The story below is from today’s star ledger. While the information on last nights meeting is rather benign, there is important information on the DEP application for exemption. Basically residents have 30 days (starting Nov 2) to submit written comments. If you drink water from township wells or have a private well in the area, get your letter in!
Rockaway Twp. told of traffic from church Tuesday, November 08, 2005 BY NANCY DEGUTIS For the Star-Ledger Rockaway Township residents peppered a traffic expert last night with questions about the amount and flow patterns of vehicles that a proposed church would generate along Green Pond and Meriden roads.
Karle Pehnke, a traffic consultant for Christ Church in Montclair, said there would be 5,000 cars coming and going for services at 8 and 10:30 a.m. on Sundays. And projections from two studies he ran showed there could be as many as 350 vehicles dropping off and picking up children during the week at a proposed private school, he said.
"After we made those projections, especially for Sunday, I thought the numbers were on the high side," he said during the hearing before the township planning board. There would little activity at night and a minimal amount of traffic during mid mornings and afternoons, he noted.
The 5,000-member church is looking to build a 2,500-seat sanctuary and a K-5 school on the former Agilent Technologies property on Green Pond Road. The church purchased the site in August for $10.25 million.
"My gut reaction is that I think we are going to have more traffic than you can count on," said Green Pond Road resident Margaret Derewicz.
Green Pond Road homeowner Robert Libak said half of his 25 neighbors face problems now getting out of their driveways because of traffic.
The church has proposed traffic lights along Green Pond and Meriden roads to avoid a continuous line of cars from the church, said Pehnke.
Norman Reitman of Major Drive also questioned if the church received a promise from an outside agency to widen the road which now has no shoulders. Pehnke said the church would expand its driveway intersection with Green Pond Road and improve the intersections near it.
Meanwhile, the church's new application for an exemption from the Highlands Act has been deemed administratively complete by the Department of Environmental Protection. Notice that the application had been received was published in the Nov. 2 DEP bulletin.
Anyone wishing to be heard on the plans should submit written comments to the DEP within 30 days. Comments should be sent to: Terry Pilawski, Chief, Division of Watershed Management, Bureau of Watershed Regulation, P.O. Box 418, Trenton, N.J. 08625.
A DEP spokesman said that as of yesterday, no public hearing on the application had been scheduled.
The church received an exemption from the Highlands Act last year, but the township appealed and an appellate court sent the matter back to the DEP for further review.
Did ya notice the "body guards" last night??? Well it appears that Ireland felt there were "threats" against him on the internet so he felt he had to bring personal body guards to protect him - I guess this shows the amount of faith he has in our police department! The planning board meeting is in the same building as the police department!! Hey Ireland if you are so afraid of RT why are you coming here?? Oh by the way great body guards you bought for yourself...when you got up in the middle of the meeting and left the room - they did not follow you - is that the best your members money can buy?!? what a joke you are!
"Well it appears that Ireland felt there were "threats" against him on the internet so he felt he had to bring personal body guards to protect him"
Oh come on, he didn't did he? I really wanted to go last night but got stuck at work.
I thought he grew up in the city and was a tough guy. Guess all us country folk in Rockaway scare him.
What a DRAMA QUEEN this guy is. He worries about "so called threats" on internet yet, never stopped the internet attacks on our town, mayor, and residents.
I'm starting to think it was the Rev himself on NJ.com causing issues. Wonder why it's been so calm there the last few days?
I can not prove it, but I have long suspected that "Matthew" is Ireland. I have a very strong gut feeling about that based on his style of writing and the demeanor that he displays in public coupled with quotions that I have read from him in various publications.
No talk about Rev's body guards is permitted on NJ.COM.
Saw a couple of posts this AM, on how his BG's were needed to protect him from the 75 year old ladies, etc, etc, and they were wiped off fast enough to make your head spin.
The Rev is back in control of that forum. Great job Dr.
