November 24, 2010 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 5 Midland Park Coach certification compliance lags behind schedule Certification of coaches and other volunteers dealing with children in the Midland Park recreation programs is going slower than anticipated, giving rise to concerns that the borough might lose the grant that is paying for the process in the future. “We expected to be finished in October, and we’re only a third of the way through now,” Police Chief John Casson told the mayor and council at its last meeting. “We’ve had a poor response. If there are no ramifications, there is no impetus for people to comply. We need something to prod them along,” Casson said. “If we are not successful this year, we won’t get funded next year. I don’t want to see it fail,” he added. The Recreation Department received a grant for the Megan Kanka Foundation which will pay for 100 percent of the costs of the background checks for the first year, which is the most expensive, since everyone will have to be checked. The grant may be extended for the second year if funding is available. Checks must be done every two years, and each costs $26.25. The chief also said that establishing a master list of all the persons going through the process would streamline the operation and make it less cumbersome for each of the sports organization’s leaders to administer. The way the process is now set up, once Casson receives the clearance from the state police and approves the certificate, each individual coach must pick up the approval and deliver it to the president of the sports league in which he or she wants to coach. A background check, which includes fingerprinting, is just one part of the requirements coaches must comply with in order to receive certification. They must also take the Rutgers safety and coaches’ certification course and pass a test upon completion. And coaches must also view a DVD required by the Joint Insurance Fund (JIF), the town’s insurer. These requirements are part of a recent insurance policy the borough took out for the town’s independent sports organizations, known as “quasis.” “Is our process too labor intensive? Is it the norm?” asked Councilwoman Nancy Peet. Casson said some of the problem comes from dealing with the state police, which handles the fingerprint checks and must issue the clearance. “I don’t want to issue any approvals until I have everything in hand,” Casson said. GODWIN Happy Thanksgiving $ PROSPECT MEDICAL OFFICES, LLC INTERNAL MEDICINE AND RHEUMATOLOGY 301 Godwin Ave. • Midland Park, NJ 201-444-4526 We are pleased to announce that we now participate with AETNA as well as Horizon BC/BS, Cigna, Oxford, UHC, Healthnet and Medicare. (Evening and Saturday appointments available) OIL CHANGE W/Filter 5 OFF Most Cars Up to 5 Quarts W/COUPON • exp. 2/28/11• not combinable WINTERIZE Foreign & Domestic Service by Certified Technicians 201-848-0878 276 Godwin Ave. WYCKOFF Check Cooling System, Check Belts Check Fan Operation, Check Heat, Includes up to 2 Gal. Green Antifreeze $ $ W/COUPON • exp. 2/28/11• not combinable 59 95 STATE INSPECTION SPECIAL AVOID LONG LINES COME IN TODAY W/COUPON • exp. 2/28/11• not combinable 2995 Rima Kopelman, MD Evan Leibowitz, MD Arik Zaider, MD Bennett Leifer, MD Lisa Hope, MD Karola Prinz, MD Mary Giorlando, MD Karen Hart, MD Donald Beauchamp, MD Annemarie Valinoti, MD O P E N Holiday Flooring H O U S E 11-24-10 janine Prospect Medical3x3(11-24-10) 3 x 3” 11-24-10 Ester/Janine GodwinLukoil3x3(11-24-10) �������������������������� 3 x 3” ���� ���� Register to win 1 of 3 Area Rugs ������� Flexible Financing �������� Refreshments Served Come & see what’s new for 2011 We are a locally owned family business. The dollars you spend with us stay in our community. 973-427-7900 • Hawthorne.BuyAbbey.com 1030 Goffle Road (at Rt. 208) Hawthorne, NJ 07506 Mon., Fri. 9-6 • Tues., Wed., Thurs. 9-8 • Sat. 9-5 �����������������������������������������������������������������