Page 10 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • April 6, 2011 Franklin Lakes Municipal Alliance chair honored for service by Frank J. McMahon Mayor Frank Bivona recently honored Janis Ing Strauss with a proclamation for her guidance and leadership as chairperson of the Franklin Lakes Municipal Alliance. The borough’s municipal alliance is made up of volunteers and community based prevention organizations whose efforts concentrate on alcohol and drug abuse prevention programs in the community. The organization is coordinated by the Bergen County Department of Health Services, Office of Alcohol and Drug Dependency and is part of a statewide network of community-based municipal alliances. That network identifies, plans, and implements alcoholism and drug abuse prevention and public awareness programs. Bivona recognized Strauss, who recently stepped down as chairperson of the municipal alliance after chairing the organization for the past seven years. He pointed out that Strauss and her husband, Jeffrey, have lived in Franklin Lakes for 23 years and have raised their three children in the Franklin Lakes community. Bivona said that, through her guidance and leadership, the Franklin Lakes Municipal Alliance has greatly expanded its programs in recent years to include, among other things, peer leadership training, substance abuse workshops, student DARE programs, senior citizen events at high schools, the SAFE Homes project, school community service projects, programs in conjunction with the Scouts, Red Ribbon Week activities, the Students Against Destructive Decisions program, evening programs for the community, Project Graduation, and prescription drug collection campaigns. “During her seven years as chairperson and her years as a member prior to becoming chairperson, her tireless efforts, together with the other members of the municipal alliance, have resulted in the education and enlightenment of countless children, parents, educators, and members of the community as to the dangers of alcoholism and drug abuse, the effect of which cannot be underestimated,” Bivona said. “As mayor of the Borough of Franklin Lakes, County of Bergen and State of New Jersey, on behalf of the mayor and council and our residents, I do hereby honor and commend Janis Ing Strauss for her many years of outstanding service to the Franklin Lakes community as a member of and chairperson of the Franklin Lakes Municipal Alliance,” Bivona concluded before presenting Strauss with a framed copy of the proclamation. Strauss, who intends to continue to work with the municipal alliances as a member, said she enjoys working with all the people in the town and the other municipal alliances. She explained that during the past seven years the municipal alliances in Franklin Lakes, Oakland, and Wyckoff started working together and coordinating their efforts. “It was an enriching experience for me to understand what goes on in our town,” Strauss said, “I really appreciated the opportunity to give back to the community because it is a great community.” The Municipal Alliance to Prevent Alcoholism and Drug Abuse was initiated in 1989 and exemplifies a public/ private partnership at the community level to prevent alco- holism and substance abuse. Currently, 90 percent of all municipalities in Bergen County have active municipal alliances comprised of mayors, community members, law enforcement, educators, and youths. Throughout the state, Drug Enforcement Demand Reduction funds collected by fines imposed on those convicted of drug-related offenses are used by the Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Abuse to issue grants to each county in New Jersey. Each alliance plans and implements substance abuse prevention programs using DEDR funds and money netted through local fundraising efforts. Free training sessions, workshops, and technical assistance meetings for Municipal Alliance Committee members are offered periodically to provide members with the skills needed to help reduce and prevent harmful effects of substance use. Prospective volunteers may contact County Alliance Coordinator Judy Forman at (201) 634-2744 or at jforman@co.bergen.nj.us. Hearing (continued from page 7) and the objectors’ witnesses are heard. Then, he said, either the applicant or the objector would have the right to appeal the board’s decision in Superior Court and it would be resolved by the court either way. Ultimately, the board decided to proceed with the public hearing and it began to hear testimony from James Heuer, the managing member of Tice Road Properties. Heuer said he determined that a surgical center would be appropriate for this site by his own research aided by experts in that field and his own architect. He described the proposed building as having 12,000 feet on the lower level for the ambulatory surgical center which could include urology, gastroenterology, podiatry, obstetric/gynecological, pain management, and plastic surgery services, which do not require overnight hospital stays, and 4,000 square feet on the upper level for medical office space. Both levels would have access from the grade level of the building due to the slope in the property. Heuer said there would be a maximum of six operating rooms in the surgical center and the plan would provide for 89 parking spaces where only 76 are required. During cross-examination by Cook, Heuer acknowledged that he did not know the typical size of an operating room, and the ultimate tenant would determine how the space is used, so there could be only two operating rooms in the building with more space used for medical offices. Cook argued that this could lead to a deficiency in the parking spaces provided. The applicant plans to demolish all existing improvements on two lots, consolidate the two lots into one, and build a two-story commercial building on the resulting parcel. The associated parking area would have access from Tice Road and from Franklin Avenue. In addition to the building and parking lots, plans call for retaining walls with maximum heights of 3.9 feet, lighting throughout the site, and landscaping that would include 13 trees, 153 shrubs, 590 perennials and lily turf, and 60 square feet of annuals. The borough changed the zoning of the property from I-2 industrial to RB retail business in 2010. The board asked Heuer to submit a conceptual architectural plan of the proposed building for the board to review at its next meeting on the application on April 6. KEANE FIT & WELLNESS ��������� Sheila Keane Just a Click Away! www.villadom.com Thousands r of Readers Ove se and Above Tho r u Who Receive O Paper in the Mail! Visit Our Website: a program conceived, created or devised specifically for you and your unique needs by an educated, certified, experienced individual per·son·al train·ing� (noun) MAT (Muscle Activated Techniques) Specialist • EXPERIENCED - 15 years one-to-one personal training, Former educator of NYSC trainers • EDUCATED - MA in exercise science • CERTIFIED - ACSM, NASM, Post Rehab Specialist, Come experience the difference real personal training can have in your life. CALL NOW • 201-341-0183 Fitness, Weight Loss, Bariatrics, Geriatrics & Parkinson’s Programs Direct Links to Advertisers’ Websites! Read Our Other Editions Too! Current & Past! ������������������������