Glen Rock December 22, 2010 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 9 Doremus residents offer input on recycling change by John Koster Glen Rock Mayor John van Keuren and the borough council have agreed to review plans for a $400,000 reconfiguration of the Glen Rock Recycling Center before sending the project design out for bids early next year. The decision came after a spate of advice and criticism from Doremus Avenue residents at last week’s public meeting. The draft of the plan now call for 138 new parking spaces to take the pressure off Doremus Avenue street parking from May to September, when the Glen Rock Municipal Pool is open. During the summer, parking is generally bumper-to-bumper along Doremus Avenue, which runs past the recycling center, the pool parking lot, and the Glen Rock Arboretum. Plans also call for an improved recycling center office with bathrooms to improve sanitary conditions at the site. Residents who spoke, however, offered varied criticisms of the plan. Mayor van Keuren said he would bring their concerns to Borough Engineer Michael De Sena, who was unable to attend last week’s public meeting. Residents, including Sally Killeen and Jimmy Hill, questioned whether the intended three-foot berm with six-foot plantings on top would provide adequate screening from the sights and sounds of recycling operations, especially the breaking of glass and the compacting of cardboard, which are easily audible from the opposite side of Doremus. Michael Bogart recommended the proposed office be moved diagonally from the projected location, and objected to the noise of breaking glass. Michael Jurek recommended no changes at all. He said he and his wife had learned to live with the recycling area as it is, and than any change might be for the worse. In particular, he said that moving the collection bins for glass and containers closer to the street -- and to his own property line -- would have an adverse effect. Jurek suggested the residual beverages in the bottles attract wasps, which have stings that are toxic to a large percentage of the population. The resident added that moving the bins closer to the property line would increase the potential danger from wasps and the noise of breaking glass. Recycling, of a sort, was also a concern of Ed Pucci, a long-time resident who reiterated his objections to advertising printed on the sides of recycling containers placed in the downtown shopping area, and to excessive signage in general. “Get rid of the advertising; to me it looks disgusting,” Pucci said. He added that it was illegal, which brought a rebuttal from several councilmen that it is not illegal. The advertising had been approved by the Chamber of Commerce in return for free recycling containers so shoppers and other pedestrians can discard their trash in a way that facilitates recycling. “I believe that what has been done is good for the town, it’s free, and it keeps the town clean,” Mayor van Keuren said. Pucci, who said he pays taxes on several local houses, said that benefiting only a few people at the expense of others -- he also mentioned contractor signage and other signage by private residents -- was inherently unfair because it reduces property values for all residents. “As long as I am able to climb the stairs to get here, this is not going to go away,” Pucci said. The mayor also took umbrage at an email from another resident who had complained about early-morning activity by the Glen Rock Department of Public Works and now more recently asserted that he was being harassed due to his complaints. The resident said the DPW workers had “stooped to vengeful tactics” by operating in front of his house with blinking lights and beepers even earlier than they had before he filed his complaint. “My feeling is that our DPW workers don’t stoop to vengeful tactics,” Mayor van Keuren told the resident. “They try to get the leaves picked up quickly and they try to make the streets as safe as possible.” Close-knit group The Glen Rock Library sponsors a knitting group on Wednesdays from 1 - 2 p.m. Knitters at all skill levels from beginners to advanced are invited. The group’s members have become friends, and even knit the same projects. Shown in hand-knit jackets are Margaret Davis, Susan Cohen, Marge Waters, and Liz Kane. Holiday Footwear Specials! 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