HOW A RECYCLING QUESTION FOR MAYOR DELUCA RESULTED IN A POST OFFICE SITE RESTAURANT

As the former Maplewood Village post office project takes shape, the third retail tenant has been revealed - a restaurant to be opened by Maplewood residents Tom and Jennifer Carlin.

But it all stated with a recycling question for Mayor Vic Deluca a year ago. 

The Carlins, who operate the successful Gladstone Tavern in, of course, Gladstone, reached out to Deluca last year to ask about curbside recycling of all things.

"Before calling back Mr. Carlin, I found out he owned the Gladstone Tavern," Deluca explained in an email today. "After speaking with him about recycling, I asked if he would consider opening a restaurant in Maplewood. He said he was very interested but needed a liquor license." 

Tom and Jennifer Carlin

Deluca said he connected Carlin with an unnamed building owner in town, but those talks fell through.

"Earlier this year, I found out a liquor license was becoming available and spoke with (post office site developer Joe) Forgione ... who expressed an interest in obtaining that license," Deluca explained. "Then I called Mr. Carlin and asked him to contact Mr. Forgione to begin discussions about locating here in Maplewood."

Deluca said the liquor license in question was held by the former B. Hathaway Restaurant on Springfield Avenue, which is now being renovated to reopen as Cornbread sometime next year.

"There were serious negotiations over the summer and into the fall and I constantly spoke to Joe, Tom and Jennifer to keep the deal alive," the mayor said. "A lease has now been signed and we will have a new restaurant and bar owned by a local family opening in 2017." 

The mayor added, "I am very happy that an agreement was reached between the parties. I think the new restaurant will be a tremendous asset for Maplewood Village. It is exactly the type of business we envisioned when we embarked on the redevelopment project." 

The project, which will have 20 apartments and five retail spaces, also has agreements to open a BCB Bank branch and a Starbucks.  

Another restaurant planning to open in Maplewood Village is at the site of the former Highland Place, where the owners of Publick House in Mountainside have begun renovations and hope to be in business by early 2017.

MAYOR CUTS DEAL IN BULLETIN BOARD DISPUTE - TWO WILL BE IN THE VILLAGE

Mayor Vic De Luca has apparently brokered a deal that will result in a  public bulletin board, unlocked and open to all, to be relocated to Maplewood Avenue.


The move follows major opposition to the new glass-enclosed, key-locked board that was installed near the main post office under the control of the Maplewood Village Alliance.


De Luca announced the decision as the culmination of discussions between the Maplewood Civic Association and the Maplewood Village Alliance. 

De Luca stated in a release: "The current "public bulletin board" behind Auturo's Restaurant on the slope of the train tracks will be moved to Maplewood Avenue. It will be placed in a planted strip to the left of the entrance to the post office. This will remain as a public bulletin board for non-commercial, civic and community events."

His entire announcement, which indicates the 

glass-enclosed bulletin board would remain, is below:

In pursuit of a resolution to the controversy of the bulletin boards in Maplewood Village, I have been in discussions with the stakeholders.

The actions the Township will implement the week of May 14th respect the interests of the Maplewood Village Alliance (MVA) and Maplewood Civic Association (MCA). The actions also address the desire of the public to have a "public board" in a prominent place in Maplewood Village.

Background

Years ago the Maplewood Township Committee (MTC) granted approval to the MCA to place bulletin boards around town, including two in Maplewood Village. The boards were for the promotion of non-commercial, civic and community events.

In 2010 the MCA entered into an agreement with the MCA to install a new message board that would be used to promote the businesses and events in Maplewood Village. The MVA is the MTC's designated manager for the Village Special Improvement District and has the responsibility to promote the business

district  and implement MTC approved design standards in the Village.

One third of the new board continues to be the responsibility of the MCA in order to publicize community events. This agreement was mutually beneficial in that the MVA got a dedicated board to publicize the Village and MCA got assistance with the board's maintenance. In fact the MCA has found it increasingly difficult to maintain the bulletin boards.

I have secured the agreement of the MCA and MVA for the following:

The current "public bulletin board" behind Auturo's Restaurant on the slope of the train tracks will be moved to Maplewood Avenue. It will be placed in a planted strip to the left of the entrance to the post office. This will remain as a public bulletin board for non-commercial, civic and community events.

2) The new message board will remain the responsibility of the MVA for promotion of Village businesses and events. The Township will install plants in the two planting strips on each side of the entrance to the parking lot.

3) There will continue to be 2 bulletin boards in Maplewood Village.

4) Volunteers working through the MCA will maintain the public bulletin board. I spoke to Paul Surovill, a leader of the board restoration group, about the maintenance responsibilities.

5) Both bulletin boards (MVA and public) will be affected by the post office redevelopment. Prior to the demolition on the post office site, the MTC will relocate the two boards within Maplewood Village.

I am glad we could work out a resolution and thank the MCA and MVA for their cooperation. I look forward to working with Paul Surovell and others to craft a board maintenance plan.

Let's now spend our energy on keeping Maplewood Village as a vibrant shopping and entertainment district.

POST OFFICE PROJECT RESTAURANT LIQUOR LICENSE SOUGHT

The new restaurant slated for the former Maplewood Village Post Office project is a step closer to getting a liquor license as JMF Properties, developer of the site, formally applied to transfer a license from another entity.

The application, filed last month, states that Gladstone at Maplewood LLC, the entity formed to build the Clarus project on the former post office site, is seeking to transfer state liquor license 0711-33-020-005. That license is currently held by the former owners of the B. Hathaway Meeting Place on Springfield Avenue.

Gladstone at Maplewood is co-owned by JMF Properties and car dealer Steven Kalafer.

Tom Carlin, a Gladstone restaurant owner and Maplewood resident who is planning to open the new restaurant in the Clarus project, said Gladstone at Maplewood will later transfer the license to him. He would not reveal the price to be paid.

POST OFFICE PROJECT NINE-DUMPSTER REQUEST DRAWS CONCERN

The Maplewood Village Post Office site developer's request to allow an outdoor dumpster for an incoming restaurant is actually for a structure to hold nine such dumpsters, it was revealed this week. 

Planning Board meeting Thursday night

The Planning Board met on Thursday night to consider the request from JMF Properties, which is building the three-story, 20-apartment, five-shop structure on the site. It will include a 120-seat restaurant to be run by Maplewood residents Tom and Jennifer Carlin who operate a similar eatery in Gladstone.

JMF had requested that the dumpster space be added to the site plan, which currently does not allow it. Initially, it was thought to be an enclosed structure to house one dumpster.

Developer Joe Forgione

But at the Maplewood Village Alliance (MVA) meeting on Wednesday, it was revealed the structure would house nine dumpsters, with two or three of them for existing businesses Village Coffee and Mt. Fuji whose dumpsters are currently behind their buildings and not enclosed.

Planning Board Chair Tom Carlson said the MVA accepted the request, but asked for more information about hours of service, maintenance and lighting for the structure. The dumpsters would be housed in a structure that would take up at least two existing parking spaces in the Village Coffee lot near the pedestrian tunnel to Memorial Park. 

The structure would be eight feet high, 25 feet wide and 18 feet deep.

Latest post office project site plan, with proposed dumpster structure at lower left

At the Planning Board meeting, several board members asked about how the structure would be accessed and how often the refuse would be removed. JMF CEO Joe Forgione said pick-up would be three times per week.

He also said that two of the dumpsters would hold trash, two would hold recycling and the rest would be for linens, and grease and oil disposal. 

See some of the Planning Board debate below:



In the end, the Planning Board asked that the restaurant owners be present at the next meeting to answer some questions about the exact need and operation related to the dumpsters and again postponed any action on the request. The next meeting is set for Dec.13.

PLANNING BOARD TO CONSIDER POST OFFICE PROJECT CHANGES FOR NEW RESTAURANT

The Planning Board tonight will consider a request by Maplewood Village post office developer JMF Properties to alter the plans for the new retail/housing structure to allow an outside trash dumpster and changes to parking locations and space sizes.

JMF, which recently forged an agreement with the owners of a Gladstone restaurant to open an eatery in the new complex, contends the outside dumpster is needed for the additional trash the food service will create.

When the planning board initially approved the site plan last year, one requirement was that all trash collection would be stored within the building. It is set to include 20 apartments and five retail spaces.

At least two other retail spaces have already been leased, to BCB Bank and Starbucks.

The Township Committee last month gave initial approval to an easement for the added outdoor dumpster, which would be enclosed in a concrete structure. But it still needs Planning Board approval for the site plan change.

See the resolution before the Planning Board and tonight's full agenda HERE.  

The restaurant slated to open in the post office project, dubbed Clarus by JMF, is the creation of Tom and Jennifer Carlin of Maplewood, who own Gladstone Tavern in Gladstone, N.J.

See more on how that came about HERE.

POST OFFICE DEVELOPER WITHDRAWS DUMPSTER STRUCTURE REQUEST

Developers of the former Maplewood Village post office site have withdrawn their request to build a nine-dumpster storage unit in the parking lot near the tunnel to the train station, Mayor Vic Deluca announced Tuesday.

At the end of the regular Township Committee meeting, Deluca said developers JMF Properties -- who are building a three-story, 20-apartment, multi-retail building on the site -- had decided not to seek approval of the dumpster structure that would have included three dumpsters for existing shops such as Village Coffee and Mt Fuji. Sushi.

Instead, Deluca said they will seek approval to house several outdoor dumpsters behind the new building, a request set to go before the Planning Board next week.

"It will be on their property, this will be considered by the Planning Bosrd," the mayor said. "The downside is this will only be for their dumpster. But that dumpster issue is now off the table."

The board had spent the past two meetings reviewing the request from JMF Properties, whose building will include a 120-seat restaurant to be run by Maplewood residents Tom and Jennifer Carlin who operate a similar eatery in Gladstone.

JMF had requested that the dumpster space be added for the restaurant to the site plan, which currently does not allow it. Initially, it was thought to be an enclosed structure to house one dumpster.

But at a Maplewood Village Alliance (MVA) meeting in November it was revealed the structure would house nine dumpsters, with two or three of them for existing businesses Village Coffee and Mt. Fuji whose dumpsters are currently behind their buildings and not enclosed.

The dumpsters would have been housed in a structure that would take up at least two existing parking spaces in the Village Coffee lot near the pedestrian tunnel to Memorial Park. 

But now a new request to approve a smaller structure behind the post office site will be considered. The Planning Board meeting is set for Feb. 14 at 8 p.m., in Town Hall.

POST OFFICE DEVELOPER: "I WANT PEOPLE TO LIKE WHAT I BUILT"

Joe Forgione

The owner of JMF Properties, which is overseeing the redevelopment of the Maplewood Village Post Office, says he is committed to building a project that people like.

Joe Forgione, president of JMF properties, said the firm has already agreed to reduce the size of the retail/housing mix, dropping the project from four stories to three, lowering the overall height to 45 feet, and cutting back the number of rental units from 23 to 20.

“What I ultimately build there has to be accepted by everyone there," Forgione told Maplewoodian.com Sunday. “I want to build a building that Maplewoodians drive by and say, 'the guy did a great job and he listened to us.' I really, really want people to like what I built. And I want you to know the mayor really pushed me hard to make sure the building really fit.”

The project has been a point of complaint for many from the first plans to demolish the current post office and replace it with a building that is exempt from affordable housing requirements and may be in line for a tax exemption.

But, in just the past few weeks, the developers have agreed to cutback the size of the building. In the latest move, the Township Committee gave initial approval two weeks ago to a previous change that lowered the height and size. But at the last meeting the TC took heat from many residents, including former Mayor Fred Profeta, for the project.

Forgione said Mayor Vic De Luca reached out to him soon after to discuss some changes. He said a meeting occurred last Wednesday with De Luca and other township officials where the request for more cutbacks was made. 

The developer said his designers and engineers have been working on ways to cut back the size and that the height will be reduced as noted.

“We’ve removed an entire story on the building, we’re going to comply with the 45 foot height. The town let us know that the building was too high," he said. 

“The Maplewoodians of town didn’t agree, who am I to disagree? I thought I put together a great plan, they disagreed and I took all of their comments and went back to square one."

Forgione said residents should forget the versions of the project and renderings they have seen, saying designers are still working on the latest approach. 

“We’ve been working all weekend on this. It is completely different," he said. "I think that the plan that we’re putting together is going to address not only the height issue but also the design."

Asked about concerns residents have about the design hurting the overall image of Maplewood Village as a traditional retail area, Forgione said, “I have some thoughts and we’re really going to look at this and try to develop something that’s been there for a long time. We’re going to build something that’s different but sort of meets the character of the town."

Forgione also said he understands concerns about which stores might go into the new retail space that the project will include. He declined to say it would not have chain stores, but said some existing businesses could relocate.

“The retail must complement the residential, it has to become an amenity to the building and, more important, to the town. You need to bring retailers that are needed,” he said. “A lot of people are telling me they need a restaurant, a good wine restaurant, but the problem is I need to be very careful and selective of what goes into that building.”
 
The Township Committee on Tuesday is expected to vote down the final approval of the previous project change and prepare to review whatever the new version includes.

POST OFFICE PROJECT REDUCED DUMPSTER PLAN APPROVED

The Planning Board on Tuesday gave unanimous approval to a reduced number of outdoor trash dumpsters for the former Maplewood Village Post Office project, which will be used for a restaurant slated for the building.

Planning Board Chair Jerry Ryan said the vote will allow the placement of three dumpsters and a grease handler in an enclosed structure behind the building on the site of the former post office.

Dubbed "Clarus" by builders JMF Properties, the project will be a three-story building with 20 apartments and five retail spaces. Among those is a 120-seat restaurant for which the dumpsters will be used. 

"The details of the enclosure for the dumpsters: what materials are to be used, colors, does there need to be a roof on the enclosure, etc. have been referred to the Maplewood Village Alliance," Ryan said via email. "Several people seemed to feel that the enclosure didn't need to be a concrete block or brick faced structure at all; for example, perhaps subtle fencing and shrubbery for screening would suffice. The matter won't have to come back to the Planning Board at all unless the discussion with the Alliance results in some changes to the site plan. I doubt that that will be the case."

JMF had originally asked for approval of a larger, nine-dumpster
structure that would have been placed in the Village Coffee parking lot near the entrance to the NJ Transit pedestrian tunnel. That would have included several dumpsters now used by Village Coffee and Mt. Fuji Sushi.

But Mayor Vic Deluca announced last week that JMF had withdrawn the request and replaced it with the reduced size dumpster structure and relocated it behind the new building.

POST OFFICE PROJECT EXPECTS FIRST TENANTS JULY 1; BUT WHO'S CASSIDY?

The Clarus development at the former Maplewood Village post office site is expected to see its first residential occupants move in by July 1, according to developer Joe Forgione, who said he has at least nine of the 20 apartment units lined up with tenants.

Forgione

Forgione, who spoke after Tuesday night's Township Committee meeting where the TC approved his request to receive a liquor license transfer, said he is still seeking a fourth retail tenant for the project. So far, the building is set to house Starbucks and BCB Bank, as well as a 120-seat restaurant.

The TC, acting as the Alcohol Beverage Control Commission, approved the transfer of a pocket license from Tom Kern to Forgione's entity, M160 llc. If he chooses to use it for the Clarus restaurant, which is likely, he must apply again for the specific location use.  

Tom and Jennifer Carlin

The restaurant will be owned by Maplewood residents Tom and Jennifer Carlin, who currently own Gladstone Tavern in Gladstone. Mr. Carlin said plans are moving ahead for the eatery to begin operation later this year, hopefully before the end of 2017.

"We're getting close," Mr. Carlin said Tuesday. "I think he is pretty close to turning the space over to us. We anticipate opening in late 2017. I think everything's on track."

Carlin already has a name chosen for the restaurant: The Cassidy. 

"I have a silent partner who grew up in town and his daughter's name is Cassidy and it was really important for him to have that," Carlin said. "He doesn't live in town anymore, but we grew up together in South Orange. I think he wants to be on the sidelines."

Stay tuned!

MAPLEWOOD VILLAGE MERCHANTS WANT MEETING ON POST OFFICE TENANTS

More than 40 merchants and business owners in Maplewood Village have signed on to a letter urging the Township and developer Joe Forgione to meet with them and discuss potential tenants in the new post office development before any leases are signed.

Kevin Muench, a dentist based in the Village, presented a letter signed by 44 merchants and three landlords to the Township Committee Tuesday night. The letter requests a meeting with Forgione, the developer of the former Maplewood Village Post Office site, who is building a three-story, 20-apartment complex that will also include five retail shops.

Forgione has said his prospective tenants include a bank, restaurant, dry cleaners, clothing store and Starbuck's.

"The proposed tenants compete directly with some of our existing businesses," the letter stated, in part. "But the matter of new competition is not our first concern ... our concern is based more on the ways in which choices can be complementary to the Village economy overall, and not unduly driven by the project's desired financial gains, or the fact that the project is the recipient of tax and other incentives that are not available to local landlords and merchants."

See the entire letter HERE.

Also at the meeting was the owner of Maplewood Cleaners, who urged the developer and the Township not to allow another cleaners into Maplewood Village, noting she and fellow merchants at Linda's Cleaners, will be harmed by the competition.




Mayor Vic Deluca said the letter would be forwarded to Forgione.

DELUCA/VILLAGE MERCHANTS MEETING ON POST OFFICE SET FOR MONDAY

In what Mayor Vic Deluca described as a "listening session," he and a representative of the Maplewood Village Alliance will meet Monday with merchants who are concerned about the retail outlets slated for the new post office complex.

The meeting follows a letter submitted to the Township Committee on April 5 by 45 Maplewood Village merchants and three landlords concerned about the retail outlets that are expected to move into the housing/retail complex being built at the former Maplewood Village post office site.

Joe Forgione of JMF Properties, which is building the 20-apartment, five-retail space building, recently indicated it would include a restaurant, bank, laundry, clothing store and Starbuck's.

Some merchants said they were worried the new businesses would unfairly compete with their stores.

Deluca agreed to met with the merchants Monday at 8:30 a.m. at The Woodland. Forgione has also been invited, but it is unclear if he will attend.

POST OFFICE PROJECT RESTAURATEUR: DUMPSTER CONCERNS OVERBLOWN

Tom and Jennifer Carlin

The owner of a new restaurant slated for the former Maplewood Village Post Office site says concerns about new trash dumpsters being placed in an adjacent parking lot are overblown.

"It sounds like a lot being made out of nothing," Restaurateur Tom Carlin told Maplewoodian.com about the recent debate stemming from a nine-dumpster storage unit being planned for the site. "It sounds like the people opposing it, their interests might be they don't want competition."

The comments follow recent debate at two Planning Board meetings, where the board was considering a request by developer Joe Forgione of JMF Properties to alter his original site plan for the three-story, 20-apartment, five retail space complex.

Among the changes was a request for an outdoor dumpster storage unit to house nine bins, including three currently used by Village Coffee and Mt. Fuji Sushi. The others would be used for Carlin's eatery, with a mix of trash and recycling.  

"We generate a lot of garbage and it's got to go somewhere," Carlin told Maplewoodian.com. "It's almost like saying you can't have deliveries. It's an operational thing, we expect to be a busy restaurant."

At the last Planning Board meeting, several board members raised concerns about the timing of trash pick-up and the use of space for the bins that would eliminate at least two current parking spaces. 

"I don't know what his plan was on trash," Carlin said about Forgione's original site plan. "But I have never seen a restaurant that had it inside."

The planning board delayed action on the request until its next meeting, set for Dec. 16, where it has asked Carlin to appear and answer questions. 

PLANNING BOARD POSTPONES POST OFFICE PROJECT HEARING

The Planning Board on Thursday postponed considering a request from developers JMF Properties to amend their plans for the former Maplewood Post Office site.

JMF, which has dubbed its 20-apartment, five-retail complex, Clarus, had asked to amend the site plan to allow an outside garbage dumpster and some other changes. See background on that HERE.

The original approval required all refuse to be stored inside the building, which will include a new restaurant. JMF claims an outdoor garbage collection is needed to help the restaurant properly operate.

Planning Board Chair Tom Carlson said the board had other items to consider first and did not get to the JMF plan change. The board will consider it at its next meeting in November. 

POST OFFICE PROJECT DEVELOPERS GET ANOTHER GIFT: OUTSIDE GARBAGE

JMF Properties, the firm building the new retail/housing complex at the site of the former Maplewood Village Post Office, has gotten a lot of gifts from the Township since they first began their venture.

First, they bought the land for more than $1 million from the Township and were allowed to build the 20-apartment, five-retail shop project without the usual 10% affordable housing requirement. (The sale price included a $100,000 payment to the Township's affordable housing fund instead.)

Then they received a five-year property tax break to the tune of about $325,000.

More recently, the Township began installing a new sewer line needed for the building that will cost taxpayers more than $90,000 for easements and construction - as well as parking loss for weeks.

Now they want to change the terms of their plan approval to allow an outdoor garbage dumpster. When the project was being reviewed by the Planning Board and the Township Committee, one of the stipulations was that garbage would be stored in the building's basement.

Apparently that will not work if a restaurant is among the five businesses in the complex when it opens sometime next year.

So JMF requested that the plan be altered to allow the outdoor dumpster, which will be placed in a enclosed concrete structure near the entrance to the train track walking tunnel that connects Dunnell Road with the Village Coffee parking lot.

This is near an area where many dumpsters for Maplewood Avenue eateries such as Village Coffee, Arturo's, Bagel Chateau and Mt. Fuji already exist.

The Township Committee on Tuesday approved a resolution, 4-1, granting the easement needed for the dumpster. TC Member Greg Lembrich voted against the proposal.

See the resolution and updated site map HERE.

"We think that having a full service restaurant/bar there will be a huge plus for Maplewood Village," Mayor Deluca said at the meeting. 

But Lembrich and TC Member Nancy Adams said some kind of monetary payment should be required from JMF.

"I think asking for some kind of compensation would make this easier to swallow," Lembrich said.

So the TC added in a stipulation that a $5,000 payment be required in exchange for the easement.The issue will now go before the Planning Board.

TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE MEETS TONIGHT ON GARAGE REQUIREMENT AND POST OFFICE RESTAURANT LIQUOR LICENSE

The Township Committee meets tonight with a fairly light agenda.

But two interesting items.

First, the TC will discuss the recently approved real estate sign restrictions and a topic titled only "garage requirement for properties."

Asked to explain what that means, TC Member India Larrier, who placed it on the agenda, said via email: "we are discussing the requirement and its merits." When asked if she is proposing one Larrier did not respond.

See the full agenda HERE.

The TC will also meet as the Alcohol Beverage Control board and consider an application for a liquor license transfer from Village Venue LLC (headed by long-time resident and fundraiser Thomas Kerns) to M160 LLC, the entity owned by developer Joe Forgione who is building the new Clarus project at the former Maplewood Village Post Office site.

Forgione has said he plans to include a 120-seat restaurant in the building and has an agreement with Tom and Jennifer Carlin of Maplewood to operate the eatery.

But even if he is granted the liquor license transfer, he will have to seek additional TC approval to use it at the Clarus location since tonight's action is only a direct person-to-person transfer of the license.

The meeting is set for 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 574 Valley St.

PLANNING BOARD CONTINUES POST OFFICE PROJECT DUMPSTER HEARING TONIGHT

The Planning Board tonight will continue its review of the multi-dumpster structure being proposed for the parking lot next to the former Maplewood Village post office project. 

The board has spent the past two meetings reviewing the request from JMF Properties, which is building the three-story, 20-apartment, five-shop structure on the site. It will include a 120-seat restaurant to be run by Maplewood residents Tom and Jennifer Carlin who operate a similar eatery in Gladstone.

JMF has requested that the dumpster space be added for the restaurant to the site plan, which currently does not allow it. Initially, it was thought to be an enclosed structure to house one dumpster.

But at a Maplewood Village Alliance (MVA) meeting in November it was revealed the structure would house nine dumpsters, with two or three of them for existing businesses Village Coffee and Mt. Fuji whose dumpsters are currently behind their buildings and not enclosed.

The dumpsters would be housed in a structure that would take up at least two existing parking spaces in the Village Coffee lot near the pedestrian tunnel to Memorial Park. 

The structure would be eight feet high, 25 feet wide and 18 feet deep. 

Tonight's meeting is set for 8 p.m. at Town Hall. See the full agenda HERE.

IS THE POST OFFICE PROJECT REALLY THAT TALL?

Looks like the retail/housing project going into the former Post Maplewood Village Post Office Site is taking shape. A rather tall shape.

The JMF Properties creation will have 20 apartments and five retail shops, among them a BCN Bank, Starbucks and a new restaurant run by a local family.

Stay tuned as it grows into the skyline. 

 

TOP MAPLEWOOD STORIES OF 2014

This was an interesting year for Maplewoodians, with positive successes and new directions, but also some scandal and tragedy. We assembled what we see as the top 10 news stories for our township in 2014. See if you agree.

10. Olivia Baker – The Columbia High School track phenom graduated last spring, but not before taking the state track world by storm and shattering many records while earning a post as an international contender. Now at Stanford University, Baker is a top prospect for the 2016 Olympics. You go girl!

9. The Woodland – After the controversial $1 million purchase of the former Woman’s Club, the Township re-christened the landmark spot with a new name and opened it for business. Since then, the location has become a hot spot for private events, concerts and is the new home for the fundraising Rent Party.

8. Lockdown – Columbia High School went into a serious lockdown on November 10 after one student was arrested with brass knuckles and a former student who had gotten into an altercation with him was at large. After several hours of tense, tight security, school was re-opened and the second assailant later arrested.

7. Racial Lawsuit – The ACLU on behalf of a group of African-American parents filed a complaint of racial bias with the federal Department of Education on how students in the district are given advanced placement and how they are disciplined. The district reached an agreement on some aspects, but others remain outstanding.

6. Zach Doubek –Maplewood Middle Schooler Zach Doubek drew high praise and support for a medical battle few his age have had to experience. Hit with a rare MRSA infection, Zach was in a coma for days at one point in 2014 and hospitalized for weeks. He has come through strong and is actually back playing basketball. A true hero.

5. De Luca and Larrier – Mayor Vic De Luca won yet another term on the Township Committee in 2014, along with fellow TC member India Larrier. De Luca, who won with one of his largest vote counts ever, is also set to serve again as mayor in 2015 for his seventh straight year. Larrier’s victory came despite her revealing opposition to gay marriage.

4. Post Office Redevelopment – One of the most controversial and altering projects in Maplewood history is the redevelopment of the current Maplewood Village post office. The initial plan was for Kings to relocate there with one developer. But when the supermarket announced it would not move, the first developer pulled out. That led to a scramble for a new firm, which was chosen in late 2014 and will build the retail/housing mix in 2015.

3. Coda Deaths – May 30, 2014 was a dark day in Maplewood Village when one construction worker inside the Coda restaurant was killed and another trapped after a stairwell structure collapsed. The eatery was shut down for weeks, but re-opened and remains in good business.

2. Nicole Dufault – The shock was swift and strong when Columbia High School teacher Nicole Dufault was arrested and charged with having sex with at least five under-aged students, allegedly on school grounds in some cases. Dufault made bail, but her trial is expected to receive heavy media attention.

1. School District Upheavals – The school district saw its biggest changes in decades this year. First when long-time Superintendent Brian Osborne left for a better-paying job in New Rochelle, N.Y., then later when new principals were appointed for Columbia High School, Maplewood Middle School and Jefferson School. Add to that three new school board members elected to replace three who chose not to run again and things could not be more different. The new superintendent will be chosen in early 2015.