Shadows of a thousand years rise again unseen,
Voices whisper in the trees, "Tonight is Halloween!"
Voices whisper in the trees, "Tonight is Halloween!"
~Dexter Kozen
Of course I edited this one in Piknik, to play with the colors. |
And I had to get a few shots of the damage, too. This is at the Community Playground in Merrill. |
There were a lot of branches down, but the park was fine. Hope you were too. |
Mayor John E. McCormac
Colonia Country Club – Open Space
Municipal Council Meeting
Tues., Oct. 25, 2011
Thank you Council President.
We are asking your support tonight for what we think is the most important resolution to come before the Township Council certainly in the last five years… maybe even for the last several decades.
In 2008, we began discussions with the Board of Directors of the Colonia Country Club as to how we could work together to ensure that the land they used as a golf course would remain Open Space forever. The Club had experienced financial difficulties for the previous few years and was contemplating selling the course, so together we evaluated different actions that we could take to preserve the golf course as Open Space.
We recognized and evaluated the significant detriment that development of this land would have on our Township. New housing would have resulted in the need for new roads, new sewers, and very possibly a new school or at least additions to existing schools. Thousands of new residents would have caused an even greater traffic burden in an area that is already congested. The cost would have been borne not only by residents in the immediate area of Colonia but all residents of Woodbridge Township.
And, just weeks ago, Hurricane Irene proved to all of us the value of having that land remain grass and not pavement. Just around the corner is one of the worst flooding areas of Woodbridge Township - near Home Depot where the South Branch of the Rahway River crosses Route 35 into Rahway. Paving over 104 acres a fraction of a mile from that site would clearly have wreaked more havoc on our residents and businesses and hundreds of additional basements would be flooded during a major rainstorm.
After working with the Club and its membership for two years, the Club decided to sell the land and its operation to one of its members, Matt Lonuzzi, in 2010. Notwithstanding that, we maintained the goal of preserving the 104 acres of pristine land as Open Space and opened talks with Mr. Lonuzzi.
Today, after more than a year, we are pleased to announce that those talks have led to an agreement for the Township to purchase the development rights to the Colonia Country Club from Mr. Lonuzzi for $6.2 million using a $6.5 million dollar grant from the Middlesex County Open Space Trust Fund – dollars that are on deposit with the Trust… dollars that Woodbridge taxpayers have already invested in Open Space preservation. The $300,000 difference covers the costs of appraisals, engineering studies, and legal fees. There is no, and I repeat no, cost to our taxpayers for this transaction despite many assertions to the contrary.
I would like to recognize Freeholders Charlie Tomaro, Carol Barrett, and Blanquita Valenti who are here tonight for their help in securing this grant… and of course I would like to thank our very own Freeholder, Steven J. “Pete” Dalina for spearheading this effort.
It’s important to understand just how the County administers Open Space funding. The County has twice gotten approval in a referendum from county taxpayers related to the Open Space Trust Fund - once to start the fund with an assessment of 2 cents per $100 of assessed value for all county taxpayers… and again to increase the Open Space Trust Fund by a penny. The value of Open Space trusts are not disputed… State and national polls show enormous support by citizens toward the goal of preserving open space.
It’s also important to stress that money from Woodbridge Township taxpayers goes into this fund automatically… with no input from our Township government. However, it is our job to give input into how the County Open Space dollars are allocated.
And, as one of the largest contributors to the County Open Space Trust, we are obligated to get as much as possible from our taxpayers investment into the fund. We recognize that we have precious little open space to begin with, unlike towns in the southern part of the County which have thousands or acres of farmland. Therefore, we need to be creative and this transaction with the Colonia Country Club is exactly that.
Our efforts to have County Open Space dollars returned to Woodbridge is paying off… we have received funding from the Open Space Trust Fund in the last several years, including grants to purchase land on Harrell Avenue in Woodbridge, Elizabeth Avenue in Iselin, and Route 27 in Colonia - all of which was slated for development.
The handicapped accessible playground at School 28 was paid for by this Fund, as was the purchase of the 97-acre Pin Oak Forest in Avenel by the Pelzman administration. The Colonia Country Club Open Space transaction will be the largest single grant from the County Fund in Woodbridge Township history.
There is an additional public “win” with this agreement. As part of this transaction, Mr. Lonuzzi has agreed to permit public access to the Colonia Country Club all day on Tuesdays… and from 1 p.m. till closing on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Golfers, who in the past could have never played on this course, will now be able to tee-up on one of the oldest and most challenging golf courses in the State of New Jersey – right here in Woodbridge. Golfers will also have access to the clubhouse and dining facilities after play.
Mr. Lonuzzi has also indicated a desire to become much more involved with our Woodbridge Township community… the clubhouse at the Colonia Country Club and their facilities are outstanding… the Woodbridge Metro Chamber of Commerce hosts the monthly “Breakfast with the Mayor” there and the facility is perfect for weddings, christenings, bar mitzvahs, corporate golf outings and similar events.
The ownership and management of the CCC is very much in-tune with the community and stand as a good corporate citizen involved with many charitable endeavors. I have indicated to Mr. Lonuzzi that we will continue to work with and assist the CCC.
In short… the signing of this Council Resolution stands as the milestone in our efforts to preserve 104 acres of open space forever… and will save the taxpayers of Woodbridge Township millions and millions of dollars in the long run – at no cost to the taxpayer and with no dollars from the Township operating budget or County budget.
I first made a presentation to the residents of the Township on Jan. 21, 2010 at the Colonia High School. Several hundred residents packed the auditorium and agreed with our assessment of the potential severity of the situation should the CCC be sold for development. Now, nearly two years later, we have arrived at a settlement… a settlement that achieves everyone’s goal… open space preservation, an operating golf course, and no additional tax burden.
This was a long and sometimes cumbersome process. That night in Colonia nearly two years ago, we asked the residents to be patient and to invest their trust in the mission… tonight, I want to thank those Township residents who indeed remained patient and who offered support and instructive suggestions. Tonight, we are pleased to say that your trust has been rewarded.
Woodbridge Township’s 100,000 residents can rest easier knowing that the last large tract of open space in Woodbridge will remain exactly that… open space forever.
Thank you.
Library Game Day TODAY @ the Iselin Library - 3:30-4:30pm. No registration needed. Have a ? please call 732-726-7073 X7220!
All elementary schools in the Woodbridge Township School District will operate on the scheduled early dismissal plan beginning Tuesday, October 18, through and including Friday, October 21, 2011. This schedule will accommodate our parent teacher conferences. Beginning with this school year, lunch periods will be held on all scheduled early dismissal days. If your child regularly brings lunch to school, please provide it for your child on scheduled half days. If your child regularly receives lunch at their school, lunches will be provided as usual.
"We use food to mark times of celebration and sorrow. Lack of access to food causes devastating famines, whilst too much is causing a generation of new health problems. It can cost the world, or be too cheap for farmers to make a living.I can think of a few aspects of World Food Day that would apply to Iselin and to my own life.
The way we companies produce food and drinks can provide important jobs for communities or be completely destructive to habitats and local food producers. Food can give us energy to get through the day or contain ingredients that gives us allergic reactions.
Food can cooked by highly skilled chefs with inventive flair, or mass produced and delivered with speed at the side of road. It can be incredibly healthy or complete junk and bad for your health. It can taste delicious or be a locals only delicacy.
Food is important to our culture, identity and daily sustenance and the team at Blog Action invite you to join us to talk about food."
"ON THE ROADS - No longer can you throw any random item into a toll basket on the Garden State Parkway and consider your debt "paid." Beginning Monday, highway officials are demanding that money - and even the correct amount - is used in the exact change lanes. Video cameras will be activated at all 84 exact-change lanes to catch toll cheats. (So far, the Parkway has lost $3.2 million this year.) Now, when you miss the basket, no need to honk the horn. Computers will track your license plate number. If you miss the basket a second time, you'll get hit with a $50 fine. So, now, you better start aiming. Or get EZ Pass already. "
-- "The Morning Briefing - October 14, 2011" - Jaffe Communications