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BORDENTOWN TOWNSHIP: Township Committee taps Republican to fill vacant seat

By Joe Knox, Special Writer
   BORDENTOWN TOWNSHIP — The Township Committee on Monday unanimously appointed John Moyniham to fill a vacant seat on its body.
   Mr. Moyniham was nominated by Deputy Mayor Michael Dauber and seconded by Mayor Karl Feltes.
   The seat was formerly held by Anita DiMattia, a Republican, who resigned in June.
   Mr. Moyniham will fill the unexpired term through the end of the year.
   Deputy Mayor Dauber and Mr. Moyniham are running on the Republican ticket for two three-year seats that are up for election this November, according to Township Clerk Colleen Eckert on Tuesday.
   ”(They) are running together,” she said.
   Deputy Mayor Dauber and Mr. Moyniham will face off against Democratic challengers Stephen Benowitz and Kershaw Weston, according to Ms. Eckert.
   At Monday’s meeting, Deputy Mayor Dauber said his decision to nominate Mr. Moyniham was based on his knowledge of the township.
   After being sworn in Mr. Moyniham said, “Thanks for the faith and trust. There are great challenges and opportunities ahead, and I look forward to working with the community and doing the right thing.”
   Also at Monday’s Township Committee meeting, members appointed Stuart Rothman to an open seat on the Zoning Board.
   The committee went on to review proposed changes to site plans of the Team85 redevelopment project. The new designs and proposals were presented by Kevin Boyle, from Roberts Engineering Group LLC, on behalf of Team85 developer Kevin Johnson.
   Mr. Johnson is a former NFL player.
   Ground first broke on the Team85 redevelopment project — located on more than 30 acres along Route 130 — back in March 2011. Plans at the site include a new outpatient unit for St. Francis Medical Center as well as a large Team85 Fitness and Wellness sports facility.
   One change proposed on Monday is the addition of outdoor fields, proposed where silos stand today, for an 80-yard football field with a baseball diamond built within it for the U12 age group. Other changes are to buildings “A” and “F” to increase the indoor space — including via height — within the size parameters previously set. Another change discussed in detail was the team’s proposal to build a complete metal structure in place of a planned fabric roofed training facility.
   Mr. Boyle said Team85 was more than willing to keep the old design and reiterated that the proposed changes to metal from fabric would benefit public safety.
   Concerns were raised.
   Committeewoman Jill Popko asked, “Will there be landscaping that is taken out due to the increased area of hard surfaces and if so what will the affect be with runoff? What steps have the development team taken to take care of any runoff issues?”
   In response Mr. Boyle said that there is a retention basin that is remaining in place that can handle the excess runoff.
   There would also be additional space around the fields and the northern border of the property to maintain a buffer.
   Mayor Feltes voiced some concerns dealing with the aesthetics of the new metal building compared to a fabric facility and asked if a rendering could be supplied to the Township Committee.
   The governing body agreed that a final decision could not be reached on Monday and that more information would be required in order to assess the proposed changes.
   The Township Committee also discussed the Bordentown Waterfront Community redevelopment project — specifically Phase 2 of this project known as the ‘boomerang phase,’ an area which runs along Route 130 and Route 206.
   The main concern voiced about the draft of Phase 2 came from Committeeman Jim Cann.
   He said, “The changing of the lots to highway commercial is a step away from the (township) master plan.”
   Committeeman Cann said problems will arise from increased traffic, adding that the traffic concerns should be addressed sooner rather than later.
   Deputy Mayor Dauber said, “We need to know more about what (businesses are) coming before we can address the traffic issue.”
   Both members were in agreement that whether or not the issue was raised now or later — traffic would indeed be a major concern moving forward.
   In closing, the Township Committee discussed the success of last week’s Fish Derby at Northern Community Park.
   Deputy Mayor Dauber said, “The (Fish) Derby was a success and a fun filled day.”
   It was also mentioned that the family of James O’Ross, a long time advocate and volunteer for the Fish Derby — were present at the July 4 contest, which had 94 contestants. It was announced that the family donated a check to benefit the 2013 derby.
   The Township Committee is scheduled to next meet 7:30 p.m. July 23.
   — Jen Samuel, managing editor, contributed to this report.