The Item of Millburn and Short Hills from Millburn, New Jersey • 1

-TV- 1 OF MILLBURN AND SHORT HILLS Serving the township for 97 years Founded 1888 Vol. 97. NumhprM Thursday, September 19, 1985 35 Cents per Copy, $15 per Year by Mail to Your Door Member, Audit Bureau of Circulations sparks Syssigsa Kemovaftiom delay pickefttng threat by Loii iletmmsmi Associates, owners of the Millburn railroad station, in an effort to have that firm maintain the grass area lYIIIMJJIIMlllllllIIIIIIIIIIIIIPillllBllillliai llll Ml 'W surrounding the structure. Grass and weeds surrounding the station building have grown to be knee high junction which includes "flashing beacons and chevrons" and that town representatives had stressed their belief that the planned striping on the roadway should be reduced. Mrs.

Fuller said that another PICKETING SITE Township Committeeman Frank Long vowed this week to lead a picket line in front of the fire ravaged property at Millburn and Wyoming Avenues unless "strong movement (toward renovation) occurs within the month." County firm on island MILLERS POST SHUTOUT Steve Bailey scores Millburn's first goal on a penalty kick in the varsity soccer team's 5-0 defeat of West Orange in its final scrimmage Saturday, The Millers make their regular season debut tomorrow afternoon at Wayne Valley. Capital needs cited by recreation officials Town groups planning bicentennial events Barring a rejection on the part of the township of Essex County engineering department plans for changes in three Millburn Avenue intersections is scheduled to begin next spring, Township Committeewoman Cynthia Q. Fuller announced at Tuesday, night's meeting.qf the-municipality's governing body. 1 The intersections targeted for changes are the easterly junction of Millburn Avenue and Essex Street, Millburn Avenue and Short Hills Avenue and Millburn Avenue and Vaux Hall Road. In making her report of a meeting which she, Town Hall staff members and representatives of several township organizations held with county officials last week, Mrs.

Fuller said it was her "basic feeling" that the county would "never" be convinced that it should reduce the size of a new traffic island which was planned for the Millburn Avenue-Essex Street junction. The existing traffic island is approximately 150 square feet. Under the county's plan that island would be removed and a 1,600 square foot island would be constructed. The new, larger island would prevent vehicles traveling west from entering the section of Millburn Avenue which is limited to eastbound traffic. Mrs.

Fuller continued that she was prepared "to go with that (the larger island)" but the township would insist upon "esthetic improvements" in the county's plan. She said the county had been informed the township would not approve plans for the Millburn-Essex The owner of the fire ravaged property at the corner of Millburn and Wyoming Avenues was "put on notice" by a member of the Township Committee Tuesday night that her home as well as the commercial property would be the targets of picketing unless definite actions leading to renovation were taken within the month. The buildings, which once held several retail establishments and a restaurant, were gutted by a 1982 Easter-night fire. Since that time the structures have been boarded up and their appearance has been the subject of continuing complaints on the part of town officials and residents. Owner of the property is the Johowren Corp.

of which Mrs. Pearl Gruber, a Wyoming Avenue resident, is the principal. Speaking at Tuesday night's meeting of the municipality's governing body, Township Committeeman Frank W. Long said he was "disheartened" over the lack of progress on the renovation of the property. "I am putting Mrs.

Gruber on notice," Mr. Long continued. "Unless strong movement occurs within the month I will spearhead the picketing of her home and the Millburn-Wyoming property." Mr. Long said his picketing activity would take place either October 19 or 20. The Johowren Corp.

received preliminary site plan approval in May of 1984 for its proposal to renovate the buildings. Under the state's Land Use Law a property owner has three years from the time preliminary site plan approval is granted by a Planning Board until application is made for the final site plan approval. The same state law provides the property owner with an additional two year period dating from the time of final site plan approval to obtain the building permits necessary for actual construction. Mr. Long's announcement that he was prepared to mount a picketing campaign was met rather coolly by his fellow Committee members.

"Don't you think you should speak to Mrs. Gruber before you go around Committeeman Robert C. Lydecker asked. To that question Mr. Long responded that many people had spoken to her.

Committeeman Kalman A. Oravetz suggested that "economic problems" might be the cause of the delay in renovation and suggested that persons in the community knowledgable in the real estate area might be able to advise Mrs. Gruber and Mayor Robert Denise suggested representatives of the town health and building departments reinspect the Millburn-Wyoming property to see if any local ordinances were being violated. Addressing another problem property in the community, Committeeman Long asked Roger C. Clapp, township attorney, to contact MfJTi TrV wk since the municipality initiated condemnation proceedings in an effort to obtain ownership of the property.

meeting between the town and the county would be held in the near future. At both the Millburn Avenue intersections with Short Hills Avenue Continued on Page 6 mitteeman said a public announcement would be made setting the date of the next coordination session and additional organizations were welcome to attend. Among projects suggested at Saturday's meeting, Mr. Oravetz said were: Historical research of Millburn at the time of the adoption of the Constitution; contests at the high school level for Constitution-related essays, drawings and maps; oratorical contests; exhibits at the library on Constitution-related subjects; forums for all age groups on the Constitution; and dramatic presentations pertaining to the Constitution which would be produced by local groups and the Paper Mill Playhouse. Zone body to consider 3 requests Three new applications are scheduled to be heard by the Zoning Board of Adjustment when that body holds its first meeting of the fall Monday evening.

The zoning board session will be held in the Town Hall meeting room and is scheduled to get underway at 8 p.m. Seeking exceptions from the municipality's sign ordinance is Mandee Shops, a woman's clothing firm which is planning to open a store at 720 Morris Turnpike, the building formerly occupied by an supermarket. A sign planned by Mandee for a wall of the building exceeds the maximum permitted under local ordinance and a proposed free-standing sign violates the zone's setback provision. Other hearings are scheduled to be heard on applications submitted by James G. Krah of 19 Inwood Road and Harry Sandlaufer of 1 Kenilworth Drive.

Mr. Krah is asking permission to maintain a wood deck already in place at his home. According to town building officials Mr. Krah constructed the deck without obtaining the proper permit and the deck violates municipal side yard regulations. Mr.

Sandlaufer is seeking board permission to erect a 6-foot high stockade fence in his front yard. The maximum height permitted for a front yard fence is four feet. More than $47,550 in 1986 capital budget items will be submitted by the Board of Recreation Commissioners to the Townshhip Committee for con-, sideration. Among the capital budget items approved by the board at its meeting last Wednesday but not included in the $47,550 total is a sheltered patio addition at the Gero Park recreation house. Recreation department director Thomas Sharpe said he would ask the Municipal building department to review plans for the proposed shelter to determine its approximate cost.

Mr. Sharpe said plans for the patio, which will be used for arts and crafts and also as a shelter for teams using the athletic fields at the park, call for it to be approximately 30 feet by 30 feet with a canopy top. Other capital budget items include the resurfacing of four tennis courts, two in Slayton Field and two in Gero Park; and a basketball and handball court in Gero Park for an estimated approximately $4,250 for the installation of a protective fence to shield the Gero Park tennis courts from a nearby Little League baseball field and repairs to the fencing at the municipal golf course; $1,700 for the purchase of two portable soccer goals and $2,000 for the purchase of playground equipment. Mr. Sharpe also announced that the Carlton Memorial Golf Tournament has been scheduled for October 15 at the East Orange Golf Course and the tournament's awards dinner has been slated for October 26 at Mayfair Farms in West Orange.

Further information about the golf tournament and awards dinner may be obtained by calling the recreation department at 564-7097. 6 homes, school, club burglarized in week Hopes for a coordinated effort on the part of local organizations to participate in the national celebration of the bicentennial of the Constitution were expressed Tuesday by Township Committeeman Kalman A. Oravetz. The national celebration, which is headed by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Warren Burger, begins in January and continues through 1987.

Speaking at Tuesday night's Township Committee meeting Mr. Oravetz said the Committee believed it would be best for local organizations to implement their own projects but in a coordinated manner. Mr. Oravetz continued that a "coordination meeting" had been held the previous Saturday and a similar session was planned for late October or early November. Attending last Saturday's session, he said were representatives of the Daughters of the American Revolution, American Legion, Fourth of July Committee, Historical Society and the Old Guard.

The Township Corn- nr 4'M Two Sagamore Road homes were reported burglarized Monday morning. Two other residences, a private club and the senior high school also reported burglaries during the week. Three gold chains were listed as missing after an upstairs bedroom of one of the Sagamore Road residences was ransacked. Police said entry was gained by smashing a bathroom window on the first floor. The master bedroom of a second Sagamore Road residence was ransacked.

Entry was gained by remov-. ing an air conditioner from a kitchen window. A woman's white gold ring valued at $4,000 was reported missing from a Sunset Drive home Monday after a break and entry in which access to the interior of the house was gained by forcing open a first floor window. A Myrtle Avenue residence was also reported to have been burglarized Monday and several pieces of jewelry were listed as missing after several upstairs bedrooms were ransacked. An undetermined amount of cash was reported missing and the entire resource building at the senior high school was reported to have been damaged extensively following break-in over the weekend.

The Short Hills Club was the victim of a burglary Monday night in which an undetermined amount of beer and liquor was listed as stolen. The cash register at an upstairs bar was also forced open but no money was found in the drawer. Entry into the club was gained by forcing open a basement window. Coming events ..4 Editorial. .....6 12 Religion 10, 11 12, 13 Sports.

14 iniMtitiMiitiiitnitiMiiiniiiniiiiiMiitiiiiiiiiifiiinirMiiiitifiuiiitiiiitiiiiiirtiiitiiiiiiiii'iiiitifitiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiriiitiiiiiiiiiiiitfiiitiiii The inside story lrrrto Orders for Bird Seed Savings Day are being accepted at Hartshorn Arboretum. See Page 3. The First Aid Squad will begin its annual new member drive this month. Details are on Page 2. x.

ysKmynMsSiiiitJSt. TROUBLED TREES The brook which in wetter weather runs through the Cora Hartshorn Arboretum has taken a heavy toll of trees in the parkland. Erosion of the brook's banks has left tree roots exposed and at least a dozen trees may be doomed. Informal estimates by the engineering department of the cost of correcting the brook problem run into the "hundreds of uiiiiiiiiiiMiiMiiiiiniiiiHiiHiMiiHniHMHiMiiiiiiiiiiHiriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiHiiiiiiiinimniiiiiflinin thousands of dollars," lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll.l 1.