Woods Road 4th Annual BBQ Cook-off

Despite yesterday's rain, the 4th Annual No Fire - Just Smoke Central Jersey Firemen's BBQ Cook-off was held at the Woods Road Firehouse with a local team taking top honors.

Hillsborough's Max Que team with Chief Cooks Steve and Dee Polson walked away with the best overall score and first place in the chicken category and third in ribs:
Ribs Within, another Hillsborough team headed by Chief Cook Doug Keiles placed first in Chef's Choice:
From across the river in Franklin Park, Minick's Barbeque took first in the ribs category:

Sometimes what it all comes down to is this: Its a firehouse and has fire engines and the kids want to see them even in the rain...

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To enjoy pictures of the event taken by Susan Gulliford and George Mariasz, go here.

RVSB Pops Concert

The Raritan Valley Symphonic Band's Pops Concert is tomorrow evening (Friday, June 5th) at 8 p.m. at Bridgewater-Raritan High School.

The RVSB concerts are fun, family-oriented, admission-free, and educational.

I just wish they were still at Hillsborough High School...
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For more information about the Raritan Valley Symphonic Band, go here.

Route 206 and Raider Boulevard...Again

Interstate Development Corporation has filed an amended site plan with the Board of Adjustment requesting changes to its approved site plan for the Walgreens Drug Store and strip mall currently under construction at the corner of Route 206 and Raider Boulevard.

The amendments requested include the elimination of the “Gateway Plaza," a small landscaped corner plaza that was to include such amenities as a bike rack, pedestrian walkways,and benches. Interstate's amendments propose the park-like area be changed to a lawn and some deciduous trees.

The applicant also wishes to add a new median break onto Raider Boulevard near the current opening at Greenfield Lane. The median currently contains mature trees.

Additionally, the historic Carriage House on Route 206 would not be renovated under the amended plans, but only painted and reinforced.

Further, Interstate wants to eliminate the board-on-board fence on the northern property line that was to buffer the neighboring lot, reduce the number of trees to be planted on the Royce Brook berm, and eliminate the westernmost driveway onto Raider Boulevard.

They also wish to make some sidewalk changes, keeping the existing 4-foot-wide sidewalk on Raider Boulevard (originally to be widened to 6-feet to accommodate bicycles) and relocating the sidewalk on Route 206 to avoid existing utility poles.

Interstate is scheduled on the Board of Adjustment agenda for Wednesday, June 3rd.

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Yesterday a local headline read "Major drugstore chain Walgreens extending its presence in area." The article includes this quote: "...According to the corporate Web site, the Walgreens Company, based in Deerfield, Ill., opens 425 new stores each year and anticipates operating 7,000 stores nationwide by 2010..."

Walgreens (NYSE: WAG)(NASDAQ: WAG) had May sales of $5,370,200,000, an increase of 6.1 percent from $5,060,627,000 for the same month in 2008. Sales in comparable stores (those open at least a year) increased 1.0 percent. Comparable store front-end sales increased 0.2 percent versus last year’s increase of 6.0 percent.

In July,2007 Interstate Development (the developer for the local Walgreens-to-be), filed an "Economic Hardship Waiver from the Provisions of the Tree Mitigation Ordinance" in which they asked for a "...reduction of fees from $145,275.00 to $0.00..." The relief granted was a reduction from $145,275.00 to $3,250.00.