By Vita Duva, Correspondent
During last Monday night’s Cranbury Township Committee meeting, Barbara Rogers, chairwoman of the Cranbury Township Environmental Commission gave a report on the Commission’s goals for 2016.
According to Ms. Rogers, the big news was that Cranbury is now re-certified as a “Sustainable Jersey Town.”
“This is the goal that I see as a great way for the entire town to wrap around sustainability – living for today, but not borrowing from tomorrow,” Ms. Rogers said of her hopes to continue to expand Cranbury’s sustainability moving forward.
As planned, the EC will continue to eradicate invasive species in the Cranbury Brook Preserve in part with the NJ Invasive Species Strike Team, as well as plant wildflowers in the grasslands, and promote the growth of native species in all of the preserves. Trail development, maintenance and habitat management will also be ongoing in all of the preserves.
“We have been really active in the open space that is in Cranbury because we found that there is a need for the public to be connected with the open space. And in order to do that we came up with this idea of putting in more trails,” said Ms. Rogers. “I want to thank a lot of the volunteers in this town that are making this happen, and of course, all of the staff.”
Mayor Dan Mulligan added, “I love the trails. I’m an avid runner. I think a lot of you see me running the trails a lot of the time around town. I think it’s great.”
In addition to these goals, the EC will sponsor the seventh annual Alfred Meiss Environmental Appreciation Award to a Cranbury School student in the 7th or 8th grade who embraces the ideals of environmental stewardship.
Other notable goals from Ms. Rogers’ presentation included the promotion of household environmental activities, as well as educational activities.
Andrew Johnson, a member of the EC then went on to present the Commission’s Environmental Resource Inventory.
In Other News:
– Mayor Mulligan reported that the Cranbury Township Committee’s new page on Facebook has finally been set-up. “The intent is to start out with publicizing agenda items – or agendas I should say, from different boards and commissions – the Township Committee agenda and other events that are going on in town,” Mayor Mulligan explained. “We are finally moving to social media like most other communities, so this will be a good thing.”- Michael Kervan, chief of the Cranbury Volunteer Fire Company presented a report from the past few months, since his last communication with the Township Committee was back in July. According to Mr. Kervan, the Cranbury Volunteer Fire Company has run 118 calls since July, and 418 calls, year to date. Since July, the Cranbury Volunteer Fire Company has completed 406 hours of volunteering, and 1,792 hours of volunteering, year to date. Mr. Kervan went on to brief a few calls of significance, including a cable fire and a downed power line.
– The Township Committee passed an ordinance – upon second reading – amending Chapter 44: “Affordable Housing” of the Code of the Township of Cranbury pursuant to the requirements of the Township’s judgment of compliance repose.
– The Township Committee passed an ordinance – upon first reading – revising and amending the regulations pertaining to the Highway Commercial and General Commercial Zones in Chapter 150: “Land Development” in the Code of the Township of Cranbury. “And just as a matter of record, a mailing will go out tomorrow to all those affected within 200 feet of the two zoning changes,” said Municipal Clerk Kathleen Cunningham. “The law is that you have to notice people 10 days before the public hearing, which in this case we are on time.”
The purpose of this ordinance is to re-examine the permitted uses and development standards of the HC and GC districts in Cranbury Township, and to recommend changes intended to spur new development and redevelopment along the Route 130 corridor that will promote the purposes of the Cranbury Master Plan and the Municipal Land Use Law. This ordinance will be further considered for a second, and final reading at the Township Committee’s next meeting.
– The next Township Committee meeting is slated for Monday, Oct. 24, at 7 p.m.
