MANVILLE
Narrative:
Manville is a urban borough near Somerville, roughly midway between New York City and Philadelphia.
In the early years after Europeans came to the central New Jersey, Manville was a portion of Hillsborough Township.
Famous Revolutionary War generals, such as George Washington and Nathaniel Green, wintered in the area, as well as marching their troops through the area.
Manville’s history has always been influenced by its location, especially because it’s at the confluence of the Millstone and Raritan rivers. Economic development was accelerated by the construction of the Delaware-Raritan Canal, which allowed barge to carry goods between the New Brunswick and Trenton.
The borough was influenced forever by the decision of the Johns-Manville Products Corporation, the world’s largest producer of asbestos, in the 1920s to locate its plant in Manville and take advantage of the confluence of the waterways, railroads and major highways.
According to the borough website, several million dollars of industrial development took place within the span of a few years. In conjunction with the location of the world’s largest asbestos plant in the area, came rapid residential and commercial development. Consequently, in 1929, a referendum was held approving the creation of a separate municipality to be legally known as the Borough of Manville, named officially after the Johns-Manville Corporation.
Socially, the borough evinces a pride in its dominant Catholic, Eastern European heritage. A major summer festival, featuring Polish and other ethnic foods, draws people from distances.
In recent years, the borough has had to deal with floods that have inundated residential areas and the commercial downtown. Commercial redevelopment is one of the major items on the borough agenda.
Community contact: The fulltime borough administrator and engineer is Gary Garwacke. His phone is 908-725-9478, ext.103. Borough offices are at 325 North Main St. and the zip code is 08835. The borough government website is manvillenj.org.
Schools contact: The superintendent since 2009 is Dr. Johanna S. Ruberto. Her phone is 908-231-8500 and her offices at 410 Brooks Blvd. The schools’ website is manvilleschools.org.
County: Somerset.
Election districts: For state elections, Manville is in Legislative District 16, which includes municipalities in Hunterdon, Mercer and Middlesex counties. For U.S. Congress, Hillsborough is in Congressional District 7, currently represented by Congressman Leonard Lance, through the end of 2012. Starting in January 2013, it will fall in District 12, which is currently represented by Rush Holt, a Democrat from Hopewell Township. People elected in November will take their seats in January 2013.
Population and population trends: In the 2010 census, the population was shown at 10,387, virtually unchanged from the 10,344 of 2000, and two percent less than 1990. Manville’s data show the borough is 76 percent white, 19 percent Hispanic, two percent Asian and three percent black. (American Towns.com)
Type of government: A six-member Borough Council is comprised of six members who serve three-year terms. They are elected on a staggered basis, with two posts up in 2012. The mayor is elected independently for a four-year term, and only votes to break Borough Council tie votes. Council generally meets on the second and fourth Mondays of each month at the Municipal Complex on North Main Street
Schools: 1,300 students in four schools: Weston School, for kindergarten through third grade; Roosevelt School for fourth and fifth grades; Alexander Batchko Intermediate School for grades 6,7 and 8; and Manville High School for grades 9-12.
Public library: The borough-run library is at 100 South 10th Avenue. On April 23, 2012, the Borough Council was to decide whether to join the Somerset County Library System.
Income average: $66,766 average household or $26,032 per capita income (americantowns.com).
Property taxes: Total for all properties in 2011 was $25,171,381 for all public bodies (schools, local and county government, county library, open space, etc.).
Average assessed valuation of house: $302,924 in 2011.
Average residential property tax: $6,583 in 2011.
