When is Carrol's term as Assemblyman up. If the township bands together and votes for his opponent, we can bump him out. (Unless his oponent is Doty)

Not many people actually vote for assemblymen, or even know what they do for that matter.

How may voters in RT, 12K?

Get the word out on the Assemblyman who did not support our town, next election.

This is todays article:

We, Rockaway have a right to protect our water. 

This is a quote from the article:

" "The intent (of the legislation) was to protect undisturbed properties and not existing properties," Bill Finch, Agilent's government affairs manager in Wilmington, Del., said Friday."

May I ask you all a question, do you think that Bill from Agilents Government affairs office in Delaware has any unique ability to judge what the intent of the Highlands Bill is?    This is only his opinion.

Some people have been saying for months that  it is OK for Christ Church to develop because there is already some development on the property. Can you use less thought to arrive at this opinion? It is as if it were OK paint your house with lead paint because there is lead paint on it from years ago.  As time move forward we learn and from that we make changes, like no longer using lead paint.  We know better now and from that knowledge we can protect the future.   I will admit that Bill used a great term "protect", yes we want to "protect" all property, developed or otherwise from additional stress and harm to the environment.

In the end the next quote says it all:

""That aquifer is a precious aquifer for Morris County, as well as for Rockaway Township. It's a key water resource. I'm not surprised it was included," Schrier"

06/19/04 - Posted from the Daily Record newsroom
Agilent: Land already developed

By Rob Jennings, Daily Record

ROCKAWAY TWP. - An Agilent Technologies spokesman expressed surprise Friday at the 107-acre tract's belated inclusion in the Highlands "core area" where development will be strictly limited.

"The intent (of the legislation) was to protect undisturbed properties and not existing properties," Bill Finch, Agilent's government affairs manager in Wilmington, Del., said Friday.

Montclair-based Christ Church has a controversial application pending to build a 3,000-seat sanctuary and school at the site on Green Pond Road,

The state Legislature approved the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act on June 10 and Gov. James McGreevey has promised to sign the bill, which its supporters said is aimed at protecting drinking water.

Mayor Louis Sceusi, who supported the bill, disputed Finch's objection and noted that one of the township's four aquifers is on the Agilent site.

"The well field is right on their property. It's a major aquifer," Sceusi said.

The township's other three aquifers also were included in the 395,000-acre core.

"I want those water bodies, those aquifers and those wells protected," Sceusi added. "That's the whole principle behind the Highlands bill."

One of the bill's primary sponsors, state Sen. Bob Smith, D-Piscataway, said Friday that because of the presence of an aquifer, the Agilent site's inclusion in the core area made sense even though the property is partly developed.

Agilent's property was not part of the Highlands core in an earlier version of the bill but was added after a series of revisions.

Under the Highlands bill, a 15-member state council will be empowered to review and potentially quash development proposals in the core area.

Meanwhile, Christ Church is examining whether any modifications will be needed in its building proposal.

"They have all the intention of occupying the site," church spokesman Marc Weinstein said Friday.

"Whatever they have to do to be in compliance with the law, they'll do it," Weinstein added.

The planning board will hold a seventh public hearing Monday on Christ Church's proposal to build a 3,000-seat sanctuary, private K-5 facility and recreation facilities at the Agilent site, which has been under a $14 million purchase agreement with the church since last summer.

While some local opponents of Christ Church's application hope that the Highlands bill will be a roadblock, Morris County Planning Board Director Ray Zabihach said Thursday that being in the core will not necessarily block the church's plan.

If the church's plan, for example, were to prove environmentally sound and not weaken the water supply, the state council could approve it, Zabihach said.

The Highlands bill does provide some exemptions for existing church facilities, but Smith said that would not apply in the case of Christ Church, which currently operates out of a cathedral in Montclair.

Sceusi said he was surprised that the future site of Pond View Estates - a development of more than 1,000 condominiums along Route 15 that has been held up due to water supply concerns - was left out of the Highlands core, but he declined to express an opinion.

It took between 20 and 30 pages in the 108-page final Highlands bill to spell out the core boundaries. Smith said the lines may yet be revised, either through an amendment or a bill authorizing the council to make changes.

"The map, right now, is not perfect," said Smith, explaining that some properties at the "edges of preservation areas" that were excluded should have been included, and vice versa.

Morris County Freeholder Jack Schrier, of Mendham Township, supported both the bill and the inclusion of the Agilent site in the core.

"That aquifer is a precious aquifer for Morris County, as well as for Rockaway Township. It's a key water resource. I'm not surprised it was included," Schrier s

Mornin Monster,

I have an idea that Agilent would need to comment in order to keep the property in play.  If potential buyers see it as a useless piece of land then it has no value to Agilent.  What needs to be clear here is that property would make a fine home for someone who can maintain the intensity of use consistent with the community and structure. 

If a company wanted to move in and lets just say they wanted to house 5000-6000 employees, it is not going to work - even if that is a split shift.  If a company of 1000-1500 was interested in the property that is a more realistic intensity in use and would be a good fit, split shifts over a full workweek will maintain traffic flow, water demands and safety concerns.

A potential property owner must be a responsible member of the community and not over burden the town resources, road ways, and must NOT damage the environment.

Have a nice day and see you all at Copeland Monday Night

Lisa

Some of us are wondering why Agilent/HP is insisting on going forward with this contract.  There was a posting by an ex Agilent employee who was involved with land affairs about two months ago on this venue (you will have to research it to find it) which could possibly explain it.

Perhaps this is "Payback Time".

It turns out, according to the poster, that Agilent/HP was sued by Rockaway Township for polluting the town well.  The Company lost that lawsuit and had to pay recompense to the township.  The company, according to the poster, had several customers interested in the property, but their corporate headquarters would not entertain these offers.  Corporate claimed that they already had a buyer in place even before the property was put on the market.

It is possible that someone in power at that company is very unhappy about the lawsuit situation and finds this to be a good way to get retribution on this Township. 

It is just a theory, but usually there is a logical explaination for everything.  This is just one possible explaination.