Page 10 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • November 21, 2012 Area Borough will shift $150K to complete housing by John Koster Mayor Vince Barra won the informal, unanimous approval of the Allendale Council to shift $150,000 from the Allendale Housing Trust to the fund to complete Crescent Commons. “This is not taxpayer money,” Mayor Barra said at the council’s last public meeting. “This is money that has been contributed by developers.” The formal vote is expected to take place just before Thanksgiving. The $150,000 will cover a small shortfall from the $5 million in federal, state, and county funding used to construct special needs housing at Crescent Commons, which is located at 303 West Crescent Avenue. At press time, a ribbon cutting had been scheduled for Monday (Nov. 19). The Allendale Housing Trust Fund is comprised of money given to the borough by developers in return for the right to be excused from building low- or moderate-cost or special needs housing as part of developments. Mayor Barra said, as an example, that The Whitney tract of luxury condominiums now being constructed, will give Allendale $100,000 for each unit that would otherwise have been special needs. Allendale will now use the money to pay for special needs housing in Crescent Commons, where people with special needs may be sheltered and supervised more efficiently. As an added incentive to dedicate the money, Mayor Barra said New Jersey could theoretically forfeit any money left in the Allendale Housing Trust Fund and not used for special needs or low- or moderate-income housing. However, this scenario is not likely, borough officials agreed. Allendale has won plaudits for the amount of special needs housing the borough had constructed: The completion of Crescent Commons will bring Allendale’s total to 35 units for the community of 6,100 people. “We can honestly say that we have gone in over our heads and now have 35 special needs units in Allendale,” said Councilwoman Elizabeth White, who is also a trustee of the Allendale Housing Trust Fund. “If every town did half of what Allendale has done, they’d wipe out the waiting list for special needs housing.” Mayor Barra added, “The project will be completed with 100 percent of what was designed. We didn’t skimp on anything.” Police accreditation (continued from page 3) The department must comply with a total of 112 standards in order to gain state accreditation, Chief Gurney said. He explained that the assessment team is composed of law enforcement practitioners from similar agencies within New Jersey. The assessors will review written materials, interview individuals, and visit offices and other places where compliance can be witnessed. The assessors are trained members of the New Jersey Public Safely Accreditation Coalition. Once the assessors complete their review of the agency, they report back to the full commission, which will then decide if the agency is to be granted accredited status. Accreditation is for three years, during which time the agency must submit annual reports attesting continued compliance with the standards under which it was initially accredited. For more information regarding the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., write to the commission at 10302 Eaton Place, Suite 100, Fairfax, Virginia, 22030-2215, or call 800-368-3757. Information can also be attained from the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, One Greentree Center, Suite 201, Marlton, New Jersey 08053. Phone (856) 988-5880, fax (856) 810-0223, or e-mail njsacop@njsacop.org. A copy of the standards can be obtained through the Ramsey Police Department’s assistant accreditation manager, Sergeant Kevin Kelly, at (201) 327-2400. Model railroad sets schedule for holidays The Donald Cooper Railroad, located at the Mahwah Museum at 201 Franklin Turnpike, will have additional hours for the holiday season. The exhibit is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, hours will also be held on Fridays from 7 to 9 p.m. The HO-scale model railroad has seven trains running at most times, including replicas of many of the trains that ran through Mahwah in the golden age of the railroad. There are two railroad yards, one for passenger trains and one for freight trains. The scenery includes all aspects of the rural and suburban countryside and features a replica of the Great Falls in Paterson. There is a New York City subway, and a street fair at the south end of the layout. For additional information, visit www.mahwahmuseum. org or call (201) 512-0099.