By Amy Batista, Special Writer
MILLSTONE — Future funding for the Alliance to Prevent Alcohol and Drug Abuse is under scrutiny, the Township; Committee learned July 18.
The Alliance currently gets $13,000 in state funding, but could lose this money if the township doesn’t kick in, according to Mayor Nancy Grbelja.
The mayor said the state is “looking for more involvement from the township,” financially and otherwise.
Mayor Grbelja said the Alliance has a number of programs, including the homework club at the school, a campfire program, Peer Leadership team, the Fishing Derby and training programs.
”One thing that they do have every year is the Fishing Derby,” Mayor Grbelja said.
An example of the township becoming more involved is making the derby a Recreation Department program.
”The Fishing Derby is a lot of fun, and the drug alliance has always taken part in it,” the mayor said.
But Alliance officials are looking to have the community more involved, she said.
Another suggestion is having the school pay for the homework club, the mayor pointed out. The cost of that is salaries for the teachers.
Alliance officials also asked if the township could limit the retail availability of liquor, the mayor said.
”We don’t have a lot of liquor licenses,” she said.
But the Alliance wants the township to toughen enforcement of laws prohibiting liquor being sold to children, children being served in bars and adults buying liquor for children, Mayor Grbelja said.
This raised concern over house parties and underage drinking.
”Does that include house parties?” Committeeman Bob Kinsey asked. “That is a big problem.”
Mayor Grbelja said she was concerned that, years ago when the township asked families to sign off on not serving alcohol to underaged people in their homes, that the responses was not what “we would’ve liked to have seen.”
She said, “I think that that is really problematic.”
Mayor Grbelja said the township might have to “educate the families within our community as well” and said it may have to consider some training or strict ordinances in this area by 2014 if the township were to assist the alliance.
”Isn’t there a zero tolerance law in effect already?” Deputy Mayor Michael Kuczinski asked.
”I was under the impression there was one,” Mayor Grbelja said, but she added she would look into this.
”We really need to have a frank discussion about our responsibilities as an adult and make sure that we watch out for the others in our community,” Mayor Grbelja said.
”I think what we can do here is to help them (the Alliance) communicate better to the community what their programs are and have a discussion as to how we can do that,” Committeeman Gary Dorfman said.
Mayor Grbelja said she did ask the Alliance to provide her with court statistics of those violating the law regarding underage drinking.
”I think we have our head in the sand if we don’t think anything is happening in Millstone,” Mayor Grbelja said.
”We all have a responsibility when we see something that doesn’t look appropriate that what we do is make sure that we call the state police, and we take down license plate numbers, and what we do is really try to make sure we monitor our own,” Mayor Grbelja said of, for example, seeing what is a suspected drug deal occurring.
She added, “Again, this is extremely important, but it starts in the home.”
