The Maplewood Community Garden may break ground this spring. It just won't be in the lot behind Town Hall.

After several neighbors came forward to oppose the choice of location for the Community Garden—which has parcelled out about two dozen lots to members of the community to hoe and sow organically this spring—Town Engineer Bob Bratt took another look at the area and decided that it would be best to improve drainage before moving forward with any building or planting project.

Township Administrator Joseph Manning took responsibility for the late change in plans and apologized to the Township Committee and to those planning and participating in the Community Garden. Township Committee members voiced their support for the Garden but voted unanimously to reject the Town Hall location.

Their support and Manning's apology offered little salve for Irene Dunsavage who has spearheaded the project. After the meeting, Dunsavage offered this statement: "We are extremely disappointed that the Township Committee has decided to reverse their previous approval to use the Town Hall land for a community garden. We as a group have been working since January creating a format for a garden, drawing on the expertise of all of our members. We took a very democratic approach to the garden and seriously were committed to being a community. We sincerely hope that the Township will live up to its promise to find an alternate site for the MCG in a timely fashion. We are ready to plant with the end of the first frost—ready for our seeds to take root and grow."

During the meeting Maplewood Community Garden member Matthew Schwartz noted that 25 members had already signed up for the garden and $4,000 had been raised, volunteers had been enlisted and gardening classes organized.

The MCG's building day for constructing the raised beds for the lots was to take place in 11 days—on Saturday, March 27.

Schwartz said that the land in question sloped away from the neighboring property and emptied run-off into a nearby drain. He said that the area did not flood during the recent "torrential rain."

Park Avenue resident Vicki Arlein differed, saying half the area is "soggy" and that one of her neighbors needed to continuously rake and clear the drains during the rain storm. "It actually acts as a flood plane for the neighbors' property and the Township's property," said Arlein. She worried that the Community Garden would exacerbate the drainage problem.

Another discussion of note at the meeting was the discharge of firearms in the Township. As previously reported on Patch, a resident had made an inquiry with the Police Department about the legality of firing a gun into a bullet trap in one's home. The MPD—and then the Township Attorney Roger Desiderio—had found that no Federal, state or local law or ordinance disallowed this activity.

Desiderio researched and found two municipalities—one in Pennsylvania and one in New Jersey—that offered sample ordinances that Maplewood could model a local law upon, if desirable.

Ultimately, all of the Township Committee members agreed that an ordinance was called for. However, they disagreed on whether or not an indoor firing range should be disallowed.

"It's astounding to me," said Deputy Mayor Fred Profeta, "that there is nothing on the books. You could go out on New Year's Eve and fire your rifle or gun. . . . "

Profeta wanted an ordinance crafted but one that exempted those with gun licenses, firing ranges and hunting. Profeta felt that merchants with legitimate licenses should be able to have a firing range if regulated properly.

Jerry Ryan disagreed, "If we are going to allow firing ranges, we need to define and regulate them, create inspections. We need a strong definition of what is safe." He added, "I"m inclined not to allow it at all."

Kathy Leventhal and Lester Lewis-Powder agreed. "I would not allow a firing range within somone's home," said Leventhal simply. Like Ryan, Lewis-Powder noted that allowing in-home firing ranges would necessitate "incredible regulation" and a "considerable amount of design and modifications."

DeLuca said he was inclined to allow a properly regulated in-home firing range—he noted jokingly that the fee could be quite large—and he cited the Second Amendment, the right to bear arms. But DeLuca ultimately acquiesced to the majority of the Committee and asked Township Attorney Desiderio to draw up an draft ordinance for discussion at the next Township Committee meeting.

Other items on the Township Committee agenda included new parking for teachers and workers at Jefferson School, and approval of the 2010 budgets for the Springfield Avenue Partnership and Maplewood Village Alliance. Stories to come.