All's Fair

For some reason I've always been partial to the Hunterdon County 4H Fair.

Does this make me a traitor?

Memorial Run

Running is the purest sport. It requires no special skills or equipment. There is nothing to throw, catch, kick or hit - no other person to face off against, no teammate to pick you up. There is no luck involved, no friendly rim to corral an errant free throw, no fortuitous bounce from the cart path to the fairway. All that is required is dedication, determination, and will.

It is safe to say that the 400 friends and fellow athletes who gathered at the Hillsborough Township High School football field on Sunday to honor track star Jason Walton with a memorial 6.8 mile run already know this. And they know something else. Running is meditative, contemplative, and spiritual. A 6.8 mile run is a moment of silence that lasts 40 minutes, and still isn't enough time to reflect on the life and achievements of this fine young man.

That would take a marathon - or two.

Marathon

Bill Rodgers was one of my sports heroes growing up. Arguably the greatest road runner (as opposed to track runner) of all time, he was a four time winner of the New York City and Boston Marathons in the 70s and 80s.

He was at the top of his game in 1980 - an Olympic gold medal should have been the crowning achievement of his career.

The Right to Be Fed

I wish I didn't know anything about China. Reading about China over the last several months has nearly spoiled my enjoyment of the Olympic Games.

I wish I didn't know about the Cultural Revolution, the Red Guards, the "criticism" of intellectuals. I wish I didn't know about the persecution of political dissenters - whose dissent is paid back by a bullet in the back of the neck, usually in public, often in an athletic arena.

The International Olympic Committee awarded these games to Beijing partly because they believed it would strengthen human rights in China. It has had the opposite effect. It has empowered the Chinese government - at the expense of its people.

I appreciate the athletic achievements of all the Olympians, and would have been sorry for them if the US boycotted the Games this year - just like I was disappointed for the athletes when we boycotted the Moscow Games in 1980. But I believe that a boycott this year would have been more meaningful than the 1980 boycott.

Hong Kong democracy leader Martin Lee, when speaking of the rights and freedoms of the Chinese people has said, "There is only one right in China - the right to be fed. It's the sort of right all dogs and cats enjoy."

Think about that when putting out Rover's Alpo tonight.

Old Folks Home

Do we really need another age-restricted development in Hillsborough? Aren't there too many "old people" here already? Will we need to rename our town "Leisure Village North"?

Hardly.

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, there were 2508 residents aged 65 and over living in Hillsborough. That makes up just 6.8% of the population - the lowest percentage in Somerset County! Compare that with Bridgewater's 5443 seniors - 12.7% of their residents, and Franklin's 5805 - 11.4%.

Does this mean Hillsborough is a less desirable place for senior citizens than Bridgewater, or Franklin, or the 18 other Somerset County municipalities?

According to Erickson Retirement Communities, who propose a 1500 unit age-restricted development at the Royce Brook Golf Course on Hamilton Road, the answer is NO. Senior citizens want to live in Hillsborough - they just can't find the right kind of housing.

Of all the arguments against the Erickson development - the project is too big, the buildings too tall, encroaches on neighbors, traffic, environmental impact - the argument that we already have too many seniors living here is by far the weakest.

Erickson may still not be a good fit for Hillsborough - there just may not be a good location for this project in our town. But if that turns out to be a true, it will be too bad for Hillsborough - for our current residents, and those that would love to make our town their "old folks home".

Charge It!

Hillsborough is ready to get back into the credit card business, signing a deal this week with Affinity Credit Union. Affinity will allow interested residents to sign up for a credit card where a small fraction of the interchange rate will go back to the township to use for youth and senior programs.

I'm not sure what an "interchange rate" is, but it can't be very big. And 30% of it - Hillsborough's cut - will be even smaller. Still, it is a legitimate source of revenue, and the programs that received this money when we had a credit card program from 2001 - 2005 will surely be happy to receive it again.

And it goes without saying that this is a much friendlier way to raise a little money compared to the schemes devised by some New Jersey towns, namely speed traps and ticket blitzes.

Will I get a card for myself? Frankly, I don't think my wallet could handle another piece of plastic. But I'm giving the credit card program "two swipes up" nonetheless!

Let Me Hear It

Since I started posting about half of my blog entries to MyCentralJersey.com in May, the number of daily visitors to THIS blog has decreased by about 50%. That's fine with me, as I assume most people are reading Gillette On Hillsborough at that other site.

What has disappointed me a bit is that comments to this blog have dropped dramatically - and they haven't been made up by lots of comments on the MyCentralJersey blog. I know that between the two blogs, just as many people, or maybe even more, are reading now as they were before.

Maybe the topics haven't been as conducive to comments - I'm not sure. But I am going to make a renewed effort to respond to each comment I receive - so - let me hear it!

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And remember, there are twice as many posts here as there are on that other blog - so be sure to keep this one bookmarked, and check back often!

"Smiles Everyone, Smiles"

It is often said that giving one's time for a cause or to help those less fortunate does as much for the volunteer as it does for the recipient. I don't know if that is always true, but it is certainly what I witnessed at the third annual Softball Saturday event at Singley Park - where volunteers comprised of current and former members of Hillsborough High School's softball team, as well as members of the Hillsborough Hustle youth softball team, outnumbered the special needs children they were hosting by a 3 to 1 margin.






This wonderful event, which I also wrote about last year, is designed to give kids with disabilities a chance to have a fun day practicing their softball skills and playing in a game.





I can't imagine these young mentors, aged 10 to 25, having any more fun than they did last Saturday as they guided the kids around the bases on a picture perfect morning. It was evident that they were having as much fun as the kids!






Even Sparkee had a smile!

Up and Over

Hillsborough Township residents will be pleased to learn that of the $240 million in Somerset County road and bridge projects authorized by the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, $85 million is slated for the Route 206 bypass project. This spending covers the four year period between 2009 and 2012.

There are 20 Somerset County projects in the agency's Transportation Improvement Program - which encompasses 13 northern New Jersey counties and calls for $10 billion in total spending.

The Route 206 bypass is by far the most expensive project in the county - but I was most intrigued by the least expensive project.

$770,000 is allocated for "grade separation" of the Norfolk Southern rail crossing at 13th Avenue in Manville. This is Manville's only grade crossing on this rail line, and the only place other than Main Street for cars or pedestrians to legally cross between the northern and southern parts of the borough.

To separate the grade crossing, 13th Avenue will need to go over or under the tracks - not easy to accomplish in the middle of a residential neighborhood. Hillsborough has four grade crossings on this rail line - Beekman Lane, Auten Road, Valley Road, and Roycefield Road. It seems to me that any one of these would be easier to "separate" than 13th Avenue, and of course no grade crossing means no more train horn.

So, will Hillsborough ever get any bridges over the railroad tracks? Yes! $4 million has been allocated to replace the existing bridges at Hillsborough Road and Homestead Road over the CSX rail line.

Ho hum.

Not to Worry

Speaking of "All the Trouble in the World", for a look at why none of the fashionable world crises of the 20th century should worry you, take a peek at the P.J. O'Rourke best seller of the same name.

This book has been a favorite of mine since its publication in 1995. Mr. O'Rourke's views on overpopulation, famine, ecological disaster, ethnic hatred, plague, and poverty are as relevant today as they were a decade ago.

Also, he makes me laugh.

All The Trouble in the World

If the Somerset County Multi-Jurisdictional Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan has you wondering about what types of disasters may befall our county, I suggest you check out Doris and Stuart Flexner's newly updated The Pessimist's Guide to History.

The Pessimist's Guide is a chronological look at world disasters, catastrophes, massacres, etc ranging from air crashes to volcanic eruptions - and including every bizarre or devastating event in between.

Assassinations, avalanches, earthquakes, bloody rebellions - it's all here.

And you thought we had it rough because it takes 20 minutes to get to the mall at rush hour. Ha Ha!

Amwell Road, Before and After

Some portions of Amwell Road are being repaved now through August 15.

It's hard to get excited about this kind of work, because the road will be just the same after it is repaved as before. It will just be the same old surface they have been using for decades.

Ho hum.

It wasn't always so boring. When Amwell Road was "improved" in 1905 it was something to get excited about. The state highway department even took before and after pictures.






























Now THAT'S a road to be proud of!

Home Grown

Daniel E. McCallister, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison after police discovered that he was growing marijuana plants in the basement of his Hillsborough Road home in 2002, has had his appeals denied and will not be eligible for parole until September 30, 2009.

After receiving a phone tip, noticing the blacked-out basement windows, and observing that this home was using a greater amount of electricity, police obtained a search warrant and raided the home on October 8, 2002, finding 293 marijuana plants.

Does that seem like a lot of plants? It is impossible for me to characterize the size of this operation just based on the number of plants. But I know one thing - police found 292 more plants on Hillsborough Road than they found at the home of Millstone Mayor Gail Anglada in 1974!

Here's how The New York Times reported the story on July 12, 1974.

Millstone Mayor Seized on Drug Count

Mayor Gail Anglada of Millstone, and her husband, Elgin, were arrested Wednesday by Somerset County detectives on drug charges after the police found marijuana in the living room and in a bedroom and a marijuana plant growing outside the house. Mrs. Anglada, an instructor at Rutgers University, and her husband, a Rutgers professor, were arraigned on charges of possession of more than 25 grams of marijuana and were released in their own recognizance. The offense is a high misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $15,000 fine.

County Prosecutor Stephen Champi said the couple came under suspicion "quite by accident" last Tuesday when two county investigators, wanting to examine property-tax records, found the Municipal Building closed and went to the Mayor's home. There, Mr. Champi said, the conversation turned to marijuana use in the borough and some of the couple's comments made the detectives suspicious. The Mayor was elected in 1972 to fill an unexpired term and has announced her candidacy for reelection in November.

Note that the Angladas were facing a maximum penalty of five years for one marijuana plant, while Mr. McCallister was sentenced to ten years for 293!

Sleep Well, Hillsborough

When people describe Hillsborough as a bedroom community, they're not kidding. According to the statistics provided in Somerset County's Hazard Mitigation Plan, Hillsborough has over 10,000 residential buildings with a replacement value of $3.7 billion. This puts us just behind Franklin Township (14,000 - $5 billion) and Bridgewater (13,500 - $4.9 billion).

This makes sense considering Hillsborough is the third most populous municipality in the county.

Where things begin to get skewed is in the value of our commercial and industrial building stock. Franklin has a combined commercial/industrial building value of $2 billion, Bridgewater, $1.5 billion, Hillsborough, $102 million. That's million, with an "m".

Our other close neighbors also have a greater commercial/industrial presence than Hillsborough. The replacement value of Branchburg's commercial and industrial buildings is $650 million, and Montgomery's is $350 million. In fact, of Somerset County's 21 municipalities, only South Bound Brook, Rocky Hill, and Far Hills have lesser building stock values than Hillsborough.

Here's a better way to see it. The first map represents commercial building stock in $million per square mile. The second map represents industrial building stock in $million square mile.






You don't need to be a geography genius to find Hillsborough on these two maps!

Three things occur to me while looking at these maps and the related data. Firstly, the lack of commercial and industrial buildings is clearly what gives Hillsborough its character. Anyone who wants to know what distinguishes Hillsborough from Bridgewater, Franklin, Montgomery, and Branchburg need only glance at these two maps.

Secondly, there is no "period of rapid development" long enough to ever allow us to catch up with these other towns.

And lastly, when the lights go out in our 30,000 bedrooms tonight, we'll sleep well.

Huff and Puff, We're Ready, Kind Of

If I remember the story correctly, the Third Little Pig didn't really have a plan. He saw what happened to Pig Number One and Pig Number Two, and went with the bricks. With the Wolf on his way, there was no time for risk assessment or analysis - and certainly no time to read a 1129 page hazard mitigation plan!

Somerset County, on the other hand, can not afford to rely on intuition alone. That's why they have prepared the Somerset County Multi-Jurisdictional Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan. The key word in this plan is "mitigation". It is understood that there is no way to prevent the various natural disasters and calamities outlined in the report - floods, high winds, snowstorms, drought, excessive heat, and forest fires - but with careful planning, we may be able to prevent or reduce some of the inevitable damage, especially damage to houses and other buildings.

Unfortunately, although the report is detailed - and at 1129 pages it ought to be - and provides a wealth of information about Hillsborough Township and the rest of Somerset County, it tends to fall short on real, practical, innovative ideas.

Most of the recommendations fall under the heading of "I could have told you that". According to the plan, we need to identify areas of the county subject to natural disaster - flooding, primarily - identify disaster relief resources, identify emergency shelters and evacuation plans, etc. In fact, all of these things ARE identified in the report.

The rest of the recommendations are of this variety - "buy up houses and buildings that are in flood-prone areas - Green Hills is specifically mentioned....eventually...some day...when you have the money." P.S. We'll never have the money.

If there is one thing the report does show, it's that we appear to be stuck in our straw and stick world, just waiting for another huff and puff!

A Wonderful Gift

All too often, our loved ones are taken from us before we are ready. Sometimes, tragically, they are taken before they are ready.

It is in these times that we ask ourselves "why?" Even the most religious among us, those with deep-rooted faith, will want to know how God could possibly have a plan that calls for the tragic death of a young man, the despair of a family, the tears of all who knew him.

There are few words of comfort, except perhaps these. Before we can lose someone dear, we must have someone dear. God's plan is not to take someone from us, but to give someone to us - perhaps for just a while. The quantity of time we have with the ones we love is not nearly as important as the quality of time we have with them.

This then must be His plan, to give us someone who will touch us, enrich us, love us.

That's a wonderful gift!

COAH Reprieve

The Hillsborough Township Committee, sounding a little like the Chairmen of the Board, asked for just a little more time to submit a new plan for round three of the Council on Affordable Housing. Superior Court Judge Allison Accurso granted that request yesterday, giving Hillsborough until December 31 to submit its plan.

In this case, a little more time amounts to just about two and a half months. I am sure the time is needed, and that our advisors will use every minute to come up with something by the end of the year - but it won't be enough.

COAH is broken. Given a thousand years and the best brains in the affordable housing business - and it IS a business - Hillsborough would still be unable to come up with a plan that makes any sense out of the brainless Round Three rules.

There's surely no love growing between the Hillsborough Township Committee and Governor Corzine on this one!

CSC Anniversary

Do you remember where you were one year ago today - July 25, 2007? I was with a handful of fellow residents in the multi-purpose room of the Hillsborough municipal building. We were expecting to witness the culminating vote of Hillsborough's first Charter Study Commission. We were not disappointed.

The five CSC members - Chris Jensen, Glenn van Lier, George Ostergren, Gloria McCauley, and Bill Page (named to the commission after the death of original member George Fenwick) - had recently completed a study on forms of municipal government available under New Jersey's Faulkner Act, as well as a study of our current Township Committee form of government.

For eight months they interviewed experts and current and former members of the various allowable forms - Mayor Council, Mayor Council Administrator, and Council Manager - sifted evidence, and had some lively discussion along the way.

For all of the politics involved, there was also history being made. If the CSC voted to recommend a change, it would be just the third time in Hillsborough's 236 year history that voters would have the chance to opt for a new form of government.

Still, it wasn't exactly "edge of your seat" theater. You could tell by the make-up of the CSC that the recommendation would be for Mayor Council - just like you could tell by the make-up of the audience that night that the recommendation would fail at the polls in November.

What do you think? Did the voters make the right decision? If we had voted to change to Mayor Council, we would be in the midst of an exciting election campaign right now to seat our first directly elected mayor and five council members.

I must admit, it would be pretty exciting.

As we grow - add a train station, a Main Street shopping district, maybe even a 1500 unit retirement complex! - Hillsborough will undoubtedly become larger and more complex.

But that's o.k., I hear they have a form of government perfect for that!

Ready to Roll?

According to the State of New Jersey, the Route 206 bypass project is "on track". On track? What does that mean - construction ready to start this year? O.K., how about 2009? No? Would you believe 2010? That's what they would like you to believe.

And you may as well forget about Brown Avenue to Old Somerville Road. That is where the REAL traffic is - and it will only get worse if the bypass is built. Yet no one is talking about that very expensive project (streams to bridge, railroad bridges to be rebuilt), because it is too expensive to even TALK about.

Are you still a believer?

Take a look at this map from 1968.




That's 40 years folks, and still no relief. Want to go for another 40?

Fireman's Fair, Revisited

Some of my fondest childhood memories are of the local fireman's fair held each summer by the Adelphia Fire Company in Howell, New Jersey. As a little kid this is where I rode my first Ferris Wheel, devoured my first cotton candy, and tossed my first quarter onto a slippery plate.

Hamburgers, hot dogs, clams on the half-shell - it was ALL good! Even a great place to take a date on a hot teenage summer night! I couldn't imagine a summer without the fireman's fair.

Local residents will be creating some memories of their own now that the Rotary Club of Hillsborough has stepped up and taken over Hillsborough's traditional summer fair. After the property adjacent to the Route 206 Firehouse was bought by the state last year as part of the Route 206 bypass project, the Fire Company decided to give up the fair.

There is no doubt that running the fair the last few years has been HARD WORK - perhaps for diminishing returns Apparently, losing the venue was what pushed the firemen to end their involvement.

With a new larger piece of land at Lowe's, better parking, and all the same fun (minus the beer tent!), the Rotary Club has every chance to make this year's fair the best ever.

If the weather cooperates, I'll see you there on Friday night. And if I appear to be daydreaming, don't bother me!

Peace and Quiet? Soon, Soon

All they want is a little peace and quiet - is that too much to ask? I am speaking of course about those residents who live in the vicinity of the Norfolk Southern Rail Line near the Beekman Lane, Auten Road, Valley Road, and Roycefield Road grade crossings. Blaring horns, which are sounded several times as the train crosses each of these proximate roads, have proven to be almost unbearable.

Help is on the way! Work began today to turn these grade crossings into Federal Railway Administration approved "Quiet Zones". Funds from an off-site developer contribution and Hillsborough's capital budget will be used to upgrade the roads on each side of these four grade crossings - with raised medians and other improvements - that will make it nearly impossible for a car to cross the tracks when the gates are down.

Making it harder for cars to cross the tracks means the trains don't have to blow their horns! Sounds good so far.

As I have written here before, I have mixed feelings about the Quiet Zones. They will certainly solve the problem with the horns - and I know all about that because I am one of those residents that lives near the tracks - but they may push us further away from the more idealistic goal that I favor, which is to eliminate the crossings altogether by creating road overpasses at three of the intersections, and eliminating one. Building the Quiet Zones means we are now decades away from reconsidering any other options.

I felt the same way, and still do, about E-Z Pass. Sure, people love E-Z Pass because it speeds them through the tolls faster. But the institution of E-Z Pass has pushed us farther and farther away from the more idealistic goal of eliminating Parkway Tolls. I don't see how that will ever be accomplished now that we have invested so much in E-Z Pass.

Here's hoping that all the new found peace and quiet in this corner of the township will lead to some serious, creative, long term solutions to our future problems.

Why I Walk

Today at the Bridgewater Marriott, I attended the first of two "Kick-Off" events for the Central New Jersey "Walk Now For Autism" fundraiser - which will be held October 19 at Mercer County College. This morning's event was designed to start off the fundraising season by providing our team captains across the Central New Jersey area with information and materials needed for a successful campaign. It also allowed people to meet and trade ideas.

As the MC this morning, I necessarily did a lot of speaking - and also contributed to a segment of the program titled "Why I Walk". This is what I said.

When people ask me why I walk to raise money for autism research, I reply with three words – Unknowable, Untreatable, Incurable. It wasn’t too long ago that parents faced with a diagnosis of autism would hear these three words, and despair.

Unknowable, because just a few years ago, parents, pediatricians, and neurologists didn’t know the early signs of autism, couldn’t diagnose autism. Not only was autism not understood, but perhaps it could never be understood. Parents were told that their child would live in a world of his own, one that you could never enter and never know.

Autism Speaks and its predecessor organizations changed all that. Through our awareness efforts, there isn’t a pediatrician in the nation who isn’t aware of the early signs of autism. There isn’t a week where autism isn’t in the news, on the talk shows, or even in the soaps. Today, Autism IS Knowable.

Untreatable. As recently as a decade ago, there were many who still felt that Autism was essentially untreatable. Maybe people with autism could learn, but they could never “improve”. Even behavioral therapies, which we now know are essential, were said to be unproven. At best, they were “worth a shot” – at worst, at least parents felt like they were doing something.

Just recently, scientific research has been able to show not only that Applied Behavioral Analysis works, but also how it works in the brain. We know now that children with autism CAN improve, and will improve. Today, Autism IS Treatable.

There’s just one word left – Incurable. That word is often in the first sentence of any description of autism. Sometimes it’s the second word! – as in “an incurable neurological disorder”.

Research funded by Autism Speaks is working to change that. At the Autism Speaks Annual Conference this past March, I was fascinated by the scientists’ presentations. They are indeed working towards a cure. There’s just one thing they need – money.

I am confident that ongoing research, funded by US, will deliver a cure. One day I will stand before you, and be able to say, Autism IS Curable.

And that’s why I walk.

Please visit http://www.autismspeaks.org/ for more information, and to join our local walk.

Another View

Does this look more familiar?


View Larger Map

Yesterday's aerial view was taken in 1956 - today's is the most recent Google satellite image.

View From Above

Where the heck is this place? Any guesses?

Growth Spurts Down South

The folks over at MyCentralJersey.com have created a really cool map to show the population growth in our area from 2000 to 2007. Just click on the colored pushpins for the details.


View Larger Map


Hillsborough is marked with the blue pushpin right near the center of the map, Montgomery is the green pushpin just below.

Municipalities marked in red declined in population. Those marked in yellow grew by 0 percent to 4.99 percent. Blue, 5 percent to 9.99 percent. Green, 10 percent or more. These numbers come from the US Census estimates which came out last week.

Hillsborough experienced 5.36% growth, adding just under 2000 residents between 2000 and 2007. If this trend continues right through the next official census in 2010, we will still have fewer than 40,000 residents to begin the next decade.

The real out-of-control growth in our part of the county is in Montgomery Township - which added 5542 residents over the past seven years, increasing their population by 31.7%! There is no doubt that Montgomery is a desirable place to live, and now they are paying for it - going through the same growing pains that Hillsborough did decades ago.

I'm sure it won't be long before a citizens' group is petitioning Montgomery Township for a new form of government - elected mayor, checks and balances, wards even!

Won't that be interesting!

Still 23! Still 23!

CNN/MoneyMagazine, say it isn't so! Is it possible that Hillsborough, so greatly honored by being named as America's 23rd best place to live in 2007, could have fallen so mightily as to not even crack the top 100 in 2008? An explanation is in order! And here it is.

My first clue that something was different about this year's list was that none of the New Jersey towns that made the top 100 THIS year were in the top 100 LAST year. Could Franklin Township, Piscataway, and Edison really be more desirable than Hillsborough? One thing for sure, they each have a lot more residents than Hillsborough's 39,100 - Franklin has a population of nearly 60,000, and Edison over 100,000.

The population totals lead me to my next clue. All of the towns in this year's top 100, save one, have populations of 50,000 or greater! [Chapel Hill, NC is listed at 49,900]. Indeed, this year's listing is subtitled "America's Best Small CITIES".

So how is this different from last year's list? In 2007, CNN/MoneyMagazine rated America's best SMALL TOWNS - which they described as having populations between 7500 and 50,000.

Of Hillsborough's nearly 40,000 residents, there is nary a one who doesn't believe this is a great town and a great place to live. And while everyone must have been pleased that Hillsborough ranked number 23 last year, there are some who resented the use of the "100 Best Places to Live" title by our local government for what they believe were political purposes.

For those who couldn't wait for this year's list to come out so that Hillsborough could be knocked from it's perch, it must come as a disappointment to learn that they have been dished by a DIFFERENT LIST! A list with different criteria, created, no doubt, to highlight different kinds of towns and cities - and generate new interest and magazine sales.

When CNN/MoneyMagazine gets around to ranking the best small towns again, who knows where we will end up.

I know where I'll be - right here in Hillsborough. One of the top 100 places to live in America!