Robbinsville 0313

7/29/2019 Robbinsville 0313

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE

www.robbinsvillesun.com MARCH 13-19, 2013 FREE

Third redevelopment plan for Town Center South advances. PAGE 3

Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Kids View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Interfaith Views . . . . . . . . . . 11Police Blotter . . . . . . . . . . . 10Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . 4, 14, 15

Tax increaseState aid not enough to reduce $270 tax

increase in school budget. PAGE 16

TOP LEFT: Loni

Jakub, of Rob-binsville, was thefirst winner atDesigner Hand-bag Bingo, afundraiser at-tended by morethan 350 peopleat RobbinsvilleHigh School onMarch 3. Theevent raisedmore than$10,000 for the

Class of 2014sPost Prom cele-bration, whichprovides stu-dents with asafe, fun, alco-hol-free party atthe high schoolafter the prom.

BOTTOM LEFT:Jodi Stephensand Mike Dranoff

call the bingonumbers.

BOTTOM RIGHT:Andrea Latham,of Windsor,shouts bingo!

Photos byJOANNE DEGNANThe Sun

Bingo! Developer wins

court case,willing to dealBy JOANNE DEGNAN

Editor

An appellate court has upheldSharbells right to convert 150 un-built senior citizen housing unitsinto 120 three-bedroom homes forfamilies of any age, but the townis not giving up its efforts to stopthe project it says will cause aninflux of schoolchildren andhigher school taxes.

Mayor Dave Fried said March 4the town would absolutely ap-peal the case to the stateSupreme Court, but acknowl-

edged theres no guarantee thehigh court will agree to hear thecase. In the meantime, he said,hes also negotiating with Shar-bell to possibly buy only the lotson Sharbells Gordon Road prop-erty that were involved in the law-suit in order to turn that land intoopen space.

The 439-acre Gordon-Simpsonproject, as it was originally ap-proved in 2006, had 265 residential

units and mix of retail and officespace. In addition to the 150 unitsfor people age 55 and over, Shar-bell also has approval for 14 sin-gle-family homes, 16 townhomes,24 market-rate condos, 60 ProjectFreedom units for people withdisabilities and a 70-acrefarmette. The two-year court bat-tle only pertained to the age-re-stricted units the developer isconverting to all-age housing.

Tom Troy, Sharbells seniorvice president, declined to saywhat the asking price is for theconverted lots totaling 40 acresor so that were the subject of the

lawsuit. Fried, who also wouldntreveal the specifics of the Shar-bell offer, said the towns apprais-al and Sharbells price are notfar apart, but the purchase priceexceeds the $6 million now in themunicipal open space fund.

Im reaching out to the countyand to the state to see if theywould be willing to participate

please see SHARBELL, page 7


2/20

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By JOANNE DEGNANEditor

The Township Council recent-ly approved a redevelopmentagreement with a Town CenterSouth property owner who willbuild 78 one- and two-bedroomapartments on a vacant interiortract of land on the south side ofRoute 33.

Washington Village LLC, ofEwing, led by developer SamMarrazzo, previously had ap-

provals to build 31 large multi-bedroom townhouses on the par-cel located behind WashingtonLiquors. The redevelopmentagreement calls instead for 30one-bedroom apartments, 30 two-bedroom apartments and 18 age-restricted two-bedroom apart-ments that the township believeswill collectively generate fewerschoolchildren for the school dis-

trict than 31 larger townhomes.The project, called Washington

Village Apartments, will be agated community of four-storybuildings with elevators. Threefloors of apartments will be builtabove covered parking on theground level, according to the ar-chitectural plans. The property islocated directly behind a vacant 2-acre lot fronting Route 33 thatMarrazzo sold to another develop-er in 1997.

The redevelopment agreement

requires Marrazzos company toextend Lake Drive across Route33 to a new road that will be builtparallel to Route 33 behind Wash-ington Liquors and must connectto the parking lot of a Walgreensalready under construction nearWashington Boulevard. Theapartment complex will be laidout in a U-shape with gated en-trances.

The Township Council votedunanimously Feb. 28 to approvethe redevelopment agreement,which requires Washington Vil-lage LLC to begin construction byJune 2014 and be completed byFeb. 28, 2015.

Marrazzo, who attended thecouncil meeting, said he waslooking to move forward as soonas possible with the project,which still needs preliminary andfinal site plan approval from thePlanning Board, state environ-

mental permits and local con-struction permits.

Washington Village Apart-ments is the third redevelopmentproject inside the 90-acre TownCenter South RedevelopmentZone. The township has a redevel-opment agreement with the Fer-ber Co., which has already brokenground on a 14,000-square-footWalgreens on 2.5 acres at the

zones western end near Washing-ton Boulevard, close to where theapartments are to be built.

A joint venture of Sharbell De-velopment Corp. and Elite Show-case Complex LLC is the redevel-oper for 52 acres of township-owned land at the zones easternend of Route 33 closer to Rob-binsville-Edinburg Road. Thecenterpiece of the Sharbell-Elite

plan is a 200,000-square-footsports and entertainment com-plex on a 28-acre interior parcelthat Elite would lease from thetown.

Redevelopers have not beennamed yet for the rest of the pri-vately owned lots in the redevel-opment zone fronting Route 33across from the existing TownCenter buildings.

MARCH 13-19, 2013 THE ROBBINSVILLE SUN 3

PROFESSIONAL WEBSITES.

PEASANT PRICES.

Third TC South project gets green light


4/20


Two Robbinsville High Schooltrack and field athletes whoveraised the bar for scholar athletesat RHS by their record-settingachievements, have signed theirNational Letters of Intent to playDivision I athletics at college thisfall.

Craig Hunter, who won the polevault at the 45th NJSIAA Meet ofChampions last month with ameet record 16-0 vault, has signedwith the University of Connecti-cut where he will be majoring incomputer science.

Noel Jancewicz, an All-Ameri-can and Group 2 state championin the 400 meters and high jumpwho also holds county records inthe indoor pentathlon and out-

door heptathlon, will be studyingbusiness at the University ofPennsylvania.

Last week, Hunter andJancewicz gathered with theirfamilies, coaches and school ad-ministrators to mark the mile-stone and reflect on how theychose their respective colleges.Both agreed that they made theirdecisions based on the strengthand fit of the academic programs

offered and the vibe they got fromtheir future college coaches andteammates during campus visits.

The UConn Huskies are avery cohesive team and their goalevery year is to win Big EastChampionship and this year theydid it, Hunter said. They havethis team atmosphere and I feellike with the amount of successtheyve had, and with the pole-vaulters they already have set upthere, Im going to be successfulbecause Im going to be able to

push myself higher.Jancewicz said she picked the

University of Pennsylvania be-cause of its stellar undergraduatebusiness program and because ofthe team atmosphere among the

track and field athletes.The team all got along so well

together, Jancewicz said. I lovethe coaches there and the wholeprogram. I think Im going tohave a lot of fun and be successfulthere.

Athletic Director Curtis Wyerstold Jancewicz and Hunter theirlegacy would be long remem-bered in Robbinsville HighSchool sports.

Youre not only good athletes,youre good kids and good rolemodels for the rest of the school,Wyers said. The fact that youhave been accepted at UConn andUPenn means youve not onlybeen successful on the field,youve obviously also been verysuccessful in the classroom aswell.

Principal Molly Avery toldHunter and Jancewicz they hadbright futures ahead of them.

Youve done such a great job,

but the best is yet to come, Averysaid. Thats the great part aboutit, its seeing whats going to hap-pen as you grow up and reallymake your mark at the collegelevel. Enjoy it.

4 THE ROBBINSVILLE SUN MARCH 13-19, 2013

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Two track and field athletes

sign with Division I schools

JOANNE DEGNAN/The Robbinsville Sun

RHS seniors Noel Jancewicz and Craig Hunter, two standout trackand field champions, recently signed their letters of intent to play Di-vision I athletics at college in the fall. Jancewicz will attend the Uni-versity of Pennsylvania to study business and Hunter will major in

computer science at the University of Connecticut.


5/20


6/20

in our opinion

Tilting at legal windmills


Just because its the law, doesnt

make it right.

That just about sums up the town-

ships reaction to the NJ Appellate Di-

vision of Superior Courts decision

that may have ended Robbinsvilles

quixotic quest to stop a local developer

from using a 2009 state law to turn 150

units of unbuilt homes for seniors on

Gordon Road into 120 three-bedroom

single-family homes for people of all

ages.

Back in April 2011, the Planning

Board denied the application because

it was rightfully concerned the conver-

sion would bring more schoolchildren

and higher school taxes needed to payfor new classrooms. The decision was

supported by the mayor, Township

Council and scores of residents who

came to speak out against the plan

during months of public hearings.

The builder, Sharbell, was convinced

state law was on its side, so it took the

case to court and won. The town filed

an appeal in 2012 and on Feb. 27 Shar-

bell prevailed once again.

In their ruling, a three-judge appel-

late panel said the Planning Boards

unfortunate focus on the projects

fiscal impact to local property taxpay-

ers, rather than land use, had been

palpably unreasonable. The Plan-

ning Board had based its decision on a

provision in the conversion law that

said applications could be rejected if

they posed a substantial detriment to

the public good. However, the judges

said that phrase only applies in the

limited context of the conversions ef-

fect on adjacent properties and the

character of the surrounding neigh-

borhood not the fiscal impact on all

property taxpayers. In other words,

children may be expensive, but they

are not a detriment to the community.

Moreover, if tax impact and school-

children were used as the litmus test

for every conversion application, there

isnt one that would be approved any-

where in the state, the court said.

When the conversion statute was en-

acted by the Legislature and signed by

Gov. Jon Corzine in 2009, it was toutedas a way to spur construction of af-

fordable housing because the law re-

quires 20 percent of the converted sen-

ior units to be set aside for low- and

moderate-income families.

Proponents said the active senior

housing market for people over 55 had

dried up, and the law was an economic

stimulus package that would enable

developers to get shovels in the ground

for housing that was needed.

Mayor Dave Fried, and many others,

have called it a ridiculous law that the

builders lobby managed to get the

Legislature to pass in the middle of

the night without consideration of

how it would subvert local zoning and

impact property taxpayers. The mayor

maintains the law is unconstitutional

and wants to take the legal battle to

the state Supreme Court because the

conversion law effectively removed the

publics right to participate in the zon-

ing process.

Heres the rub. The appellate court,

citing previous court decisions, said

that municipalities do not possess the

inherent power to zone. Rather, mu-

nicipalities have power only insofar

as it is delegated to them by the Legis-

lature, the court said. The Legisla-

ture made the conversion statute the

law of the land in 2009 and the statute

requires faithful obedience, the court

wrote.

It would seem the towns chances of

success in this legal battle are slim.The state law is a bad one, but its the

law. Or at least it was. Thats the ironic

part of this sorry tale.

The conversion law had a July 31,

2011 sunset provision, which comes

too late to help Robbinsville because

Sharbell made its application before

the law expired.

So the question is whether the town

should continue to expend time and

money to continue a legal battle in

which it is unlikely to prevail, or

choose a different path. Sharbell now

says it is willing to sell the lots to the

township for open space preservation,

although it has not disclosed the de-

tails of the offer publicly. If its a fair

price, the town should seriously con-

sider it.

P.O. Box 7

Windsor, NJ 08561-0007

609-529-6611

The Robbinsville Sun is published weekly byThe Robbinsville Sun, P.O. Box 7, Windsor,NJ 08561-0007 and mailed to every addressin our community. If you are a Robbinsvilleresident, but not currently receiving a copyof The Robbinsville Sun, please contact us at

609-529-6611.

PDFs of the newspaper are free and av ailableonline at www.robbinsvillesun.com. Non-residents may obtain a six-month subscrip-tion of the newspaper mailed to their homeor business for $39.99. For more informa-tion about delivery, call 609-529-6611.

Email news releases, photos and calendaritems to [email protected] submitted for publication considera-tion should be high-resolution JPG format.

Calendar items must include the name of theevent, date, time, full street address, admis-sion fee (if applicable) and a contact email orphone number for further information.

For advertising information with TheRobbinsville Sun, call (609) 529-6611 oremail [email protected].

The Robbinsville Sun welcomes suggestionsand comments from readers including anyinformation about errors that may call for acorrection to be printed.

SPEAK UPThe Robbinsville Sun welcomes letters fromreaders. Brief and to the point is best, so welook for letters that are 300 words or fewer.Include your name, address and phonenumber. Phone numbers are for verificationpurposes only and will not be printed.

We do not print anonymous letters. Emailletters to [email protected] ormail to P.O. Box 7, Windsor, NJ 08561-0007.

The Robbinsville Sun reserves the right toreprint your letter in any medium includ-ing electronically.

PUBLISHER Dave Doran

EDITOR Joanne Degnan

Visit us on the Web at www.robbinsvillesun.com


7/20

in preserving the land, Fried said.If state and county funds areavailable, the township might beable to cobble together enoughmoney to do it, Fried said.

Troy said Sharbell wants towork with the township, but

added the offer is not on the tableindefinitely.The town asked if we would

be willing to sell part of the lots tothem and we said we would con-sider it if it were for the rightprice and within a timeframe thatis acceptable to us, Troy saidMarch 1, adding that the land isonly for sale to the township, notanother developer.

Troy said about 130 acres, in-cluding uplands and wetlands,were always going to be dedicated

as open space to the township aspart of the Gordon-Simpson proj-ect.

If a deal is reached for the lotsinvolved in the conversion, itwould add about 40 acres more tothat total.

The court battle began in 2011,when the Planning Board reject-ed Sharbells request to convertthe 150 senior units to all-agehousing.

Sharbell then filed a lawsuit to

overturn the Planning Boards de-cision on the grounds that a 2009state law permits developers toconvert previously approved un-built senior housing units if 20percent are reserved for afford-able housing.

State Superior Court JudgeLinda Feinberg ruled in the devel-opers favor 15 months ago,prompting the township to file anappeal. On Feb. 27 a three-judgeappellate panel upheld JudgeFeinbergs decision, calling the

Planning Boards 2011 decisionpalpably unreasonable becauseit focused on the financial impactto local property taxpayers,rather than the law.

I cant say that Im surprised,

Troy said after the ruling. Imglad its done.

The mayor, however, has vowedto fight on, contending the statelaw Sharbell used to convert thesenior units to all-age housing isunconstitutional because it takesaway the right of municipalitiesto making planning decisions andthe publics right to participate inthose decisions.

This all can be blamed on the

Legislature and this terrible con-version law passed in the middleof night without public com-ment, Fried said in a statementreleased after the ruling. This isa ridiculous law that was passedto help the developers, and wewill be looking to the SupremeCourt to hear this matter basedon its constitutionality.

In the meantime, Troy saidSharbell expects to go before thePlanning Board for final subdivi-sion approval next month for the

commercial and residential com-ponents of the Gordon-Simpsonproject near Route 130 North andGordon Road that werent part ofthe litigation. Constructionshould start sometime this sum-mer, he said.

Sharbell will also start prepar-ing its application for final ap-provals for the converted residen-tial units in case a preservationdeal with the township cannot bereached, Troy said.

The state law allows seniorhousing to be converted to all-agehousing if 20 percent of the unitsare reserved for affordable hous-ing, which means 120 of the 150planned senior units at Gordon-Simpson will become market-rate, three-bedroom detachedhomes and 30 condo units will beset aside as affordable housing forlow- and moderate-income fami-lies.

The children these 120 single-family homes will bring were not

factored into the school districtsenrollment projections when itasked voters to approve an $18.9million referendum constructionreferendum in December thatwill add 29 classrooms to the ele-

mentary and middle schools bySeptember 2014. School taxes willincrease $192 a year for the aver-age assessed home in order to payfor the construction.

Schools Superintendent SteveMayer said the district is alreadyfacing an enrollment increase ofabout 300 new students in thenext few years from approvedhousing developments now in thepipeline, and the court decision

allowing the conversion of theGordon-Simpson senior housingunits will add more schoolchild-ren on top of that. Mayer wel-comed the news that the townshipwas considering buying some ofthe Gordon-Simpson lots forpreservation.

I am grateful that the town-ships leadership is concernedabout the toll of rising school en-rollment, Mayer said.


Developer wins court case,but willing to deal

SHARBELLContinued from page 1


8/20

WEDNESDAYMAR. 13Boys Varsity Lacrosse vs. Mont-gomery High School: 4 p.m., Rob-binsville High School, 155 Rob-binsville-Edinburg Road. Game time

subject to change. Check online athttp://www.usatodayhss.com.

Passover Storytime: 4:30 p.m.,Robbinsville branch of the MercerCounty Library System, 42-Rob-binsville-Allentown Road. This spe-cial program is presented by ShalomHeritage Center, a center for Jewishoutreach and education based inEast Windsor. Pre-registrationrequired at www.mcl.org or call thelibrary at 259-2150.

THURSDAYMAR. 14

Chair Yoga Class: 10 a.m., Rob-binsville Senior Center, 117 Route130. No registration required. Freeclass under the direction of ConnieFerrara for seniors 60 and older. Forinformation, contact 259-1567.

Coffee Doughnuts and a Movie:1:30 p.m., Robbinsville branch of theMercer County Library System, 42Robbinsville-Allentown Road. Pre-registration required atwww.mcl.org or call 609-259-2150.

Common Gardening Mistakes: 7

p.m., Robbinsville branch of the Mer-cer County Library System, 42 Rob-binsville-Allentown Road. BarbaraBromley, Mercer County Horticultur-ist, will discuss common errors gar-deners make. Pre-registrationrequired at www.mcl.org or call 609-259-2150.

Robbinsville Township CouncilMeeting: 7:30 p.m., courtroom trail-er, 1117 Route 130 North. To view

agenda online go to www.rob-binsville-twp.org.

SATURDAYMAR. 16Boys Varsity Baseball Scrimmagevs. Watchung Hills Regional High

School: 10:30 a.m., RobbinsvilleHigh School fields, 155 Robbinsville-Edinburg Road. Game time subjectto change. Check online athttp://www.usatodayhss.com.

The Adoptive Parents Organiza-tion of Central NJ Meet & Greet:7:45 p.m., St. Gregorys Parish Cen-ter, Ferrante Hall, 4680 NottinghamWay, Hamilton Square. Beveragesand dessert provided. APO is a sup-port group for families in all phasesof adoptions. For more information,go online to www. apocnj.org

MONDAYMAR. 18Senior Art Club: 10 a.m., SeniorCenter, 117 Route 130. Free oil orwater-based painting for seniors 60and older with all levels of expertise.Must bring your own art supplies.For more information, contact 259-1567.

TUESDAYMAR. 19Create a Lamb Childrens Craft:10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Robbinsvillebranch of the Mercer CountyLibrary System, 42-Robbinsville-Allentown Road. This is a drop-inprogram; no pre-registration neces-sary. Children of all ages must beaccompanied by an adult. For fur-ther information, call 259-2150.


Girls Varsity Softball vs. HolyCross High School: 4 p.m., Rob-binsville High School fields, 155 Rob-

binsville-Edinburg Road. Game sub-ject to change. Check online athttp://www.usatodayhss.com.

Boys Varsity Softball vs. HolyCross High School: 4 p.m., Rob-binsville High School fields, 155 Rob-binsville-Edinburg Road. Game sub-ject to change. Check online athttp://www.usatodayhss.com.

Robbinsville Zoning Board ofAdjustment: 7:30 p.m., Township

Senior Center, 1117 Route 130 North.View agenda online at www.rob-binsville-twp.org.

WEDNESDAYMAR. 20Robbinsville Planning Board: 7:30p.m., Township Senior Center, 1117Route 130 North. View agendaonline at www.robbinsville-twp.org.

THURSDAYMAR. 21Chair Yoga Class: 10 a.m., Rob-binsville Senior Center, 117 Route130. No registration required. Freeclass under the direction of ConnieFerrara for seniors 60 and older. Forinformation, contact 259-1567.

Boys Varsity Baseball vs. DelranHigh School: 3:45 p.m., Robbinsville

High School fields, 155 Robbinsville-Edinburg Road. Game subject tochange. Check online athttp://www.usatodayhss.com.

Girls Varsity Lacrosse vs. NewEgypt High School: 4 p.m., Rob-binsville High School, 155 Rob-binsville-Edinburg Road. Game sub-ject to change. Check online athttp://www.usatodayhss.com.

Boys Varsity Lacrosse vs. ColtsNeck High School: 4 p.m., Rob-binsville High School, 155 Rob-

binsville-Edinburg Road. Game sub-ject to change. Check online athttp://www.usatodayhss.com.

School-age Storytime and Craft:4:30 p.m., Robbinsville branch of theMercer County Library System, 42Robbinsville-Allentown Road. A pro-gram for children in kindergartenand up. Pre-registration required atwww.mcl.org or call the library at259-2150.

FRIDAYMAR. 22Toddler Tunes: 10:30 a.m., Rob-binsville branch of the Mercer Coun-ty Library System, 42 Robbinsville-Allentown Road. A music program is

for children of all ages, accompa-nied by an adult. Online registrationrequired at www.mcl.org or call 259-2150.

Girls Varsity Softball vs. EastBrunswick High School: 4 p.m.,Robbinsville High School, 155 Rob-binsville-Edinburg Road. Game sub-ject to change. Check online athttp://www.usatodayhss.com.

SATURDAYMAR. 23Boys Varsity Lacrosse Game vs.

West Deptford High School: 10a.m., Robbinsville High School, 155Robbinsville-Edinburg Road. Gamesubject to change. Check online athttp://www.usatodayhss.com.

Robbinsville Irish Heritage Associ-ations 4th Annual St. PatricksDay Parade: Opening ceremonies at12:30 p.m. at Foxmoor ShoppingCenter; parade steps off on Wash-ington Boulevard at 1 p.m. For fur-ther information and to view paraderoute, go towww.robbinsvilleirish.org.

Book Talk with Mark Di Ionno: 2p.m., Robbinsville branch of the Mer-cer County Library System, 42 Rob-binsville-Allentown Road. Thisaward-winning columnist andauthor of The Last NewspaperMan will talk about how reportinghas devolved to create todayscrime-saturated, celebrity-obsessedmedia. Pre-registration required at

CALENDARPAGE 8 MARCH 13-19, 2013

WANT TO BE LISTED?Community events, meeting notices, public announcements and

other items of local interest appear regularly in this column at nocharge. Email [email protected]. Include time, date,location, full street address, admission fee (if applicable), and a con-tact email or phone number for further information. Submission ofan item does not guarantee publication.

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10/20

The following items were takenfrom reports on file with the Rob-binsville Police Department:

Someone stole three chainsaws and a gas power blower fromthe garage of a home on the 300block of Sharon Road sometimebetween Feb. 11 and Feb. 25. The

total value of the stolen items is$1,700. Patrolman Bryan Boccan-fuso took the report at 2:01 p.m.,

Feb. 25. There are no suspects.

A 39-year-old Hightstownwoman was charged with posses-sion of marijuana and drug para-phernalia at 12:28 a.m., March 1.Patrolman Matthew Hill stoppeda vehicle for speeding on Route130 North and detected evidencethat narcotics might be present. Asubsequent search revealed thepassenger had a small quantity ofmarijuana and drug parapherna-

lia. The passenger was arrested,processed, charged and releasedpending court.

Police responded to a TasleyCourt residence at 1:35 p.m.,March 1 after the homeowner ar-rived home to find a young femaleintruder leaving. PatrolmanRobert Morgano searched thehome and found that forced entry

had been made through a rearwindow, but no intruders werestill inside. Nothing was reported

missing. The homeowner couldprovide no further description ofthe intruder. Police processed thescene for evidence, but there areno suspects at this time.

A 21-year-old Manalapanwoman was charged with DWIand other offenses at 1:53 a.m.,March 2 after Patrolman WayneHaugh saw a vehicle weaving onGordon Road and pulled it over.The driver, who failed filed sobri-

ety tests, was also charged withreckless driving, careless drivingand failure to maintain lane.

A 23-year-old Trenton man wascharged with possession of mari-

juana after a traffic stop on WestManor Way at 11:05 a.m., March 2.While speaking with the driver,Patrolman Kevin Colgan detectedevidence narcotics was presentand a subsequent search of thevehicle uncovered a small quanti-

ty of marijuana. The driver wasadditionally charged with havingillegal tinted windows, driving

while suspended and being an un-licensed driver.

A gas attendant at the ValeroGas Station at 1389 Route 130 re-ported that the driver of a whitepickup truck requested $75 worthof fuel and then left without pay-ing for it at 7:18 p.m., March 2. Pa-trolman Chris Clifton took the re-port. There are no suspects at thistime.

A 34-year-old Robbinsville manwas charged with DWI and otheroffenses at 2:12 a.m., Feb. 25. Pa-trolman Matthew Hill saw a vehi-cle failing to maintain its lane onRoute 130 South and pulled it overnear Work Out World. The driver,who failed field sobriety tests,was additionally charged withreckless driving, careless driving,failure to signal a turn, failure tomaintain lane and failure to keepright.


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Visit us online at www.robbinsvillesun.com

Council to recognizeIrish parade honorees

Mayor Dave Fried and theTownship Council will take timeduring their Thursday meeting tohonor the folks who will be lead-ing the Robbinsville Irish Her-itage Associations St. PatricksDay parade.

Chuck Petty, the parade grandmarshal who is also Rob-binsvilles volunteer fire chief,and local tree farmer GregMcLaughlin, the RIHAs Irish Per-son of the Year, will receive spe-cial congratulatory proclama-tions at the March 14 TownshipCouncil meeting, which starts at7:30 p.m. in the courtroom trailer.

Petty is a retired Robbinsvillepolice lieutenant, who has given

generously of his time to the com-munity as a longtime volunteerfireman and Little League coach.He also founded the towns PoliceAthletic League in 2004, whichsponsors football and cheerlead-

ing programs for children ages 5to 12.

McLaughlin is the owner ofMcLaughlins Tree Farm onRoute 539, across from HerbertRoad. He serves as a coach andboard member of the Rob-binsville Soccer Association andhas made generous donations oftrees from his farm to SharonSchool, Pond Road Middle Schooland to the township for its annualChristmas tree-lighting ceremo-ny.

The RIHAs 4th annual St.Patricks Day parade, whichdraws hundreds of families forbagpipers, floats and fun, steps offat 1 p.m., Saturday, March 23 from

Foxmoor on Washington Boule-vard. A parade after-party will beheld at Centro Grille in TownCenter. For more information, goto the RIHAs website at www.rob-binsvilleirish.org.


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BREADS SOUPS SAUCES PASTAS SALADSPREPARED FOODS CATERING DESSERTS BANQUET HALL

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Buy any homemade pasta sauceand receive a complementary

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2 North Commerce Square Robbinsville, NJ 08691(609) 259-0072 www.dolceandclementes.comOwned and operated by Robbinsville residents Joe & Jennifer Clemente

interfaith views

Family Seder setWe just finished celebrating

Purim with our Megillah readingand Purim Shpiel on Feb. 23 and a

wonderful Purim Carnival run bythe mens club on Feb. 24. Thatmeans we are less than two weeksaway from Passover, the celebra-tion of the Israelite Exodus fromEgypt. Families celebratePassover by gathering on the firstand second night of the eight-dayholiday for a Seder and refrainingfrom eating leavened breadthroughout. Eating unleavenedbread reminds us of the sufferingof the ancient Israelites as well as

the those who are not yet free inour own time. Congregation BethChaim will host a family seder at6 p.m., Tuesday March 26 . All arewelcome; you need not be a con-gregant to attend.

Please contact the synagogueoffice (609) 799- 9401 for further in-formation.

Our thoughts have not justturned to spring but to summer

and fall as well. We are currentlyaccepting enrollment for ourSummer Camp and Preschool.Beth Chaim offers programmingfor children ages 2 and older with

three or five-day options avail-able as well as half-day or full-dayprogramming. Beth Chaim isdedicated to creating a nurturingeducational environment thatnurtures self-esteem, socializing,growth through play, developmen-tally and age appropriate activi-ties and the teaching of ReformJewish values. Please contactHyla, our pre-school director, totake a tour and meet our BethChaim family. 609) 799- 8811.

Rabbi Carolyn Bricklin-SmallCongregation Beth Chaim

14th annual BlueMass and Luncheon

The Diocese of Trenton, in con-junction with law enforcementagencies throughout the region,will host the 14th Annual Celebra-tion of Law Enforcement at 10:30

a.m. on Tuesday, March 19 in St.Mary of Assumption Cathedral,151 North Warren St., Trenton.

More than 600 law enforcement

officers are expected to attend thecelebration, also known as theBlue Mass, which is offered inthanksgiving for the sacrifice andservice to the communities givenby police officers and law enforce-ment agents at every level.

The Mass, which will be cele-brated by Bishop David M. OCon-nell, will feature an opening pro-cession led by bagpipers and

drummers, as well as a number ofhonor and color guards repre-senting squads throughout thearea.

More than 600 law enforcement

officers will attend the Mass,which also provides an opportu-nity to honor and pray for fallenofficers, including OfficerChristopher Reeves of MillvillePolice Department, Detective Sgt.James G. Hoopes III of the NewJersey State Police, and TrooperKyle Deatherage of the IllinoisState Police. Survivors of law en-forcement officers killed in theline of duty will attend.

Law enforcement personnel of

all faiths, along with their familyand friends are cordially invitedto take part in the Celebration ofLaw Enforcement. Tickets for aluncheon that will be held afterthe Mass cost $20 per person. Formore information, visitwww.bluemass.org or contactJennifer Britton, communica-tions assistant, at 609-403-7199;

[email protected].

The Sun invites religiousleaders of congregationsserving the Robbinsvillecommunity to contribute news

items and photos for this col-umn. Share whats happeningin your churches, temples andsynagogues with our readers.Email Editor Joanne Degnan at

[email protected] questions or submissions.

campus news

Michele Principato, of Rob-binsville, has been named to thedeans honor list at Gettysburg

College for the fall 2012 semes-ter. Students named to thedeans honor list must have a3.6 grade point average on a 4.0scale.

Megan Lesniak was named tothe deans commendation list atGettysburg College for the fall2012 semester. Students namedto the deans commendation listmust have a grade point aver-age of between 3.3 and 3.59.

Send us your news

Have a news tip? Want to sendus a press release or photos?Shoot an interesting video?Drop us an emailat [email protected].


12/20


The school board has approveda memorandum of agreementwith the Robbinsville Principalsand Supervisors Association for athree-year contract that would

boost salaries 7 percent by thetime the pact expires June 30,2015.

The agreement, which isretroactive to July 1, 2012, calls fora 2 percent raise each year of thecontract, plus an extra 1 percentin the first year to make up forsome wages lost during the 2010-2011 school year when the princi-pals and supervisors agreed to re-open their contract and accept aone-year wage freeze.

At the March 5 Board of Edu-

cation meeting, board memberThomas Halm Jr., said the cor-rective 1 percent salary adjust-ment would restore some of themoney supervisors and princi-pals gave up to prevent layoffsand program cuts after a schoolbudget already decimated by stateaid cuts was defeated by voters.The Township Council then made

an additional $500,000 in budgetcuts.

In order for us not to losemore teaching staff and instruc-tional assistants, I think we lostabout 30 bodies to those cuts the principals and administratorsdecided to forgo an entire year of

their previously agreed uponraises, Halm reminded theboard. The intention is to try tomake a little bit of that up.

Board member Flo Gange saidthe board appreciated that theprincipals and supervisors madesacrifices for the good of the dis-trict during hard times.

We are very grateful that theadministration was so accommo-dating and sensitive to our budgetcrisis that we had, Gange said.Thank you for your patience,

she said to principals and admin-istrators sitting in the audience.

Halm, who chairs the boardsnegotiations committee, ex-pressed relief that the contracttalks had concluded and pro-duced an agreement.

Were pleased that were ableto put this behind us, much likethe memorandum of understand-

ing we have now with the teach-ers, Mr. Halm said.

In January, the Board of Edu-cation approved a memorandumof agreement with its teachersunion that would boost salaries 5percent by the time the three-yearretroactive pact expires in July 1,

2014.The teachers contract pro-vides a 2.5 percent increase in2012-13 and a 2.5 percent increasefor 2013-14. Instead of a retroac-tive pay increase for 2011-12, a$260,000 lump sum will be provid-ed to be divided among all cur-rent and retired union memberswho worked for the district dur-ing that school year.

The Washington Township Ed-ucation Association representsmore than 300 teachers, secre-

taries, support staff, bus driversand custodians who have beenworking without a contract sinceJune 30, 2011.

The rank-and-file will vote onthe tentative pact once the unionleaders and district work out thesalary guides that establish howmuch employees are paid at dif-ferent points in their careers.


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Principals contract

agreement reached

Prescription discountsavailable to Mercer

County residentsA new discount prescription

drug program is available to allMercer County residents whoare currently paying full-priceat pharmacies for prescriptiondrugs for themselves or theirpets.

The free program, which wasannounced March 5 by Mercer

County Executive Brian Hugh-es and the Board of ChosenFreeholders, is open to all coun-ty residents, regardless of ageor income.

Prescription Discount Cardsare being mailed to all MercerCounty households and can beused by the entire family.

On average, participants canexpect to save 10 to 20 percenton brand drugs and 20 to 70 per-cent on generic drugs, Hughessaid.

The discount program is de-signed to help reduce prescrip-tion costs for residents who donot have a prescription drugplan and for residents who takeprescription medicine that isnot covered by their current in-surance. The cards cannot becombined with a residents ex-isting health insurance cover-age, and cannot be used to re-duce co-pays or in conjunctionwith other discount programs.

This program is a free andeasy way to help our residentskeep more of their money intheir pockets by helping to re-duce the financial burden oftheir prescription medica-

tions, Hughes said. We arepleased to partner with ProActto provide this innovative pro-gram and encourage our resi-dents to participate.

The discount program coversall prescription medications,brand name or generic. The dis-count card can be used at any

participating pharmacy in Mer-cer County and at more than55,000 pharmacies nationwide.The program even covers pre-scription pet medications thatcan be filled at any regular re-tail pharmacy.

Hughes said there are no en-rollment forms to fill out, nomembership fees, and no age orincome requirements. Partici-pants just simply show the cardto their pharmacist when theyare filling a prescription and

they can automatically receivesavings. If a card is lost, a newone can be obtained by visitingNJRxDiscountCard.com.

There is no cost to MercerCounty or participating resi-dents, Hughes said. The ProActdiscounts are made possiblethrough negotiated rates withparticipating locations.

ProAct is a subsidiary ofKinney Drugs, a healthcarecompany headquartered inGouverneur, N.Y. For more in-formation, including a list ofparticipating pharmacies, con-tact ProAct toll-free at 877-776-2285 or visit NJRxDiscout-Card.com.

Send us your Robbinsville news

Have a news tip? Want to send us a press release or photos? Shootan interesting video? Drop us an email at [email protected].


13/20


classifiedT H E R O B B I N S V IL L E S U N

W H A T Y O U N E E D T O K N O WAll ads are based on a 5 line ad, 15-18 characters per line. Additional lines: $9, Bold/Reverse Type: $9 Add color to any box ad for $20. Deadline: Wednesday - 5pm for the following week.

All classified ads must be prepaid. Your Classified ad will run in The Robbinsville Sun newspaper each week! Be sure to check your ad the first day it appears.

We will not be responsible for more than one incorrect insertion, so call us immediately with any errors in your ad. No refunds are given, only advertising credit.

L INE

ADSOnly

$20per week

H O W T O C O N T A C T U S

Call us: 609-529-6611 or email us: [email protected]

BOX

ADS Only$25per weekList a text-only ad for your yard

sale, job posting or merchandise.

Everybody reads it!

Call now to learn how to place your

Classified in next weeks paper!

March is for parade marching!March is a fun month because

if youre Irish you can spend timewith your family and come ondown to the St. Patricks Day Pa-rade!

At the St. Patricks Day parademy favorite thing to do is to listento the A.O.H. Division 1 BagpipeBand play. When the paradestarts you always have to becheering!

R.I.H.A. (Robbinsville IrishHeritage Association) is one of

the main helpers for the paradeso we need to thank them. Theyformed in 2010. So come and seeus at the Robbinsville St.Patricks Day parade! When yougo, be sure to bring some friendsand family.

Being Irish is always a greatthing because everything you dowill be awesome and most of thegreat stories actually come from

Ireland. Many people in Americaare Irish. My parents send me toGael Scoil every year to learnabout my culture and learn sometales.

The Joe Cahill A.O.H. Division10 runs it. I learn about stories,culture, animals, sports, food,maps and more. One thing Ilearned is that Irish kings wouldprotect their treasures by bring-ing them into round towers thatwould protect them from the

Vikings.Gael Scoil provides us with areal Irish breakfast on the secondday.

Its a two-day school type ofthing. You also get a chance to bein the parade. They teach usabout my favorite type of pipes,the Uilleann bagpipes. I also likethe sweet sound of the harp. Well,they provide that at Gael Scoil.

March is my favorite monthalso because I get to learn aboutSt. Patrick and what he did to gethis very own holiday. I like beingIrish because there is a lot of his-tory to it.

This is why I love being Irishand the month of March.

Conor T. Sturgeon, age 9

The Robbinsville Sun welcomesKids View letters from K-12 stu-dents in Robbinsville. If your arti-

cle appears here you will receive acomplimentary ice cream fromMaggie Moos, 2350 Route 33, Rob-binsville. Bring your parents andsiblings as well! Email Kids Viewsubmissions (300 words or less) to

[email protected] include your name, age and

phone number. Phone numbers arefor verification purposes and willnot be published.

kids view

Special to The SunThe Rotary Club of Robbinsville-Hamilton recently honored its Feb-ruary Students of the Month. Pictured, from left, are club presidentDonna Williams; Melissa Stickle, Steinert High School; Valerie Suto,Nottingham High School; Jane Bukovec, Robbinsville High School;Thomas Wiegner, Hamilton West High School; and Greg Blair, club co-ordinator of student activities.

Rotary students of the month


14/20


By JUSTIN FEILSpecial to The Sun

Eric Hildebrand knows thatthe Robbinsville High School icehockey team will have a hardtime duplicating this season.

The Ravens established a newprogram record for wins and ad-vanced further than ever beforewhen they reached the thirdround before falling in overtimeto two-time defending state cham-pion Randolph in the NJSIAAPublic A quarterfinals on March2 in Morristown.

With the talent leaving, itmight be tougher, said theRavens junior forward. We candefinitely build on it. We got a lotof positive things out of it andthis run in states.

Robbinsville finished the year20-6-1, reached the Mercer CountyTournament final, and won theirfirst- and second-round state tour-nament games for the first timein program history.

The Ravens had hoped to con-

tinue the run, but a strangebounce left them wondering onlywhat if they had gotten into ashootout after overtime againstRandolph. Kellen Anker had al-ready made 43 saves, and the sen-ior was poised to make a fewmore to keep the season alive.

I was on the ice for that lastgoal, Hildebrand said. It wastough watching it roll across thegoal. I felt bad for the seniors. Wewere sticking with them thewhole game. We were rolling thatlast period.

Robbinsville was coming offan emotional 7-6 win over Rox-bury in the second round. It hadnever advanced past the firstround before that win. TheRavens then took a 2-1 lead onRandolph when Keith Allenscored early in the third period.And right to the end, Robbinsvilledid everything it had planned todo, except win. It had started withthe Ravens attitude before the

game.It was more of a play our

game and do what we do best andeverybody do the little thingsright, Hildebrand said. If youdo the little things right, every-

thing will fall into place.We got shots from the point

and both our goals were from thepoint. We had to skate as hard aswe could and show a lot of heart.

Logan Fredericks assisted onboth goals. Scott Kurzeja andFredericks got the puck to ZackBryan, who scored from up top totie the game, 1-1, with 16 ticks leftin the first period.

Neither team scored in the sec-ond, and it was Robbinsville thattook the lead early in the thirdand appeared poised to play Cin-derella, but they couldnt get thegame through overtime. However,it couldnt take away from whathas been a historic season.

We knew this was the team todo it, Hildebrand said. We justhad a feeling from the beginningof the season. We just said to our-selves if we put in an amazingamount of work we could do it. Itcame down to one bounce andthat ended our season, but weknow we left on a high note.

Hildebrand has been a high-

level player with the MercerChiefs who has fit in for theRavens. Hes been a scoringthreat, but also one who tries towork with his less-experiencedteammates.

Playing for Robbinsville isjust an honor, he said. Playingfor Coach (Dan) Bergan has justbeen an amazing experience. Hesan amazing coach. The group ofguys, everybody makes them-selves comfortable. Were a hugefamily. I look forward to every sin-gle day and whatever time ofnight were practicing. We sticktogether and were one familyand we roll from there.

And this season, the Ravensrolled all the way into the statequarterfinals, where they openedsome eyes by giving an estab-lished state champion all it couldhandle before a tough bounceended their upset bid.

We can definitely live with it,Hildebrand said. Were this little

town of Robbinsville, and here weare in overtime with the two-timedefending state champions. Wemade a huge statement to NewJersey and now all the teamsknow who Robbinsville is.

Dream season ends with tough OT loss

JOHN BLAINE/Special to The SunJunior Eric Hildebrand (No. 11), shown here in last months Mercer County Tournament final againstNotre Dame, will be a scoring threat for the Ravens ice hockey team next year as it looks to top itsrecord-setting 2013 season.


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robbinsville youth sports scene

Undefeated PRMS wrestlers

The Knights of Pond Road Mid-

dle School completed their secondconsecutive undefeated seasonwith an impressive 13-0 showing.The final win of the seasonmarked the 27th dual meet win ina row for the Knights.

Led by head coach Sean Greigand assistant coach AnthonyPaglione, the team continues toimprove and grow. The Knightsalso placed second in the 2013Mercer County Middle SchoolChampionships held at Rob-binsville High School on Feb. 10with undefeated champions infour weight classes: Brent Gro-cott, Garrett Bilgrav, Logan Foxand Kyle Twamley. The Knightsalso had three third-place finish-ers in Taylor Twamley, Zach Bil-grav and Jack Shea.

The team is supported by astrong wrestling community intown that starts with the Rob-binsville Wrestling Association(RWA), the local recreationalwrestling league. Many of the

Knights got their first experienceon the mat in the RWA program.The wrestling family in Rob-binsville continues through thehigh school team and all threeteams work together to supportthe athletes, as well as host theMercer County high school andmiddle school tournaments, theRWA Duals and the NJSIAA Re-gion 7 High School tournament.This is all possible through thescores of dedicated volunteersfrom this community.

RBA Final Four weekend resultsBoys 1-2

Triangle Copy vs. PizzaGrill.comTriangle Copy played a solid

game against PizzaGrill.com withgood ball distribution and hustleplay. Luke Hanuscin hit twoclutch free throws late in thegame. Lucas Strand was a mon-ster on the boards, grabbing sev-eral rebounds. Atishay Jain andNuren Khosla played solid on de-

fense and contributed to the over-all solid team defensive effort.

Girls 3-4Santinos Pizza and Restaurant

17, Fairway Independent Mortgage6

In the girls semifinals, Santi-nos Pizza and Restaurant defeat-ed Fairway Independent Mort-

gage 17-6. Brynn Hopkins pouredin 11 points and controlled theboards, gathering 12 rebounds.Shea Krebs, Kailey Pacifico, andKavya Velliangiri added a basketeach for Santinos. The story ofthe game, however, was defense.Shae Giordano and Kajal Vagha-sia grabbed five rebounds each al-lowing Fairway just one shoteach time down court. AlyssaPalagano, Arden Benner, and Gi-anna Bonfanti rounded out thestellar defensive effort by Santi-nos holding down Fairways po-tent offense with aggressive de-fense on the perimeter.

Ruserts Deli 14, Tonys Farm &Garden Center 6

Russerts Deli won 14-4 in semi-final playoff action on March 2.Stefanie Balerna, Vanessa Sabol,and Caitlyn Yurcisin controlledthe offense and accounted for 12of the 14 points. The team playedexcellent defense.

Girls travel basketballThe Robbinsville Rage, a 5th-grade girls travel basketball team,advanced to the Central JerseyYouth Basketball League champi-onships for the second year in arow and ended their winning sea-son with a third-place finish intheir division.

Despite the girls 22-9 loss inthe championship final to astrong CBAA team, head coachVijay Bharatiya said his playersshould be proud of their accom-plishments this season, includingan 8-4 record and an offensive jug-gernaut that scored a total 240points the second highest in thedivision. The team was also thechampionship runner-ups toMarlboro in the Sid Lee Christ-mas Tournament, Bharatiya said.

We played towns much biggerheight-wise than us, but despiteour lack of size our team made upfor that with tons of heart and ef-fort, Bharatiya said.

Bharatiya said the team madekey adjustments to its defensivegame plan during the season,using different formations thatcreated havoc for opponents.

In a nutshell, I would say Rage

B-ball is defined by its aggressivedefense and creating lots ofpoints off turnovers created byour team, Bharatiya said.

The high point of the seasonfor the Rage was when it defeateda tough 9-1 Hillsborough team by24-22 in overtime during a semifi-nal match.

That game exemplified RageB-ball at its best: aggressive de-fense and fast breaking,Bharatiya said.

Every member of the teamplayed a major role in the win-ning season, but key players whofired the offensive engine wereMolly Aromando, KarrahKatzbach, and Brooke Torring-ton, who scored a majority of theteams points and were the gener-als on the floor.

On defense, Brianna Young,Leah Balerna, and SoniaBharatiya created tons ofturnovers that fed fast-breakpoints to Aromando, Katzbach,and Torrington.

Key transitional players wereSamantha Keating, Ashley Veisz,Aileen Valerio, and Karina

Bharatiya who completed thepuzzle and made critical playswhen the team needed them most.

All in all, this was Hoosiers in2012-13 for our small town of Rob-binsville, Bharatiya said.

Special to The Sun

The undefeated Pond Road Middle School wrestling team with their coaches Sean Greig and AnthonyPaglione.

Special to The Sun

The Robbinsville Rage, a 5th-grade girls travel basketball team, fin-ished the season strong with an 8-4 record. Shown in top row fromleft are: Coach Maria Young, Ashley Veisz, Leah Balerna, SoniaBharatiya, Brianna Young and Coach Vijay Bharatiya. Bottom rowfrom left are: Molly Aromando, Karrah Katzbach, Samantha Keating,Karina Bharatiya, Aileen Valerio and Brooke Torrington.

Send us your Robbinsville news

Email us at [email protected].


16/20


State aid to the school districtis up slightly and the interest rateon construction bonds came inlower than expected last week,but the bottom line for propertytaxpayers remains essentially un-changed in the 2013-14 schoolbudget.

The preliminary $44,926,289total school budget that will bethe subject of a public hearingand adoption vote on March 26carries a projected $270 annualtax increase for a home assessedat $385,000, which is about $2 lessper year than previously forecast,according to Business Adminis-trator Bob DeVita.

The proposed total school taxrate is $1.549 per $100 in assessedvaluation. This includes a 3.4-centincrease in the tax rate associatedwith the general fund tax levy

and a 3.6-cent rate increase fordebt service.

The 2013-2014 budget was pre-liminarily adopted at the March 5Board of Education meeting andnow goes to executive countyschools superintendent for re-view prior to the March 26 publichearing and final adoption vote.The $32,848,282 general fund taxlevy, which is the total amount ofschool taxes that must be collect-ed to cover operating costs, doesnot go to voters this year becausethe increase over the current yearis within the 2 percent cap set bythe state.

The 2 percent cap law appliesonly to the general fund, not debtservice, because construction ref-erendums and the debt associatedthem are already directly ap-proved by voters in elections. Rob-binsville voters approved an $18.9million construction referendumin December to expand Sharon

School and Pond Road MiddleSchool, which accounts for $192 of

the $270 projected tax increase.In February when the budget

was first unveiled, DeVita andSchools Superintendent SteveMayer had held out hope that anincrease in state aid, as well aslower-than-anticipated financingcosts for the construction bondsassociated with the $18.9 millionreferendum, might be able tolower the tax impact to residents.However, that turned out not to bethe case.

Although newly released stateeducation aid figures show Rob-binsville receiving $154,758 in-crease over the current budget,that increase was essentiallywiped out by the states $119,000SDA assessment on the districtto help pay down the debt in-curred years ago by the SchoolsDevelopment Authority. This spe-cial fee is assessed on all districts

that received SDA grants for oldconstruction projects, including

Robbinsville, which opened itsnew high school in 2005.

Theyve been doing this forthree years now and every yearits been escalating upwards, De-Vita said, referring to the SDA as-sessments.

The news did not sit well withBoard of Education members.

So let me get this straight,board member Sharon DeVitosaid. They gave us a grant andnow theyre taking it back?

Theyre not taking all of itback, but theyre taking some ofit back, Mayer responded.

The school district had alsohoped it could reduce the amountof the proposed 2013-2014 tax rateincrease if it got a lower-than-an-ticipated interest rate at a bondsale to finance the constructionprojects at Sharon and Pond. Butthe news on that front doesntchange the bottom line for taxpay-ers either.

While the interest rate on the

bonds came in a 2.72 percent,which is lower than the 3.45 per-cent rate the district had antici-pated, the districts payments forthe first year are hardly affectedbecause principal payments arenow higher.

They changed the schedule ofprincipal payments when theystructured the bonds, DeVitasaid. While were paying less in-terest, they kind of front-loadedthe first two years with extra

principal payments that werentthere before.

The preliminary $44.92 milliontotal base budget breaks down asfollows: $37.98 million in the Gen-eral Fund which covers the dis-tricts daily operating expensesand requires a $32.84 million gen-eral fund tax levy paid by proper-ty taxpayers; a $6.45 million DebtService Fund that requires a $6.05million debt service tax levy paidby local property taxpayers; and a$489,689 Special Revenue Fund,which has no associated tax levyfor property taxpayers.

The district will also be with-drawing $541,600 from its CapitalReserve Account to help pay for anew roof at Pond Road MiddleSchool ($491,600) and to make se-curity improvements ($50,000) atthe front entrances of SharonSchool and Pond Road MiddleSchool in the wake of the Con-necticut school massacre.

The district has also set asidemoney in the 2013-2014 budget tohire the equivalent of 5.5 full-time

staffers, which is says still doesnot bring the number of facultyup to pre-2010 levels when enroll-ment was lower and state educa-tion aid cuts and a defeated Rob-binsville school budget requiredextensive teacher layoffs.

Most of the new hires willwork in reading, mathematicsand special education to addressacademic program needs and in-creasing enrollment at the K-8level.


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Tweaks leave budgets tax impact unchanged


17/20


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www.mcl.org or call 259-2150.

MONDAYMAR. 25Senior Art Club: 10 a.m., SeniorCenter, 117 Route 130. Free oil orwater-based painting for seniors 60and older with all levels of expertise.Must bring your own art supplies.For more information, contact 259-1567.

TUESDAYMAR. 26

Robbinsville Technical ReviewCommittee: 10 a.m., administrativeconference room, 1 WashingtonBlvd. (rescheduled from March 6).The Technical Review Committeereviews applications for complete-ness prior to a projects considera-tion by the Planning Board or Zon-ing Board of Adjustment. Agendawill be posted online www.rob-

binsville-twp.org prior to meeting.

Create a Bunny Childrens Craft:10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Robbinsvillebranch of the Mercer CountyLibrary System, 42-Robbinsville-Allentown Road. This is a drop-in

program; no pre-registration neces-sary. Children of all ages must beaccompanied by an adult. For fur-ther information, call 259-2150.


Babytime: 10:15 a.m., Robbinsvillebranch of the Mercer CountyLibrary System, 42 Robbinsville-Allentown Road. A class for childrenages 6 months to 24 months accom-panied by an adult. Pre-registrationrequired at www.mcl.org or call 259-

2150.

Boys Varsity Baseball vs.Pennsauken High School: 3:45p.m., Robbinsville High School, 155Robbinsville-Edinburg Road. Gamesubject to change. Check online athttp://www.usatodayhss.com.

Robbinsville Board of Education: 7p.m., Robbinsville High School Stu-dent Activities Center, 155 Rob-

binsville-Edinburg Road. View agen-da online atwww.robbinsville.k12.nj.us

Sciencetellers present Bugs ofBlackwood: at 7 p.m., Robbinsvillebranch of the Mercer CountyLibrary, 42 Robbinsville-AllentownRoad. Children ages 4 and up areinvited to learn about the science ofmatter by using experiments withfire, gas, air pressure, water, chemi-cals, and much more. Online regis-tration required at www.mcl.org orcall the library at 259-2150.

WEDNESDAYMAR. 27BRICKS 4 KIDZ: 1:30 p.m. for

grades K-2 and 2:15 p.m. for grades3-5, Robbinsville branch of the Mer-cer County Library System, 42 Rob-binsville-Allentown Road. A hands-on class where students buildmachines, buildings, vehicles andother structures out of LEGO bricks,using model plans designed byBricks 4 Kidz. Online registrationrequired at www.mcl.org or call thelibrary at 259-2150.

Robbinsville Planning Board Meet-ing: 7:30 p.m., Township Senior Cen-ter, 1117 Route 130 North. View agen-

da online at www.robbinsville-twp.org.

THURSDAYMAR. 28Chair Yoga Class: 10 a.m., Rob-binsville Senior Center, 117 Route130. No registration required. Freeclass under the direction of ConnieFerrara for seniors 60 and older. Forinformation, contact 259-1567.

Coffee Doughnuts and a Movie:1:30 p.m., Robbinsville branch of theMercer County Library System, 42

Robbinsville-Allentown Road. Pre-registration required atwww.mcl.org or call 609-259-2150.

Robbinsville Township Council:7:30 p.m., courtroom trailer, 1117Route 130 North. To view agendaonline, go to www.robbinsville-twp.org.

SATURDAYMAR. 30Spring Creation Station: 10 a.m. to3 p.m., Mercer County Library Sys-tem, 42 Robbinsville-AllentownRoad. Children of all ages, accompa-

nied by an adult, are invited to stopby and create a special craft withthe materials provided. No registra-tion is necessary for this drop-inprogram. For more information, callthe library at 259-2150.

The Art of Living: Yoga and Medi-tation Workshop: 11 a.m. to 12 noon,Robbinsville branch of the MercerCounty Library System, 42 Rob-binsville-Allentown Road. Experi-ence deep relaxation, mental clarity,and stress relief through breathingtechniques, meditation. Pre-regis-tration required at www.mcl.org orcall 259-2150.

FRIDAYAPR. 5Pasta Fest Family Dinner: 5:30 to8 p.m., a fundraiser sponsored bythe Rotary Club of Robbinsville-Hamilton Sunrise at the NottinghamBallroom, 200 Mercer St., Hamilton

Square. Super 50/50, door prizesand live entertainment. Admissionis $12 for adults and $6 for childrenages 6-12. Tickets available at thedoor or by calling 609-439-3933.This fundraiser supports communityprograms, including Womanspace,TASK, Boys & Girls Club, and schol-arships for local students.

SATURDAYAPR. 13Second Annual Robbinsville PBALocal 344 Comedy Night: Doorsopen 7 p.m., show begins 8 p.m.,

Hamilton Manor, 30 Route 156,Hamilton. Admission $60 includesshow by comedians from the Come-dy Shoppe, open bar (beer, winesoda), buffet dinner, coffee anddessert, 50/50 raffles and more. Fortickets, contact Adrian Markowski,[email protected] orcall 259-3900 ext. 540.

TUESDAYAPR. 2Create a Robot: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.,Robbinsville branch of the MercerCounty Library System, 42 Rob-

binsville-Allentown Road. Drop inand create a robot with the materialprovided. No pre-registration neces-sary! For information call, 259-2150.

Babytime: 10:15 a.m., Robbinsvillebranch of the Mercer CountyLibrary System, 42 Robbinsville-Allentown Road. Rhymes, songs andsimple stories for children 6 monthsto 24 months old, accompanied byan adult. Pre-register online atwww.mcl.org beginning March 19.

THURSDAYAPR. 11

Robbinsville Township Councilmeeting: 7:30 p.m., municipal court-room trailer, 1117 Route 130 North. Toview the agenda online, go towww.robbinsville-twp.org.


Robbinsvilles Calendar of EventsEVENTS

Continued from page 8WANT TO BE LISTED?

Community events, meeting notices, public announcements andother items of local interest appear regularly in this column at no

charge. Email [email protected]. Include time, date,location, full street address, admission fee (if applicable), and a

contact email or phone number for further information.


19/20

Combining print advertising with an online advertising campaign is the most comprehensive

way to reach all your local customers. But it was an expensive proposition until now.

Sun Newspaper print customers can now take advantage of special online packages and

pricing. Our online advertising packages combine local exposure on well-known national

websites such as Discovery, Comedy Central, Time, Rachael Ray, Facebook, USA Today

and The Weather Channel with advertising on the Robbinsville Suns hyperlocal website

in South Jersey, Central Jersey and Philadelphia.

So whether your customers are catching up on local happenings on our websites orchecking in on their friends on Facebook, theyll be seeing your business.

The Robbinsville Sun offers 3 digital advertising packages:

Special online advertising packages available

to Sun Newspaper print customers only

3-month contract required

Pre-payment required

If you want in on this, just pick up the

phone or drop an email:

p: 609.529.6611e: [email protected]

w: www.robbinsvillesun.com

Its a fact of todays society more and more people spend time online.Are you there when they are?

Local exposure on national sites.

($100/month):

300 x 250 ad that clicks through to your website

30,000 impressions per month

Target your ads on the national website directory to 3 Zip Codes

Pick either South Jersey, Central Jersey or Philadelphia for your Robbinsville web presence

($200/month):



Target your ads to 5 Zip Codes

Pick 2 of either South Jersey, Central Jersey or Philadelphia for your Robbinsville web presence

($300/month):



Target your ads to 7 Zip Codes Get all 3 Robbinsville websites: South Jersey, Central Jersey and Philadelphia


20/20

Owned and operated by Robbinsville residents Joe O'Immordino and James and George O'Karalis.

(609) 208-9300

2360 Rt. 33 Robbinsville, NJ 08691www.centrogrille.com

Sauteed

Jumbo

Lump Crab

Cakes

CentroMeatloaf

Melontini

10oz. Black

Angus FiletMignon

SohoBurger

Centro Grillle is proud to host this year's Robbinsville

ST. PATRICKS DAY PARADEPOST PARADE PARTY

on March 23rd from 2pm to whenever.

Please bring your family and enjoy some creative food and drink specials,

kids face painting, hair painting, hair extensions, facial glitter and plenty tosing along with Bill O'Neal & Friends. This is the place to be after the parade

and try our special St. Patrick's Day menu! !

Guinness Stout

BBQ Pulled Pork

Sandwich

Beef BrisketSandwich

Meatloaf PoIrish Boy

Fish n Chips

Reuben Club

$3 Pints

There will be a kids area with face painting, green/white/orange hair extensions,face glitter and more. Proceeds will help support local residents Melissa Ferrono

and Tracy Kling LaManna and their battles with cancer.

$10 OFFAny purchase of $50 or more.

Offer valid thru 4/30/13.Cannot be combined with any other offers.

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