By: centraljersey.com
We would like to take a moment to thank Phil, manager at IHOP on Route 27 in Franklin Park, for his recent act of kindness toward our family.
When our granddaughter was accidentally locked into her car seat incorrectly, Phil went above and beyond by helping my husband dislodge the lock and most importantly setting our granddaughter free from the seat itself.
This took much time and energy and they worked diligently together to get the task done.
Our young granddaughter was a heroine, as well, being very brave during the episode.
It was such a good role model for the children to see these two grownups working together and a total stranger helping out others for no personal gain.
Thank you again, Phil. We will try to pay it forward and help someone else one day soon.
Jill Rubenstein Kendall Park
Caring place for tough times
To the editor:
The last letter I sent to a paper was around 1970, to the Central Post. I was 10 years old and it was a poem I had written – a child’s view of the Vietnam War, rampant illegal drugs, and the injustice of racism. My father was very proud of me. It’s now 40 years later, and this letter is sent in memory of my father, Irving B. Medell, to give support to the wonderful work of Haven Hospice at JFK Medical Center in Edison.
My father suffered several strokes three weeks ago, and we found ourselves in the challenging situation of implementing his living will. Through a quick series of events we were guided to move my father to Haven Hospice. Little did we know at that moment what a beautiful gift this would be to my father and to my family. They cared for him at Haven with a grace and compassion that goes beyond words. They supported my mother as she stayed by his side day and night, and helped us through his final days with gentle hands and guiding hearts.
The woman who is the driving force behind Haven Hospice is Mary Anne Hale, a Eucharistic minister who has volunteered her time at JFK for more than 30 years. She was volunteering there the day my father passed, and I spoke with her. She told me she saw the need many years ago for a place of comfort and caring for patients requesting hospice and for their families – and that is what Haven is. I told her I was overwhelmed by the supportive community of hospice, and that I would spread the word of its compassion.
You can find information on Haven Hospice at www.havenhospicenj.org, or by calling them at 732-321-7769.
Thank you, Mrs. Hale, and everyone at Haven Hospice. In a time and place that some might only find sorrow, you reminded us of the gift of love.
Susan Medell Scurato Monmouth Junction
Township should explore solar
To the editor:
I was delighted at the recent township Planning Board meeting to hear a warehouse developer, Hadley, proposing green building concepts including solar energy installations.
The company plans to put solar panels on its warehouse roof and over the large infiltration basin. From the looks of the plans and their responses to questions I asked during the break in the meeting, they have experience and success with such systems in other towns.
But some of the Planning Board’s questions indicated that not everyone in the decision making process was fully educated in solar energy systems like this one.
It’s time South Brunswick began making some serious thinking about such alternative energy.
I have solar panels at my house and in nearly two years since their installation, my electric bill has been zero. This summer, with constant use of air-conditioning, I am still running a credit with Public Service, Gas & Electric. Theoretically, if a homeowner or the township were able to completely pay for a solar system designed to meet the needs of average energy use, there would be no electric bill to pay.
But, that does not necessarily mean my house is directly "solar powered." Solar energy produced by solar panels goes out to the grid, meaning that the electricity generated by my panels leaves my house and goes out to be part of PSE&G’s general supply. I am still using energy supplied by PSE&G from their lines to power my house. I earn credit for the energy my panels produce. When it rains or is cloudy, I still have electricity supplied to my house by the energy company.
At the end of last year, I produced more energy than I used, and received credit and a check from PSE&G for that "overage." A large system, such as the one proposed by the warehouse developer, might well produce far more energy than the warehouse uses, giving the developer a nice profit. Furthermore, a solar system can earn "green tags," energy credits that can be sold for more profit each year, earning even more money from the system.
As newer solar technologies develop, solar energy becomes a better and better option for producing electricity. As some other letter writers have suggested, there are many alternatives for homeowners, communities, and others who might want to install solar systems. Under one program, a property owner can have a solar system installed at no cost and lower energy bills by 20 percent. While that’s a lot less than zeroing out your electric bill, it’s still a savings and a green alternative that decreases our dependency on fossil fuels.
South Brunswick needs to step forward, like some of our more enterprising developers, and explore the options of solar energy for public buildings. The 2010 budget allots $600,000 for electricity. That is 1.5 cents of the municipal the tax increase. Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a way to lower or even eliminate that bill completely?
We have plenty of open roofs, open parking lots and sunlight in our township. Let’s step into the sunshine to start exploring ways to take advantage of them.
Jean E. Dvorak South Brunswick
Ms. Dvorak is an independent candidate for Township Council.
Waste contract example of waste
To the editor:
It is critical that government makes wise decisions when spending taxpayer money.
Throughout the last few years, the current administration has continued to drive our town into an increasingly worsening financial situation to the point where we are now at a 5-cents tax increase and an amazing 7.9 percent water and sewer rate increase. The road we are currently on will change what is a wonderful community into a very troubled one.
I believe that throughout Middlesex County, we are currently known as a town on the downswing due again not to the quality of our education, but to the poor financial decisions of the current municipal government, which if allowed to continue will negatively impact every aspect of our community.
Another example of an unfortunate and costly decision of the mayor and council concerns our garbage removal agreement. Apparently, the mayor and council in the winter of 2008 decided to award a contract to the highest bidder for solid waste and recycling services, costing property taxpayers an extra $900,000 over the next five years – the length of the contract. When researching this decision, it was found that the reason the mayor and council voted on the highest bidder as opposed to the lowest bidder is that they felt that that homeowners would be confused by the move away from their current dual-stream waste pickups, in which newspaper, cardboard, plastic, glass, etc., must be separated by residents into separate containers, to a single-stream system in which paper and other materials are mixed together in one truck. Could the government really believe that we could not understand this simpler method of recycling? Rather, it felt it should waste over a period of years almost a million dollars. This is the kind of poor thinking that leads to the slippery slope downwards that we as a community must avoid.
Apparently, Frank Fiumefreddo Jr., president of Central Jersey Waste and Recycling, the low but losing bidder, felt that the mayor and council had a consultant and still didn’t understand what the single-stream system is. This is the heart of one of the problems with our current local government. Some of the members just do not try to understand new cost-saving measures and initiatives; some simply do not appear to be able to. We cannot afford this type of government. We must move into the future, and we need to so successfully. We cannot with a government that will not, or does not seem to be able to address our increasing challenges.
I was raised in South Brunswick and am I product of the South Brunswick school system. Because of my early education, our community and wonderful parents, I was able to attend the University of Pennsylvania and UCLA Law School. The education and many of the skills I have acquired rest on the foundation of my hometown. These skills are the ones that I used to take us through a challenging fiscal time that was troubled by massive growth. Given the opportunity and partnering with the community as I did in the past, Jean Dvorak (a teacher and life-long resident) and I will work very hard to have our community not fall down the slippery slope.
Debra Johnson Monmouth Junction
Ms. Johnson is an independent candidate for mayor.
