Sonic: Over and Over I Keep Going Over...

Sonic's proposal for a restaurant at the corner of Route 206 and Oxford Place may or may not have become yet more problematic for the applicant as his attorney and engineer revealed, at the end of last night's almost three-hour-long planning board meeting, that their site contains wetlands.

Ron Gasiorowski, the attorney for the neighbors objecting to the Sonic proposal, opened the meeting by announcing that his clients had joined together as Save Our Neighborhood, Inc. Approximately 50 residents attended the hearing.

P. David Zimmerman, the neighbor's planning expert, then testified regarding the design of the building, the variances, the signage, the impervious coverage, setbacks, and the visual environment of the proposed building compared to the surrounding area. He testified that he felt there was "too much on too little property."

Five residents of the community then testified that they were concerned about traffic, garbage pickup, power washing, trucks, parking, lighting, noise from Sonic customers, overbuilding for the lot size, and the general impact on the quality of life in the area.

Following the public comments, Sonic's attorney Donald Whitelaw addressed the board about a clarification on their site plan that would require an amendment. According to their engineer Brett Skapinetz the NJDEP had just advised them that there were wetlands at the rear of the property about 20-feet off the rear lot line requiring changes in the site plan particularly in the stormwater management.

Attorney Gasiorowki objected to this testimony so late in the meeting and demanded that the planning board vote on the plan as presented. Sonic's attorney stated that they were merely "advising the board of a change of conditions."

Several members of the audience complained loudly about the last-minute information, asking for an immediate vote.

At the request of the board's attorney, the hearing recessed for a few minutes in order to allow the attorney to speak privately with the engineers and planners.

When the meeting reconvened, the application was carried to the March 10th Hillsborough Township Planning Board meeting at which time Sonic must submit its new site plan.

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Enjoy Frank Sinatra while you read...It just seemed appropriate. For you youngsters who don't know the lyrics, go here.

RVSB Children's Concert 2011

Tomorrow is an annual event that many local families look forward to all year: the Raritan Valley Symphonic Band Children's Concert.

This year's theme is Pajama Jam featuring music about children's stories and fairy tales, including Toyland, The Teddy Bear's Picnic, and some Disney themes.

Although anyone can enjoy the afternoon's event, from the youngest kids to grandparents, every detail of this fun concert is child friendly: the band members wear brightly colored shirts, the music is sprightly and pieces are often familiar to the audience, they have audience participation, the concert is relatively short, and, following the concert, the children have a chance to meet the musicians and see and touch the instruments.

The concert is held Sunday, February 6th at 3:00 p.m. at Bridgewater-Raritan High School,600 Garretson Road, Bridgewater.

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For more information about the concert and Raritan Valley Symphonic Band, go here.

Winterguard Dinner 2011

Earlier this month - on January 14th - the Hillsborough High School Winterguard held their dinner. Aside from the great dinner, there were performances by the Hillsborough and Bridgewater guards and the opportunity to try flag twirling. Rumor has it that some of the persons who attended were interested in seeing photographs of the event.

So, here they are, starting with the dinner...

..and moving on to the performances by Bridgewater...

...and Hillsborough...

..and, finally, a chance to learn from the guard members...

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These pictures are courtesy of photographers Susan Gulliford and George Mariasz.
All of the photographs (be forewarned, there are 150 pictures) can be viewed here. Due to the number of pictures they were reduced in size and may not print well. If you are interested in a larger version of a particular picture, please email HNJJ08844(at)comcast.net with your request and we will forward it to the photographers.

HHS Winterguard Fundraising Dinner 2011

The Hillsborough High School Winterguard Spin Festival and Dinner is being held tomorrow, Friday, January 14th at Hillsborough High School from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.

For dinner have a three-course self-serve dinner - soup, salad, and ice-cream sundaes.

After dinner, enjoy performances by the Bridgewater Guard at 8:15 p.m. and the Hillsborough High School Winterguard at 8:30 p.m.

Guests can then try flag spinning with guard members for an additional $10.00 donation.

The dinner and performances are $10.00 per person, $8.00 for seniors 55 and older, and $8.00 for children. Take-out is available at $7.00 from 5 p.m.

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Put the Winterguard Home Show on your calendar: 5 p.m., January 29th, 2011.

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The photographs above are from the dinners of 2010 and 2009.

Hillsborough Planning Board Reorganization 2011

The Hillsborough Township Planning Board 2011 Reorganization Meeting was held this evening.

The board members elected member Sam Conard as Chairperson and Steve Sireci, Jr., as Vice-Chairperson.

There are eleven members with two changes. Mayor Gloria McCauley has replaced former-Mayor Frank DelCore. Mike Merdinger has left the Board following his appointment as Township Administrator-Clerk and no replacement has been named.

Hillsborough Board of Adjustment Reorganization 2011

The Hillsborough Township Board of Adjustment 2011 Reorganization Meeting was held this evening.

The board members chose Helen Haines as Chairperson and Walter Dietz as Vice Chairperson.

There were no changes in the eleven members of the board.

Hillsborough Committee Reorganization 2011

The Hillsborough Township Committee Reorganization Meeting was held this evening.

Girl Scout Troop 748 presented the Colors, Major Jon Lapidow led the Pledge of Allegiance, and Reverend Timothy Wolf gave the invocation:

State Senator Christopher Bateman swore in re-elected Committee member Frank DelCore:

The Committee chose member Gloria McCauley as Mayor. She was sworn in by Senator Bateman:

The Committee chose member Carl Suraci as Deputy Mayor and he was sworn in by Senator Bateman:

The Township Committee recognized resigning Township Clerk Kevin Davis:


The formalities were followed by cake and coffee:

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Photographs courtesy of Susan Gulliford and George Mariasz.