Friday, April 19, 2013
Trustees question whether restricting access to pornographic content would be a violation of rights.
One library patron's actions in viewing pornography on a public computer at the Montville Township Public Library not only elicited complaints from other patrons but also has prompted employees to question what they are legally able to do about it. A subcommittee of the library's board of trustees met Thursday to discuss the incident that initiated concerns. More than one complaint has been lodged about the same person, a man, watching pornographic videos on the library computers. In the most recent complaint, on April 8, a mother and her teenage daughter were walking past the screen the man was viewing and noticed what he was watching, which she also said was visible from the children's section. The mother reached out to the library …
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Volunteers needed to help run the twice-weekly operation.
Six weeks after settling into a new location, the shelves are stocked at the Montville Kiwanis Food Pantry on Passaic Valley Road. The Kiwanis Club opened Montville Township's first food pantry in 2010, taking space at the Montville United Methodist Church on Whitehall Road. But as the demand for the food pantry grew (the pantry's roster now includes more than 100 families), the pantry also began to grow out of its space. An opportunity presented itself as the township sought local organizations to take space in a property formerly known as "The Little House" on what was once farmland. Volunteers from Home Depot and grant funding helped renovate the house to make space for the pantry, the Montville Township Police Explorers program and …
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Township hopes to continue flood mitigation work.
Despite some complications at the end of last year, a nearly year-long cleanup project at Hatfield Creek is now complete. Township Administrator Victor Canning reported on the progress of the creek cleanup during the Montville Township Committee's April 2 meeting. "The Hatfield Creek stream-cleaning project is now complete," he said. "Hopefully, we'll continue with the DEP to do the next 500 feet, which will help in that area, hopefully, with some sort of waterflow." The township embarked on the creek cleanup beginning with the first phase of the project in the summer, which included desilting and removing debris near Parkway and Walnut Drives. However, Canning said in December that the silt buildup under two bridges on Parkway and Walnut …
Monday, April 8, 2013
Township officials take closer look at who is responsible for maintaining sidewalks even after major storms.
After discussion on the topic spanned two township committee meetings, the Montville Township administration is working with department heads and lawyers to look into amending the township's ordinance as it relates to sidewalk maintenance to be more clear. The township's sidewalk maintenance ordinance became a topic of discussion after committee members considered paying for repairs for about 50 property owners whose sidewalks were damaged by Superstorm Sandy. Ultimately, the township committee members decided they felt that property owners should be responsible for the maintenance, but the committee members also agreed that the ordinance that states who is responsible is not entirely clear on the topic. At the April 2 township committee …
Sunday, April 7, 2013
'Play hard, play fair, and most of all, play for fun,' president tells teams.
The Montville Baseball & Softball Association opened the 2013 season in a rainbow of color as teams in bright shirts and caps paraded from Lazar Middle School to the municipal fields on River Road. MBSA President Joe Monetti welcomed everyone to the 61st opening day. The Rev. Charles Bigelow of the Montville Reformed Church gave an opening prayer, followed by the National Anthem sung by high school freshman Emily Michalak. Monetti thanked MBSA board members, division coordinators and coaches, local officials and staff, sponsors, volunteers, parents and players for the success of the program. He also praised past president Scott Van Koppen's achievements, which include obtaining new scoreboards, a PA system, netting and windscreen, parking …
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Though results may not seem shocking, we want to know what you think.
Montville may not have a downtown (although developers are working on creating a sort of "downtown" area in Towaco with Towaco Crossing), but sidewalks in some areas still make getting from point A to point B easier in the township. Still, one website has labeled Montville Township a "car-dependent" community. WalkScore.com, a website that helps its users identify some of the most walker-friendly communities in the country, finds Montville to be more geared toward motorists. The website scored Montville at 40 out of 100 for walkability. "This location is car-dependent as a few amenities are within walking distance," the website said. The ranking indicates that restaurants, schools and shops are fairly spread apart. What do you think? Is …
Friday, April 5, 2013
Montville little league organization to host opening day parade and ceremony.
It doesn't matter what a groundhog says. Spring is here when the Montville Baseball Softball Association (MBSA) hosts its annual parade and opening day ceremonies to kick off the little league season. This year's opening day parade, the 61st annual, will be held on Saturday beginning at 9:45 a.m. Traditionally, the players of all the teams parade to the River Road field from the Robert R. Lazar Middle School. Once on the field, they are greeted by community leaders, parents, friends and past members of the MBSA. Last year, the first baseball pitches were thrown by Bill and Joe O'Dowd and the first softball pitch was thrown by Montville Township Board of Education Member Carmela Novi. Check back with Patch for photos of the parade. In the …
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Photographer and author to speak during Montville Township Historical Society event.
Author and photographer Walter Corszewski will present "Timeline, NJ" during the Montville Township Historical Society's next scheduled program on Monday. "Timeline, NJ" explores New Jersey's colonial history and Revolutionary War heritage. Choroszewski also takes attendees on a journey back to the beginning of the state's geological beginnings from the Ice Age through present day. Choroszewski has photographed for 17 books and calendars on New Jersey, including "New Jersey & You, A Scenic Discovery," published in 1981. He also helped launch the state tourism campaign "New Jersey & You... Perfect Together!" Choroszewski also served as the primary photographer of state tourism campaigns through the '80s and '90s. He currently owns the …
Monday, April 1, 2013
Proposed budget includes 3.7 percent tax levy increase.
The Montville Township Committee will vote on introducing its $4,054,994 municipal budget during Tuesday's meeting. The budget up for introduction includes a total general appropriation increase of $487,021, an increase of 1.7 percent over the 2012 municipal budget's general appropriations. The total 2012 municipal budget was $3,883,660. To maintain a tax levy within the state-mandated 2 percent cap, of which the township administration is proposing a 3.7 percent increase, $1,436,000 of fund balance; $549,603 of money from capital funded ordinances and $346,760 of library surplus would be utilized. At last month's township committee meeting, committee members considered and mostly rejected the idea to use Water Utility fund balance to …
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Municipality plans to send letters to property owners reminding them sidewalk maintenance is their responsibility.
Sidewalk maintenance may be a property owner's responsibility, but the majority of Montville Township Committee members feel tree maintenance within a township right of way should not be after the idea of having residents foot the bill for maintaining damaged trees in sidewalks was rejected at the March 12 meeting. The committee continued discussion on sidewalk maintenance after initially agreeing not to fund repairs to sidewalks damaged by Superstorm Sandy at the Feb. 26 meeting. While it is standard that maintaining sidewalks in front of a property owner's home is his or her responsibility, the committee has discussed how in the past, the township has funded repairs to sidewalks damaged by major storms. On Feb. 26, committee members …
John
8:16 pm on Thursday, May 16, 2013
Dan , What is process and procedure in Chatham ? more ›