Friday, March 15, 2013
Fundraiser for American Cancer Society will be held June 1 and 2 at Haas Field.
Preparations for Chatham’s first Relay of Life, one of the biggest annual fundraisers for the American Cancer Society, are now in high gear. Tony Britt, co-chairman of the event, told the Borough Council on Monday that a kickoff event on Feb 27 at the Chatham Borough Fire Hall attracted more than 40 people. "It was standing room only," he said. He also said that 60 to 80 stores have agreed to serve as “donation points.” The Relay for Life is scheduled for June 1 and 2 at Haas Field at Chatham Middle School. Relay for Life, according to the American Cancer Society, has raised more than $4 billion in the fight against cancer since its start in 1985. Each year more than 5,000 Relays in 20 countries raise $400 million. In the event, teams will…
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Council also approves new development guidelines, mural for underpass.
The sale of two borough-owned lots, new development requirements and an agreement for a mural to be painted in the Fairmount Avenue underpass were among the items approved by the Chatham Borough Council on Monday. The council voted to sell lots at 83 Chatham St. and 57 Watchung Ave. The Chatham Street lot is less than the minimum size required for development. That lot, with a deed restriction prohibiting development, will be offered to sale to the highest bidder among the neighbors.. The Watchung Avenue tract will be sold at a public auction. No date has been set. The council also passed on second reading an ordinance that outlines requirements for a complete land development application and requires compliance with checklists that …
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Police employees, with combined 65 years of service, are retiring.
The Chatham Borough Council honored on Monday two longtime police department employees, Sgt. Robert Sweetin and Parking Enforcement Officer Nicolina Balsamo, who are retiring. “You won't find two more dedicated people,” Police Chief Philip J. Crosson, Jr. said. “They never said no to any request.” Sweetin, whose retirement takes effect on April 1, started work as a dispatcher in the police department on Dec. 23, 1987, then became a patrolman on Feb. 16, 1988. He became traffic safety officer on Jan. 6, 2011. Sweetin, who received numerous commendations and citations during his tenure, “has continually demonstrated a genuine concern for all the people he has touched over his career,” according to the council resolution honoring his …
Impact to average homeowner is $79.
Municipal taxes on the average Chatham Borough home will rise $79 under the terms of a $13.6 million budget introduced at Monday’s Borough Council meeting. The overall tax levy for municipal purposes, $7,540,389, will rise 1.72 percent, Business Administrator Robert Falzarano said, under the 2 percent state-mandated cap. The rest of the budget will be funded by other revenue, including income from leases, parking, fees and state aid. The annual municipal tax bill for a home assessed at about $600,000 will rise from $3,449 to $3,528, Falzarano said. The increase includes the library tax and the fees for water, sewer and solid waste. A public hearing on the budget will be held April 8. The municipal portion accounts for about 22 percent of …
Monday, March 11, 2013
Also, the borough council will vote on whether to sell two municipal properties.
Chatham Borough Administrator Robert Falzarano will introduce the 2013 municipal budget Monday. The budget includes a local tax increase of about $100,000 over 2012, according to the numbers included in the agenda. The 2012 budget numbers and those included in the agenda for 2013 are shown in the table below. Public Lots The Chatham Borough Council will vote on whether to approve two lots of land for sale at public auction when they meet Monday. The two lots, commonly known as 83 Chatham St. and 57 Watchung Ave., were among six lots included in discussions from summer and fall 2012 about whether the lots could and should be sold for development. Upon deliberation and input from residents, five of the lots, including 83 Chatham. St., were …
Sunday, March 3, 2013
The $61,000 improvements would include the display system, additional electrical outlets and upgrades, smart technology and laptop computers.
Chatham Borough is looking to make $61,000 in technological advancements to the council chambers at the Chatham Borough Municipal Building to make it the Office of Emergency Management’s emergency operating center. Steve Williams, deputy coordinator of the Chatham OEM, argued the OEM’s case for including the technology in the 2013 municipal budget during Monday’s council meeting. Williams said the proposed upgrades would allow all departments to gather and manage information “in real time.” It would also allow anybody to monitor the police and fire mobile feeds from the Morris County Communication Center, update and maintain maps of power outages and street closures and look at up to two screens at once. About $45,000 of the projected cost…
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Budget will pay for DPW generator, road surfacing, Borough Hall roof improvements.
Capital projects for 2013 will cost Chatham Borough about $758,000, Borough Administrator Robert Falzarano said during a presentation of the capital budget during Monday’s council meeting. The largest portions of the capital budget will be devoted to engineering – $245,000 for road surfacing and drainage improvements – and $307,000 for public works, which will include installing a generator at the Department of Public Works building. Falzarano explained the borough’s initiative to install generators in certain buildings throughout Chatham. Borough Hall has one, and one was installed at the fire department last year. “The DPW is the next critical building where we should have a generator,” Falzarano said. “When you have a long-term event […
Sunday, February 24, 2013
The Chatham Borough Council will also discuss overnight parking.
Chatham Borough Administrator Robert Falzarano will give a presentation on the proposed 2013 budget at the council meeting Monday night. Chatham Borough Councilman James Lonergan previously predicted a tax rate increase of between 1.5 and 2.5 percent, caused mostly by declines in the tax base, in state aid and in the reserve for uncollected taxes. "We've tried to make up the difference," Lonergan said. Because the tax rate increase is limited by the state, that difference has usually been made up through user-based fees, such as water and sewer rates. New Ordinances Two ordinances will also be up for a first reading and vote. The first will grant consent for the non-exclusive use of public rights-of-way, and the second will alter the …
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Former senator, youth wrestlers to be congratulated by Chatham Council Monday
The Chatham Borough Council will vote on several resolutions recognizing the accomplishments of local residents and allowing for volunteers to hold traditional parades down Main Street, and will allow public presentations by several volunteer organizations at its meeting Monday One resolution on the agenda recognizes Leanna Brown, the former state senator who began her political career on the Chatham Borough Council. Brown remains a borough resident to this day. Another congratulates Chatham Youth Wrestling for winning the 2012 Holiday Tournament, and another supports the annual Susan G. Komen North Jersey Race for the Cure, which will be held May 5. The council will then go into closed session to discuss pending litigation against TriCare…
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Councilman James Collander said almost half the accidents in Chatham Borough are caused by distracted drivers.
Drivers distracted by cell phones, grooming, eating or other activities while driving caused about half of all car accidents in Chatham Borough over the last three years, according to a report by Councilman James Collander at the Chatham Borough Council meeting Monday. Collander, the chair of the Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Planning Committee, said of the 952 car crashes investigated in 2010, 2011 and 2012, 438, or 46.01 percent of those, were caused by distracted drivers, and most of those are distracted by their mobile phones. "There might be a few that are eating and grooming," Collander said, "but most people are on their phones." Texting while driving in particular hinders driving behavior, Collander said, as much as consuming four …
chakamojo
7:52 am on Saturday, March 16, 2013
build an aesthetically pleasing parking garage on the train station lot and open it to Chatham township residents also. That will generate much extra $$. more ›