June 13, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES II, III & IV • Page 19 Revised Larkin House fee ordinance introduced by John Koster The Wyckoff Township Committee recently introduced a revised version of the Larkin House fee ordinance it tabled a few months ago. The first bid at adopting the ordinance was tabled when leaders of the Activities Unlimited Club urged the governing body to consider them senior citizens, since most of the members are retired or semi-retired. The Larkin House was bequeathed to Wyckoff with the provision that it be open to senior citizen activities at no charge to the senior citizens’ groups. The revised ordinance as introduced last week for probable adoption next week specifies that the regular fee for use of the Larkin House will be $25 per event per day, but also specifies that the Activities Unlimited Club be charged $1,000 for use of the Larkin House up to 52 times per year. Joseph MacDougal, the spokesman for the group at the meeting, reportedly told the members of the township committee that this fee seemed fair to him. The township committee also drafted the recently introduced ordinance in such a way as to specify which groups would be allowed to use the Larkin House for no fee. The groups include the Wyckoff Senior Citizens Club, the Wyckoff Community Emergency Response Team, the Wyckoff Board of Education, the Wyckoff Parent Teacher Organizations, Wyckoff recreational sports booster groups, and Partners in Pride. The township committee also reserved the right to exempt any other Wyckoff organization that it determines to be non-partisan and performs services or makes donations that benefit the township as a whole on a regular basis. The Larkin House, located on Wyckoff Avenue, is used for group meetings and includes a large assembly room, smaller rooms, bathrooms, and a kitchen. The township committee initially attempted to impose the fees on groups other than municipal officials and recognized senior groups because the upkeep and maintenance costs for the Larkin House are covered by township taxpayers’ dollars. Committee members felt it would be more equitable for groups other than the designated senior and municipal groups to defray some of the expenses of using the building, including heating and air conditioning, and the costs associated with the eventual replacement of the carpets and plumbing fixtures. The Wyckoff Board of Education recently hired three new teachers for the K-8 school system and honored a veteran teacher on her retirement after 19 years in the district. Jenny Hershberger has been hired as a second grade teacher at the Washington School at $55,701 with a BA at Step 10 of the salary guide. Paige Sydoruk has been hired as a leave replacement science teacher at the Eisenhower Middle School, with a salary of $48,656 with a BA at Step 1 of the salary guide. Alicia Kettler has been hired as a science teacher at the Eisenhower Middle School at salary of $48,656 with a BA at Step 1. The board bid farewell to Kathy Bowers, who served a total of 19 years with the Wyckoff school system. Bowers began her career in Wyckoff as a classroom aide, then advanced to teach fourth and fifth grade, and ultimately became a science teacher. She spent the past 10 years teaching science at the middle school level. The board also authorized the business administrator to purchase Casper Suite and Jumpstart programs from Mac Operating System from JAMF Software Co. at a cost of $29,950, and accepted a bid for cafeteria renovations from Tekton Development, the lowest responsible bidder, at $171,880. J. KOSTER District welcomes three new teachers