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Mayor's Speech: |
Good evening and Happy New Year. Welcome to the annual reorganization meeting of the Wanaque Mayor and Council. I would like to start by congratulating Ed O’Connell on his re-election to the Council for a third term. I would also like to congratulate Karen Cisco on her election and I would like to welcome her to the Council. Karen brings a new perspective to municipal government and I am confident that she will work with me and the rest of the Council to do what is right for our residents. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Joe Fiorito for his efforts on the council the past two years. Joe stepped in to fill a seat on the Council after the passing of Mayor Hagstrom and he became very involved with recreation, improving our facilities, and spearheading a review of the Borough’s zoning ordinances. While Joe is leaving the Council, he is not stopping from serving our community. He will continue to serve on several committees including Open Space and the Plan Endorsement Study. I look forward to working with Joe on those committees. During my first year as Mayor, I feel that we have had a number of accomplishments, but there is still a lot of work to be done. Property taxes continue to be the biggest issue facing every municipality in New Jersey. Last year at this time I promised to hold the line on municipal property taxes in 2007 and we did. Wanaque was one of a handful of towns in New Jersey who experienced a zero percent tax increase at the municipal level. Unfortunately, I cannot make the same promise in 2008. There are many costs within our budget, which are not controlled by the governing body. Many of our municipal costs are directly affected by the decisions made in Trenton on matters such as increases in pension and health benefits and additional unfunded mandates from state agencies. As is every citizen, we are also burdened with the skyrocketing costs of gasoline and energy. These rising costs coupled with our slowdown in ratable growth resulting from the current recession in the real estate market will make the 2008 budget very challenging. I promise that we will do everything within our means to keep any tax increases to a minimum. I do want to emphasize that I am speaking about the Municipal portion of the taxes which is the only portion controlled by the Mayor & Council. This constitutes approximately 21% of your tax bill. We do not control the County or School portions of the tax bill. In October 2006, we broke ground at the Haskell Towne Centre. Twelve months later we dedicated the building and welcomed the building’s first tenants. The developer has rental commitments for almost 85% of the space. They are working hard on completing various tenant fit-ups and they expect most of the leased areas to be occupied with in the next four months. This redevelopment project has made an overwhelming difference to the Haskell Business District. Now it is up to all of us to use these businesses along with all of our existing merchants to help keep them viable. The redevelopment of the old candle factory site is moving along nicely. Most of the site work has been completed and the developer anticipates beginning construction of the buildings this spring. When Ringwood Avenue Phase I started, we promised the residents of Whistler Place that the road would be reconstructed when Ringwood Avenue was completed. Those residents lived with traffic from the detour for many months. I am proud to say that we kept our promise. Whistler Place is now a smooth ride, with new water and sewer pipes, curbs and sidewalks. But we are not stopping there. Laura Avenue is the next street to be reconstructed. Phase I from George Street to Furnace Avenue will be done this summer, using a $250,000 grant from the State. I was just notified that the Borough is receiving another $257,000 grant for Phase II of Laura Ave from Furnace Ave to Belmont Ave. These grants offset a significant part of the costs of these projects. Last year the Passaic County Freeholders approved moving forward with Ringwood Avenue Phase III. They funded the engineering for the project, which is expected to begin in 2009. Hopefully, this project will not be affected by the current budget problems facing the County. Prior to the beginning of the road reconstruction by the County, the Borough must replace of the 70+ year old water main. This project is not going to be easy since the detour routes are limited. The Borough and the County have already begun working on how to handle traffic and the timing of construction. This project is scheduled to take place over the next few years. In conjunction with this project, we will be looking towards the inclusion of some upgrades to the Midvale business district. Another significant issue is the condition of our Municipal Building. The building is almost 100 years old and is not in compliance with certain mandates from Trenton and Washington. As a result of the Americans with Disabilities Act, an engineering study was performed in 1999 estimating the cost to renovate the existing building at $1.7 million. We are having the study updated, and I anticipate that the cost will be more than double the previous amount. During 2007, a council committee looked at several sites in the Borough to possibly build a new Municipal building. The advantages and disadvantages of each site were considered. As a result, the committee reported that the most desirable site would be the former U.S. Aluminum site on Fourth Avenue. This 5-acre site could be home to not only a new Municipal Building, but also to a Community Center and a third structure, possibly a new post office. In 2007, the Council authorized the Borough Attorney to begin negotiations with the owners of this property, which is ongoing. However, no commitments have been made. Before we move ahead, I am extending an invitation to all of our residents to visit our Municipal Building and see first-hand the problems with the building. We will have an open house on Tuesday, January 29th from 6 to 7:30 p.m. At 7:30, we will have a special Council meeting where we will have a presentation on all of the sites considered, including the present location. There will be an open public discussion where all of your questions can be answered. We will be putting a copy of the 1999 building study on the Borough’s website for you to read. There have been some questions raised regarding possible environmental issues at this site. I would like to assure all of our residents that if we move forward to purchase the US Aluminum property, the site will be cleaned up, all tanks will be removed, and the property will be purchased free of any and all environmental contamination at the current property owner’s cost. The Borough will hire an independent environmental consultant to test the soil and confirm that the property is clean and we will insist that environmental clearance be given by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Additional provisions will be in the contract to absolve the Borough of any responsibility for any possible contamination found on the site subsequent to the closing. Another issue is the cost of this project. We anticipate that most of the funding for this project will come from the Candle factory redevelopment. If approved, we may move forward with the purchase of the property and certain preliminary site work in 2008. However, I do not anticipate beginning any actual construction until the Candle factory redevelopment project is built and substantially sold and the related tax revenues are available for use. Whether we purchase the US Aluminum property or not, I would like to begin a redevelopment study in 2008 for the area between Second Avenue and Fourth Avenue, from Ringwood Avenue to the Boulevard. This area lies between the two redevelopment projects currently in process and the pending redevelopment area. The redevelopment of this area would complete the entire downtown Haskell redevelopment. We have a lot of work to do this year. We do our best to provide great services to our residents. Our Police Officers, Road and Water Department workers, and our Borough Hall staff are second to none. Our volunteer Firefighters, First Aid Squad members, Recreation volunteers and people who donate their time to our community make Wanaque a great place to live. I thank all of them for their efforts. I would also like to take this opportunity top thank the Borough Council, our Administrator Tom Carroll, our Borough Clerk Kathy Falone, Chief Reno, our Boro Attorney Tony Fiorello and the entire staff. I am confident that we will continue to move forward as we continue to improve our community. I would like to conclude by thanking my wife, Marie and my family for their continued support. Mayor Dan Mahler
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