Although they published a rather extensively edited version this past Sat., what they chose to publish skewed the primary point of the letter so here is the full text of what I sent in.

On Monday May 2, almost 150 Rockaway Twp residents opposed to the Christ Church plan attended the “standing room only” Planning Board meeting. Many were hoping that an announcement would be made to suspend any further hearings on this project pending an outcome on the litigation filed by the church. Instead, the Planning Board Attorney, Mr. Dimin, made an emotional and sternly worded statement that the board would continue with the hearings in spite of the attempt to intimidate them through this ridiculous lawsuit. I applaud the board for their determination and steadfastness in the furtherance of their duties, however, I still question the wisdom of continuing with the hearings. Given the fact that it was the church who decided, prematurely, before any decisions were made, to throw down the gauntlet in the form of a Federal Lawsuit, it would seem a logical move to immediately discontinue any further discussion on the matter until such time as the church either withdraws the suit or it is fully litigated in court. I can’t imagine any judge or court of law finding fault with the board for not wishing to proceed when their personal savings and family’s livelihoods are being threatened. In any event, they have made a decision, and I will stand by them. I do take issue with the Daily Record Editorial of May 4, referring to Mr. Dimin’s statement as being a “pointless rant”. If anything, his statement showed great restraint and failed to go far enough. This applicant has failed repeatedly any tests of good faith and integrity. They have tried to bend, twist, and circumvent the laws and regulations at every turn. They have been caught submitting incomplete and incorrect data to the DEP to obtain an exemption they shouldn’t have gotten. Their plans include multiple details that are all contrary to our ordinances, including a vastly increased parking density, as well as building within 1500 feet of a township well. The preliminary review by the Morris County DOT requires that they include a turning lane across land not even owned by Agilent and therefore not part of their proposed purchase. They continue to drop volumes of documents less than 48 hours before upcoming meetings instead of the required 10 days in advance and have, from the beginning, supported a Public Relations campaign painting all Rockaway Twp. residents that oppose their plan as either racists or anti-religious. They have criticized our officials, and downright insulted our Fire Department. Their own traffic expert testified that they would cause an increase in traffic of up to 128% on top of what is already considered an F Level (worst possible) condition. No church that I have ever seen would even think of forcing their way into a community through litigation and threats. Given the pattern of behavior exhibited by Christ Church towards our community, there is no way I would ever welcome them as neighbors. No one that I have spoken with, myself included, care one bit who the applicant is or what he looks like. This project remains too large for the location, to dangerous to the environment, and too costly to the town. If Walmart, or the new theaters had been proposed for this site instead of where they properly fit in the Master Plan, they would have been equally opposed. The fact remains that residents of Rockaway Twp. have the right to decide what happens within their borders and the right to protect their own quality of life. So perhaps, legally, Mr. Dimin’s statement had little weight, however, he said what many of us believe was long overdue and it was a welcomed stance against this mega-corporation’s attempt to force us into submission.

                                                Charles Mueller

                                                Rockaway Twp, NJ