Wyckoff November 5, 2014 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 17 ShopRite proponent vows to see plans through by John Koster Wyckoff ShopRite proponent Lawrence Inserra said he and his company had no plans to drop the approved ShopRite application despite the latest in a series of actions in state court to block construction of a supermarket at the old A&P site. A three-judge panel of the New Jersey Superior Court’s Appellate Division, with judges yet to be named at press time, will hear an appeal filed in early October by Stop & Shop and Boulder Run. Superior Court Judge William C. Meehan had rejected a Stop & Shop appeal contesting the approval decision of the Wyckoff Planning Board, and had sustained every action of the Wyckoff Planning Board as lawful and legitimate. In a second ShopRite case appeal, Stop & Shop con- tested the actions of the Bergen County Planning Board and the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders in endors- ing the plans for the new store. The plans were favored by 80 percent of the Wyckoff residents who spoke at two Wyckoff Planning Board meetings. About 10 percent of the residents opposed construction and the other 10 percent said they approved of having a supermarket but would have preferred a somewhat smaller one. Some local merchants call the existing vacant parking lot an eyesore and urged approval of the Inserra ShopRite. “These are two completely different actions, pending before two different state courts, based on the exact same application presented to, and unanimously approved by, the Township of Wyckoff’s Planning Board,” said Lawrence Inserra Jr., president and CEO of Inserra Supermarkets. “Based on our history to date, we expect a favorable deci- sion from the Appellate Court anywhere between nine and 12 months, while a favorable Superior Court ruling is antic- ipated in the next six months. “We remain committed to constructing the proposed ShopRite of Wyckoff so local residents can enjoy ShopRite’s quality, service, and brands in their hometown,” he said. The Inserra plan for a new ShopRite on the old A&P lot went through 38 planning board hearings and a number of requested revisions to the store’s appearance and parking lot over two years before it was unanimously approved in February of 2013. Stop & Shop and Boulder Run contested the approval, which was sustained by a Superior Court ruling. The Supe- rior Court verdict was that the Wyckoff Planning Board had followed all the rules and that the site was a permitted use for a supermarket, since a supermarket had operated on the same lot for several decades. Pictured, from left, are Arthur Minck, Abigail Goodman, and Joe O’Dowd. Twelve-year-old Abigail Goodman of Wyckoff was one of 20 finalists from more than 400 applications to become a reporter for “Time for Kids” magazine, which is “Time” magazine’s version written by children. The magazine asked for a story about local heroes, and Goodman chose to interview two World War II veterans, Joe O’Dowd and Arthur Minck from Evergreen Court, Christian Health Care Center’s supportive senior-housing complex. She interviewed the men about their experiences during the war. “After visiting the beaches and battle sites in Normandy, France, and learning about the World War II D-Day inva- sion, I decided to interview Wyckoff World War II veterans as my local heroes,” Goodman explained. “I learned how they slept in foxholes, carried heavy weights on their back, swept for ocean mines, worked on Navy aircrafts, and dodged enemy bullets to save our world from Nazi Ger- many. They are truly the greatest generation.” O’Dowd, who served in the Navy, was sent to Key West, Florida to train in sonar submarine detection follow- ing boot camp. While on a mine sweeper, O’Dowd sailed for the Mediterranean, visiting the Republic of Tunisia in North Africa, and Naples and Polermo in Italy. In prepara- tion for the Battle of Anzio, he and his crewmates swept the channel of mines to allow large ships to bring in supplies. The sailors would drag a cable equipped with a cutter to (continued on page 19) Student interviews local heroes