The Herald-News from Passaic, New Jersey • 20

MORRIS EDITlOh The Herald -Nevs TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 1974 ao sought or li Count jT proval. lst ght i I 4 1 By TOM KILKENNY Herald-News Staff Writer A I PP A Y-TRO HILLS The township will request the stote to reverse its earlier rejection of bids for the installation of a traffc light on North Bev-erwyck Rood and Lake Shore Drive. Mayor John Fahy announced the move yesterday, saying the township was anxious to get on with the project, which has been on the drawing boards for more than four years. Fahy emphasized the need for state approval before the contract can be awarded, but said he was very hopeful that such approval would be forthcoming. He said the town was asking the state to stand by its previous commitment of $32,228, and the town would pay the remaining cost of about $26,309.

The Township Council at tonight's meeting will consider a resolution authorizing the seeking of an agreement with the slate on the matter. The project was advertised twice last fall. The first advertisement brought no response, since it sought bids on the combined electrical and paving work. With state permission, it was advertised a second time, asking for split bids. That time, two bids were submitted.

Concrete Construction Corp. came in low with a bid of $38,000 for the electrical work, and $20,537 for the remaining roadway items. The engineer's estimate on the project had been $26,000 for the light, and $17,507 for the road work. This bid brought an automatic rejection from the state, which must approve the award of the contract. The state Department of Transpor- employe, lays down more water to Hanover Township smooth the ice.

AS THE HOSE GOES Harry Hawksworth, brother Steven and George Schaeffer, from left, find it hard to wait 'or ice atLurker Park to harden while Tom Lappine, East talion is required to reject any bids which exceed the engineer's estimate by more than 10 per cent. Fahy said that the important thing is to get moving qn the installation of the light right away. He noted that costs had doubled since the project was first discussed more than four years ago. "I think spending the extra money at this point would be a realistic investment for the township, since we have no idea how much costs will increase after this," the mayor said. Council President Norbert Socolowski echoed those sentiments.

"I feel we' could probably never get a lower bid," said Socolowski, "it would be futile to readertise, because the costs just keep going up. We want that light in very b.dly." Socolowski said it was unfortunate that tiie state procedures called for automatic rejection, since the 10 per cent cusnion had been eaten up by inflation while the project was awaiting approval. In a letter to Robert Lees, district engineer for Local State Aid Programs of the DOT, township engineer Daniel and municipal utilities director Wilbur Downing pointed out that there is presently a six-month backlog in the con-ti actor's ability to obtain electrical components. If the project were approved tomorrow, it could, not be started for six months. Downing and Biondo underscored the idea that rebidding the work would result only in an even higher cost.

They also emphasized that approval of the present township proposal would not result in any additional commitment of state funds. Socolowski said that although there had been no agreement with the state as yef, the town had received indications that the DOT would look favorably on the proposal. Teachers file new object ion 10L the board that if the association seeks arbitration, the board go to court. The issue, he claimed, is not grievable. Department chairmen, he explained, is not included in the association contract and the association has not earned the right to negotiate for departmental chairmen.

If the board takes the case to court, it will be the third association-board dispute to reach the courts this year. Tomorrow, Judge Gordon Brown is expected to hear arguments in which' ihe association opposed changes in school hours. The association claims that changes in hours under state law require teacher-board negotiations. If the association wins the case, an association spokesman said negotiations could lead to the identical school hours. On Friday, Judge Brown will hear an association grievance on the hiring of Mrs.

Marguerite Steele as elementary coordinator. budget 70 1 i-v i ww Herald-News Photos Welsh, 8, standing, and Kelly Cavada, 8, Keren Weaver, 8 and Jackie Benson, 11. SLIPPERY SLEIGH Another way of enjoying the ice tit the Mount Tabor pond was discovered by Brenda Weaver, 11, pulling a sled full of giggling friends, from left, Jessica MONTVILLE A third court case involving the Board of Education and the Education Association may be forthcoming as the association has filed a grievance against the compensation paid high school departmental chairmen. Mrs. Blanche Connolly, Montville High School business education department chairman, complained that she has received no explanation from the board on differential pay increases for the 12 high school department chairmen this year.

Superintendent Thomas O'Rourke said the compensation now ranges between $450 and $850 a year. This year increases of $300 to $500 were paid the departmental chairmen. Some chairmen received more and some less than the increase voted Mrs. Connolly, who complained that she believes she "should be paid as equitably as they are. "She said she does the same job, so she should receive the same salary increase.

She said the association has applied for an arbitrator and is awaiting a list of arbitrators. The board, she said, recently turned down the association. O'Rourke said he would recommend to Lindstrom tops ballot at Nutley NUTLEY Imcumbent school board member Walter Lindstrom will head the ballot in Nutley's school board elections 13. Lindstrom won the first place slot in a special drawing last night. He will be followed by retired Nutley policeman Peter Frazza, Belleville high school teacher Thomas Testa, and board members Frank Tangorra and Mrs.

Edward Popadick. Writenour on zone board BUTLER Jerome Whritenour, veteran Tri-Boro First Aid Squad member and volunteer fireman, was named by Mayor Roger Struble last night to fill a vacancy on the Board of Adjustment. 'No interference' with WPHP defends its radio station MS increase due ONTVILLE The preliminary 1974-1975 school budget, representing a 9,2 per cent increase over this vears be presented at the Jan. 14 Board of Education in a new form. Dr.

Thomas O'Rourke, schools superintendent, said last night. The form of the budget will be according to the-Planned Programmed Budgeting System in which expenditures will be broken down in terms of school programs rather than according to the previous line items system, he said. The budget breakdown this year, he said, will be these categories: Instruc- tional, special services, district specialist, medical, central administration, district maintenance, transportation, community programs and debt service. This is a "preliminary step in institu-ing a system of program accountabilitv, he said. Next year the budget will link the programs with specific goals and objectives.

O'Rourke explained the board can then consider the costs, of programs as they relate to program effectiveness. Under the old system of preparing budgets, costs were listed under specific line items and could by compared only with the costs of the previous year. This year, he said, the school system is working on the format of the budget with the PPBS implementation due next year. The 1974-1975 budgetary increases, he said, are expected to be between nine and 10 per cent, perhaps reaching a 9.2 per cent hike. The tax impact of the increased'school costs will be about a 2.2 per cent tax rise or additional taxes of $35 on a house, he declared.

HANOVER The general manager of radio station WMSC at Montclair State College has expressed confidence that the station's forthcoming FM operation will not interfere with the continued effectiveness of the Hanover Park Regional High School District station. Charles Hecht, manager and chief engineer of WMSC, yesterday defended the new station's scheduled operation or. the same frequency as the high school radio station WHPH (90.3 FM). The Federal Communications Commission recently approved the college's application to operate on the same FM frequency despite the continual opposition by WHPH wrach maintained that the college station would interfere with its service area. "Engineering studies prepared for the college indicated that college station would not interfere with the high school station's prime listening area and the FCC investigation supported this," Hecht said.

High school station coordinators have claimed that the college radio Jicense approval will result in spotty interference in sections of East Hanover and Flor-ham Park, two of the three audience areas for WHPH. Hecht noted, however, that according to Wallace E. Johnson, chief of the FCC Braodcast Bureau, there will be "no overlap" between the volume level at a given distance of WHPH and that of the college radio tower. "Accordingly, no objectionable inter- a relatively small population, which is already receiving service from a number of other broadcast services and to consist of another area of uninhabited swamp land." He explained that the college station -will be a 10-watt educational stereo operation, covering a prime listening area of from four to five miles. 'Station WMSC invites community participation," Hecht added, "and we hope that it can work cooperatively with WHPH and other school stations in the Northern New Jersey area." According to David Craske, faculty coordinator of WHPH, there have been no alterations in the station's casting and everything remains at a "status quo." Craske said that he has submitted a tentative proposal to the regional Board of Education for review of suggested plans to relocate the, station's transmitter and antenna to a more centralized location which would improve transmission signals in the two affected listening areas.

ference will result from the proposed operation of the college" the FCC official said in a letter sent to the Hanover Park Board of Education and state college. The FCC ruling stated that the high school station's concern appeared to be based on the assertion that an area beyond the WHPH legally protected area would be subjected to interference. Hecht added that the college station had submitted detailed engineering exhibit which showed that the present nonprotected interference-free service to the regional district was already restricted in most of the area it claimed interference from the Montclair application. The PCC ruling noted that these restrictions came from the share time co-channel of stations WHAU and WHPC in Garden City New York and the adjacent channel operation of station WJSV is Morristown. Hecht also referred to the FCC statement that the area beyond the WHPH protected limit in which interference may occur "appears to be inhabited by Morris freeholders considering more assistance to hospitals From "a detailed cost analysis" of Gallo, however, was critical of "obvi MORRISTOWN Rising health care Morris County health 'services, Gallo said, the freeholders were both "sur-.

prised and pleased" to learn that county hospital costs were "well below" levels in comparable area hospitals. Beginning with elected hqspital trustees, he noted, "the health- care consumer has controls over health' care expenses which lead all the way up to the State Department of Health," where budgetary requests by hospitals must be approved by a consumer-oriented budget review agency. ous gaps" in state-federal funds for health care programs for needy patients. If a county like Morris can incur costs of $1.2 million for acute health care programs for the indigent, he charged, "it is obvious the Medicaid program is not meeting its intended purpose." Since the indigent came from all 39 Morris municipalities, Gallo suggested "special pressures" be to bear on state and' federal agencies to meet the health care needs of all residents in the county. i tli if- i1 1 1 lit! Self-insurance plan succeeds costs have led the Morris Freeholders to "give serious consideration" to a request for more assistance to area hospitals, Freeholder Director Dean A.

Gallo said yesterday. If granted, Morris County's six general hospitals could expect a "probable increase" in reimbursements to cover indigent care costs, he said. In their annual requests for funds, the hospitals said last week they expect this, year costs of $1.2 million for treatment of patients unable to pay for services, the freeholders said. The costs cover provisions for more than 9,200 days of "free" inpatient care and nearly. 12,000 emergency and clinic treatments to county residents.

"It has become quite obvious" that the county's present reimbursement of $570,000 'falls short of the growing need for health care services among the economically said Gallo. Reimbursement would "be' in relationship to the hospitals' anticipated case loads" for the coming year, although the exact amount of this year's allocation will not be made public until the county fcudget is completed, Gallo indicated. "Hopefully, the county's reimbursements will. enable hospitals provide necessary services without- generating critical financial deficits," he said. PARSIPPAN Y-TROY HILLS The township saved almost $45,000 last yeaf as a result of a changeover to a self-insurance plan for workmen's compensation, according to Max Auerbach, business administrator.

Auerbach said that under the old system, which was used until last the township would have paid about $93,000 in premiums, regardless of how few claims were filed or their amounts. Premiums under the old system were assessed as a certain percentage of salaries in various categories. Under the new system of self-insurance, the carrier -pays only on claims which actually occur- Auerbach said the carrier's fee and the claims from last year totalled about $45,000, and $3,000 will be held in reserve, for claims which continue, into the new year. The township realized a 4 5,0 0 0 saving on compensation last year. Auerbach said that in a bad year, when there are a lot of claims- the money paid out for compensation might be as much as $93,000.

However, the township has 'a blanket policy which keeps the maximum liability in anv one year to $93,000. The municipality' will never have to pay more than that in any-given year. He added that in a good year, such as last year, the money paid out by the township i workmen's compensation would be considerably less. 1 Horald-Nows Photo by Du-k Corbitt accepted for her late husband. Looking on, at far left, are Police Director Vincent Olson and Chief F.Jwood Fox.

Jsme Spots and Hallet Robertson, who were unable to- attend the ceremony, also received, awards. SPECIAL HONOR Parsippany-Troy Hills Mavor John Fahy, right. presents awards for good and faithful service to special policemen who have served the township in that capacity for more than 20 years. In uniform, at left, is Meyer Ebert; center, Domenic Birelli. Mrs.

Joseph Barbario.