Mahwah October 23, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 9 Zoning board approves Pilot truck scale plan by Frank J. McMahon The Mahwah Zoning Board of Adjustment has approved a plan by the Pilot Corporation to construct and install a truck scale on the truck stop portion of the Pilot site on Route 17 Southbound. The zoning board also approved the installation of an 8,000 gallon underground diesel emission fluid tank, a revised plan for signage on the Pilot site, and a slate walk- way between the Pilot site and the Comfort Suites. That hotel, which is located adjacent to the Pilot site to the north, was installed after Pilot’s original site plan was approved. Prior to the board’s action to approve the plan, William Mulligan, Pilot’s vice president of development, advised the board that his company has decided to place people whom he called “diesel champions” on the Mahwah site from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. each day to control the truck traffic on the site and to guide the trucks into the open fueling stations. He said the diesel champions will keep trucks from park- ing along the curbs or “piling on,” so the drive lane will be kept open and the concern about trucks parking overnight at the site will be addressed. In addition, Mulligan advised that yellow striping has been added to the areas around the curbs to prohibit trucks from standing in those areas. Professional engineer Glenn Phillips also testified at this meeting to describe several signage changes. He described the proposed and existing signs and advised that the free- standing sign over the truck scale had been reduced in size and the Cat Scale logotype has been removed from that sign, leaving just “enter” and “do not enter” on either side. Joseph Staigar, a traffic engineering expert, also tes- tified that the New Jersey Department of Transportation has reviewed the plan and verified that Pilot’s permit is still valid. He also described a traffic count he did at Pilot’s Bloomsbury site, which he said is very similar to the Mahwah site in that it has a truck scale and the same number of fueling stations and is near a state line. Staigar said there were 1.3 trucks per hour using the truck scale at the Bloomsbury site during peak traffic hours, with a maximum of five trucks during any hour during his count in April. Twenty-five percent of the truck drivers at that site said the scale was the primary reason they stopped at that site. Staigar also confirmed that the diesel champions do help with the truck circulation on the site because the truck drivers pay attention to their directions. Professional planner Keenan Hughes told the board a truck scale is quite common in this type of facility and it does improve truck safety on the road. He said the scale would create no significant increase in the number of trucks visiting the site and would not change the operation of the truck stop, so a use variance is not required. Hughes also testified that the signage is informational and would have no detrimental impact on the public good or the township’s master plan. There were no questions or comments from the public or the board. Charles Rabolli, chairman of the zoning board, recounted the reasons for granting the approval of the amended site plan. He said the scale is in the best interest of the public good, and the signage is needed to identify the truck scale. He said there would be only 1.3 trucks per hour using the scale, and there would be no significant detriment to the site because trucks that refuel there would not have to go back onto Route 17 to use the scale. In addition, he said there were no negative reasons to oppose a truck scale for this site. Rabolli also pointed out that the flagstone walkway was done professionally to permit guests from the adjacent hotel to use the convenience store on the Pilot site. (continued on page 21)