Page 10 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • February 20, 2013 FLOW Area Franklin Lakes Council approves soil moving plan by Frank J. McMahon The Franklin Lakes Council has approved a developer’s agreement that will permit United Water NJ to move soil and rocks from a construction site on Saturdays. The project involves a six million gallon concrete and steel in-ground water tank located at the Saddle Ridge Riding Center at the Campgaw Mountain Reservation. A developer’s agreement is a contract between the borough and an applicant who has received planning or zoning board approval to construct a building development or project. The agreement specifies any relevant standards and conditions. The construction of the water tank on approximately three acres of Bergen County parkland was approved by the planning board in April 2012. Recently, the council approved a resolution authorizing Mayor Frank Bivona and the council to sign a developer’s agreement concerning the soil movement. That agreement was subsequently approved by the planning board. The council agreed to allow the transport of soil and rocks from the construction site from Monday through Saturday after reviewing a letter from attorney Nilufer DeScherer of Archer & Greiner, the law firm that represents United Water. In that letter, DeScherer pointed out that it is critical that soil movement activities be permitted Monday through Saturday in order to complete the project in a timely fashion. DeScherer explained that United Water is prepared to agree to start work each day at 7:30 a.m. instead of 6 a.m. as permitted by borough ordinance, but it is necessary to conduct soil removal operations on Saturdays to meet the company’s contractual commitments to have construction on the tank completed by the end of 2013. She pointed out that completion of that phase of the project would mean an increase in the available water to area customers and would permit the commencement of work on the pump station and installation of a water line to the county’s riding center. Without working on Saturdays, DeScherer said the project would not be completed until the spring of 2014, and that would require a renegotiation with the project’s contractors. DeScherer emphasized that there would be no blasting of rock at the site on Saturdays, and she advised that the majority of the soil movement activities would occur during the early months of the project from February through June of this year. Prior to the council’s approval of the resolution, Mayor Bivona spoke in support of the water company’s request, saying that granting United Water’s request would be in the best interest of the borough. He also complimented the water company for “partnering with the town, showing a great appreciation for the town, and for responding in a positive manner.” According to Richard Henning, senior vice president (continued on page 21) The Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School District has issued its semi-annual report on violence, vandalism, weapons offenses, and substance abuse in the district. The report covers the period extending from Sept. 1, 2012 to Dec. 31, 2013. Prior to the 2011-12 school year, the violence and vandalism reports were issued annually. Beginning in the 201112 school year, districts were required to submit a report on violence and vandalism to the commissioner of education for two data collection periods. The second collection period will include Jan. 1 to June 30. The newly-issued report indicates continued improvement in all but one of the categories being tracked, and a significant improvement in the number of harassment, intimidation, and bullying (HIB) incidents. At a recent public meeting of the Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School Board of Education, Superintendent Lauren Schoen gave a verbal report about the statistics. Schoen advised there were two incidents of violence in the district during the first data collection period versus eight in the corresponding time period the previous year, and 13 during the entire 2011-12 school year. Those incidents of Regional high school district submits semi-annual violence report violence included fights and simple assaults. A fight is defined as a mutual engagement in a physical confrontation that may result in bodily injury to either party. It does not include a verbal confrontation or a minor confrontation, such as a shoving match, and each participant must be classified as an offender. A simple assault is defined as an incident in which a person attempts to cause, or purposely, knowingly, or recklessly causes, bodily injury to another person. Schoen advised there were no incidents of vandalism (theft) in the 2012-13 time period versus one in the corresponding period during the previous school year, and three during the entire 2011-12 school year. There were no weapons offenses (knife or chain) during the first data collection period of the 2012-13 school year versus one in the corresponding time period of the previous school year and two in the entire 2011-12 school year. There were nine substance abuse incidents (possession or distribution) in this school year’s data collection period versus six in the corresponding period during the 2011-12 school year and eight for the entire 2011-12 school year. (continued on page 15)