December 5, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 35
Franklin Lakes Scribe
Holiday Tree Lighting set The annual Holiday Tree Lighting hosted by the Franklin Lakes Public Library and the Public Events Committee, will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. The event will be held on DeKorte Drive between borough hall and the library. Franklin Lakes Mayor and Council members will be on hand to assist, along with students from the Franklin Lakes Middle School Chorus, and a special visitor from the North Pole. Following the tree lighting, the festivities will continue at the library with more entertainment and refreshments. This event will be held rain or shine. Tots invited to holiday program The Franklin Lakes Public Library will offer a Tot-Time Holiday Special program on Tuesday, Dec. 18 at 10:30 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. Children ages two-and-a-half to five are invited to enjoy winter-themed stories, songs, and a craft. Registration for Franklin Lakes residents is under way. Register by calling at (201) 891-2224 or by visiting 470 DeKorte Drive during regular hours. PAWS for Reading continues The Franklin Lakes Public Library’s PAWS for Reading program will continue throughout the winter. Beginning and accomplished readers in grades one through five may make friends with well-behaved therapy dogs while polish-
ing their reading and public speaking skills. Children are welcome to read to one of these loving dogs for a 10-minute period on Mondays, Dec. 10 and 17 and Jan. 14 and 28 between 4 to 5 p.m. at the library located at 470 DeKorte Drive. Registration is required and is ongoing. To register, call (201) 891-2224, stop by the library during regular hours, or visit www.franklinlakeslibrary.org and check under “Calendar of Events.” Gan Israel Winter Vacation Camp announced Chabad of Northwest Bergen County will hold a Winter Vacation Camp on Dec. 24, 25, and 26 in Franklin Lakes. The camp will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and will include creative workshops, ceramics, indoor sports, trips, and a hot lunch. The camp has earned a stellar reputation for giving children a memorable experience in a safe, fun, and enriching Jewish environment. For details, or to register, call Mimi at (201) 848-0449 or visit www.chabadplace.org. Temple plans Chanukah Celebration Barnert Temple invites the community to a Chanukah Celebration on Sunday, Dec. 9 at 4:45 p.m. The event will feature the lighting of the outdoor Menorah, a potluck supper, and a Latke Taste-Off. Attendees are invited to enter their favorite latkes in the taste-off contest and bring a menorah to add to the festive atmosphere. There will be games, arts and crafts, and Chanukah “gelt” for children. Music for singing and dancing will be
On Dec. 4, students in grades five and up are invited to “Pablo Picasso Portraits.” From 4 to 5 p.m., attendees will explore the artist’s abstract artwork using watercolors and tempera paints to create cubist-style portraits. Children in grades three through five are invited to a holiday art workshop on Thursday, Dec. 6 with professional artist Brandon Dorney. Participants will create a masterpiece of their own using watercolors and tempera paints. Call the library at (201) 891-2224 or visit franklinlakeslibrary.org to register. The library is located at 470 DeKorte Drive in Franklin Lakes. Scouts sponsor Christmas Tree Sale Franklin Lakes Boy Scout Troop 34 annual Christmas Tree Sale is under way. The sale is open on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through Dec. 23. Nursery-grown trees will be sold at the Franklin Lakes United Methodist Church at 454 Pulis Avenue. Wreaths and roping for the holiday season will also be available for purchase. Free music downloads available Franklin Lakes Library has joined Freegal to offer access to songs from Sony Music’s catalog of legendary artists. Freegal will allow the library to increase the size of its collection by offering access to thousands of songs. Registered cardholders may download a select number of Sony Music tracks in the MP3 format each month at no direct cost via www.franklinlakeslibrary.org. The library will underwrite the purchase of the music. Call (201) 891-2224.
ShopRite application approved 9-0 by planners
(continued from page 3) application should be rejected. Bonsignore said he felt the primary concern of all parties should have been that of the Wyckoff Planning Board members: the possible benefit to the entire community of Wyckoff. The process of voting alone covered more than two hours, as each planning board member spoke as an individual while casting his or her affirmative vote. The planners’ remarks generally focused on the fact that ShopRite would be opening in an eyesore site that had long been zoned B5 for a supermarket, and the new store would bring jobs, ratables, and healthy competition to the community. Some minor concerns remained about the impact of added traffic. Planning Board Member Douglas Christie, who is also a member of the Wyckoff Township Committee, was perhaps the most concerned about the possible traffic. He said he had some inner struggles about traffic, but acknowledged that “no application is perfect” and, in the end, he said he had to give ShopRite what he compared to a C grade based on other factors. “The public testimony was probably a good 75 to 80 percent in favor of ShopRite...there is an overwhelming presentiment that the public wants ShopRite in this town,” he said. However, he added that his approval was technical rather than based on local opinion. “There’s going to be traffic at any location,” said Planning Board Member Scott Fisher, who is also head of the Wyckoff Department of Public Works. “I don’t feel that the traffic from this application will be a detriment.” Fisher added that the Wyckoff Master Plans of 2004 and 2010 provided for a supermarket use at the site. He said, “Redevelopment at this site is what is needed...I think it will beautify the area. I think it will provide good competition in the community.” “This town does need a second supermarket,” said planner Michael Bruno. “There will always be some support in traffic, but you can’t help that...I am in support of this application. The positives definitely outweigh the negatives.” Planner Doug Macke, an engineer, said repeatedly that “the positives outweigh the negatives” and that no one denied that the abandoned A&P now at the site is “a complete eyesore.” Macke said “the semantics of the objectors are all trumped” by the fact that the B-5 zone is intended for supermarkets and that A&P had operated there for decades before it shut down. Other planners were not especially concerned about the traffic or about the roster of variances that were part of the application, since they believe many of the changes represent improvements. Planner Jamie McGuire noted that a variance for “disturbance” actually gave the developer the right to tear up pavement and replace it with landscaping, which she and other planners felt was an improvement. “As a resident, I’m always in favor of less tar and more green,” board member Drita McNamara concurred. She had no problem with the fact that some of the parking lot stalls were 9 by 18 feet while others were 10 by 20 feet. She said she would have liked to have seen a traffic light on Greenwood Avenue, although she understood that this was outside the purview of the application. “We realize it’s a county decision regarding the traffic light in the future,” McNamara said. “This application does not deviate from the master plan at all.” Planner Michael Palumbo criticized the length of the hearings on this application and said the opposition had no grounds to contest the use, since a supermarket had been zoned for that site for more than 40 years. “There is something very American about the competition that built this country,” Palumbo said, adding that competition would be good for Wyckoff food stores. “I believe this site is capable of handling this traffic volume,” Palumbo said. “It has been a long and arduous road for all of us here,” said Planner Robert Kane. But Kane defended the length of the hearings because the Wyckoff Planning Board has a responsibility to make sure its decision is based on strict legality. Kane summarized his evaluation of all the experts, pro and con, and said the experts in favor of the application were all credible, but that some of the opposition experts were lacking in credibility -- a sentiment in which several other planners concurred. Kane concurred that replacing asphalt with landscaping was a good idea, and that the use was a permitted one. The extended comments by each board member were clearly intended to establish a formal record in the event of an appeal. Several planners noted, however, that Inserra could legally have taken over the existing A&P building with simple refurbishment and praised his responsible decision to demolish the A&P and replace it with a structure aesthetically designed to blend with the neighborhood and reduce the visual impact of a supermarket that size.