The Bridgewater-Raritan School District recently released a new version of its web site. The redesigned home page, which is the key to all of the improvements, provides a dramatically different look and feel to navigating about the various areas of interest.
The major improvement is in the nature of the menu bar at the top of the home page. In many other web sites, the home page and its menu disappear once a person has drilled down to the desired topic. Not so, here. As you click on your chosen topic, the original menu bar remains visible. This allows you to change subjects easily, quickly and effectively.
The Bridgewater-Raritan Schools’ home page menu bar displays the following eight all-encompassing topics: District (General); Budget; Curriculum; Departments; Schools; Superintendent‘s News; BOE (Board of Education); and Community. Just pass your computer’s cursor over any one of these topics, and a pull-down menu will appear, providing you with many more choices.
If you’d like, try it out at www.brrsd.k12.nj.us/index.cfm
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Will Newspapers Make the Cut?
In its early days, when television took hold and began to expand across the country, many people thought that the days of radio broadcasting were numbered. Confounding many experts, though, broadcast radio did not disappear, but gradually changed its programming and prospered.
Who would have predicted that decades after the rollout of TV, today’s old-fashioned, analog airwaves would still be filled with over-the-air broadcast stations pumping out talk radio, sports and music? Would anyone have dreamed that Sirius and XM would be delivering specialized radio programming via satellite and getting customers to pay for it? Or that existing radio stations are now upgrading their broadcasting systems to carry superior quality HD (high definition) digital channels for free?
New Jersey already has 9 such radio stations broadcasting 12 HD radio channels, with more coming. From Central Jersey, we can already pick up HD radio from neighboring states as well.
Today, the print newspaper industry faces a challenge similar to that of early TV, as it grew to become a major competitor to radio. This time, it’s the Internet and cell phone technology which have both reared up to spar with print media. However, just as radio did not die out with the growth of TV, print newspapers will not go away. As they are already doing, newspapers will adapt and use the Internet as a complimentary delivery medium to their print operations.
No one now knows just how far the transformation of the newspaper industry will go, because the answer is bound up in two factors: 1) The inability to forecast with any great accuracy the unpredictable, long-term behavior of the buying public and, 2) The lack of information about how new technological innovations and marketing techniques will affect consumer behavior 5 to 20 years out.
Not all newspapers will make it, but those who are nimbly adaptable should thrive in an information and entertainment market in which their delivery systems will be a combination of newsprint, Internet and other, yet-to-be-discovered formats.
Note: 1. For specific information about the location and call signs of broadcast HD radio stations, see http://www.hdradio.com/find_an_hd_digital_radio_station.php 2. Traditional AM/FM radio receivers cannot pick up the new HD radio channels; a new receiver is required.
Who would have predicted that decades after the rollout of TV, today’s old-fashioned, analog airwaves would still be filled with over-the-air broadcast stations pumping out talk radio, sports and music? Would anyone have dreamed that Sirius and XM would be delivering specialized radio programming via satellite and getting customers to pay for it? Or that existing radio stations are now upgrading their broadcasting systems to carry superior quality HD (high definition) digital channels for free?
New Jersey already has 9 such radio stations broadcasting 12 HD radio channels, with more coming. From Central Jersey, we can already pick up HD radio from neighboring states as well.
Today, the print newspaper industry faces a challenge similar to that of early TV, as it grew to become a major competitor to radio. This time, it’s the Internet and cell phone technology which have both reared up to spar with print media. However, just as radio did not die out with the growth of TV, print newspapers will not go away. As they are already doing, newspapers will adapt and use the Internet as a complimentary delivery medium to their print operations.
No one now knows just how far the transformation of the newspaper industry will go, because the answer is bound up in two factors: 1) The inability to forecast with any great accuracy the unpredictable, long-term behavior of the buying public and, 2) The lack of information about how new technological innovations and marketing techniques will affect consumer behavior 5 to 20 years out.
Not all newspapers will make it, but those who are nimbly adaptable should thrive in an information and entertainment market in which their delivery systems will be a combination of newsprint, Internet and other, yet-to-be-discovered formats.
Note: 1. For specific information about the location and call signs of broadcast HD radio stations, see http://www.hdradio.com/find_an_hd_digital_radio_station.php 2. Traditional AM/FM radio receivers cannot pick up the new HD radio channels; a new receiver is required.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Heading Off Problems at the Park Commission
One of the problems that still faces the Somerset County Park Commission is its apparently sloppy practice of awarding contracts. The prognosis is not good.
The current batch of commissioners, acting as a whole, cannot seem to grasp the simplest concept that the public is able to judge its recent behavior in awarding a $225,000 contract and clearly perceive it as wholly inappropriate. That advertising contract is the latest example in the denouement of the park commission’s ongoing missteps. Three vendors were in a pool, but only one bid on the project. Doesn’t that mean that the solitary bid should not have been accepted and that the commissioners should have gone back out and found more bidders?
Was Rick Fontana, Somerset County Freeholder and liaison to the park commission, at the meeting when this occurred? If so, what did he say? If he wasn’t present, what is he doing about it? According to press reports, park commissioner Robert Horowitz seemed to be the only one present who argued forcefully and “protested the method used to solicit professionals to join a commission pool to vie for such work.”
I’ve observed Horowitz at one or two prior commission meetings, and it’s usually discernible when something is bothering him. He seems to have a sense when all is not right and he is not bashful about expressing it to his colleagues on the commission.
Interestingly enough, the same Courier News article which quoted Horowitz, disclosed that a large chunk of the contract “would pay for newspaper, magazine and signage advertising, including (to) the Courier News and Home News Tribune.” That’s a good example of getting something out on the table for all to see.
The park commissioners should be bending over backwards to choke off even the slightest appearance of what could be perceived as conduct unbecoming of public servants.
See Courier News article, “Park Commission contract generates questions.” at http://www.c-n.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080118/NEWS01/801180338/1006/NEWS06
The current batch of commissioners, acting as a whole, cannot seem to grasp the simplest concept that the public is able to judge its recent behavior in awarding a $225,000 contract and clearly perceive it as wholly inappropriate. That advertising contract is the latest example in the denouement of the park commission’s ongoing missteps. Three vendors were in a pool, but only one bid on the project. Doesn’t that mean that the solitary bid should not have been accepted and that the commissioners should have gone back out and found more bidders?
Was Rick Fontana, Somerset County Freeholder and liaison to the park commission, at the meeting when this occurred? If so, what did he say? If he wasn’t present, what is he doing about it? According to press reports, park commissioner Robert Horowitz seemed to be the only one present who argued forcefully and “protested the method used to solicit professionals to join a commission pool to vie for such work.”
I’ve observed Horowitz at one or two prior commission meetings, and it’s usually discernible when something is bothering him. He seems to have a sense when all is not right and he is not bashful about expressing it to his colleagues on the commission.
Interestingly enough, the same Courier News article which quoted Horowitz, disclosed that a large chunk of the contract “would pay for newspaper, magazine and signage advertising, including (to) the Courier News and Home News Tribune.” That’s a good example of getting something out on the table for all to see.
The park commissioners should be bending over backwards to choke off even the slightest appearance of what could be perceived as conduct unbecoming of public servants.
See Courier News article, “Park Commission contract generates questions.” at http://www.c-n.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080118/NEWS01/801180338/1006/NEWS06
Monday, January 21, 2008
Newspapers Deliver
Several days ago, in two area newspapers, I read about how the Somerset County Park Commission still seems to be having difficulty in making fundamental changes to its procurement practices. That underscored to me how we rely almost exclusively on the accurate reporting of two journalists, Martin Bricketto and Joe Tyrrell, to stay on top of what’s going on with the behavior of the commission and with the oversight responsibilities of the Somerset County Freeholders.
When the Wolff and Samson report was released to the public last year, a furor broke out over the policies and practices of the park commission. I attended several public meetings and heard supporters of the status quo walk up to the mike, talk about how things weren’t that bad at the commission and that “media frenzy” was largely to blame for stirring up the pot. The message seemed to be that if only the press would go away, the bad news would go away.
Well, when a tree falls in the forest, it still makes a sound, even though no one is there to hear it. It just so happens, in this case, that when the trees of the park commission scandal began toppling over, somebody was there to listen to the crackling of the branches. Some of those who heard the noise, like it or not, were reporters sitting in public meetings of the freeholders and of the park commission, taking notes, asking questions, digging up facts, and bringing that information back to newspaper and Internet readers.
There was no media frenzy. I read all of the columns and attended many of the same meetings at which reporters were present. I don’t recall them writing about anything that did not actually happen, or that the public did not deserve to know.
When the Wolff and Samson report was released to the public last year, a furor broke out over the policies and practices of the park commission. I attended several public meetings and heard supporters of the status quo walk up to the mike, talk about how things weren’t that bad at the commission and that “media frenzy” was largely to blame for stirring up the pot. The message seemed to be that if only the press would go away, the bad news would go away.
Well, when a tree falls in the forest, it still makes a sound, even though no one is there to hear it. It just so happens, in this case, that when the trees of the park commission scandal began toppling over, somebody was there to listen to the crackling of the branches. Some of those who heard the noise, like it or not, were reporters sitting in public meetings of the freeholders and of the park commission, taking notes, asking questions, digging up facts, and bringing that information back to newspaper and Internet readers.
There was no media frenzy. I read all of the columns and attended many of the same meetings at which reporters were present. I don’t recall them writing about anything that did not actually happen, or that the public did not deserve to know.
Friday, January 18, 2008
A Man of Integrity
Every once in a while you come across a story so honestly persuasive, that you just can’t ignore it. Walter J. Kavanaugh of Somerville is just such a story.
I never knew the man and I never had the honor to cross his path either personally or professionally. But when he died recently, it was clear from press accounts about his life that this was not an ordinary politician. There was a flavor to the news narratives about him that had a ring of genuine sincerity. My gosh, I thought, those stories are actually true. Senator Kavanaugh was a good man and a good public servant.
He belonged, in many respects, to the same class as another much-admired politician, the late Congressman, “Tip” O’Neil of Massachusetts – they both were imbued with that indefinable quality called integrity. They also appear to have had the same old Irish wit and charm which can be so compelling to people of all ethnic backgrounds.
Senator Kavanaugh leaves a legacy and an example for all elected and appointed public officials which are not easy to replicate. I only wish that more would try.
I never knew the man and I never had the honor to cross his path either personally or professionally. But when he died recently, it was clear from press accounts about his life that this was not an ordinary politician. There was a flavor to the news narratives about him that had a ring of genuine sincerity. My gosh, I thought, those stories are actually true. Senator Kavanaugh was a good man and a good public servant.
He belonged, in many respects, to the same class as another much-admired politician, the late Congressman, “Tip” O’Neil of Massachusetts – they both were imbued with that indefinable quality called integrity. They also appear to have had the same old Irish wit and charm which can be so compelling to people of all ethnic backgrounds.
Senator Kavanaugh leaves a legacy and an example for all elected and appointed public officials which are not easy to replicate. I only wish that more would try.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Religious Freedom? C’mon!
At lunch time in Bridgewater, while catching up with the midday news, I came across a TV clip of former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee stumping for votes in Michigan. Addressing a gathering in what appeared to be a church, he said, “It’s better to change the constitution than to change the Word of the living God.” The media sometimes like to put Evangelical Christians on the spot, so the rest of the message wasn’t provided. Huckabee was probably referring to the controversial abortion question, a topic which crosses secular and denominational lines.
No matter. The point is that in this country he has the freedom to say that. The U.S. is not a theocracy, and people are free to challenge his views on the “Word of the living God.” Some Americans may think that he should leave the Constitution alone and study up some more on Biblical interpretation. Religious dialogue of that nature, though, is not permitted in some other countries.
Later today, while going through my e-mail, I came across a dispatch from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, of all places, in which our President, George Bush, issued a proclamation establishing January 16, 2008, as “Religious Freedom Day,” a 16 year-old U.S.tradition.
Here is an excerpt, “…Religious freedom belongs not to any one nation, but to the world, and my administration continues to support freedom of worship at home and abroad.” I wonder if the President includes the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the definition of “and abroad.”
There is no religious freedom permitted in Saudi Arabia. The king and princes of the House of Saud have long had an understanding with the descendants of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, the founder of Wahhabism, whereby religious Sharia Law is allowed to dominate much of the judicial system of that nation.
While Bush was offering smart bombs to the Saudis to be paid out of inflated oil prices with deflated U.S. greenbacks, Mike Huckabee was someplace in Michigan looking for votes. Gee, if he ever makes it to the White House and decides to visit the Saudi king, I hope that he doesn’t try to stash a Bible in his luggage. That’s verboten in the desert kingdom – could get him thrown in jail.
Note: For the full text of the “Religious Freedom Day” proclamation, see http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/01/print/20080114-5.html
No matter. The point is that in this country he has the freedom to say that. The U.S. is not a theocracy, and people are free to challenge his views on the “Word of the living God.” Some Americans may think that he should leave the Constitution alone and study up some more on Biblical interpretation. Religious dialogue of that nature, though, is not permitted in some other countries.
Later today, while going through my e-mail, I came across a dispatch from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, of all places, in which our President, George Bush, issued a proclamation establishing January 16, 2008, as “Religious Freedom Day,” a 16 year-old U.S.tradition.
Here is an excerpt, “…Religious freedom belongs not to any one nation, but to the world, and my administration continues to support freedom of worship at home and abroad.” I wonder if the President includes the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the definition of “and abroad.”
There is no religious freedom permitted in Saudi Arabia. The king and princes of the House of Saud have long had an understanding with the descendants of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, the founder of Wahhabism, whereby religious Sharia Law is allowed to dominate much of the judicial system of that nation.
While Bush was offering smart bombs to the Saudis to be paid out of inflated oil prices with deflated U.S. greenbacks, Mike Huckabee was someplace in Michigan looking for votes. Gee, if he ever makes it to the White House and decides to visit the Saudi king, I hope that he doesn’t try to stash a Bible in his luggage. That’s verboten in the desert kingdom – could get him thrown in jail.
Note: For the full text of the “Religious Freedom Day” proclamation, see http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/01/print/20080114-5.html
Monday, January 14, 2008
Bridgewater-Raritan School Tax Assessment Shifts Unfavorably for Raritan
In 2007, at the request of Mayor Jo-Ann Liptak, the President of the Bridgewater-Raritan School Board, Al Smith, appeared before the Raritan Borough Council. He came to field questions about why this regional school district experienced a shift of over $900,000 in tax levies from Bridgewater to Raritan in the last two budget periods.
Mr. Smith, who is Raritan’s sole elected representative on the BR-BOE, explained that the school board had absolutely no control over that number. He is correct in that the expense allocation charged individually to Bridgewater and to Raritan taxpayers is set by a formula established by the State of New Jersey. It produces a ratio based upon the separate ratables of each municipality.
In past years, that ratio has shifted between Bridgewater and Raritan, sometimes by a little, sometimes by a lot. In some periods, Bridgewater has taken the greater hit. Recently, Raritan is getting whacked. There is absolutely no sense to that formula. Reason? It’s based on ratables and, for those of us who have been here long enough to remember, New Jersey passed an income tax in 1976, precisely because real estate taxes had grown too burdensome to carry the load.
The bottom line is this: The Bridgewater-Raritan School District is one of the most privileged in New Jersey, yet its budget continues to grow each year at the maximum allowed state cap. Were it not for that state-imposed limit, the budget would be even higher, as would your tax bill.
Bridgewater has been debatably fortunate because of its particularly large base of commercial tax ratables. Raritan has not had the same benefit. But just introduce disproportionate real estate growth into the Borough and what happens? It gets kicked in the teeth. (Additionally, Raritan’s ratables are affected by a 2006 reevaluation.)
“Plus que ça change, plus que c’est la même chose.” That’s French for “The more things change, the more they are the same.”
Note: 1. On Wednesday, January 16, at 9:00 AM, there will be a presentation of the 2008-2009 school budget at the Wade Administration building on Newmans Lane in Martinsville.
2. The Bridgewater-Raritan Schools web site is at http://www.brrsd.k12.nj.us/ . Al Smith’s letter-to-the-editor on this topic appeared December 25, 2007 in the Courier News.
Mr. Smith, who is Raritan’s sole elected representative on the BR-BOE, explained that the school board had absolutely no control over that number. He is correct in that the expense allocation charged individually to Bridgewater and to Raritan taxpayers is set by a formula established by the State of New Jersey. It produces a ratio based upon the separate ratables of each municipality.
In past years, that ratio has shifted between Bridgewater and Raritan, sometimes by a little, sometimes by a lot. In some periods, Bridgewater has taken the greater hit. Recently, Raritan is getting whacked. There is absolutely no sense to that formula. Reason? It’s based on ratables and, for those of us who have been here long enough to remember, New Jersey passed an income tax in 1976, precisely because real estate taxes had grown too burdensome to carry the load.
The bottom line is this: The Bridgewater-Raritan School District is one of the most privileged in New Jersey, yet its budget continues to grow each year at the maximum allowed state cap. Were it not for that state-imposed limit, the budget would be even higher, as would your tax bill.
Bridgewater has been debatably fortunate because of its particularly large base of commercial tax ratables. Raritan has not had the same benefit. But just introduce disproportionate real estate growth into the Borough and what happens? It gets kicked in the teeth. (Additionally, Raritan’s ratables are affected by a 2006 reevaluation.)
“Plus que ça change, plus que c’est la même chose.” That’s French for “The more things change, the more they are the same.”
Note: 1. On Wednesday, January 16, at 9:00 AM, there will be a presentation of the 2008-2009 school budget at the Wade Administration building on Newmans Lane in Martinsville.
2. The Bridgewater-Raritan Schools web site is at http://www.brrsd.k12.nj.us/ . Al Smith’s letter-to-the-editor on this topic appeared December 25, 2007 in the Courier News.
Friday, January 11, 2008
JCC Expands its Bridgewater Facility
The Shimon and Sara Birnbaum Jewish Community Center, situated at 775 Talamini Road in Bridgewater, is in the midst of a 20,000 square foot expansion to its facilities at that site. The new wing, shown above, will have two floors. Each will provide much-needed space for an expanded slate of programs.
The first floor will house the Blaustein Early Childhood Education Center, while the second floor will include a youth center, a performing and fine arts center, and flexible multi-purpose space.
The new addition will free up more room in the existing building for an expanded fitness center and aerobics studio. The fitness center is very popular and well-utilized. There will also be an additional studio for yoga, spinning, and martial arts. Both will facilitate new program development for all age groups.
Although the JCC has 1400 member families, it serves more than 5000. Membership is open to all. The JCC also features several outdoor pools, as well as a year-round, indoor heated pool. (My wife and I recently joined to benefit from the indoor pool.) During the summer months this organization runs a camp for children, ages 2 through 9th grade.
Note: Anyone interested in programs or membership can obtain information by calling the JCC at 908-725-6994. Its website is at http://www.ssbjcc.org/
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Getting it Right
When you mess up, you need to fess up. That’s the result of what happened to me Monday, when I wrote in this blog that, “Tomorrow’s voting results will show that Barack Obama will have locked up the Democrats’ delegates and that John McCain will have garnered the Republican ones.”
I called the McCain victory correctly. He won by a margin of 5% over Romney. But I blew it on the Clinton/Obama race, where Hillary Clinton squeezed out a win over Barack Obama by a margin of 3%.
I should have listened more closely to my sister when she said that she and her two daughters were voting for Clinton. New Hampshire voters are notoriously independent and don’t like to be told by pollsters what the outcome will be.
Humble pie isn’t the sweetest thing, but sometimes you just have to get it down!
Note: For N.H. politics, see the Manchester Union Leader at http://www.unionleader.com/
I called the McCain victory correctly. He won by a margin of 5% over Romney. But I blew it on the Clinton/Obama race, where Hillary Clinton squeezed out a win over Barack Obama by a margin of 3%.
I should have listened more closely to my sister when she said that she and her two daughters were voting for Clinton. New Hampshire voters are notoriously independent and don’t like to be told by pollsters what the outcome will be.
Humble pie isn’t the sweetest thing, but sometimes you just have to get it down!
Note: For N.H. politics, see the Manchester Union Leader at http://www.unionleader.com/
Monday, January 7, 2008
Hold the Coronation!
Politics is a strange craft. For those in power, it can sometimes present itself as a deceptively calm sea, inviting the flotilla of front-runners and their supporters to sail blithely ahead, unaware of unseen storm clouds. But the once serene sea of pundit-projected winners is now roiling in a storm of defeat in New Hampshire: Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney are bracing themselves to lose the first-in-the-nation primary to Barack Obama and to John McCain.
The storm began in Iowa, and only time will tell whether it will abate for Clinton and Romney when, after tomorrow, they turn the prows of their campaign ships into the wind of the other primary states.
I have relatives in the Granite State from its north country to its southern border, and they tell me that they are being bombarded with telephone calls. My sister up in Laconia said that the Granite State is the only one in the nation where you can’t go outside at primary time without bumping into a candidate looking for your vote. They are swarming all over the state.
Tomorrow’s voting results will show that Barack Obama will have locked in the Democrats’ delegates and that John McCain will have garnered the Republican ones.
It’s almost redundant to say that this is a major glitch in the prior momentum of the Clinton juggernaut. It’s also a big disappointment for Romney who served as an outstanding Republican governor in adjacent Democratic Massachusetts. Both are significant upsets which will require crucial campaign changes, if Clinton and Romney are to recover.
Note: For N.H. politics, see the Manchester Union Leader at http://www.unionleader.com/ For Iowa politics, see the Des Moines Register at http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage
The storm began in Iowa, and only time will tell whether it will abate for Clinton and Romney when, after tomorrow, they turn the prows of their campaign ships into the wind of the other primary states.
I have relatives in the Granite State from its north country to its southern border, and they tell me that they are being bombarded with telephone calls. My sister up in Laconia said that the Granite State is the only one in the nation where you can’t go outside at primary time without bumping into a candidate looking for your vote. They are swarming all over the state.
Tomorrow’s voting results will show that Barack Obama will have locked in the Democrats’ delegates and that John McCain will have garnered the Republican ones.
It’s almost redundant to say that this is a major glitch in the prior momentum of the Clinton juggernaut. It’s also a big disappointment for Romney who served as an outstanding Republican governor in adjacent Democratic Massachusetts. Both are significant upsets which will require crucial campaign changes, if Clinton and Romney are to recover.
Note: For N.H. politics, see the Manchester Union Leader at http://www.unionleader.com/ For Iowa politics, see the Des Moines Register at http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage
Friday, January 4, 2008
County Freeholders: Ready, Get Set, Go for 2008
On Friday afternoon, the reorganization meeting of the Somerset County Board of Freeholders took place in the Historic Courthouse on East Main Street in Somerville. It was an occasion for a festive celebration, and the renovated courthouse was packed with family, friends and well-wishers.
Not having attended one of these meetings before, it did not escape my attention that some of the heavy guns of the New Jersey State Legislature and of the U.S. Congress which represent the various districts of Somerset County were in attendance, as well as the majors of some Somerset County cities and towns. Bridgewater’s own Mayor Patricia Flannery was there, representing the township.
What was probably the best aspect of this meeting, though, were the families and friends of the public servants who were being sworn into office. An especially human touch made its presence felt in the form of all the kids who were there to see their moms, pops, grandmoms, and grandpops sworn in. Instead of merely adult voices breaking the room’s silence, the cries and antics of kids who will not be denied were heard throughout the event.
For about an hour and fifteen minutes, all politics were put aside (they really were!!), and elected officials got to enjoy a brief period of celebration. I don’t want to get too mushy about this but, sometimes, we do need to pause and to acknowledge people whom we’ve elected and who do their best to serve us – at least most do.
Here are a few vignettes: Judge Thomas Dilts swore in all of the new and re-elected officials, beginning with Sheriff Frank Provenzano. When Brett Radi, the Somerset County Clerk took his oath, he said, referring to his re-election, “You don’t do this alone. You don’t do anything alone in life.” Amen to that. Patricia Walsh (a new face on the board replacing Denise Coyle) garnered laughter when, about halfway through her swearing-in by Judge Dilts, she just took off and recited by heart the last two-thirds or so of the oath. No flies on her.
Denise Coyle, former freeholder who is moving on to the State Legislature, was present to accept formal recognition of her 12 years of service on the Freeholder Board. Expressing her views on speaking publicly she said, “Don’t talk unless it improves the silence,” but quickly followed up with, “but not today.” In her new position, she expressed her intent to “use the power of government to improve people’s lives.”
Peter Palmer was installed as the new Director of the Board of Freeholders, replacing Robert Zaborowski, while Rick Fontana was sworn in as its Deputy Director. Fontana removed several dollar bills from his wallet, held them up, and claimed that a few bucks a day per citizen – what it “takes to buy coffee at Starbucks” – is what Somerset County runs on. He commented that the County provides the “best quality of services for the best price,” and that it is “the model (county) for the state.”
True to character, Freeholder Jack Ciattarelli commented that, “My remarks reflect my beliefs,” that he would “provide oversight of our agencies,” and that he would look into a “senior citizen property tax relief program.” He also spoke about creating “a model for municipal services," and mentioned “the (potential) consolidation of agencies.”
Robert Zaborowski devoted most of his comments to lauding the accumulated achievements of Somerset County’s Park system. If you listened carefully when Peter Palmer spoke, you would have found out that his family roots in Somerset County date back to 1908 and, interestingly enough, that he played clarinet while in high school and at Cornell. At one point towards the end, there was a mass swearing-in of dozens of people who serve on various councils, commissions, and advisory boards.
Well, that’s the kind of meeting that it was – light, yet serious enough. Everyone had to go through a security check to enter the building, and uniformed officers were prominently in sight everywhere.
See the county web site at http://www.co.somerset.nj.us/
Not having attended one of these meetings before, it did not escape my attention that some of the heavy guns of the New Jersey State Legislature and of the U.S. Congress which represent the various districts of Somerset County were in attendance, as well as the majors of some Somerset County cities and towns. Bridgewater’s own Mayor Patricia Flannery was there, representing the township.
What was probably the best aspect of this meeting, though, were the families and friends of the public servants who were being sworn into office. An especially human touch made its presence felt in the form of all the kids who were there to see their moms, pops, grandmoms, and grandpops sworn in. Instead of merely adult voices breaking the room’s silence, the cries and antics of kids who will not be denied were heard throughout the event.
For about an hour and fifteen minutes, all politics were put aside (they really were!!), and elected officials got to enjoy a brief period of celebration. I don’t want to get too mushy about this but, sometimes, we do need to pause and to acknowledge people whom we’ve elected and who do their best to serve us – at least most do.
Here are a few vignettes: Judge Thomas Dilts swore in all of the new and re-elected officials, beginning with Sheriff Frank Provenzano. When Brett Radi, the Somerset County Clerk took his oath, he said, referring to his re-election, “You don’t do this alone. You don’t do anything alone in life.” Amen to that. Patricia Walsh (a new face on the board replacing Denise Coyle) garnered laughter when, about halfway through her swearing-in by Judge Dilts, she just took off and recited by heart the last two-thirds or so of the oath. No flies on her.
Denise Coyle, former freeholder who is moving on to the State Legislature, was present to accept formal recognition of her 12 years of service on the Freeholder Board. Expressing her views on speaking publicly she said, “Don’t talk unless it improves the silence,” but quickly followed up with, “but not today.” In her new position, she expressed her intent to “use the power of government to improve people’s lives.”
Peter Palmer was installed as the new Director of the Board of Freeholders, replacing Robert Zaborowski, while Rick Fontana was sworn in as its Deputy Director. Fontana removed several dollar bills from his wallet, held them up, and claimed that a few bucks a day per citizen – what it “takes to buy coffee at Starbucks” – is what Somerset County runs on. He commented that the County provides the “best quality of services for the best price,” and that it is “the model (county) for the state.”
True to character, Freeholder Jack Ciattarelli commented that, “My remarks reflect my beliefs,” that he would “provide oversight of our agencies,” and that he would look into a “senior citizen property tax relief program.” He also spoke about creating “a model for municipal services," and mentioned “the (potential) consolidation of agencies.”
Robert Zaborowski devoted most of his comments to lauding the accumulated achievements of Somerset County’s Park system. If you listened carefully when Peter Palmer spoke, you would have found out that his family roots in Somerset County date back to 1908 and, interestingly enough, that he played clarinet while in high school and at Cornell. At one point towards the end, there was a mass swearing-in of dozens of people who serve on various councils, commissions, and advisory boards.
Well, that’s the kind of meeting that it was – light, yet serious enough. Everyone had to go through a security check to enter the building, and uniformed officers were prominently in sight everywhere.
See the county web site at http://www.co.somerset.nj.us/
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Bridgewater Road Improvements Continue Near Pluckemin
Just a smidge south of the Route 78 overpass, as it runs above Route 202/206 near the Bridgewater and Pluckemin border, progressive site and road work continues for a planned 180,000 square foot building, to be built by Cushman & Wakefield.
This work is so close to both communities, that the site and road work literally flow into one another. The first photo is a view of 202/206 looking north, just across the street from the Bridgewater Manor. The second shot shows the road leading into the new site and to the entrance for the Manor, near the Tropea Restaurant.
This is an extremely busy area. The planners seem to have done a good a job in accounting for the flow of north and southbound traffic into the site, while allowing for easy entrance into the Bridgewater Manor. It’s clear that there was cooperation between the parties. The former entrance into the Bridgewater Manor was covered over, and is replaced by a divided access point (see photo above) into and out of Route 202/206. Located right next to the former driveway, it will allow Bridgewater Manor patrons to enter their parking lot, about 100 feet from 202/206.
Another driveway into the new building site is for southbound traffic only and is just a few yards past the Route 78 overpass on 202/206 south.
There are a significant number of newly installed traffic lights – none of which are yet activated – which will meter traffic into and out of the access point near the Bridgewater Manor.
Note: To see more detail in either picture, just double-click on the image, and your PC will show you a larger photo.
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