Page 12 THE VILLADOM TIMES Mahwah IV • March 13, 2013 Damante recognized as Discus Awards Finalist Finalist. As a Discus Awards Finalist, Damante will be automatically considered for 2012-2013 college scholar- ships, including the 2012-2013 $2,000 National All-Around Student Scholarship provided by Scholarship Strategies. Review reveals concerns (continued from page 3) when police officers come to court and who directs them to do so. “Police officers, to my knowledge, do not show up on first appearances,” Harraka told the council. He added that he did not have the authority to tell a police officer to be in court unless there is a contested trial and then he can subpoena them to be in court. When they are in court, he said they receive a maximum of two hours of overtime no matter how much time they spend in court. The council was not able to determine who specifically directs police officers to appear in court and was not able to determine if the police officers who provide security for the court are on regular duty time or overtime. The discussion was carried to a future council meeting. In a review of a budget request by the Mahwah Office of Emergency Management at the council’s work session, the governing body reviewed the radio needs of the fire department and the ambulance corps and decided there is a need to centralize the purchase of radios for all departments for the purpose of control and cost efficiency. The OEM budget of $65,000 was approved with $5,000 allocated to the Mahwah Community Emergency Response Team program and $60,000 to OEM. During that budget review, however, it was pointed out that the new radio system recently purchased by the Mahwah School District does not communicate with the police radio system. Police Lieutenant Stuart Blank, the deputy director of OEM, advised the council that the school’s new system has a radio, telephone, and pager all built in to one device. He said that device permits one-on-one communications or system-wide communications, and it is tied into everyone in the district, including custodians and bus drivers, who can be notified not to pick up a child who will be absent from school that day. “For them, it is a very efficient system, but what it did for us is make us completely deaf,” Blank said. “We can’t talk to them in any way, shape, or form. They can talk to themselves, but they can’t talk to the police.” Blank said he met with the school district’s radio vendor and was told what would have to be done to patch the school district’s radio system into the police radio system and he was informed it would cost about $9,000, including $1,500 for installation, which he said is not in the OEM budget because he did not know until recently that the school district had changed its radio system. Councilwoman Lisa DiGiulio asked if the school district touched base with the police department before they bought the new system, and he said they did not. The problem came to light during a routine check of the police radio system. The council unanimously expressed surprise about this situation and asked Councilman Harry Williams, who is the council’s liaison to the township’s board of education, to approach the school board and advise the trustees they must cover the cost of patching the school’s system into the police department’s system. “They caused the problem; they should solve the problem,” Councilman John Spiech said. DiGiulio said she felt it was important to fix the school district’s radio system right away. She moved to include the $9,000 cost in the OEM budget while trying to get reimbursed by the school district. The council voted 4-2 to defeat that motion, and Williams then agreed to advise the school board that they need to make this investment or they will not be connected to the police department. When the budget for the pool was reviewed, Williams pointed out that it will cost $317,000 to operate the pool this year. That amount is $82,000 more than last year. Pool Manager Marion Crescitelli explained the maintenance and equipment needs related to the pools and the diving boards. The council reviewed the salaries and working schedules of the seasonal employees and the pool equipment and maintenance needs. The council decided not to add a slide to the main pool, but will investigate the potential of outsourcing the food concession. Overall, the council reduced the pool budget by $19,000. Williams, a former owner of a private pool business, told the council the pool business is a dying market. He said municipal pool attendance continues to decrease because more people are getting private pools and the number of children in the lower school grades is decreasing. He supported a raise in the pool rates this year, but the council, noting that the rates were raised last year, voted not to raise the rates and to advertise that fact in order to try to attract more members. Mrs. JoAnn Barnard, counselor; Rebecca Damante; and Mr. John Pascale, principal of Mahwah High School. Rebecca Damante of Mahwah High School has been recognized as a 2012-2013 Discus Awards Finalist for her achievements in the areas of academics, community service, and work. Discus Awards are presented nationally to all-around high school students who excel in three of 10 key attributes. Finalists are considered for multiple college scholarships provided by Discus Awards partners. Learn more about Damante and other Discus Awards Finalists online at www.DiscusAwards.com/winners. Damante is also a National Scholarship Discus Award