Page 10 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • March 23, 2011 Franklin Lakes Borough appoints McManus as professional planner by Frank J. McMahon The Franklin Lakes Borough Council has authorized Mayor Frank Bivona to enter into a contract with Elizabeth McManus of the firm Clarke Caton Hintz in Trenton, to become the borough’s professional planner. The term of the contract with McManus is from March 1 through Dec. 31, 2011. McManus will replace Paul Grygiel of Phillips, Preiss, Shapiro Associates of New York City. Grygiel was appointed by former Mayor Maura DeNicola in July 2008 when she replaced the planning firm of Burgis Associates Inc., of Westwood, which had been the borough’s professional planning firm for the previous 19 years. Bivona said McManus was the best planner to represent the borough in Council on Affordable Housing matters and general planning. The council confirmed the appointment unanimously, although Councilman Michael Friscia was not present at the meeting. Bivona explained that he and the council looked at Grygiel’s affordable housing plan, which was rejected by COAH, and decided it was not the plan that met the practical needs of the borough. The mayor and council said they wanted a planner who is an expert in COAH planning. The mayor emphasized that Grygiel did a fine job on the borough’s master plan. However, he said that COAH is currently in a state of flux and the borough would need expert assistance to help plan through the changes in the law pertaining to COAH. Bivona also pointed out that McManus was highly recommended by the borough attorney and she has a working knowledge of the staff at COAH. According to her firm’s website, McManus is a professional planner with nine years of planning experience, including affordable housing planning for 17 municipalities in the state. She serves as the planning consultant to several New Jersey planning and zoning boards, and her municipal experience includes preparation of municipal master plan documents, redevelopment planning studies, affordable housing plans, land use and zoning ordinances, site plans, subdivision, and “D” variance application reviews. Her private sector experience includes the preparation of expert planning testimony in support of variance and rezoning applications. She has a special expertise in affordable housing planning as she has prepared affordable housing plans for municipalities across the state and serves as Special Court Master in Mount Laurel litigation before the New Jersey Superior Court. McManus is a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) accredited professional, signifying her knowledge of the LEED building benchmark system and green building techniques. In February 2010, the council appointed Cedar Grove attorney Stuart Koenig as the borough’s attorney on affordable housing, replacing Edward Boccher who was with Teaneck law firm of DeCotiis, Fitzpatrick, Cole, & Wisler. The Franklin Lakes Borough Council has awarded a new one-year contract to Tyco Animal Control Service for 2011. The $11,220 contract reflects no increase in cost, and was unanimously recommended by the borough’s board of health to Mayor Frank Bivona and the council. The contract will be paid in monthly installments with a $60 charge for calls after normal service hours, which are Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Under the contract, Tyco will impound any animal deemed to be a stray and any animal without a current registration tag on its collar. Tyco will provide quick and dependable response to calls from the police department or other municipal official to rescue and remove sick, dangerous, diseased, or injured wildlife, and will issue monthly written reports to the borough administrator concerning the animal control activities in the community. The company will also respond to emergency calls that involve animals on public property that represent a life threatening hazard to the animal or the general public. A call will be deemed an emergency if it is received between the hours of 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. Monday through Thursday and from 8 p.m. on Friday to 8 a.m. on Monday. The charge will be $60 per call. Tyco will also provide the supervision of humane trapping of wild and stray animals on public property with no additional fee. In the event that animals must be trapped on private property, a $60 trap rental fee and $60 service and removal fee will be borne by the owner of the property. The trapping services will be available Monday through Friday, with no trapping on weekends. The removal of visible wildlife from private homes will be available at a fee of $60 payable by the homeowner, but dead animals on public streets will be removed and disposed of in a professional and timely manner during regular business hours up to 4 p.m. for no additional charge to the borough. The borough administrator or borough clerk will designate a location in the borough for the disposal of deceased animals picked up by the animal control officer. This does not include owned or licensed animals that have been killed on public property; that cost will be responsibility of the animal’s owner. All licensed animals impounded from public property will be held in Tyco’s licensed facility in Wyckoff. The animals’ owners will be contacted, and the animals will be returned to their owners at the borough’s police headquarters on DeKorte Drive. Tyco will be provided with a list of all licensed animal in (continued on page 17) Animal control contract renewed