11.30.15
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Metuchen loses important non-profit for women

Nov. 30, 2015: Theresa was a single mother in Metuchen looking for help. She had been through a divorce several years earlier and wanted to build a support network.

She found the support she needed at a local non-profit called Women Helping Women. The organization offered group counseling sessions and other types of support at low cost.

“It was invaluable. That’s something that, if you can find it, it’s incredibly validating, especially if you feel alone,” Theresa, who asked that her full name not be used, said in a recent interview.

The low cost aspect of the program was vital to allowing Theresa to be able to take advantage of the services, she said. The experience helped her build a support network in town.

“It was a matter of support, to have this within my community, which is big,” Theresa said.

Sadly, those services are gone.

Women Helping Women, an organization formed by a  group of professional Metuchen women in 1975, was set to close by the end of November, according to Jill Lesko, president of the group’s board of directors.

The non-profit, whose mission has been to help women through divorce, losing a spouse, and other life events as well as mental health issues, is selling its building at 224 Main St. Proceeds will be used to pay off debts and any balance will go to continuing services that will be taken over by Rutgers University, Lesko said.

The beginning of the end — like with so many businesses and organizations — was the global financial crisis in 2008, Lesko said. Funding began drying up and Women Helping Women had a hard time finding new sources. The non-profit ran on support from the state and federal government as well as corporations. One sponsor that pulled back was United Way.

“With the recession, a lot of corporations pulled back funding and were only funding much larger national organizations,” Lesko said. “They felt if they were going to give money, they would give more money to fewer organizations, and have more impact.”

Volunteers who were also affected by the financial crisis couldn’t donate as much time to the organization, Lesko said.

As funding decreased, Women Helping Women continually shrank its services, said Sally Wolberg, a counselor for the organization. In the last few years, Women Helping Women lost counselors and got to the point where only Wolberg remained.

At its height, Women Helping Women ran services to help women get back into the workforce, ran peer training groups, held numerous fundraisers, employed a grant writer, seven or eight counselors, a pro-bono attorney to work with women in transition and nurses on staff. The group also had programs to help younger women deal with bullying, peer pressure, low self esteem and addiction.

The organization grew from its original home at the YMCA into the building at 224 Main St., which it eventually acquired with the help of a grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Lesko said. The group expanded the building in the early 2000’s, Lesko said. In 1980, a group spun out of Women Helping Women and formed Women Aware, a non-profit based in New Brunswick that focuses on assisting victims of domestic abuse.

As funding got tight, Women Helping Women invited in other non-profits to the building, including the Literacy Volunteers of New Jersey and Build with Purpose.

While the organization has been shuttered, its legacy will continue to be a program it funds at Rutgers University in which doctoral students, under supervision, counsel members of the community at low cost. “They have a full-time counseling clinic,” Lesko said. “The benefit is we’re helping to teach future counselors, and women have to pay a modest fee to be seen.”

Wolberg, meanwhile, is planning to launch a therapy group for women experiencing relationship difficulties in January to be held at the Reformed Church of Metuchen on Lake Avenue, she said. For more information, call 732-822-3912.

11.23.15
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Update: Manley holds lead after recount in Metuchen Ed Board race

Nov. 23, 2015: Candidate Justin Manley’s lead went up by one vote after a recount in the race for three open seats on the Metuchen Board of Education.

Manley gained one vote, increasing his lead over JoAnn Sabatino-Falkenstein by seven votes. Manley and a representative of the Middlesex County Board of Elections confirmed the recount results.

It’s not clear when the results will be made official.

The recount was requested by Sabatino-Falkenstein. It was approved by Superior Court Judge Arthur Bergman.

The recount included all machine votes, emergency ballots and irregular ballots, mail-in and provisional ballots, including those that were rejected, according to Bergman’s order authorizing the recount.

The recount started at 9:30 a.m. this morning.

Sabatino-Falkenstein trailed candidate Justin Manley by six votes for the third and final open seat on the education board. Incumbent Aileen McGuire and candidate Merrill Lunt already secured their seats based on their vote totals.

11.17.15
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Guest Post: Using Halloween candy to brighten a soldier’s day

We’re handing this space to borough resident Angela Sielski, who penned a guest column about her efforts to collect extra Halloween candy as part of Operation Gratitude. Here’s Angela: 

On November 1st, the excitement of Halloween is over, bits of costume are strewn all over the house, and that sugar crash has kicked in from overindulging the night before. The mound of candy remaining is overwhelming and usually winds up in your workplace or your bellies.

In 2014, after hearing many friends complain of so much left over candy, the question arose, “what can we do?” A discussion online referred me to Operation Gratitude, an organization that annually sends 150,000+ care packages filled with snacks, entertainment, hygiene and hand-made items — plus personal letters of appreciation — to new recruits, veterans, first responders, wounded warriors, care givers and to individually named U.S. service members deployed overseas.

With a 6-month-old baby and my husband, we put the word out that we’d collect any leftover candy from the community. Bags started showing up on our porch and a collection box was placed at local business, Marafiki Fair Trade. We were blown away to receive more than 100 lbs to ship over to Operation Gratitude. In the end, 10 large boxes were shipped out with letters of thanks tucked away in each one. Cash donations were collected from the public to cover the shipping costs and a tradition was launched.

In 2015, the word spread and with the help of two Metuchen businesses, What’s the Scoop on Main Street and Marafiki Fair Trade on New Street, we set up public drop-off boxes to collect candy.

This year, I knew we’d need help so I put out the call for volunteers to help sort, pack and ship in my home. The figures from this year’s collection were astounding.

Just as I was feeling overwhelmed, I received an email from a corporal in the U.S. Marines who thanked us for the package he received last year:

“I loved the care package you guys composed. It was amazing and it’s a great thought to know that people back home still think about the men and woman overseas. I appreciate the care package and everything you guys do. I thank you for your support. I hope your families and dogs are doing great. This care package really made my day if not my week. Thanks for all the support back home!”

boxpilesThis was the big push I needed to get it done. With seven local women late on a Friday night and another three helpers on a Sunday afternoon, we processed approximately 315 lbs of candy! I received hand-drawn thank you cards from a local daycare in the borough, Little Genius Academy, and directly from families to include with each package.

In total, 33 large boxes of candy were put together and sent out. Each box contained a letter explaining that it was all possible because a community came together for a great cause.

The donations to cover shipping costs kept coming in, even after we had met our initial goal of $521.40. I decided to do another round of shipments to Operation Gratitude with the surplus of donations we had received. This time, the goal was to share a few comforts of home during the holiday season. I was able to buy various toiletries, 80 pairs of hand warmers, 20 pairs of socks, wetnaps, pens, writing pads, a dozen decks of playing cards, and best of all, 12 individually-packed care packages which included everything from razors and shaving cream to mini packs of toilet paper and lip balms. Each care package also had a letter tucked away explaining a little bit about our family, Metuchen, and the grand effort of many to make it all possible.

pilesofcandyFour more large boxes will leave our borough and make the journey cross-country to California and then overseas to brighten someone’s day. I was able to raise more than $825 to cover it all, a little bit at a time, from many families and individuals in our community.

I am truly humbled by this experience and the generosity of time and money from friends and neighbors here in Metuchen. Thank you everyone for helping me meet and exceed my 2015 goal. I look forward to what 2016 brings!

Special thank you to:

Candy sorters and packers:

Joanne Ouellet and her lovely daughter, Ada

Nancy Abrams Bernheimer and her husband, Joe

Sarah Teti

Caterina Kusmick

Lori Hughes Lindemann

Erin Segaloff

Lea Lanton

kidsboxesArtwork & Thank you note contributors:

Torrie Flach Rathjen​

Tyreen Reuter

Kristina Falconiere Rush who collected artwork from Little Genius Academy

Thank you to my 18-month old son for handing me items to pack in the care packages and especially my husband, Matt, who lets me take on these crazy projects in our living room!

Contributor Angela Sielski is a community organizer and resident of Metuchen

11.15.15
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Street Smart NJ to focus on walker, biker safety along Main Street

Nov. 15, 2015: Metuchen gained a major ally in its quest to make its streets as safe as possible for pedestrians and bicyclists.

The New Jersey Transportation Planning Association, a federally authorized organization, selected Metuchen for the second phase of its Street Smart New Jersey pedestrian safety campaign, which will start in March, according to NJTPA and Borough Administrator Jennifer Maier.

The campaign uses advertising, grassroots public awareness efforts and law enforcement to enhance pedestrian and bike safety, the Association said in a recent public statement. This is the second phase of the NJTPA Street Smart New Jersey program, which kicked off in 2013 in Newark, Hackettstown, Jersey City and Woodbridge. The program is funded by the Federal Highway Administration.

mainstreetPrior the start of the campaign, Phase II communities like Metuchen will go through a pedestrian safety evaluation. In Metuchen’s case, the evaluation will focus on pedestrian and bicycle safety and handicapped accessibility along Main Street from Middlesex Avenue to Walnut Street, Maier said at the borough council meeting earlier this month. After the safety campaign, NJTPA performs another safety evaluation to see if drivers, pedestrians and bikers have changed their behavior, the organization said in the statement.

“That stretch [of Main Street] is the most congested, the highest use [and] we can’t change the speed on that county portion of the road,” Maier said in an interview after the meeting. It’s “really to try and improve one of our heaviest trafficked roads.”

NJTPA is known as a Metropolitan Planning Organization, which are meant to oversee federally funded transportation projects and provide a forum for local and state officials to plan a region’s transit future. Middlesex County’s NJTPA representative is County Freeholder Charles Tomaro, according to the NJTPA website.

Pedestrian safety is a priority in Metuchen. Borough Council will deliberate in December on whether to lower the speed limit on all of Grove Avenue from 35 m.p.h. to 25 m.p.h. The idea was moved forward by the Traffic and Transportation Committee earlier this month.

The borough also has applied for a $300,000 grant to build bike lanes along the length of Grove Avenue that runs through Metuchen.

Meanwhile, incoming Mayor Pete Cammarano made pedestrian safety one of his priorities. “We have a large number of young families that walk and bike around town and we need to ensure their safety. We also need to explore opportunities to expand foot and pedal power initiatives, including bike lanes and safer crosswalks and safer routes to schools for children,” he told BBB.

Image sourced from Wikipedia

11.11.15
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Sabatino-Falkenstein to ask for recount in Board of Education race: updated

Nov. 11, 2015: JoAnn Sabatino-Falkenstein will ask for a recount in the race for three open seats on the Metuchen Board of Education, in which she trails her opponent Justin Manley by six votes for the third and final board seat.

“At the urging of many supporters, I will pursue the recount. Although the provisional ballots moved the point spread to six, many people would like to see the vote reconfirmed,” she told me in a quick update Wednesday.

At this point, all votes are in including machine votes, mail-ins and provisional ballots. Provisional ballots are paper ballots a voter must cast if there is a question about his or her eligibility. With the inclusion of the provisional ballots, which were officially counted earlier this week, Manley’s lead went from three votes to six.

It’s not clear when Sabatino-Falkenstein will make her official request, which has to go to a Superior Court judge. She has until Monday to ask for a recount.

Meanwhile, incumbent Aileen McGuire and Merrill Lunt are already guaranteed seats on the board based on their vote totals. The final open seat is what’s up for grabs between Sabatino-Falkenstein and Manley.

The numbers now look like this: McGuire 1,718; Lunt 1,438; Manley 1,276; Sabatino-Falkenstein 1,270.

The Middlesex County Clerk’s office is expected to formally update the voting totals this week, possibly today. (I called a few times Tuesday but staff was still working on certifying the counts).

Manley said he believes his lead will hold up in a recount.

“No one lost, only Metuchen won,” Manley said. “I am thankful for the support of the voters and that all of the candidates ran positive, issue-driven campaigns.”

Manley said he is “looking forward to working with the board and administration to continue their ongoing efforts and to begin to execute on the goals I laid out during my candidacy.

“It’s imperative that [the school district] move with pace to begin to address our space and growth needs to accommodate not only the growth we’ve seen in the past several years but what we know is coming with the changes downtown,” Manley said. “If during my term we can formulate a consensus and plan with community input on our priorities and prepare a referendum to fund those investments, it will be a success.

“Equally important to me is addressing the work environment in our schools for the teachers and updating technology education offerings as well as the technical assets needed to support a modern learning environment,” he said.

Update: This post has been updated to include information about Sabatino-Falkenstein’s decision to ask for a recount, and to include more comments from Justin Manley.

11.10.15
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Metuchen police arrest Edison man after garage crash

Nov. 10, 2015: Anthony Ventre, 73, of Edison, was arrested Saturday after losing control of his vehicle and crashing into a garage on Lake Avenue, Metuchen police said.

Ventre got lost and was attempting to make a u-turn when he hit the telephone pole, careened and barreled into the garage around 6:13 p.m., police said.

Metuchen Police Officer Octavio Tapia arrested Ventre for Driving While Intoxicated (D.W.I.) police said.

No one was injured in the crash, though the garage will likely have to be demolished, the resident at Lake Avenue told me Sunday. The foundation appeared to be weakened in the crash and a support beam from the ceiling of the garage was hanging loose.

11.09.15
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Metuchen wins federal support for several parks projects

Nov. 9, 2015: The National Park Service recently awarded Metuchen a non-monetary grant to help coordinate several area improvements, including building a pedestrian bridge over Middlesex Avenue to extend the Middlesex Greenway.

dismalswampThe “technical assistance grant” only brings consulting help from the National Park Service, according to Jennifer Maier, borough administrator. However, federal parks department officials would help Metuchen identify potential funding sources for various improvements.

“Basically, the national parks association would attend meetings with Metuchen and the county to discuss the feasibility and coordination and funding sources for [improvements]'” Maier said.

The improvements would include building a pedestrian bridge to extend the Greenway, designing the Greenway trailhead area to have an open air pavilion, BBQ grills, bathrooms and a community garden and cutting a kayak trail through Dismal Swamp.

Photo courtesy of http://njdismalswamp.org/.

11.05.15
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Update on Metuchen Board of Education race

Nov. 5, 2015: You’ll have to wait a bit longer to figure out if Justin Manley or JoAnn Sabatino-Falkenstein won the last of three open seats on the Metuchen Board of Education.

The results of the race were so close, with Manley leading Sabatino-Falkenstein by three votes, that it will come down to a count of provisional ballots. A provisional ballot is a paper ballot a voter must cast if there are questions of his or her eligibility to vote.

Metuchen collected 25 provisional ballots, which were sent in sealed bins to the Middlesex County Board of Elections. Staff rejected a total of five provisional ballots, Jim Vokral, administrator with the board of elections, told me Thursday.

Here’s where the real fun begins: Each of those rejections, and the accepted provisional ballots, are open to challenge. Those who wish to challenge must schedule a time to come into the board of election offices by Friday (Nov. 6).

Once the challenges are lodged Monday, the four Commissioners of the county Board of Elections (two Democrats, two Republicans) hold a public meeting Monday at 4 p.m. to review the rejections and those provisional ballots subject to challenges. The meeting will be held at the Board of Elections office at 11. Kennedy Blvd., East Brunswick.

This means even provisional ballots staff has already accepted could be overturned. For example, a person could present the board of elections with documentation that a voter who cast a provisional ballot that was already accepted doesn’t actually live in Metuchen. “If the Commissioners look at that and agree, one of those could be thrown out,” he said.

“At the end, all of the ballots that come out of this that are good, will be opened and they will be counted and added to the total we already have,” Vokral said. That could happen Monday night or Tuesday, he said. It depends on how many challenges come in, he said.

Once the whole process is finalized, the results will be handed over to the County Clerk who formally announces the results and posts them online, he said.

11.05.15
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Metuchen police investigate string of break-ins

Nov. 5, 2015: A woman at a residence on Robins Place was on the second floor when she heard three loud bangs downstairs. She went down to investigate and discovered the back door busted open, but no one around.

This happened on Oct. 26 around 9:20 a.m., the last of a string of burglaries or attempted break-ins the Metuchen Police Department is investigating.

There have been five incidents: three actual break-ins and two attempts, according to Metuchen Police Chief David Irizarry. No residents have been confronted in any of the incidents. The person or people committing the acts seem to be checking to see if anyone is home before attempting to access the residences, Irizarry said.

“Someone breaking into a home during the day, 99.9 percent of the time is not looking for a confrontation,” Irizarry said. “Usually they’ll knock a few times, wait for someone to come and if no one comes, they usually bang the door.”

The incidents are likely connected, Irizarry said. “Normally you don’t have multiple burglars working in your town at one time. If you have a week or two weeks with multiple burglaries or attempts, most times it’s the same person or group of people,” he said.

Here are the incidents:

  • the first occurred on Oct. 18 at a residence on Main Street in the area of St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral. The residence, in which no one was home at the time, was accessed through an unlocked rear door. It’s not clear what time the incident occurred since no one was home. Irizarry did not have updated information on what was taken from the residence other than a video game console and video games.
  • three incidents occurred on Oct. 23: the first happened around 11:23 a.m. at a residence on Spring Street. An alarm scared away the person or people trying to access the residence; the second occurred around 1:55 p.m. on Whitman Avenue, where no one was home at the time. A rear sliding glass door was pried open and jewelry was taken; the third incident occurred at 4:15 p.m. at a residence on Rector Street, where a rear sliding door was forced open. No one was home at the time. A camera was taken.
  • The final incident, referenced above, occurred on Oct. 26 at the Robins Place residence, where police believe the perpetrator was scared away once he or she discovered the residence was occupied.

Irizarry declined to discuss any leads police are following because the investigation is ongoing. He said most towns will have the occasional burglary, but it’s not an “issue” in Metuchen. “We had a few this year and also solved a great deal of them,” he said.

He asked that residents call police if they see something, or someone, that looks out of the ordinary. Police can be reached at the main number of 732-632-8500 or by dialing 9-1-1.

11.04.15
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Metuchen Education Board race a prime example of why every vote counts (at least locally): updated

Nov. 4, 2015: Just another reminder that yes, every vote counts.

The only two local races in all of Middlesex County that have yet to be determined are the Metuchen Board of Education and the Sayreville Borough Council. I don’t know much about Sayreville except they had some sort of football scandal. I once fished a river over there but didn’t catch anything. Also, they have a Wawa.

But the Metuchen Board of Ed, now there’s a topic we can sink our teeth into.

The votes for the three open seats on the Ed Board came out like this, unofficially: incumbent Aileen McGuire with 1,499 votes; Merrill Lunt with 1,246 votes; JoAnn Sabatino-Falkenstein with 1,111 and Justin Manley with 1,088. Including mail-in ballots, Manley has a total of 1,268 while Sabatino-Falkenstein totals 1,265 — with Manley up by three votes.

What needs to happen now is a count at the County level of provisional ballots. These are ballots filled out by people who can’t figure out how to vote properly (or something). See here for a full explanation.

The County Board of Elections will review each provisional ballot and determine if it will count. It’s not clear how long this process will take. Jim Vokral, administrator for the county board of election, explained it to me:

The board gets sealed bins of provisional ballots the night of the elections and works to determine the eligibility of each ballot. Once all the eligible provisional ballots are established, the board will then count them for the whole county. This year, the board will start with four specific races that are very close, including Metuchen’s education board, Sayreville as well as the race for Legislative District 16, where incumbent Republican Assembly members Jack Ciatarelli and Donna Simon are being challenged by Democrats Maureen Vella and Andrew Zwicker.

“Depending on how many provisionals we get, how much research we have to do, we could be done any time from Friday, Monday, Tuesday,” Vokral said.

UPDATE 3:11 p.m. Nov. 4: Vokral told me Metuchen collected 25 provisional ballots but one was immediately rejected. The board of elections is now researching 24 provisional ballots from Metuchen to determine their eligibility. Stay Tuned!

Nothing like a little political drama to spice up the week!

This post has been updated to include information from Jim Vokral