No Changes in 24-Hour Regulations

After discussion at the Township Committee meeting, the status quo remains in place.

After two votes on new measures concerning regulating 24-hour businesses in the Township at the Township Committee meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 4, the status quo remains in place. Committee members were split between the potentially disruptive effect 24-hour businesses could have on residential life and the need to encourage new business in the township. The Township has not previously had regulations governing business hours. Business operating hours have been a thorny issue for the town since developers behind a Walgreens store proposed for Springfield Avenue said they would cancel plans for the store if the Township enacted a proposed ordinance limiting business hours (for more on Walgreens, see here and here).  The Committee first …

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DeHart Park Judged Clean

Park now eligible for Green Acres Grant Funding; some reservations remain.

The soil at DeHart Park does not contain lead or other toxins, an engineering report commissioned by the Township found. The survey results show that the park, a former site of a farm with a greenhouse that has been a park for decades, is safe. Maplewood Mayor Vic De Luca said the news did not come as a surprise. “It was never a concern,” De Luca said. “We’ve never had an instance where we were worried about the ground in the park.” The soil test, performed by the environmental surveying team at Matrix New World Engineering, Inc., was requested by the state’s Department of Environmental Protection after Maplewood applied for state “Green Acre” funds for refurbishment of the park. “As part of [the DEP’s] due diligence, they looked at maps …

DeHart Park Rehab Scaled Back

Three minor details are shaved off the $2 million-plus park refurbishment

Some minor plans for the DeHart field rehabilitation have been dropped, bringing the cost of the project down by over $70,000. The cancelled aspects of the project, which would have been part of the first phase of the work, are a portable pitcher’s mound, a decorative wall and a park sign. At their April 7 meeting, the Township Committee adopted a bond ordinance allowing the township to borrow about $1.9 million for extensive improvements to the park, including refurbishing the playing fields and walkways. Deputy Mayor Fred Profeta cast the sole dissenting vote. The Township currently has $270,000 in place for the project. Township officials said at the April 7 meeting that they believed they could rehab the park without having to go to …

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