Midland Park August 3, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 9 A Midland Park resident who asked the mayor and council last week to allow her to have two curb cuts on her property was referred to the building inspector and told she may need a variance to get the relief she sought. Katie Fallon of Erie Avenue said her house at the corner of Erie and Hill streets is a two-family house and one curb cut is not enough to provide adequate access to her property for her family and her tenants. At present, there are no curbs along the entire side of her property fronting on Hill Street. The council recently awarded a contract to curb both sides of the street near Erie Avenue. Mayor Joseph Monahan explained that the council had Resident wants second curb cut for easier access “thought it best” to have just one curb cut per house and is working on an ordinance to reflect that decision. Under that proposal, a property would need to be 100 ft. wide for a second curb cut to be allowed. “The zoning officer needs to make that decision (on the second curb cut), not the mayor and council. They don’t have the right to permit it or not,” said Borough Attorney Robert Regan. “You may not be in a variance situation now. It’s his call,” he added. In June, two of Fallon’s neighbors complained to the mayor and council that she had removed shrubbery from the side of her property and had paved the area, resulting in a 75-ft. curb cut on her side yard. The neighbors said the area was used as a parking lot with as many as 10 cars at times. “I have done nothing but improve my property, but I’m stuck if I can’t park my cars there,” she said. She acknowledged that her neighbors were unhappy that she had blacktopped her property. Fallon said last week that she has a barn and a garage on her property, which also limit the amount of green space she can provide. She said she is working on the coverage issue with the zoning officer. Air Force Lieutenant Tara Considine recognized Midland Park resident Tara Considine was honored last week for her service to the nation as a first lieutenant in the United States Air Force. Mayor Joseph Monahan read a resolution calling Considine “an asset to the Borough of Midland Park, and our wonderful country, America, and we are extremely proud she is part of our community family.” The council’s resolution recognizing the service woman states that “our service members seldom ask for support or recognition; however, they are the heroes that protect and defend our great country every day.” The document also states that the women and men who serve America perform their duties with the quiet courage and strength that has always exemplified the American Mayor Joseph Monahan (left) with Jack, Tara, John, and Claudia Consadine. spirit, and put themselves in harm’s way every day with unwavering dedication to keep others safe. Considine was commissioned into the United States Air Force in July 2008 and deployed to Afghanistan from December 2010 to July 2011. She returned home last month after a six-month tour at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, where she was attached to the 455th Expeditionary Medical Group. Raised in Midland Park, Considine attended the local elementary schools before going to high school at Immaculate Heart Academy. She is the daughter of Jack and Claudia Considine and sister of John Considine. She will soon return to Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California.