Page 8 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • October 17, 2012 Franklin Lakes Borough council eyes public safety complex by Frank J. McMahon The Franklin Lakes Borough Council is considering the possibility of building a public safety complex on the Firehouse Company #1 property on Bender Court. The project would include an addition to the back of the firehouse on the vacant township-owned property that extends to DeKorte Drive, and would include improvements to the firehouse such as the expansion of the bays, a new police headquarters building, and space for the office of emergency management. The borough’s ambulance corps building is also located on Bender Court across the street from the fire department. The office of emergency management does not currently have a location in the borough, but the Bender Court and Southside firehouses and the ambulance corps building are designated as emergency shelters. Mayor Frank Bivona raised the complex concept at a recent council work session. He explained that the location of the ambulance corps building, the firehouse, and police headquarters in that area would create a public safety complex for the borough, and the existing police headquarters could possibly be fashioned into a recreation facility. In addition, the complex would provide OEM space where residents could come to charge their computers or use the bathroom in the event of a serious storm or power outage. Franklin Lakes Borough Administrator Gregory Hart advised that an architect has prepared a conceptual plan for the complex under the direction of the borough. He explained that the borough would seek private donations to help pay for the project. Mayor Bivona said he thinks there is the potential to raise a significant amount of money from private donations. However, he estimated that the borough would have to issue bonds to pay for about 25 percent of the cost, and the estimated $125,000 in annual debt service, which would amount to about 1.2 points in the borough’s tax rate, would have to fit into the borough’s budget. Several members of the council suggested that a strategic plan be developed to identify the needs of the borough over the next five years and to set priorities for those needs. It was agreed to discuss the public safety complex idea further at a future meeting to develop a rationale for that idea. Creating architecture from food As a result of an Oct. 7 motor vehicle stop on Helen Court, three persons were arrested for drug offenses. A 24year-old borough man was charged with possession of marijuana under 50 grams, and a 22-year-old Allendale woman was charged with possession of marijuana under 50 grams and possession of drug paraphernalia. A Wyckoff woman, 23, was charged with possession of marijuana under 50 grams, failure to possess a driver’s license, and possession Children of the Franklin Lakes Chabad Hebrew School made gingerbread Sukkah huts while learning about the eight-day biblical holiday of Sukkot. Borough Police Department Report of a controlled dangerous substance in a motor vehicle. All parties were released on their own recognizance. Officers Donald Wilson and William Zangara investigated. As a result of a motor vehicle stop on Old Mill Road the same day, a 24-year-old Hasbrouck Heights resident was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated. Sergeant Carmine Pezzuti and Officers Andrew Cacciatore and William Zangara investigated.