Area August 10, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 15 George Decker will be honored by the Northern New Jersey Council, Northwest District, Boy Scouts of America with the organization’s Annual Community Service Award at a cocktail reception and dinner set for Tuesday, Sept. 27. The event will take place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Indian Trail Club in Franklin Lakes. “George Decker embodies the characteristics that we try to instill in our Scouts: leadership, civic involvement, character, lifetime commitment to Scouting. It’s our priviledge to honor him with this award,” commented Charles H. “Chuck” Shotmeyer, the award committee co-chairman and a past honoree. Decker has been active in Scouting for over 27 years, beginning as den leader and chartered organization representative for Pompton Lakes Pack 88 and assistant Scoutmaster of Troop 388. A District Committee member and past chairman of both Three-Rivers and Black Bear districts, Decker is a District Award of Merit and NNJC Silver Beaver recipient. Committed to youth, Decker coached Little League baseball, softball, and soccer, and was co-founder and long-term commissioner of the Pompton Lakes P.A.L. Basketball Program. A graduate of Pompton Lakes High School and The College of Insurance in NYC, he earned the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) designations from The American College in Bryn Mawr. Decker’s career with AXA Equitable spanned more than 40 years, and he served in many George Decker to be recognized by Boy Scouts capacities in product development and training, and as an AXA consultant from 1982 to 2001 before retiring to a home office position in October, 2009. He continues as a semi-retired AXA advisor in the NJ/NY Metro Region. Active in his community and Passaic County since high school, Decker has been a Pompton Lakes Municipal Utilities Authority Commissioner since 1985 and served as chairman of the Water and Sewer Authority for the past 12 years. Currently on the Executive Board of the Passaic County Republican Organization, he served as a Pompton Lakes Councilman and Commissioner of the Passaic County Technical Institute School Board in Wayne for 12 years, three years as president. Charter member of the Pompton Lakes Jaycees, he has been a member of the Pompton Lakes Board of Health, chairman of the Zoning Board of Adjustment, and a member of the Pompton Lakes and Passaic County planning boards. Decker was appointed by Governor Kean to the NJ State Board of Physical Therapists. The honoree and his wife, Judy, have a daughter, Kathleen, who works for the US Department of Agriculture in Beltsville, MD, and a son, John, an Eagle Scout, who is a CPA and auditor with Ernst & Young in New York City. They also have two grandchildren. The Northwest District includes Allendale, Franklin Lakes, Glen Rock, Ho-Ho-Kus, Mahwah, Midland Park, Oakland, Ramsey, Ridgewood, and Saddle River in Bergen County and Bloomingdale, Clifton, Haledon, Hawthorne, George Decker Shade tree ordinance (continued from page 7) fasten any rope, wire, sign, or other device to a tree or to any guard about such tree; remove or injure any guard or device placed to protect any tree; close or obstruct any open space provided about the base of a tree to permit the access of air, water, and fertilizer to the roots of such trees; and cut, prune, break, injure, remove, disturb, or interfere in any way with any tree. This final prohibition has been amended to include disturbances to the root systems of trees. The new ordinance includes updates to the regulations regarding wires and utility trimming, and penalties for violations. Fines and penalties for violations must be paid to the custodian of the municipal funds. “Restitution shall be paid to the Ho-Ho-Kus Shade Tree Commission as set forth in Section 57-10 for the value of a tree removed, destroyed, or damaged and for the value of labor and materials required,” the ordinance states. “The Ho-Ho-Kus Shade Tree Commission shall administer the Shade Tree Commission Trust Fund for the care, protection, and enhancement of borough trees, parks, and public properties.” J.CRUSCO Little Falls, North Haledon, Passaic, Paterson, Pompton Lakes, Prospect Park, Ringwood, Totowa, Wanaque, Wayne, West Milford, Woodland Park in Passaic County. For event details, call Shotmeyer at 973-427-1000 or email chuck@shotmeyerbros.com.