Janet Francisco, West Windsor
After over 40 years of dedicated service to the West Windsor community, the Twin W First Aid Squad was closed down by the township on March 24, after both parties failed to sign a memo of understanding, despite the fact that the squad agreed to sign the document on March 23.
It seems fairly clear that the township was determined to shut down the squad, regardless of whether Twin W was willing to sign the memo. Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh claims that the closure was motivated by the inappropriate use of the squad’s property by an outside organization for an event in 2012 (involving only one former member of the squad and in which none of its current members participated). Should current volunteers be penalized for an incident in which they had no involvement that occurred three years ago?
Dozens and dozens of volunteers over many decades — high school and college students, professional men and women, old and young — all people with busy lives, have devoted their time and energy to serving our township and its citizens during serious health emergencies. Has the mayor considered a simple thank you to the squad members, past and present? Was any study done to determine the future viability of the volunteer squad, which the township seemed reluctant to support financially? And what of the taxpayer dollars — estimated to be $180,000 — that will now be required to pay for staffing those hours that were formerly worked by volunteers?
Janet Francisco
West Windsor