By Frank Mustac, Contributor
Officials recognized the township’s community development coordinator, Robert Miller, who retired after 19 years of employment with the municipality., Mr. Miller was appointed as a zoning officer with Hopewell Township on Jan. 1, 1998. When he left the township at the end of 2016, he served in several other capacities while still performing his zoning duties., “Not only has Bob faithfully represented the township with regards to zoning and planning, he has spent almost every night here (at the municipal building) working with the Environmental Commission, the Historic Preservation Commission, the Green Team, and the Deer Management Advisory Committee,” said Paul Pogorzelski, the township administrator and engineer. “He really (attended) all those meetings. He really has organized them from their inception.”, “He has also reviewed thousands of permit applications each year,” Mr. Pogorzelski said, explaining that Mr. Miller would always make time for people who walked into his office with questions. “He is a real asset to the community, in my opinion.”, “He has been part the fabric of Hopewell Township,” the township administrator said., The resolution honoring Mr. Miller passed by the Township Committee in December, reads in part that “Mr. Miller was instrumental in the preparation of the Township’s historic preservation design guidelines which have been use a model for other New Jersey communities; assisted in achieving Sustainable Jersey’s bronze certification; championed rain barrel workshops; and worked with all boards and committees to bring sustainable practices throughout Hopewell Township.”, “I would just like to reinforce our thanks to Mr. Miller,” Mayor Kevin Kuchinski said. “He will be sorely missed.”, In other news, the Township Committee at a recent meeting passed a resolution to appoint an official town crier. He is Stanley Saperstein, a long-term resident of Hopewell Township; member of the Hopewell Valley’s Senior Advisory Board; and a prominent Hopewell Valley artist, who is an active member of the Hopewell Valley Arts Council., “Historically, every town government had a town crier who made all public announcements and was a keeper of public records,” according to language in the resolution. “Today, ceremonial town criers are making an important comeback and are being asked to emcee public events and act as a public relations agent for towns.”, Mr. Saperstein is a crier of the NJ History Fair, which is a large statewide event; is the official town crier for the Washington Crossing Park Association, New Jersey; and has narrated the Crossing of the Delaware on Christmas Day for the past 10 years.
