mayor turned her remarks to local businesses.
The newest business in town, she said, is Bartronics, which is a global information technology company that specializes in barcodes and bar tags and was founded in India in 1990. It opened in East Windsor in the past couple of weeks.
And Bottle King is expected to open another location in East Windsor.
Mayor Mironov pointed to the primary companies in terms of size and job generators.
”East Windsor Township is the home of McGraw-Hill’s companies, ConAir Corporation and Shiseido America,” she said. “Three of the preeminent worldwide companies. We are thrilled that they call here home; that they’ve had a good existence here.”
McGraw-Hill has just completed a solar array in its campus on Route 571. It is the largest solar-metered array in North America, the mayor said, and supports an existing business here in the township.
Shiseido, with an “environmental sensitivity,” she said, also has a solar array more modest, both roof- based and land-based and has been a “great pioneer,” according to Mayor Mironov.
ConAir Corp. is looking to expand and has approval for another 450,000 square feet. It occupies around 675,000 square feet now, according to Mayor Mironov.
”We are hopeful that, maybe, this will be the year that we see that project take off and move forward,” Mayor Mironov said.
Other major projects going on in the township include Elementis moving to the new Sci-Park, which is the first step forward in that project. In Windsor Corporate Park, there is approved to expand another 100,000 square foot, and that project should happen within the next year to year and a half, the mayor said. Also, the Americana has a development project under way and is doing renovations, she said.
”That is really the center of our Route 130 retail center so this is really a dynamic development for us and is really going to enhance the attractiveness of that route 130 and 571 area,” Mayor Mironov said. “We are very excited about that.”
“”She said there are some prospects on some of the remaining spaces in those shopping centers.
”I am upbeat that we will see some activity take hold in the Windsor Hights Shopping Center as well as the Target Center and those existing spaces,” she said.
Assisted living facility Four Seasons, with 120 beds, will be breaking ground by the summer on Route 571, she said. Other projects that have been approved or are taking action are a development for 51 single-family homes on Airport Road. Brooktree has a smaller development (Conover) of 22 units, and Windcrest has 84 units in the process of being completed, according to Mayor Mironov.
She changed the subject to transportation.
”Transportation is always an important area to us. We do always try to make some investments every year,” Mayor Mironov said.
For this year, resurfacing work is scheduled for a portion of Dutch Neck Road with the help of a state grant as well as improvements to several other municipal roads.
One of the major projects scheduled for this upcoming year is the realignment at Route 130 of Hankins and Conover roads.
”This is a major project that we have been trying to move with the DOT (Department of Transportation),” the mayor said. “We agreed to become the lead agency on it. We brought on engineering services, and we have finally received approval of the concept. This is another project we expect to be doing in cooperation with Robbinsville Township.”
Mayor Mironov said the township also is continuing to move forward on the Lanning Boulevard extension project.
”These are the kind of creative approaches we try to take in East Windsor to help make the community more user friendly for everyone,” Mayor Mironov said, explaining that Lanning would extend so people could connect to different shopping centers and access businesses safely.
”We have a couple of grants we are pretty excited about,” Mayor Mironov said.
Mayor Mironov discussed the Route 33 Corridor Revitalization Plan and the $100,000 planning grant the township received from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. It is a collaborative project with Hightstown Borough in which East Windsor has taken the lead.
The two came up with a model between Route 33 and Summit Street, according to Mayor Mironov.
”Looking to make that corridor something more than what it is now,” she said. “It’s fair to say it’s been a bit under utilized, and even though it’s a state road, it’s a major connector. It could be doing a whole lot more than it is now.”
The mayor discussed another $100,000 planning grant from DVRPC to explore the area around the Turnpike with respect to enhancing circulation and business growth there and launching the efforts on that.
”We want to involve as many of you as would like to be involved in that process,” Mayor Mironov said.
Speaking of the Turnpike, “We think it’s a great project,” Mayor Mironov said.
Mayor Mironov said the township received some funding that was applied towards its open space as a result of some of the property condemnations from the Turnpike project.
”Interchange 8, I don’t care what the sign says, Interchange 8 is in East Windsor Township,” the mayor said. “It has always been in East Windsor Township. We are trying to get the signs updated.”
The interchange is being relocated to the east side of the Turnpike. It’s being expanded to approximately 12 booths, and will connect directly to Route 133, she said. All the work associated with Route 133 and the interchange will be completed by the end of this year, and the interchange will be open, but the expansion of the Turnpike still will be ongoing, Mayor Mironov said.
”Remember the trees. We had to fight for those trees, which was unfortunate, but we have completed the first phase of reforestation and the funding, and we are now on the second,” Mayor Mironov said.
Turning to open space, Mayor Mironov said the township received another $350,000 in grants. It closed on two additional properties, approximately 40 acres on Etra Road and 7.5 acres on Airport Road, and is days or weeks away from finalizing acceptance of another 38 acres on Wycoff Mills Road.
“”Four multipurpose fields have been built for the town, and there is room for expansion. Disbrow Hill Trail was another pathway that was completed this year. There are applications for new ones. There is a whole new network of pathways successfully funded, according to Mayor Mironov.
She also spoke about the township’s efforts in sustainability.
“”“’”East Windsor received its Sustainable New Jersey Bronze certification this year and updated its township community forestry management plan, according to Mayor Mironov.
”The State of New Jersey quickly needs to step up and put in place a balanced, a thoughtful and a properly incentivized program for renewable energy in this state that does not tell people that the best way to forward renewable energy and solar projects is to take our treasured farmland out of production and put panels over it,” she said. “I’m sorry. A solar farm is not a farm.”
She added, “And in accordance with the governor’s Master Plan on this issue, we should not be using our public money to subsidize these endeavors. We should not be using public money to encourage people to take productive farmland that we value in this state, the Garden State, and that we have invested so much of our money to preserve. We should not be using public subsidies to put solar panels on that farmland. The panels should be going where they belong — on the rooftops of our shopping centers, our warehouses, our brownfields or they should be going into net-metered projects that we get a dual benefit to support and encourage our great businesses to operate more efficiently, to stay here in our communities and here in our state, to keep jobs here and to generate new jobs.”
She told those listening, “So that’s an area you can be helpful.”
She ended by saying, “We love our business community. We want to continue to work with you. We value you. We want your input. At the end of the day, we think we share goals. We think that most of the goals that are ours are yours and that we should be moving in the same direction.”

