Hearing on Scotch Plains-Fanwood Consolidation Tonight
A local grassroots organization favoring consolidation is hosting a meeting July 16 in Scotch Plains.
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Courage to Re-connect, a local organization in favor of consolidating Scotch Plains and Fanwood, will be holding the final of three public hearings tonight, July 16, at 7:30 p.m. in the Scotch Plains Town Council Chambers.
The first hearing was held on June 18 at town hall in Scotch Plains. The second public hearing was held on July 10 at 200 Forest Road in Fanwood.
The meeting will give community members an opportunity to discuss the option of a consolidation study — a $50,000 to $75,000 report that would be funded through ReConnect’s Scotch Plains-Fanwood chapter.
The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs mandates three public hearings as part of the Local Option Municipal Consolidation Law of 2007.
A representative from the State will be present at the meeting, and comments from residents will be submitted with the application.
Fred Lange, founder of Courage to Re-connect, said this is the last step the organization must take before presenting their findings to the Local Finance Board, who can approve or deny a Municipal Consolidation Study.
“As far as I know, nothing has been done to increase shared services at least in the last three years,” Lange said previously. “Consolidating Fanwood and Scotch Plains would speed up that process, but first we have to have a study authorized by the State of New Jersey.”
David Nieporent
12:14 pm on Monday, July 16, 2012
Fanwood's website says that the hearing will be on July 18. Someone is confused.
firedup49
1:39 pm on Monday, July 16, 2012
David, could it be they did it on purpose so not many people show up. ; )
bgporter
2:28 pm on Monday, July 16, 2012
On the actual town website, it says this:
"The first public hearing was held on June 18, 2012. The second public hearing was held at 7:30 PM on the 10th day of July, 2012, at 200 Forest Road, Fanwood, NJ (corner of Woodland Avenue and Forest Road). The third (and final) public hearing will be held at 7:30 PM on the 16th day of July, 2012, at the Scotch Plains Council Chambers, 430 Park Avenue, Scotch Plains, NJ. "
Holden MaGroin
3:00 pm on Monday, July 16, 2012
I'm Holden MaGroin and I happened to have spent some of my mis-spent youth in Japan. I'm wondering if the visitfanwood website is a code, warning us of either one of two things.
1. This is our warning that all those nail salons are going to be replaced by dentists.
2. This is the writings of the S.P. Republican chairman. While supposedly describing the step by step process of performing a root canal, by cleverly writing it in Japanese, I can find hidden codes in this manifesto that will lead to a full SP-F merger with S.P. ruling the land and the former mayor floating in to lead us to a place where everything tastes like honey.
....then again it could just be a coincidental analogy of the pain we're all going through with this, "are we or are we not" merging. It is starting to resemble the root canal process.
bgporter
3:21 pm on Monday, July 16, 2012
(sorry -- I deleted the post that Holden is replying to here, so this doesn't make much sense. For some reason I thought that the town website was visitfanwood.com, which is currently displaying in Japanese. Carry on.)
Holden MaGroin
3:37 pm on Monday, July 16, 2012
I'm Holden MaGroin and I hate when my posts make no sense.
On a more serious note, are Patch readers going to attend this meeting?
Besides people yelling at the panel to leave our towns, what exactly takes place at these? It says there is a supposed to be a discussion but it didn't sound like too much discussing took place last week.
SSM
3:43 pm on Monday, July 16, 2012
For some time now, the Fanwood website has been http://www.fanwoodnj.org/
Holden MaGroin
3:56 pm on Monday, July 16, 2012
I'm Holden MaGroin and I would like to thank SSM.
I am concerned that Fanwood might require answering some questions to prove that you are local enough to vote. Knowing this website will be helpful.
Joe Fanwood
4:53 pm on Monday, July 16, 2012
Perhaps a "local patriotism" quiz to weed out out-of-towners? "Name the donut store that predated the Dunkin Donuts downtown." "Identify the former location of the 'Locksnips." "The Hallmark store was formerly called 'Irma's' what?" "Which politician, identified as 'a spender' by her opponent, had an office downtown?"
Holden MaGroin
6:46 pm on Monday, July 16, 2012
I'm Holden MaGroin and I will take this quiz.
1. Sip N Dunk
2. Across from the post office at the Big Red House
3. Irma's Bag. And it was really shaped like one
4. Linda Stender was labeled the spender.
I believe I have shown my deep-rooted knowledge of Fanwood. Does this allow me to pass go and vote for merging?
Joe Fanwood
10:42 pm on Monday, July 16, 2012
You pass with flying colors. But I don't think any of us ever doubted your loyalty!
Bridge Troll
4:48 pm on Sunday, July 22, 2012
Extra credit if you know where the 1/4 20 bolts were kept in Fanwood Hardware. They were nice people who had the old time storekeepers frame of mind.