The permitting process for the former Maplewood Village Post Office project is taking longer than expected and the demolition is not likely to begin until next month, according to a notice posted on the Township website's Maplewood Village construction page.
Posted March 17, the notice offers few specifics, stating only:
3/17/2016 Demolition of the building at 160 Maplewood Avenue
(the former post office), will not begin until early April. Although
permitting process is taking a bit longer than anticipated, it is
forward.
At least three members of the Township Committee, meanwhile, are asking that the project's developers, JMF Properties, donate $25,000 to help offset the costs of mitigation during the demolition/construction.
That would include signage, promotion of Maplewood Village during the hectic time and advertising.
Maplewood Village Alliance had asked the Township to fund $50,000 for such needs in a recent budget request, but the Township Committee reduced it to $25,000.
TC members Greg Lembrich and Nancy Adams suggested at the March 12 Township Committee budget meeting that JMF be asked to contribute the remaining $25,000.
TC Member India Larrier added her name to that list at the March 15 meeting, stating, "I think we were going to try and have the developer try to offset the ($25,000) that they're not getting. We were going to try to get him to make some of that up."
JMF Chair Joe Forgione did not respond to a request for comment on that additional funding.
Township officials warned us weeks ago that the former Maplewood Village Post Office project would impact Village parking and loading.
The first impact has occurred as Maplewood Police issued restrictions today on parking in front of Kings and utilizing the Ricalton Square parking lot.
See below:
Temporary Parking Changes
Commercial Truck Parking and loading/unloading is not permitted in Ricalton Square effective Monday, March 21, 2016.
Due to an ongoing construction project, the Township of Maplewood has temporarily created a designated Loading Zone. This Loading Zone is in front of 159 Maplewood Avenue (King's).The Loading Zone is to be utilized by delivery trucks only during the designated hours of 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM.
During this time frame only commercial vehicles actively loading/unloading are permitted in this area. After 10:00 AM non-commercial vehicles may park in front of 159 Maplewood Avenue.
Commercial vehicles may also use business driveways to load/unload throughout the day.
Effective as of March 21, 2016 until cancelled.
Parking Enforcement
All Drivers: Please Park Legally!
In an effort to minimize the impact on traffic, businesses and
deliveries the Maplewood Police Department and it's parking enforcement
officers will be strictly enforcing all parking signs and no parking
zones. Loading/unloading is not permitted in Ricalton Square.
Deliveries and Commercial Vehicles
While large delivery trucks will not be permitted to park or load/unload
in Ricalton Square, the loading and unloading of vans and small
vehicles that park completely in a single parking space, will be
permitted in the Ricalton Square parking Lot.
Please be mindful of potential sign changes in this area and adjust delivery times accordingly.
Train Pick-up
A temporary train station pick-up location on the North side of Durand
Rd (across from Burgdorff Center) may be established to assist in
commuter pick-ups and minimize traffic congestion.
Please plan for possible delays and temporary detours during the project.
Please refer to the Township webpage for parking and project updates.
The Board of Education on Monday night introduced a $125 million school budget for 2016-2017 that includes 15 staff cuts, 11 of them teachers.
The board voted, 8-1, on the budget, which includes $111 million to be raised from property taxes that will increase the average Maplewood homeowner's tax bill by $226. Board member Johanna Wright was the lone opposing vote.
Among the staff cuts are 14 positions at Columbia High School, nine of them teachers. Those CHS teacher cuts include two science teachers, two math teachers, two language teachers, and one teacher each in English language arts, social studies, and physical education.
But the biggest hit for many is the loss of two librarian/media specialists, one from the middle schools and one from the high school. Those cuts brought out several residents who protested the library-related losses:
The board had considered cutting as many as 20 staff positions, but reduced that number, in part, by using so-called "banked cap" to increase the portion of the budget raised by property taxes by $409,000. Under state law, which limits the annual tax increase to 2%, the district can raise it higher if it had raised it by less than 2% in the past.
The board voted, 7-2, to use some of that banked cap this year to allow for a higher tax increase, 2.49%, for the 2016-2017 budget on Monday night. Board members Wright and Donna Smith voted no on that resolution.
Board President Elizabeth Baker said the budget situation makes the board "all cringe" and it represents "a very difficult moment." But she also said the district can and will work to free up more state aid.
If the school district does not use any more emergency days, or "snow days," students will see their Memorial Day weekend break lengthened by two days, Superintendent John Ramos said Monday night.
The district calendar has three such days built in to it, he reminded attendees at the Monday night school board meeting. But if those are not all used, they are added in as vacation days.
Since the district has only used one such emergency day this year, for a snow day in January, Ramos said the other two days have been slated to be used on Friday, May 27th and Tuesday May 31st. Monday May 30 is already a day off for Memorial Day.
In reaction to the water lead problems recently raised in Flint, Michigan, and in nearby Newark Schools, the South Orange Maplewood School District is testing water in all schools, according to Superintendent John Ramos.
He announced at Monday night's board meeting that the testing will be done district-wide at a cost of $12,000, with results likely in "a few weeks."
Township Committee candidate Frank McGehee received the overwhelming endorsement Monday night of the Maplewood Democratic Committee, with 26 of the 28 voting members choosing to endorse him.
Fellow candidate Hans Hummel received the remaining two votes on the MDC.
McGehee, a three-year resident, has served on the Tuscan PTA Board and the Maplewood Library Foundation Board, as well as the South Orange Maplewood Community Coalition on Race.
The endorsement gives McGehee the right to run in the Democratic Primary on June 7 on the official Democratic Party Committee line.
McGehee is running for the lone TC seat up this year, currently held by Marlon Brownlee, who has chosen not to seek re-election.
The deadline for other primary candidates to file is April 4, 2016.
March 16, 2016; Theft From
Vehicle; During the overnight hours an unsecured vehicle parked on Peach
Tree Rd was entered and change was stolen from it.
March 17, 2016; Burglary Attempt; At approximately 2 AM, a resident of
the 200 block of Jacoby St heard a loud bang on their rear door.
Following this, the resident discovered a foot print on the door as if
it had been kicked.
