Maplewood to Keep Mayor and Chickens, Change Parking -- and Possibly Gain a Park

Tuesday night's meeting of the Maplewood Township Committee, the last of 2012, featured a packed agenda. Here is a brief recap of some of the key votes and discussion items:

• Voted 5-0 to adopt new parking regulations in Maplewood Village. 

• Voted 5-0 to continue the pilot chicken raising program, and to expand it in 2013 to 15 households.

• Former mayor Fred Profeta proposed the creation of a new park near Jefferson School, which he would help fund. The TC agreed to assign the study of the new plan to the Planning and Engineering Committee. 

• The Committee announced that virtually all appointments --   -- would remain the same for 2013.

• Voted 3-2 to approve the second annual Beer Garden at Maplewoodstock in 2013 (Larrier and Brownlee voted against.)

• In light of the recent Newtown shootings, the committee passed (5-0) a resolution in support of three proposed actions by the Mayors Against Illegal Guns, which will be sent to President Obama and congressional leaders along with NJ elected officials. Actions are:
  
  1. Mandate criminal background checks on all U.S. gun sales;
  2. Keep lethal, military-style weapons and high-capacity magazines off our streets; and
  3. Enact measures to make gun trafficking a federal crime.