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Prospect Park, NJ 1989-1991 News

February 7, 1989 Sprucing up Prospect Park By Jeff Bradley PROSPECT PARK - The borough plans to enhance the North Eighth Street business district this year using a $300,000 state community development block grant, Mayor Ronald Trommelen said. New sidewalks and curbing will be installed as well planting trees along the street. Trommelen said patterned brickwork will be included in the sidewalk to dress up the business thoroughfare between Seventh and Ninth streets from Haledon Avenue to Planten Avenue. Trommelen does not foresee much change in the upcoming year's business picture. He said most of the community's 70 businesses are 'Mom and Pop' stores that have been around for many years. He said there is only one storefront vacancy in the borough which is less than half a mile square. He said about one-third of the town is covered by the 80-acre Tilcon quarry and the 20-acre Hofstra Park. Trommelen said part of the grant money will be used to provide 16 rehabilitation loans/grants to low- and moderate-income homeowners in the borough. These loans will help satisfy the borough's affordable housing obligation which includes rehabilitating 21 homes. Duke Habernickel, owner of Haband Clothing Co., headquartered in the borough, anticipates doing $100 million in sales this year. "We really expect this to be the best year. We're just a Mom and Pop store that made good. We grew up here," Habernickel said. Habernickel declined to say the number of employees he employs at the mail order clothing distribution center, but said "We expect business to be boom and probably will be hiring more people." Habernickel said most of the employees at the distribution center and retail store are local. "Prospect Park is a special place .for those who know it. It's a good community of craftsmen and trades who've been serving the Paterson area for a century." February 8, 1989 Herald & News Prospect Park may face tax rise By Jeff Bradley PROSPECT PARK - The school board Tuesday night adopted a tentative 1989-90 budget of $2,333,331. This increase of nearly 17 percent over the current year could result in a $720 property tax increase next year. The proposed budget is $338,196 more than the 1988-89 school budget of $1,945,305. Board President Albert Demarest said the budget, approved by a 6-1 vote, will increase the local school tax by 16 points, so that an owner of a home assessed at $100,000 could expect a $160 increase in local school taxes. When added to increases in the municipal, county and regional high school budgets, Demarest estimated the total increase in property taxes next year could be $60 a month, or $720 a year. Prospect Park high school students attend Manchester Regional High School in Haledon. Board members called the budget a "bare-bones" request, although they said they expect local residents will question its necessity. Borough residents have not voted down a school budget in 11 years. A public hearing has been set for March 20 at 7:30 p.m. School board finance chairwoman Lois Bridge said the large increase in the budget is due to fixed-cost increases and the fact the board will receive almost $100,000 less in state aid than anticipated. Next year, the district will receive $797,128 in state aid. The district was given $736,707 this year. Board member John Van Der Molen cast the only opposing vote. He called the budget unfair to taxpayers. He also said he expects the state Legislature to restore the aid cutback. Bridge said the largest percentage increase is the tuition cost of sending seven special education students to special schools. The cost rose 120 percent, from $60,000 to $131,000 next year. The district has 450 students in one school in grades kindergarten to eight, Mayor Ronald Trommelen said the increase comes at a time when the borough council will ask voters for permission to exceed its budget cap. Trommelen said the cap is 5 percent, or about $35,000. He estimates the borough will need a minimum of $30,000 more. Trommelen cited salary increases for the police department, which is currently negotiating a new contract, and increased garbage hauling costs as the major factors in the municipal budget increase. February 13, 1989? Woman is attacked by intruder in home PROSPECT PARK - A woman was assaulted after confronting a burglar who broke a into her home, police said. Clare Catti of North Sixth Street heard noises about 11:30p.m. Saturday in her basement where she confronted the burglar, police said. Catti attempted to run up the stairs, but the burglar pushed her down and assaulted her before fleeing. Police are looking for a black male in his 30s wearing a red plaid shirt and sneakers. February 27, 1989 Funny money leads to arrest at bank PROSPECT PARK - A customer who was trying to pass the buck at Chemical Bank Monday afternoon was busted when the teller decided the counterfeit buck would stop there, police said. Detective Sgt. Leonard Breure said the man entered the bank at Haledon Avenue and North Sixth Street and gave the teller eight $100 bills for an $800 money order. The teller thought there was something funny about the money and showed the bills to the bank's manager. The manager called police and the customer was subsequently arrested for attempting to pass counterfeit bills, Breure said, adding that a joint investigation is being conducted by borough polce and federal agents. Because the investigation is continuing, police would not release the, name of the man arrested. February 27, 1989 Prospect Park cops cite man in assault PROSPECT PARK - A borough man was arraigned Monday night for allegedly vandalizing a car and assaulting a 24-year-old woman after breaking into her home early , Sunday morning, police said. Daniel Thomas, 24, of Brown Avenue was arrested after the woman, who said Thomas was an acquaintance, identified him as her assailant, police said. Thomas allegedly slashed the tires and broke the windows on the woman's car after breaking into her home and assaulting her, police said. Thomas was charged with burglary, assault and criminal mischief and detained at the Passaic County Jail in Paterson, where he remains in lieu of $1,500 bail. March 1, 1989 THE SHOPPER NEWS Prospect Park supports cross acceptance by Belinda Weissberg PROSPECT PARK - The borough received a preliminary state cross acceptance plan that could give Prospect Park more of a voice on how the state's master development/redevelopment plans should be drafted, according to Councilman Alfred Marchitto. Marchitto said the plan, a first for the state and nation, enables municipalities to compare their plans and policies against those of the county and state. He said the county planning office will meet with each municipality to review development plans in accordance with a state checklist incorporating environmental issues and the infrastructure. The borough, Marchitto said, will review ordinances, its master plan, and other documents to determine long-range development. Marchitto, the borough cross acceptance representative, called the cross acceptance draft sound, adding that many developmental and environmental problems could be avoided. "This is a big thing for New Jersey," he said, "It's timely, necessary, and worthwhile. Everyone in the state stands to profit. I wonder why it wasn't done 10 or 20 years ago." Mayor Ronald Trommelen said most urban centers are already fully developed. "It might be worthwhile to coordinate construction around the developing towns of the Route 1 corridor," a less populated area, Trommelen said. "It's 60 or 70 years too late for our area." Passaic County Planning Director James Rogers called the cross acceptance plan an idea whose time has come. "Past state laws have never had this degree of detail and involvement with local communities," he said. "It is not a plan that's top-down." According to David Maski, area planning manager for the Office of State Planning, the state cross acceptance plan is intended to achieve beneficial economic growth, development and renewal, environmental protection and conservation of natural resources, revitalization of urban areas, adequate housing and public service at reasonable cost, and preservation of recreation lands and structures . The State Planning Commission, Maski said, will adopt a final plan at the end of 1989. March 2, 1989 Herald & News Police charge man in attack on officer PROSPECT PARK - A man who was being questioned by a detective about a string of thefts was arrested Thursday after he allegedly assaulted the officer. Scott Coleman of East 30th Street matched the description of a man wanted in a number of thefts from cars in the borough. Detective Sgt. Leonard M. Breure stopped him as he walked on Fairview Avenue about 11:30 a.m. While questioning revealed Coleman was not connected with the thefts, he tried to strike Breure and then resisted arrest, Breure said. He was being held Thursday on $2,000 bail pending arraignment April 5, 1989 Herald & News 2 couples arrested on drug charges PROSPECT PARK - Four borough residents were arrested on drug charges Wednesday night following a raid on two Brown Avenue apartments by Prospect Park and Haledon police, authorities said. Detective Sgt. Leonard Breure said the raid at 269 Brown Ave. was the.result of a one-week investigation into drug activity in the area, which is one block from Manchester Regional High School in Haledon. Christopher Finn, 30, Thomas Weis, 35, Karen Deraney, 36, and Elaine Vanness, 31, were each charged with possession of marijuana, possession of cocaine, use of marijuana and cocaine, and possession of drug paraphernalia, police said. April 12, 1989 Herald & News Prospect Park passes 1989 budget by Belinda Weissberg PROSPECT PARK - The Borough Council unamimously passed the municpal budget during its April 3 public hearing, raising the municipal tax levy nearly 11 percent, according to budget figures. The $1,606,740 spending plan calls for $955,778 in taxes. The municipal tax rate will be .466 per $100 of assessed valuation, up from .408 per $100 in 1988. This translates to an $87 municipal tax hike for the owner of a 150,000 home, and a $116 municipal tax hike for the owner of a $200,000 home. Mayor Ronald Trommelen said the budget is aimed at keeping taxpayer costs down, although increased state mandates and reductions in state aid make this difficult. He cited the increase in police pension costs from $39,000 to $58,000, negotiated police salaries of more than $266,000, and about $10,000 in state-mandated firefighting equipment. This year, Trommelen said, each municipality must institute a computerized system of bookeeping. Prospect Park had to budget $18,000 for such a system for the finance department. Another large increase, Trommelen said, is the sanitary landfill tax, up $32,000 from last year. He attributed this to the increase in Passaic County garbage tipping fees from $65 to $80 a ton. "The state gets headlines say there's no increase in New Jersey's budget, but the mandates cause municipalities to spend more," said Trommelen. "State mandates are killing us." Trommelen said the borough has received permission from the state Department of Community Affairs to exceed the 5 percent budget cap, or state regulated spending increase limit, by using surplus funds to comply with state mandates. May 6, 1989 Herald & News Officer rescues two, kitten from blaze PROSPECT PARK - A borough police officer rescued two people and a kitten from a burning house on North 10th Street Friday afternoon before he was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation, the officer said. Officer Thomas Yurkin responded to the house fire, saw flames shooting from a rear window, entered through an open door and found two people inside the house, he said. Yurkin was treated for smoke inhalation at Wayne General Hospital and released. June 17, 1989 Herald & News Woman cited in adoption Plot Haledon resident accused in fraud by Diane Haines A 51-year-old Haledon woman was indicted by a Passaic County jury Friday for her alleged role in a fraudulent adoption scheme. Lillian Cantu of Henry Street was charged with conspiracy, theft by deception and attempted theft by deception. The indictment alleged that Cantu pretended to be a Franklin Lakes social worker who claimed she could arrange an adoption for a Connecticut couple. In April a 33-year-old Prospect Park, woman pleaded guilty to "taking part in the same scheme. Patricia Smith of North 14th Street, Prospect Park, admitted she fraudulently took $3,700 from a couple seeking to adopt a child. Under the terms of the plea agreement she will face a maxi- mum term of 364 days in the Passaic County Jail when she is sentenced Aug. 4. Smith admitted asking Glen and Elaine Dunn of Connecticut to give her and Cantu $4,000 to arrange for the adoption of a baby - even though she had no way to arrange an adoption. Smith met the Dunns through her business dealings with Ronald Cording, 32, of Ridgewood, who is the brother of Elaine Dunn. Smith and Cording ran a drug rehabilitation referral program in Wyckoff called Straight Talk. Cording knew that the Dunns wanted a child and introduced them to Smith, who claimed she could arrange an adoption. Smith allegedly met the Dunns in a Ramsey diner in August 1988, and brought along Cantu, who claimed to be Libby Holrnan of Franklin Lakes. The real Holman does volunteer work with unwed mothers. It is alleged that cash was turned over by the Dunns to Smith on Aug. 21 and 24, 1988. June 20, 1989 Herald & News Teen leads police in car chase By Pat Chalmers PROSPECT PARK - A Wayne teenager led police on a five-minute high-speed chase through two boroughs early Monday morning before totaling his car, jumping out and evading officers for a half-hour, police said. At 2 a.m. Monday, 18-year-old Steven Soskin was driving a 1985 black Mustang GT through Prospect Park at 80 miles per hour, said patrolman Fred Schwaner, who pursued the car into a high speed chase through Haledon. "He shut off the headlights and was doing over 90," the officer said. "He was going so fast, I couldn't catch him. I wasn't going to do a tail-gate, Miami-Vice chase. " Soskin lost control of his vehicle when he tried to make a left hand turn off Haledon Avenue onto Church Street, Schwaner said. "The car spun out four or five times and then collided with the Dunkin Donuts sign," said the officer, who said he saw the action from two blocks behind the speeding car. He said the teen-ager jumped from the car and ran into the woods where he eluded police from the Prospect Park, Haledon and Paterson squads who had been called in for back-up. A passenger, who was a minor, started walking away from the accident before being apprehended by Haledon Police. The youth was released without being charged Schwaner said. Soskin finally turned himself at the Haledon Police Department where he was charged with reckless driving, eluding a police officer, leaving the scene of an accident and driving without insurance and a registration, Schwaner said. The teen-ager was released on his own recognizance pending a July 12 hearing said Schwaner. June 23, 1989 Herald & News Sixth cop quits Exodus at precinct By Pat Chalmers PROSPECT PARK - When Thomas Yurkin went to.turn his badge in at 4:30 Wednesday afternoon, ending his career as a Prospect Park Police officer, he said he found the door locked and no one in at the station. The situation was similar to many he encountered while working for a department troubled by a shortage of officers, low morale among the staff and an almost non-existent management approach. Yurkin cited "lack of supervision," as one of the main reasons he was leaving the department. "You had situations where you needed a supervisor and there was no one to turn to." "A lot of times you have to work alone," said Chief Glenn Saltenberger. He said that could not be resolved until there are more men on the force. "We don't have have brass supervision around the clock," Saltenburger said. "When they need to have a question answered, all they have to do is call someone up on the phone." Yurkin joins five officers who left the department in 1988 and now are working in other police departments. The police staff now consists of five patrolmen, one detective sergeant, one sergeant and the chief. Yurkin has taken a job with the Bergenfield Police Department. He'll get a pay raise, but says that working in a professional police department is of equal concern. "I want to be a cop 100 percent." Yurkin said not having other officers to back him up kept him from being as aggressive as he would have liked when patroling the streets in the borough. He said although he always acted when crimes were being committed, there were times when he had to look the other way when he felt borderline situations, posed too much of a risk. The officer said that once, when working alone on the mid- night shift, he observed four suspicious characters driving down Haledon Avenue. Yurkin said he knew he should have pulled them over, but was reluctant to stop them because of the delay he expected as back-up team from Haledon or Paterson responded. So he just followed them to the Paterson boarder. Part-time dispatcher Denise Pegg, who worked three days a week, also is leaving after 15 months of service. She handed in her resignation Monday. Citing stress, lack of a salary increase and irregular paydays in her resignation, her final day will be June 30. Pegg said she has found many faults within the department. Agreeing with Yurkin, she said one of the things she didn't like was being left to make supervisory decisions she was not trained for. Alone in the department at least two hours each of her three days a week, she said she has made many decisions based on what she's seen in the past. "About four months ago there was a bomb scare at the school and the chief was out somewhere," said Pegg. "The school was evacuated, the officer on patrol came. Everyone was standing around for about five minutes wondering 'What next?'" Pegg said she called the Sheriffs Department bomb squad. July 14, 1989 Herald & News Prospect Park cops listed for gun tests By Pat Chalmers PROSPECT PARK - Two borough patrolmen who have not qualified their weapons since 1987, in violation of state statutes requiring testing twice annually, should be taking the tests soon, a Passaic County Prosecutor's Office official said Thursday. Patrolman Theodore Noah should be on the Sheriff's Department range in Garret Mountain at 10 a.m., Police Chief Glenn Saltenberger said. The second officer who has not requalified his weapons since 1987 is George Cahill. "Noah will be qualifying tomorrow morning and as soon as Cahill comes off vacation he'll be next to qualify," said prosecutor's office Capt. Frank Failla said Thursday afternoon. An state attorney general's directive and the prosecutor's firearms policy state there must be semi-annual qualifications, Prospect Park Detective Sgt. Leonard Breure said Wednesday. The chief also said both he and Sgt. Donald Scott, who have yet to qualify in 1989, will more than likely be going out to the range next week. July 13, 1989 Herald & News Pagano explains quitting By Pat Chalmers PROSPECT PARK- Dan Pagano, who resigned as borough councilman earlier this week, said Wednesday he left office because he was uncomfortable with his appointed position. Pagano, named to the council on April 24 after Councilman Ronald Critchley died April 4, said he resigned Monday not because of disagreements with other council members over issues, but because as an appointed official he didn't feel comfortable expressing his opinions, 'Sometimes, I felt like the only person who was speaking out," the 31-year-old father of two said. "I wondered if what I was doing was what the residents of Prospect Park wanted." "I would have felt more comfortable with my opinions had I been elected," Pagano said softly, when asked of his reasons for stepping down. Pagano, who describes himself as a conservative Republican, said he felt the other council members were capable of solving the borough's problems. "I love the borough of Prospect Park," Pagano said Tuesday. "I really think I can be more effective off the board." Although the former councilman declined to discuss if he planned to run for public office, he said he will remain active in borough politics. Pagano said he was going to devote time to becoming a more effective municipal leader. "I want to encourage new and younger people to become active in the Prospect Park Republican Association," Pagano said. Pagano also said he will continue to attend Borough Council meetings. Mayor Ronald Trommelen said Wednesday neither he nor the council had found a candidate to replace Pagano. July 13, 1989 Herald & News Police miss check Gun retest not taken by Pat Chalmers PROSPECT PARK - Two borough patrolmen are not qualified to be carrying firearms under the state's criminal justice code, the borough police chief said Wednesday. Police department veterans Theodore Noah and George Cahill have not met state requalification regulations to carry their weapons since 1987, Chief Glenn Saltenberger said. Saltenberger said both he and Sgt. Donald Scott also have yet to qualify in 1989. ' Section 2C of the state code of criminal justice requires all police department members who use firearms to "annually qualify in the use of a revolver or similar weapon prior to being permitted to carry a firearm." It does not specify when the two requalifications must be held each year. "A few years ago, an attorney general's directive and the prosecutor's firearms policy went one step further and said there must be semi-annual qualifications," Prospect Park Detective Sgt. Leonard Breure said. "Everything I do concerning firearms is documented," said Breure, a firearms instructor who qualifies members of the department. The chief said records of all qualifications are turned over to Councilman Edwin Dietrich, chairman of the police department. Dietrich said Wednesday he was aware the officers had not qualified but the blame did not rest with him. "This is the chiefs responsibility," Dietrich said."The responsibility is strictly up to the chief." "It's not that we don't want to go," the chief said. "We just haven't got the availability." July 14, 1989 Herald & News Prospect Park Asks For Aid By Pat Chalmers PROSPECT PARK - Mayor Ronald Trommelen was in Trenton Wednesday afternoon searching for a way to get more state aid for his troubled police department. "We've put our foot in the door," Trommelen said. "There are no guarantees, but I'm optimistic. We'll see what happens." At present, under the Supplemental Sale Neighborhood program the borough receives a grant of $8,700, the mayor said. Trommelen said he wanted to find out if more funding was available for his police department, which is short-handed, plagued by low morale and lack of leadership. It will be taken over before the end of the month by the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office at the request of the major and council. "When you see neighboring cities getting millions of dollars and Prospect Park only $8,000, it's unfair," Trommelen said. He said it didn't seem right that cities could qualify as distressed and Prospect Park could not, even with the problems of its police department. The borough lacks two major requirements to qualify as a distressed city, a housing project and at least 250 cases of aid to families with dependent children, the mayor said. Trommelen went to Trenton to see if the borough could qualify for any other funds. He said he had previously sent a communication to Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Anthony M. Villane Jr. seeking a meeting him department representatives. Barry Skokowski, director of the Division of Local Government Services, gave him a call setting up the Wednesday afternoon meeting, the mayor said. Trommelen said he met with Joseph A. Valenti, chief of the bureau for local management services and assistance. The mayor said Department of Community Affairs has promised to review the case. July 19, 1989 Prospect Park cops to receive pay raise by Belinda Weissberg PROSPECT PARK - Heeding a recommendation by Passaic County Prosecutor Ronald Fava, the borough will grant the members of its troubled police force a pay raise. According to Prospect Park Patrolman Robert Cranmer, president-elect of PBA Local 114, police officers will receive an 8.5 percent raise over a three-year period. An arbiter is deciding whether officers who left in 1988 and 1989 are eligible for retroactive pay increases. A recently issued report from the Prosecutor's Office, which is temporarily taking control of the beleaguered force at the borough's request, outlined ways to improve the department. It suggested the borough work on strengthening the force's manpower, morale and professionalism, and offer more competitive salaries. Four officers resigned between last August and November, citing dissatisfaction with the pay scale, low morale and long hours. Patrolman Thomas Yurkin resigned this month after six months with the department, leaving only eight officers. Mayor Ronald Trommelen said officers are working under a 1987 pay scale. New salaries, he said, will be retroactive to January 1988. The prosecutor's report recommends staffing a minimum of 13 officers and an ideal of 14, substantially more than the borough's current force of eight. The report also recommends salary increases to bring wages more in line with those of other Passaic County municipalities. Under the temporary takeover, the Prosecutor's Office will be responsible for issuing assignments and details and general supervision of the force. The Passaic County Sheriffs Office will also pitch in temporarily, providing one patrol car with two men to help patrol borough streets. The sheriffs men will be available from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. to bolster police patrols. At his own request, Police Chief Glenn Saltenberger will be demoted to Captain when a new police chief is found. Trommelen stressed the need to choose a candidate very carefully. "I want to make sure every 'i' is dotted and every 't' is crossed," he said, noting thai the council must first pass an ordinance to designate the method of selection and the qualifications of a new chief. "We'll have to make a major decision within the next six months.'' Service pact studied Haledon Mayor James Van Sickle said his borough is willing to negotiate a possible police service agreement, in which Haledon might provide the dispatching and leadership duties. Haledon Police Chief Jerry Gamble completed a report of projected costs of combining forces. "It's initially probably very expensive to set up," said Van Sickle. "As time goes on, costs •would even out." Van Sickle noted that Haledon has more technical advantages, such as better dispatching and computer equipment, but manpower would have to increase if the forces combined. July 20, 1989 Herald & News Prospect Park given police takeover date PROSPECT PARK - The police department will be taken over by his office July 24, Passaic County Prosecutor Ronald Fava announced Wednesday afternoon. The takeover follows a June request by Mayor Ronald Trommelen and the Borough Council, which was based on evidence of a lack of leadership, low morale and insufficient manpower. Fava said prosecutor's office Capt. Frank Fialla has been assigned to take over the day-to-day operation of the department, and Detective Jack Vervaet will be placed in the detective bureau. July 25, 1989 Herald & News Mayor takes a positive cop stance By Pat Chalmers PROSPECT PARK - Mayor Ronald Trommelen expressed confidence at Monday's Borough Council meeting that the Passaic County prosecutor's official takeover of the beleaguered police department will help get the department back on its feet. "As of 12 o'clock today I am looking on the positive side," Trommelen said Monday evening. Prosecutor's office Capt. Frank Failla has taken over the day-to-day operation of the department and Detective Jack Vervaet, also of the prosecutor's office, will assume the position of detective in the department. The takeover comes at the request of the mayor and council who voted unanimously in late June to ask the prosecutor to step in and run the department, troubled with low morale, low manpower and lack of supervision. The mayor said he had met with Failla on Monday. "We are looking forward to working with the captain," Trommelen said. He said the meeting with Failla included discussion of scheduling, and the hiring of an officer to replace former Officer Thomas Yurkin who left the force in June. "We are in the process of reviewing candidates to hire in the position of Mr. Yurkin as soon as possible," Trommelen said. Earlier Monday, Failla said he was hopeful progress could be made toward straightening out the troubled police force. Failla will address the entire department at 7:30 a.m. today. First Assistant Prosecutor Robert Warmington said last week his office's goal was aimed at future improvements in the department. In another matter relating to the police department, the mayor said Officer George Cahill's doctor had asked for $200 to provide information on a questionnaire he was asked to fill out in relation to a knee injury the officer has been troubled with since January. At borough officials' request, Cahill was examined earlier this summer by the borough's doctor, who determined the officer could perform only a "quasi-significant" role in the department. Before closing Monday night's meeting, Trommelen encouraged borough residents to speak out on issues of concern to him and the council members. July 28, 1989 Herald & News 4 men are arrested over drug violations PROSPECT PARK - Four people were arrested on drug charges early Thursday morning when police checked an open building and spotted a marijuana plant and empty crack cocaine vials in a room, said Detective Jack Vervaet. Patrolman Ted Noah assisted Officer Jerry Rotsaert of the Passaic County Sheriff's Office and they arrested Orlando Sanchez, 21, Alberto Larado Barnal, 21, and Juan Carlos Rojas, 18, all of North 15th Street, and Ronny Jimenez, 24, of Paterson. The police also were assisted by Officers Joseph Capizzi and Louis Gomez of the sheriff's office. The four men were charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and remanded to the Passaic County Jail, Paterson, in lieu of $1,000 bail each. Sanchez and Rojas told police they are illegal aliens, Vervaet said. The Immigration and Naturalization Service was notified, he said. March 9, 1990 Herald & News County in dilemma over hauler By Cathleen Fromm It was an arranged marriage, but the partners lived well together- until two weeks ago. Now, Passaic County has had to think about divorcing itself from Penpac, Inc., the company that ships its garbage to Pennsylvania. Relations began to deteriorate earlier this month, when a Penpac truck caused a second serious accident at a Pennsylvania intersection. Things really began to stink late last week, when two days' garbage piled up at county transfer stations because Penpac lacked proper state certification. Garbage began moving out again in the wee hours of Saturday morning. County Administrator Nicola DiDonna said recent events have "strained" the relationship and placed both the county and Penpac under "enormous pressure." But a divorce could jeopardize the county's financial standing. Right now, Passaic County pays some of the lowest rates in the state for out-of-state trash disposal. "We don't want to ruin the relationship," said Freeholder director Richard DuHaime said. "It's been going OK, and the price is right." Penpac President Raymond Barbiere has not returned messages left at his office. Penpac became the county's trash hauler in 1987 after two years of work by county officials to develop a solid waste disposal plan. Officials say the state Department of Environmental Protection forced them to take Penpac. "The award of contract (for waste disposal was imposed on us by the DEP," said DiDonna, who also sits on the Passaic County Utilities Authority. DuHaime phrased it more bluntly. "Penpac was basically forced upon us," he said. "Penpac became part of the deal because we were told they had to become part of the deal." In arranging for out-of-state trash disposal, county officials first negotiated a sweet deal with Empire Landfill in Taylor, Penn. But after that deal was wrapped up, DuHaime said, the DEP said no out-of-state arrangement would be approved if it did not include Penpac as the trucker and transfer-station operator. The transfer station is where local garbage trucks dump. The trash is then loaded on Penpac semi-trailers for shipment to Pennsylvania. "We either had to take Penpac or we weren't going to take (county garbage) to Pennsylvania," DuHaime said. A DEP official, however, said Penpac was given the hauling contract because they were the only company to request it. "In Passaic County, we only had one response. It was difficult to fill the criteria," said Gary Sondermeyer, assistant director of DEP policy and planning. The principals already were in the business, with each one independently operating trash hauling businesses, he said. Despite being "forced upon" them, Passaic County officials say Penpac has been a decent and reliable trash hauling company - at least up until the last two weeks. Since the beginning of the month, county officials have been threatened with lawsuits from Pennsylvania authorities following the second of two accidents involving Penpac trucks in the last three months. And a spot inspection two weeks ago at Empire Landfill found 15 to 30 Penpac vehicles needed repairs. "Now we find out Penpac has some trucks out there that should not have been on the road and I think that is disgraceful," DuHaime said. Penpac has 30 days to improve its operation to the satisfaction of the PCUA and BPU. March 21, 1990 Herald & News Prospect Park Vote Boots $1.9M budget By Don Corbett PROSPECT PARK - Residents rejected, by a 2-1 margin, the borough's proposed $1.9 million budget Tuesday - a defeat which could lead to police department layoffs. Residents said they were tired of soaring taxes and overwhelmingly defeated the budget. Mayor Ronald Trommelen said the borough, which had planned to hire two additional police officers and extra school crossing guards, now may be forced to lay off some members of the force. Trommelen said he was "disgusted" by the budget's failure. "I don't see how we can run the borough without the money," he said. Borough residents are going to have to learn to live with less police and less services, he said."And they better not squawk about it later," Trommelen said. Borough residents who voted to reject the budget said they were tired of increasing taxes. "We don't get value in our town for what we pay in taxes," said Carol VanDyk, 46, of North 11th Street, pointing out that, unlike many neighboring towns, the borough has no library or public swimming pool. Only about 26 percent of the borough's 2,554 voters showed at the polls, with 440 voting against and 219 voting for. Now borough officials will have to slash $254,990 from the budget to keep it within the cap. A full 95.6 percent of the cuts - $243,740 - will be made in the police budget, Trommelen said. Another $8,250 will be cut from the Municipal Court budget, and $3,000 from the administration budget. "We'll have to sit down and redo the budget," Trommelen said. "Every line item is up for grabs." Trommelen said the only cuts he could project before conducting a detailed review of the budget were to eliminate the proposal to add two officers to the police department, and another proposal to hire more school crossing guards to help the five who now work for the borough. The budget was brought to a referendum because borough officials were seeking to exceed the 5 percent cap put on local budget increases by the state. The failure means that borough residents saved themselves on average $181 a year. If the budget had passed the average homeowner with a house assessed at $150,000 would have paid $219 more in taxes. Now taxes will increase only $38 on that same house, for a total bill of $721. Those who voted against the budget unanimously pointed to high taxes as the main reason they rejected the budget. Sam Petrecca, 77, of N. 15th St., said he understood the problems the police department was undergoing, but "the taxes are too high." But another resident said the failure of the referendum merely means that there will be less services in the borough, and less quality in those services. "I think they're (police) going to have problems, and I think the town's going to have problems," said Charles Wigfield, a 63-year-old Brown Avenue resident who voted in favor of the budget increase. "Nothing's for free." March 26, 1990 Herald & News Troubles dog borough cops By Don Corbett PROSPECT PARK - Voters' recent rejection of a budget referendum has again cast a shadow over the borough's beleaguered police department. Many of the same conditions that forced the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office to take over the department - such as low morale and lack of manpower - plague the department again and threaten to get worse. "They have a headache," said Capt. Frank Fialla, an investigator with the prosecutor's office who ran the department during the takeover. The vote leaves the department facing the same two problems, morale and manpower, cited in a 380-page takeover report by the prosecutor's office. That earlier report also revealed that while the department crumbled, crime rose 91 percent over a four-year period ending in 1988. The report recommended an optimal level of 13 or 14 officers in the department. Mayor Ronald Trommelen had hoped to expand the department from 10 to 12 officers, but now he has threatened layoffs. And any significant salary increase for the comparatively underpaid borough officers is in jeopardy. The only difference between the current state of the department and the state it was in before the prosecutor took over is new police Chief George Faso. "We're hoping to get some relief (from the state)," said Faso, who was named chief last month. But, he added, "We work with the tools that are given to us." Trommelen said he hopes to receive permission from the state to divert surplus money - a certain amount of which is mandated by the state - into police accounts. Faso said he did not foresee a return to the poor conditions that forced the prosecutor to take over. But morale will be a problem for the chief, Fialla said, primarily because officers will be forced to work excessive overtime to cover all three shifts. Morale was also dealt a blow by the threat of layoffs. "It's not a good work environment knowing the threat of a layoff could happen any day," police union president Robert Cranmer said. And the department may have problems keeping the officers it has. Prospect Park police are some of the lowest paid officers in the area. Although the borough offers new officers a slightly higher starting wage than neighboring towns, a top patrolman's pay lags $4,230 behind Hawthorne and $2,135 behind North Haledon. "How are you going to keep anybody?" Cranmer asked. "People are always saying, 'Where's the police?' and 'We need more police protection,'" Councilman and Police Committee Chairman Robert Adams said. "Where the heck was the support when we tried to do it?" July 29, 1990 Herald & News Prospect Park man charged in theft CLIFTON - A patrolman driving on Kuller Road Thursday night became suspicious when he saw a man walk out of a wooded area with a car's mirror and screw driver, police said. The mirror turned out to be stolen from one of two cars that were also stolen, and hidden behind branches and other debris in the woods near Kuller Road, said Capt. James Territo. Officer Hugo Colluci arrested Jose Matias, 25. of Prospect Park, for possession of stolen property, two counts of receiving stolen property and possession of burglary tools, Territo said. Colluci originally became suspicious when he saw Matias' Mazda parked on Kuller Road. Matias then came out of the woods, and when he saw Colluci he yelled something at an individual still in the woods, the captain said. That person escaped. In the woods were two other Mazdas, both stolen, Territo said. The theft of the two cars is still under investigation. January 3, 1991 Hawthorne Press Prospect Park makes strides in the police department in 1990 1990 will go down in Prospect Park history as the first time a two-party system operated in the municipality. With three Republicans and three Democrats on the council, GOP Mayor Ron Trommelen had to use his tie-breaking privilege on a number of occasions. Most of the deadlocked votes were over appointments to the police department. And while it was a rocky year as far as starting, the police department under the leadership of a new chief is now heading in a more positive direction. Early in January, when Mayor Ron Trommelen proposed Peter Stilianessis for appointment to the department, the council refused to move the appointment. GOP council members were holding out for the re-appointment of former officer, Jerry Rotsaert, but following the appointment of Police Chief George Faso, the Republicans supported Stilianessis on the police chief's recommendation. Stilianessis was eventually confirmed in May with Glen Galderisi, but neither one was destined to be at graduation for the Passaic County Police Academy in December. After enrolling Galderisi in the police academy, the state issued a ruling stating that he was ineligible to enter the state pension system, because he was 36 years old. No one can be enrolled in the state police pension after age 35. Stilianessis completed the instruction program, but was called to active duty in the Marine Reserves one week before graduation. The North Haledon resident was scheduled to be shipped out to the Mideast as part of Operation Desert Shield. Two more officers, Frank Franco and Michael Boustania, who were appointed to the force in July, did graduate in December. Besides bringing the department close to a full complement, the police chief also instituted a park and walk program in Prospect Park. One discordant note was sounded with the termination of Sgt. Leonard Breure, who was out on disability. A lawsuit was filed by the officer over the termination, but the court case had not yet been heard when the year came to a close. Budget woes grow worse Budget constraints, a proverbial problem in a municipality as small as Prospect Park. grew worse in 1990. In May, a referendum was held to ask the public whether they would allow the council to exceed the 5% budget cap. Residents trounced the measure 2-1, but the State of New Jersey later granted a waiver. This waiver allowed the council to allocate $250,000 from surplus, just $4990 less than the amount sought in the budget referendum. New mayor elected 1990 marked the final year of office for Mayor Ron Trommelen, who decided not to seek re-election in November. In an active race, Councilman Fred De Ruiter defeated Democrat Nick Massaro for the top spot. The election also marked the return of former GOP Councilwoman Betty Van Eeuwen and former Councilman Dan Pagano. While they were few new programs instituted in 1990, the municipality stepped up its recycling effort by hiring a part-time inspector and by instituting a more aggressive method of insuring the participation of local businesses. A $15,000 software program was approved for computerization of borough tax records and a reconditioned street sweeper. The police department upgraded its fire power to 9mm automatic weapons and the fire department obtained a $50,000 state loan to construct a new firehouse. Permit fees were hiked 1000% -from $5 to $50 for a certificate of occupancy. A new quarry ordinance was passed and the council adopted regulations governing the use of Hofstra Park. July 13, 1991 Herald & News Porn case jail watch By Diane Haines Two Haledon men, being held in lieu of $500,000 bail for allegedly showing pornographic literature to young boys, were placed under suicide watch Friday after attempts to injure themselves by breaking and swallowing eye glass lenses following their arrest Monday. Bail was increased from $100,000 on Friday as part of the ongoing investigation of the pair who allegedly had vast amounts of all types of obscene literature and devices stashed in the house they shared. The suspects, Joseph A. Rodia, 56, and Richard D. Galderisi. 34, of Mason Avenue, were both placed under suicide watch Friday at the Passaic County Jail in Paterson. Sheriff Edwin J. Englehardt said that Rodia tried to injure himself for a second time Thursday night by scratching his wrist with a plastic spoon. Englehardt said Rodia was not seriously injured in either incident. "He's just playing games with us," the sheriff said. Jail authorities also said that the bail for the two men was increased by order of a Superior Court judge in Paterson. The continuing investigation of the two suspects is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office and Haledon police. Rodia and Galderisi are charged with endangering the welfare of children and maintaining a nuisance. Bill Tonkin, a public information officer for the FBI, said the bureau is monitoring the case and "acting in an advisory capacity." Tonkin said it is a federal offense to possess pornography. Haledon Detective James Len said after the arrests on Monday, Galderisi broke and swallowed both of his eye glass lenses. He said Galderisi was taken to Wayne General Hospital where he was examined before being turned over to jail Officials. "He definitely did swallow the lenses," Len said. Len said both men have been examined psychiatrically and they were found to be manipulative but not suicidal. Rodia has been a resident of Haledon for 20 years. Len said Rodia purchased his house in 1971, and Galderisi has been living there since he was 15 or 16. The prosecution is alleging that on Monday, Rodia asked a 12-year-old boy and his friend to mow his lawn for $5 each. The state is contending the boys were paid and then invited into the house for some refreshments and to play with game machines. Both men were allegedly in the house when Rodia showed the boys various obscene photographs and magazines and asked them to return the next day. Instead, the boys reported the incident to their parents. The Haledon police and prosecutor's office were both notified on Monday evening. A search warrant was executed on Tuesday morning and massive amounts of pornography of all types were found in the dusty home. At least three cameras and many photographs of nude children were confiscated. August 1, 1991 The Record Suit due against blue law ACLU seeking work ban repeal By Devin Leonard The American Civil Liberties Union says it is going to court to try to overturn a century-old ban against work on Sundays in Prospect Park, including car repairs and house painting. Lisa Glick Zucker of the ACLU's New Jersey chapter said the lawsuit will be filed Thursday in state Superior Court on behalf of Robert Crawford, a Fair Lawn man who was fined $10 last year for fixing his truck's leaky radiator hose on a Sunday. Zucker argued that Prospect Park's ordinance is unconstitutional because it violates New Jersey laws that uphold the separation of church and state. The borough's ordinance, written nearly 100 years ago by members of the Dutch Reformed Church who founded the borough, forbids "any worldly employment or business, ordinary or servile labor or work, except works of necessity or charity, or attempt to sell, barter, or exchange, any commodity or article, or play at any game or sport, on Sunday." "What it's basically doing is promoting a uniform day of worship and punishing those people who engage in activities that desecrate the Sabbath," Zucker said. But borough officials say the ordinance was meant to promote peace and quiet, not religion. The suit, which names Mayor Fred De Ruiter and the Borough Council ae defendants, asks that the ordinance be overturned. No monetary reward will be sought, said Lawrence S. Lustberg, a Newark lawyer who is handling the suit for the ACLU. De Ruiter said Tuesday that the ACLU has no right to attempt to do away with an ordinance that is supported by most residents. "The majority of the people are content with the ordinance the way it stands," the mayor said. "To date, they haven't expressed their dissatisfaction." While the ordinance may sound strict, borough officials say it no longer is used to prevent people from doing household chores such as laundry or from playing baseball in parks. De Ruiter said the borough is considering updating the ordinance to reflect such changes. But that's not to say anything goes on Sundays in the borough. All businesses are closed. And about a month after Crawford's conviction in October, Dan Pagano was fined $10 after admitting he painted his house on a Sunday. Pagano, whose neighbor reported him, is now a councilman. Crawford had pleaded not guilty, arguing there was no way the repair job could be construed as unnecessary. Without fixing the leak, he said, his truck's engine block might have cracked. Borough officials said Crawford failed to tell the police officer who issued the summons the crucial nature of the repair. Neither Crawford nor Pagano could be reached for comment Tuesday. De Ruiter and Lustberg said they knew of no others who were prosecuted under the ordinance in recent years, although De Ruiter noted that residents have been warned by police to stop working or playing after neighbors complained. Lustberg said the ACLU objects to the sweeping tone of the ordinance. "What you and I would consider rest, you can't do under this ordinance," he said. "The only thing you can do under the ordinance is go to church. What this ordinance is intended to do is force you to go to church." Named as plaintiffs along with Crawford are the ACLU and ACLU member Michaelene Loughlin, a Prospect Park resident who teaches law at Seton Hall University. Said Lustberg: "She just works in her yard, and her neighbors say, 'You better not do that - you might get arrested.'" August 8, 1991 Hawthorne Press ACLU challenges constitutionality of Prospect Park Blue Law Prospect Park - A lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Prospect Park's blue laws was filed last week by the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union). The case stems from an arrest last fall of Robert Crawford. a Fair Lawn resident, who was fined $10 for fixing a radiator hose in his truck on a Sunday. Crawford, borough resident Michaelene Loughlin, a professor at Seton Hall Law School and the ACLU are plaintiffs in the suit which was filed in Passaic County Superior Court. Lawrence Lustberg, a Newark attorney handling the case for the civil liberties group, said no money or damages are sought in the lawsuit. "We're challenging the constitutionality of the law," said Lustberg. "Unlike blue laws in other municipalities which prohibit commercial activities on Sunday, Prospect Park's ordinance is more far-reaching." The attorney said that by prohibiting ball playing and gardening on Sunday, the law shows that its real purpose was to make people do one thing - go to church. "It's inextricably intertwined with religion." he added. The ordinance is also being challenged because it's vague in what it defines as work. "My wife thinks that gardening is recreation, while to me it is work." he said. A third reason for contesting the ordinance is based on invasion of privacy. It expects the police to determine whether an activity, such as playing checkers, is allowable in your home on a Sunday. Prospect Park's Borough Attorney Gordon Meyer said the borough's peace and good order ordinance has existed in its present form since 1945, but the prohibition on Sunday activity dates back to the incorporation of the municipality in the early 1900's. Meyer said that rather than defending the present ordinance in court, the borough should concentrate its efforts on completing a revision of the law. The attorney noted that the council has been working on a revision but their attention had been diverted due to budget problems and the recent reorganization of the police department. "The current wording is too vague and too broad, "said the borough attorney. "I think we can do a better job." Meyer said the legislation is very comprehensive. "It's not a simple job to revise it." The new measure will not be as restrictive, he noted, but will address the fact that Prospect Park is densely populated and meet residents' needs for a quiet day, not for religious reasons. Although the ordinance has been in effect for decades, there have only been three arrests within the past 25 years, according to Meyer. Besides Crawford, Borough Councilman Dan Pagano was ticketed last year for painting his house on a Sunday and paid the fine. A third person pled guilty to the charge and paid a fine. Lustberg said the fact that so few arrests had been made really has no bearing on the case. "The damage the law does is greater than the amount of arrests," said the Newark attorney. He said people may be intimidated by the existence of the ordinance and could be harmed by attempting to comply with its provisions. "Its existence is unconstitutional. There's no question thai it's enforced in a broader sense." he added. The other plaintiff, Loughlin was not arrested, but other chores on Sunday. She works six days a week, according to Lustberg. Meyer said no citizens have ever come forward at council meetings or written letters to the governing body to protest the law. He questioned why the ACLU never wrote him a letter or telephoned him to notify the borough attorney of their intention to sue. Lisa Glick Zucker, of the ACLU's New Jersey chapter, said there was plenty of media coverage about the ordinance ever since the Crawford case last fall. "Our position is that the community was on notice last September," she said. "Anyone who wasn't aware of the ACLU's interest in this case must have been living in a cave." August 11, 1991 Herald & News Prospect Park firehouse finally gets off ground 3 years' fund-raising decreases By Allison Inserro PROSPECT PARK - Normally, it doesn't take three years to design a simple, four-room building. But it can if the building is a new firehouse for a company with about 18 active members who are trying to save money. Construction is under way for the firehouse for volunteer firefighters from Company No. 1 on Fairview Avenue. The building is scheduled to be finished by Nov. 1, Chief Robert Weir said. The company received a low interest $50,000 loan from the state to help with the cost, which is expected to total about $190,000. The rest of the money will come from donations, gathered mostly through small fund-raising efforts, Weir said. "We've been saving for years," he said. The concrete-block and brick building is "no frills," he said, and will consist of a training room, engine room, small office and kitchen. The old building, at 4,500 square feet, filled the entire lot until it was torn down about two weeks ago. In the meantime, the company's single truck is being stored in the municipal public works garage behind Borough Hall. The new building, at 2,760 square feet, will leave room in front for firefighters to pack hose on the property so that they don't have to stand in the street, as they did before. The old firehouse had a bowling alley and a hall for rent, but they were rarely used, Weir said. The new building will be more energy efficient, heated by gas instead of oil, he said. The old building had a facelift in the 1960s, "But they forgot about the legs and feet in the back of the building," said firefighter Mark Everett. The right rear of the building was slowly caving in, Weir said. Everett said the building committee had one to three meetings a month for three years to draw sketches, take measurements, and do what an architect would normally do - all in an effort to save on fees, he said. "So much to do and not a lot of time," Weir said of volunteers' efforts for the building, and for their time spent collecting donations. August 12, 1991 Prospect Park says quiet, 'blue' Few challenge no-work, no-play Sunday ordinance By Jennifer Delson PROSPECT PARK- In most parts of this sleepy borough, the cicadas and the crickets took center stage Sunday. But there were a few energetic souls involved in illegal activities in the yard of School 1. Amid the insects chirping, the crack of a baseball bat could be heard. Four neighborhood boys were playing stickball in violation of the Peace and Good Order Ordinance, which prohibits work and sports on Sundays. They said they've repeatedly been kicked out of the old paved lot, which is closed Sundays in compliance with the ordinance. The American Civil Liberties Union is challenging the ordinance in Passaic County Superior Court. Borough officials will discuss possible changes to the regulation at the council meeting at 8 tonight. The lawsuit stems from the conviction of Robert Crawford of Fair Lawn, who fixed a leaky car radiator on the street on a Sunday. Crawford paid a $10 fine for the offense. Some Sunday ballplayers said the law is "ridiculous." "I told (a police officer) it's unconstitutional," said Jack Patino, an 18-year-old student at Bergen County Community College. "It's Sunday. What are you supposed to do? Sit in the house?" said Jonathan Hernandez, 15. The local players said they regularly climb the locked chain-link fence to play ball. Despite the challenge to a borough way of life, many Prospect Park residents said they believe Sundays are meant to be quiet. Councilwoman Antoinette Atie said she thinks some changes will be made to the ordinance to make sports and quiet activity legal. But she said she does not think the law will be scrapped. "Prospect Park is Prospect Park. It Is so peaceful and so quiet. We have certain laws to keep it that way," she said. The ordinance says, "No person shall, within the limits of the Borough of Prospect Park ... engage in any worldly employment or business ordinary or servile labor or work, except work of necessity or charity ... or play at any game or sport on Sunday." If the borough crops restrictions on private activities like house painting, car washing and mowing the lawn, the ACLU would be satisfied, said Lisa Zucker, the staff attorney for the ACLU. "We would settle the suit," she said Friday. "We're not unreasonable. We just want the law off the books." The ACLU isn't concerned with the part of the ordinance that closes stores on Sunday in Prospect Park because New Jersey courts have upheld "blue laws" in Bergen County. All retail stores were closed Sunday in accordance with the borough ordinance. Christine Cooke of Upper Brookville, N.Y., and Dan Forero of North Bergen weren't aware of the ordinance when they began playing tennis in a borough park Sunday. When they found out they were violating the law, they shrugged and chuckled. No Date Herald & News Work Ban changes proposed But many like Sunday limits in Prospect Park By Allison lnserro PROSPECT PARK - For the first time in 46 years, the borough's now infamous "Peace and Good Order" ordinance - infamous because of a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union - is about to be revised, while voters will decide in November, if they want to shop on Sundays. On Aug. 26, there will be a public hearing on revisions to the ordinance, which will include repeal of the restrictions on individual behavior and sports and games on Sunday. Borough Attorney Gordon Meyer said at a Borough Council meeting Monday night that the town, which was founded by religious Dutch immigrants, cannot base any restrictions on Sunday activities on religious reasons. He said the new ordinance would use noise limits as a basis for what is allowed on Sunday. As far as puffing the question of whether stores should be open on Sunday on the ballot, Meyer made a prediction. "Chances are that the majority will vote to keep the stores closed." Meyer said. Judging from those who spoke at Monday's meeting, most residents view any change in the ordinance as an intrusion on the borough's way of life. Borough Clerk Judith Critchley read three letters, which said those opposed to the "blue laws" were "outside agitators," and eight people spoke in favor of the restrictions - none in the audience of more than 20 people spoke against them. George DeRitter compared the ACLU suit to the state telling school boards in the 1960s that children could not say prayers in school. "As a result the schools are filled with drugs, sex and liquor," said DeRitter. who a member of the borough school board for 30 years. "I don't want them cutting the grass on Sundays. I don't care if the grass is up to their eyeballs," said Lambert '"Mick" Van Baulen. "I was brought up to believe that Sunday is a day to set aside and not to work and I believe that's the right way," said Paul Greendyk, who, at 27, said he represented "the younger set" in town. Borough officials said they were planning to update the law even without the ACLU suit. "We will still have the same August 13, 1991 Herald & News Borough moves to repeal blue law By Devin Leonard Hoping to avoid a courtroom battle with the American Civil Liberties Union, the Prospect Park Borough Council reluctantly took steps Monday night to abolish a nearly century-old ban against work and playing sports on Sundays. "What we want in our personal life is not always what happens," Mayor Fred De Ruiter said Monday, after the council voted unanimously to introduce an ordinance that would repeal the blue law. "We have to stay within the law." Borough Attorney Gordon Meyer said Monday he hoped repealing the ban would bring a halt to an ongoing lawsuit by the New Jersey chapter of the ACLU. The suit, challenging the constitutionality of the ban, was filed on Aug. 1 in state Superior Court on behalf of Robert Crawford, a Fair Lawn man fined $10 last year for fixing a leaky radiator hose in his disabled truck on a Sunday. "The lawsuit is moot," Meyer said. A public hearing on the ordinance to repeal the ban will be held on Aug. 26. Meyer said the borough intends to draft a new ordinance prohibiting Sunday sales and another preventing excessive noise on Sunday in an attempt to maintain Prospect Park's tradition of quiet Sundays. Restricting Sunday sales also would require voter approval in a boroughwide referendum in November, which the council authorized Monday night. The revised law "will not prohibit work on Sundays per se," Meyer said Monday. "Nor will it prohibit playing sports on Sundays. When this transition is complete, we will most likely wind up with a prohibition on Sunday sales and a limitation on noise on Sundays." Reached after the meeting Monday night, Crawford said he was pleased by Prospect Park's decision to scrap the ordinance under which he was convicted. "If I had been doing something noisy or flagrantly working - fixing somebody else's truck, for instance - it would have been a whole other deal, because I knew they had the blue laws up there," he said. "I just thought they should be a little more reasonable and a little more flexible in a situation like that." But Crawford's attorney, Lawrence S. Lustberg, an ACLU volunteer, said Monday night that it was too soon to decide whether to drop the lawsuit against the borough. "I've handled enough cases like this to know that it's not over until it's over," Lustberg said. "We would have to be satisfied that whatever ordinance that is enacted is not enacted out of religious purposes." The ACLU argues the Prospect Park ordinance is unconstitutional because it violates New Jersey laws that uphold the separation of church and state. The ordinance, written nearly 100 years ago by members of the Dutch Reformed Church founded the borough, forbids "any worldly employment or business, ordinary or servile labor or work, except works of necessity or charity, or attempt to sell, barter, or exchange any commodity or article, or play at any game or sport, on Sunday." Borough officials say the ordinance was meant to promote peace and quiet, not religion. The suit, which names De Ruiter and the Borough Council as defendants, asks that the ordinance be overturned. No monetary reward will be sought. Crawford pleaded not guilty in October, arguing there was no way the repair job could be construed as unnecessary. Without fixing the leak, he said, his truck's engine block might have cracked. Borough officials said Crawford failed to tell the police officer who issued the summons the crucial nature of the repair. Nearly 10 residents told the council on Monday that they fear for the future of the borough if the blue law is done away with. George De Ritter, 77, compared the possible repeal to the abolition of prayer in schools. "You can see the result in the schools today - drugs, sex, and liquor," De Ritter told the council. Others criticized the ACLU for suing their borough. "Is this American? Is this liberty? Is this against the Union to protect our heritage?" said Donald Van Grouw, 55. "I request that the big guy - the ACLU - stop picking on the little guy, our borough." August 17, 1991 Shopper News Mailman still making the rounds after retirement By KEN HILFMAN PROSPECT PARK - If anyone doubts there is life after retirement, just spend a little time with John DeBlock. The borough resident, 72, now works - and enjoys - three different jobs during a seven-day work week. All this, he said, after more than four decades as a letter carrier for the local branch of the U.S. Postal Service. "After a thousand games of checkers, I figured there had to be something more to life, and so I went out and got back to work," he said. DeBlock was always "people- oriented," especially during his time on the mail route in Prospect Park, where residents waited for him on the street the third day of each month to personally receive their Social Security checks, "so they could pay their rent," he said. Now DeBlock works with the campus police as a security guard and parking lot attendant at William Paterson College in Wayne. "I help the kids find a place to park, and assist them when they lock their keys in the car," he explained, smiling. He said he likes the personal contact with the students, "The kids look at me as their 'godfather' and call me 'pop-pop.' I work there mornings, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., but it does get cold up there. When it rains in Prospect Park, it snows in Wayne." When he's finished at WPC, DeBlock heads for his afternoon job, doing machine maintenance work at the Hawthorne Spring Company on Ninth Avenue in Hawthorne. On Saturdays and Sundays, DeBlock is at Kings Supermarket in Wayne where, he said, he is more than "just a front-end bagger," helping customers. Hard of hearing after his service in the U.S. Army during World War II as a result of the "big guns and noise during training," DeBlock was forced to take a "quiet job," and so became a mailman after the war. He worked out of Paterson's downtown Postal Service branch, and remembers carrying his heavy sack of mail up the hill to Prospect Park. "At that time we were allowed to take the bus, but I found I could beat the bus time by walking," he said. Asked if he ever lost any mail, he replied, "No, but one piece of mail almost got away in a great gust of wind. I chased after it for three blocks, and recovered a V-Mail letter, the kind we had during the Second World War. It was from overseas, and had to be important to someone. Also, I didn't want to ruin my record of never having lost a piece of mail." August 25, 1991 New York Times Town Debates What to Do on Sunday By Robert Hanley PROSPECT PARK, N.J, This hilly little town's strict blue law bans all work, sports, games and sales on Sunday, harking back to the state's blue law of the Revolutionary War era. The state law has been relaxed considerably over the last 220 years. Now Prospect Park's law, perhaps the most rigid in the state, is under court challenge and about to be repealed. And that has upset many of the residents of Dutch heritage here who, like their Colonial-era ancestors, and devote Sundays strictly to worship, rest and family togetherness. Officials in this suburb of Paterson in Passaic County are drafting a new anti-noise code to replace the blue law, saying the existing law is indefensible. Some residents, including those who call themselves "moderate Hollanders," favor the change, saying it will preserve Sunday quiet and allow flower planting, car washing and house painting without risking an aggrieved neighbor's admonition or call to the police. But the most devout among Prospect Park's 5,000 residents are embittered. They argue that the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed the lawsuit, has intruded in their community and jeopardized their way of life. And they are disturbed that the seven-member Town Council, without any public outcry for relaxing the law, has ignored their pleas to fight the suit. The Legal Challenge The suit charges that the law promotes religion, violates constitutional separation of church and state and invades residents' privacy by regulating their Sunday activities at home. "The context of it was to make people go to church," said Lawrence S. Lustberg, a lawyer representing the A. L.C.U. "That's all it permits." Michael Laman, a 51-year-old carpenter, called the A.C.L.U. "totally against anything of religious origin." He added: "The blue law, so to speak, is in accordance with God's word in Scripture not to do work on the Sabbath- bath. That is our heritage. We lose sight of our heritage, we lose the fiber of our society and nation." The suit lists two plaintiffs: Robert Crawford, a carpenter from Fair Lawn who received a summons for fixing a split radiator hose on a Sunday last September while visiting his daughter here, and paid a $15 fine, and Michaelene Loughlin, a Prospect Park resident who is a law professor at Seton Hall University. The suit says she relaxes on Sunday by washing her windows, gardening and moving her furniture and one Sunday, a neighbor told her the activities were illegal. But she never was cited. A Defensible Ordinance "We will not have a blanket prohibition against games or sport," said Gordon Meyer, the town's lawyer. "We're enacting a new ordinance that will be completely defensible." So, what will be legal on future Sundays? Until the noise level is set, officials offer only a few examples. Painting a house will not be restricted, but operating a wood chipper will," Mr. Meyer said. "Changing sparkplugs on a car will be permitted," said Al Marchitto, the Council President. "But banging out a dented fender will not. "I think we're going to essentially remain the same kind of community." AUGUST 27, 1991 The Record Prospect Park abolishes blue law .Lawsuit hastens end of century-old tradition A century-old tradition passed into history Monday night in Prospect Park, and Donald Van Grouw wanted nothing to do with the change. Reading from a pad of notes scrawled in pencil, Van Grouw, 55, pleaded with the Borough Council to reconsider its move to repeal the town's ban on work and playing sports on Sunday. "I've lived here for 53 years. Now I see things in the borough that I thought would never happen," Van Grouw said Monday, moments before the council voted unanimously to overturn the nearly 100-year-old ordinance, challenged earlier this month in a lawsuit died by the American Civil Liberties Union. "Every town in New Jersey has a certain character and a certain uniqueness," he said. "The uniqueness of Prospect Park is that we're a quiet town." Van Grouw was one of about 40 residents who argued that the town was being too hasty about abandoning the blue law, written nearly a century ago by members of the Dutch Reformed Church who founded the tiny borough of fewer than 5,500 residents. The ordinances forbids "any worldly employment or business, ordinary or servile labor or work, except works of necessity or charity, or attempt to sell, barter, or exchange any commodity or article, or play at any game or sport, on Sunday." The ACLU's suit, challenging the constitutionality of the ban, was filed on Aug. 1 in state Superior Court on behalf of Robert Crawford, a Fair Lawn man fined $10 last year for fixing a leaky radiator hose in his disabled truck on a Sunday. The ACLU has argued that the Prospect Park ordinance is unconstitutional because it violates New Jersey laws that uphold the separation of church and state. Borough officials say the ordinance was meant to promote peace and quiet, not religion. The suit, which names Mayor Fred De Ruiter and the Borough Council as defendants, asks that the ordinance be overturned. No monetary award was sought. "You have to realize that when it comes to church and state and prayer, our hands are tied," Councilwoman Betty Van Eeuwen said Monday. "I don't want you to think we are being flippant or rude. We are very concerned." Claire Furber, 29, was the sole resident to speak out in favor of the repeal. Because of the Sunday work ban, Furber said, she and her husband had only Saturdays to paint their house. "It took us 4 and a half months to paint our house," she said. "It's ridiculous.'. "Hire a painter," a supporter of the blue law shouted in response. Borough Attorney Gordon Meyer assured residents that the council planned to draft a new ordinance prohibiting Sunday sales and another banning excessive noise on Sundays in an attempt to maintain Prospect Park's tradition of quiet Sundays. A Sunday sales ban also would require voter approval in a boroughwide referendum in November, which the council has already authorized. Meyer said the revised law will not. prohibit work or playing sports on Sundays unless they generate excessive noise. Reached by telephone Monday night Crawford's attorney, Lawrence S. Lustberg, an ACLU volunteer, said he would have to review the new ordinances before deciding whether to drop the law-suit. "Obviously, repealing the old ordinance is a very positive first step," he said. "But there's no way of knowing what's going to be enacted in its place." Crawford could not be reached for comment Monday. Crawford pleaded not guilty in October, arguing there was no way the repair job could be construed as unnecessary. If he hadn't fixed the leak, he said, his truck's engine block might have cracked. Borough officials said Crawford did not tell the police officer who issued the summons the crucial nature of the repair. August 27, 1991 Herald & News So much for never on Sunday Prospect Park council lifts longstanding bans By Alllson lnserro PROSPECT PARK - Citizens are now free to tether their horses to posts on borough sidewalks. Prohibitions against tethering horses - as well as the bans on performing "ordinary or servile labor" and playing games and sports on Sunday that prompted a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union - were swept away Monday night by the Borough Council. But before the council voted unanimously to repeal the "Peace and Good Order" ordinance, which was written around the turn of the century and last revised in 1945, some residents protested the change. "Give me a straight answer: Will the ordinance prohibit lawn mowers on Sunday?" Paul Greendyk asked Borough Attorney Gordon Meyer. Greendyk said he was worried that a new ordinance, which will focus on noise restrictions, won't go far enough to keep Sundays peaceful. Meyer said the new ordinance may be introduced in a few weeks and cannot prohibit individual activities around a person's home, including lawn mowing. Greendyk and other speakers said it was the borough's renters, not homeowners, who violated the Sunday rules. "If I'm going to have noisy racket, I'm not going to stay in this town," Donald Van Grouw said. "I might decide to rent to every Tom, Dick and Harry." When Van Grouw asked the 30 people in the audience if anyone was in favor of changing the ordinance, one woman spoke up. "It took us 4 and a half months to paint the house," said Claire Ferber, complaining that because she and her husband work, painting was restricted to Saturday. "That's ridiculous." Voters will decide in a November referendum if they want to continue the tradition of keeping stores closed Sunday. Stores may open on Sunday in the few weeks between the effective date of the ordinance's repeal and the election. The ACLU said the old ordinance was designed to force people to go to church on Sunday by prohibiting every other activity. Lawrence S. Lustberg, a Newark attorney handling the case for the ACLU, said he'd have to wait to see if the new ordinance is constitutional before deciding whether to drop the suit. The suit was brought on behalf of Robert Crawford, who was fined $10 for fixing a leaky radiator hose on a Sunday. September 2, 1991 Herald & News No longer any quiet Sundays By Jennifer Delson PROSPECT PARK - Anywhere else, it would have been just another Sunday. A teen mowed his lawn, some boys played catch and a woman fastened clothes to a line. But in Prospect Park, where six days ago those activities were illegal on Sundays, these Labor Day weekend ventures set a precedent. Some residents say an Aug. 26 Borough Council vote to end blue laws that prohibited sports and outdoor chores on Sundays are ushering modern times into this sleepy suburb of Paterson. "It's the 1990s. It's time for a change," said borough resident Thomas Kosch, who was mowing his family's lawn. "A lot of people work on Saturdays, or they want to rest on Saturdays and do things on Sundays." Kosch said he called the Police Department before cranking up the mower to make sure he wouldn't get a summons. His mother, Judy, was washing the windows, another activity once against the law. Around the corner, Kazem Njook set up a ladder to work on his house. "The law was no good. If you got stuck with your car on the street, you couldn't fix it. Everyone can work in America when they want," the Syrian immigrant said. But a week ago that was not the case in Prospect Park. Robert Crawford, whose car broke down, was fined $10 for fixing a leaky radiator hose on a Sunday. He contacted the American Civil Liberties Union, which brought a lawsuit against the borough. Seven days ago, the "Peace and Good Order" ordinance was unanimously overturned by the council, which is considering an ordinance that would place restrictions on noise. Resident Elaine Acquaire, who hung her wash out to dry, said she hopes the council passes a law that will make Prospect Park's chirping cicadas among its loudest residents on Sundays. Filling the clothes line, waxing the car and cleaning windows are acceptable, but loud mowers and boisterous ball players should take Sundays off. she said. "I think it's OK if they allow the stores to open - anything that doesn't disturb anyone else. It should be quiet one day a week," said Acquaire, a borough resident for 10 years. But at least part of the borough's future thinks differently. "This town is a little weird," said Chris Williamson, a 12 year old who was playing catch with his friend, Pable Drexler, 11. "In Haledon and Hawthorne, you could play ball (on Sundays) but never here. The cops would tell us about the blue laws. It was so, so boring. But now we can play." September 4, 1991 Beer, rockets do in press box in Haledon By Allison Inserro HALEDON - An apparent combination of beer and bottle rockets turned the press box on the football field at Manchester Regional High School into a pile of rubble, leaving open the question of where the first home football game of the year will be played. "We're going to do something to insure that home games are played," Falcons football coach Ken Pengitore said Tuesday. The burning of the press box, which housed the announcers and any press in attendance, also damaged some bleachers. Two men were arrested last week and charged with criminal mischief and criminal trespass. Erdman Martin 4th, of Haledon Avenue, Haledon, and Kurt Bookholt of Prospect Park said they were drinking beer and setting off bottle rockets on the field just before the press box caught fire, said Haledon Police Detective James Len. The fire was discovered by police at about 12:50 a.m. on Aug. 28. Patrolman Mohammad Abaza questioned Martin and Bookholt, who were on the street near the school and appeared drunk, police said. Later in the day, Bookholt came in for further questioning by Len, and Martin surrendered, police said. They were released on their own recognizance. Pengitore, who said both men are former students of the school, said something temporary could probably be done so that the announcers can still see and describe the first game of the season which is scheduled for Sept. 21 against Midland Park. September 11, 1991 Herald & News Man faces new sex charges By Diane Haines A Prospect Park man already charged with fondling a 12-year old boy was accused Tuesday by the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl. It is alleged that the defendant, Edgardo Heriberto Madrid, 32, of Struyk Avenue, befriended both victims during the summer. Madrid was arrested on Sunday by North Haledon Police and charged with assaulting the Prospect Park boy on Friday in the former Braen Quarry in North Haledon near the Hawthorne boarder. The 100-acre quarry and lake is now owned by APA Transport. Madrid is accused of sexually attacking the 13-year-old Prospect Park girl on July 29 in Hofstra Park, which is located in Prospect Park. The quarry and the park are adjacent to each other. Assistant Prosecutor Arthur G. Margeotes said Madrid is accused of sexually penetrating a child. He said the offense is punishable with a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. Margeotes said Madrid's first contact with the girl was on an unspecified date in July when he allegedly kissed her in a hay field near a red house. Margeotes said Madrid became friendly with a group of youngsters - including the two victims - by swimming and talking to them during the summer. A friend of the boy who was allegedly assaulted complained to authorities, Margeotes said. He said the investigation led to information about the alleged attack on the girl. Madrid, a native of Honduras, is being held in the Passaic County Jail in lieu of $150,000 bail. September 24, 1991 The Record Taps run dry for 25,000 By Jeffrey Page and Devin Leonard Art Weissman and Justo Bautista contributed to this article. A state-hired contractor removing tainted soil in Paterson ruptured a giant water main Monday, spewing water into the nearby Pasaaic River and halting service for nearly 25,000 customers in the city and Prospect Park, officials said. By 11 p.m. Monday, nearly eight hours after the main began spurting water throughout the industrial area, service was restored to most homes and businesses, said Wendell H. Inhoffer, the general superintendent of the Pasaaic Valley Water Commission. But Inhoffer cautioned that full pressure was not expected until today, at the earliest. "It's a monumental problem," Inhoffer said late Monday night at the floodlighted site, noting that crews still had not been able to reach the ruptured line, which remained buried under 15 feet of water, tainted dirt, and concrete. A command post was established three blocks away. Because of the threat posed by the presence in the soil of xylene, a suspected carcinogen. Inhoffer recalled his crews from the site, with its small factories and narrow streets, to decide how to proceed. "There's no way our men can work in this environment," he said. "The air quality is atrocious." But Inhoffer stressed there was no threat that the xylene would enter the Passaic Valley water system. Xylene, an inflammable liquid solvent, is used in gasoline and air fresheners and can irritate the eyes, nose, and throat, damage fetuses and bone marrow, and cause memory loss. The main water transmission line, which serves the Riverside neighborhood of Paterson and half of Prospect Park, was severed at about 3 p.m., prompting Paterson to station five out-of-town tankers in the area to handle any fire emergencies. Fears were realized shortly after 11 p.m., when a fire broke out at a North Second Street house, an area where pressure was lowest. Inhoffer said crews quickly raised the pressure by closing valves, enabling firefighters to douse the blaze without injury. "Anything having to do with water is major," said Mayor William J. Pascrell Jr., noting that the rupture caused serious problems for his city and Prospect Park. Inhoffer said the contractor, whose name was not available late Monday, was retained by the state Department of Environmental Protection and Energy to remove the xylene-tainted soil from the former Witco Chemical site at Shady and Lowe streets. The company closed about a year ago, he said. Water from the broken 36-inch steel main filled the 100-square- foot wide, 15-foot-deep excavation site and spilled into the Passaic River and nearby storm drains, Inhoffer said. Paterson Fire Chief John Mauro said customers affected by the break were in an area bounded by the Passaic River, Third Avenue, Eighth Avenue, and East 22nd Street in the city. The break spelled problems for about 900 homes east of North Ninth Street in Prospect Park, a borough of 5,000 people in northwestern Passaic County, Mayor Fred De Ruiter said. De Ruiter said officials had warned residents in the western part of the borough to restrict water use because their water comes from a tower near Hofstra Park, which is also fed by the broken main. The waterless hours proved only a minor inconvenience for many Paterson and Prospect Park residents and business people. But several said they may no longer take water for granted. At George's Pizzeria on River Street in Paterson, shop owner George lacobelli said he had no water to make spaghetti or to clean up. "I couldn't make my dough today because the water was brown," lacobelli said. But lacobelli said his business didn't suffer because he used dough he made Sunday for pizzas and other food items. "It [the crisis] passed rather quickly, but it was a shock when you realize how much you depend on water," said a resident of North Seventh Street in Prospect Park, who drove to a relative's home in North Haledon to get water. "I couldn't do the laundry; I couldn't do the dishes," she said. "It was no big deal," said Sarah Loutsan of North Eighth Street in Prospect Park. "I just couldn't take a shower when I got home." Because they couldn't cook, the family ordered out for food, she said. "Thank goodness for moms," said Pater Malone of North Ninth Street, Prospect Park, who traveled five miles to his mother's home in Glen Rock to take a shower. "We were amazed it got fixed so fast; we thought it would be out until Thursday." Malone said an official drove through the neighborhood informing residents over a loudspeaker that the water would soon be restored but, in the meantime, they had to conserve. "There was no water to conserve." Malone said. October 11, 1991 Herald & News Many mourn death of devout Dutchman By Elaine Pofeldt Nadya Kubofcik didn't know his name, but she knew he was missing from the Triangle Diner on Thursday morning. The tall, slender man sat in the same booth every morning, 'ordered the "No. 3 Special" and read the newspaper. As he ate his scrambled eggs and drank his orange juice and water, he would often joke with the manager and the waitresses. Kubofcik wasn't sure at first if the mail handler who was shot Thursday morning at the Ridgewood Post Office was her regular customer and neighbor from across North Seventh Street in Prospect Park. The truth dawned on her when she asked if the 59-year-old victim was Dutch. "No!" she cried when she learned he was. Her eyes filled with tears as she wrote a check. "I gave him his last coffee yesterday," she said. "I've got chills." Neighbors and acquaintances said Joseph VanderPaauw was a Dutch immigrant who attended church twice each Sunday. "He was a very gentle, kind and devout person, and he loved the Lord," said the Rev. Stephen Steenstra of the First Christian Reform Church in Haledon. Steenstra said VanderPaauw, who worked at the post office for about seven years, had been in the congregation for about 25 years and that he had come to the United States from the Netherlands with his parents. The pastor said the postal worker cared for his elderly mother until her death about a year and a half ago. Neighbors said he housed his disabled brother in the home where he lived for 25 years. They often saw the well-groomed bachelor carefully tending the potted flowers he placed in neat rows on his property. He took pride In his shiny Dodge Aries, often washing it in the driveway. Neighbors said he parked it carefully, opening the door to check for oncoming cars and guiding it without looking in the rearview mirror. They said the news of his murder in the first floor of the post office - allegedly at the hands of a Navy veteran - seemed unreal Thursday morning. The phone rang eerily inside the VanderPaauw home all through the morning. The light burned above the front door. The trash can sat at the curb. And bags of potting soil lay at the end of his driveway. One neighbor said she was listening to a transistor radio she keeps under her pillow during a bout of insomnia early Thursday when she heard the news. A mass murder had taken place at the Ridgewood Post Office and a private home in Wayne. "I thought of him," the neighbor said, But she put it out other mind until she learned it was her neighbor who had been killed. "I don't think it has registered yet," she said. She shook her head as her eyes moistened with tears. "He has a whole bunch of potted plants I guess he was gonna put in, and they're just sitting there," she said. Another neighbor, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said she shook hands with VanderPaauw Sunday evening at their church, where the sign on the lawn proclaims, "Seasons change. Christ endures." October 30, 1991 Herald & News Prospect Park adjusts 'blue laws' By Allison lnserro PROSPECT PARK - You can mow your lawn after 12 p.m. on Sunday. But noisy construction work is prohibited. That's what the Prospect Park Borough Council decided when it unveiled its new noise control ordinance. The council drafted the ordinance in the wake of a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union over the community's blue laws. The ordinance was introduced on Monday and faces a public hearing on Nov. 25. A staff attorney for the ACLU, Lisa Glick Zucker. said she thinks the ordinance still has some problems. "We're trying to please our residents, not so much the ACLU," said Mayor Frederick J. DeRuiter. "Our residents vote, the ACLU doesn't." The ACLU filed suit this summer, claiming the conviction of a Fair Lawn man who fixed his car on a Sunday was unconstitutional. Before the "peace and good order" ordinance in August, all Sunday work was prohibited. But the community still needs a day for "quiet and rest," according to the ordinance. And it should be one which is "regarded by the greatest number of citizens as most appropriate." It specifies noise limits during night hours during the week and on Sundays. Painting and moving is allowed on Sunday-unless the noise disturbs the neighbors, said De Ruiter and Council President Alfred Marchitto. Noise is defined as any sound which endangers health and safety or personal or real property or disturbs "a reasonable person of normal sensitivities." Zucker said parts of the ordinance sound constitutionally vague, such as defining 'normal sensitivities" and "unusual yelling." "What this basically does is say if I'm sitting on my lawn on a say if I'm sitting on my lawn on a Sunday and you're singing and playing the radio and you're bugging me, I can call the Prospect Park Police Department on you," said Zucker. Zucker said she thought it was unusual that there are no decibel levels specified. The ordinance also does not distinguish between commercial and private activities, she said. And she still thinks restricting landscaping and ground maintenance to after 12 p.m. on Sunday is to allow people to go to church. Marchitto said there is no decibel level specified because it would be too difficult to enforce since it would require someone being on the scene with a meter. He said he thought Zucker was "looking for a needle in a haystack." "We're talking about peace and quiet," he said. "We're not talking about going to church." Should the ACLU challenge any part of this ordinance, I'm prepared to take it as far as the judicial system will allow," he said. Next week voters will also decide if they want stores open on Sunday. But that was not a part of the ACLU lawsuit. November 2, 1991 Herald & News Two men arrested in thefts from cars Police arrested two men early Friday in Pompton Lakes after an officer allegedly saw them tampering with several parked vehicles. Walter Quezada, 20, of Prospect Park and Jose Pagon, 21, of Paterson were charged with theft from a motor vehicle and possession of stolen, property. Among the items they allegedly took were a powersaw and several car radios. Patrolman Ronald Barnicle saw one of the suspects near a parked car on Broad Street at 2:l8 a.m. Patrolman George Lucietto helped him make the arrest. November 5, 1991 Herald & News Dems push hard in Prospect Park By Allison Inserro PROSPECT PARK - A quick drive around the borough shows more signs for the two Democratic challengers than in other neighboring towns. But one of the Republican incumbents they're going up against is Council President Alfred Marchitto, who has been on the Borough Council for 17 years. Marchitto, seeking his seventh term, said he is running on his track record. "What I'm pushing for is efficiency in government," said Marchitto, who refused to reveal his age, describing himself as a senior citizen over the age of 65. Two months ago, he said, the borough entered a cooperative purchasing agreement with Passaic County to save on bulk items such as road salt. "Prospect Park is going to have to deal with major fiscal demands," said Marchitto, a lifelong resident who has two children and four grandchildren. He lives with his wife Betty on North 17th Street. Florence Massaro, of North 7th Street, is the wife of Nick Massaro, the borough Democratic leader. She and Khalil Kasht, 39, of Struyk Avenue, want the council seats now occupied by Marchitto and Republican Councilwoman Antoinette Atie, who was appointed to fill the vacancy created when Frederick De Ruiter was elected mayor last year. Massaro, a retired supervisor with New Jersey Bell, also refused to disclose her age, saying she is over 60. She has lived in Prospect Park since 1954 and ran for office twice, but lost. She said she wants to start a neighborhood crime-watch program; make more improvements to Hofstra Park, such as adding an emergency telephone; and see if there is any place left in the borough for an additional playground. Kasht, 39, said he also wants a crime-watch program and would use surplus money to hire more police officers. A native of Jordan, although his nationality is Circassian, Kasht has lived in the borough since 1975. He is a supervisor at Gestetner Co. and is a member of the Circassian Benevolent Association in Wayne. He and his wife Maryann have three children. Atie, 39, said her biggest concerns are keeping property taxes down and encouraging recycling. A native of Lebanon, she has lived in the borough for 11 years. She and her husband Pete have two children. Michelle, 22, is a member of the Manchester High School Board of Education and her son Charlie, 19, is a college student and a special police officer in the borough. November 6, 1991 GOP incumbents keep Prospect Park seats by Diana M. Rojas PROSPECT PARK - Republican incumbents Alfred Marchitto and Antoinette Atie held their Borough Council seats on Tuesday night. Marchitto topped the ticket with 809 votes, followed by Atie with 791. Although he admits he was somewhat apprehensive that the newer residents in town wouldn't know his track record, Marchitto said he had expected his victory. "I feel very encouraged and thankful that the citizenry has given a vote of confidence to continue as I have in the past," he said Tuesday night from his home. Atie, who celebrated her victory at the Bethwood in Totowa, said she also had expected to win. Democratic challengers Florence Massaro received 520 votes and Khalil Kasht finished with 476 votes. Prospect Park voters also defeated a referendum which would have made it legal for stores to be open on Sunday. The Borough Council put the referendum on the ballot after it repealed the local "peace and good order" ordinance in August. That ordinance - dating from the turn of the century when the town was dominated by religious Dutch immigrants - banned all Sunday work, including commercial sales, construction and many household chores. November 19, 1991 Herald & News Man, 85, tried to save dog in Prospect Park home fire By Rita Malley PROSPECT PARK - Yelling, "Where's my dog?" an 85-year-old man tried to run into a burning building to rescue his Lhasa Apso, but police stopped him from risking his life. The story still may have a happy ending: Both man and dog are alive. Ginger, the 8-year-old canine, suffered smoke inhalation and spent Monday night at the Oradell Animal Hospital. The owner, Arthur DeVoe of 36 Planten Ave., spent the night with relatives at a motel because the home was badly damaged. DeVoe said Ginger is in critical condition. "We love that dog," DeVoe said. "She's one of the family, I'd do anything to save her if I could." "He was in front yelling fire.'" said Police Sgt. Fred Schwaner. "Then he ran for the dog." But Schwaner kept him from the burning building. Family members said Ginger ran back into the burning house, thinking DeVoe's wife was still inside. DeVoe then tried to run after the dog. "I was ready to try," DeVoe said. "But I couldn't make it. The smoke was so thick." Ginger was found lying in front of the DeVoe's room. DeVoe had just returned home from a dialysis treatment at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Paterson. He took out his hearing aids and was lying on the couch when the fire broke out, he said. "I heard that smoke detector and suddenly I smelled smoke," DeVoe said. November 21,1991 Hawthorne Press Councilwoman Wilma Shay resigns in Prospect Park Prospect Park - Citing increased personal and family pressures. Councilwoman Wilma Shay has resigned her position, effective December 31. Shay is the second council member to resign within the past month. Councilman Dan Pagano resigned in October and James De Ritter was appointed to fill the vacancy. Pagano sold his house and moved from the borough. Shay's husband, the Rev. James Shay died suddenly in February, a situation which she says has increased her family responsibilities. "1 didn't want to make any quick changes," says the councilwoman. "But I now find that 1 need to spend more time with my daughter, Emily." Shay said she decided at the end of the year to give the rest of the council enough time to fill the vacancy. "I also wanted to finish the work I started on the borough's emergency management plan," she said pledging to continue typing the elements of the plan if it is not completed when she leaves. "I enjoyed my time on the council," said Shay. "The council worked well together this year. It was a very cooperative atmosphere." Her feelings were echoed by council President Al Marchitto who served with Shay on the ordinance and police committees. A Republican, Marchitto said his Democratic colleague had worked well with the rest of the council. Since Shay is a Democrat, by law, her replacement must be someone of the same party. Borough Democratic Leader Nick Massaro has the right to submit to the council the names of three Democrats for consideration. The successful candidate has to receive a majority of the votes from council members to be appointed the vacancy. December 18, 1991 The Record Grappling for equality Teen goes to the mat to compete with boys By Tom Toolen The blood gushed from Amy Perlmutter's nose as her face was slammed to the ground. But Perlmutter, all 5 feet and 103 pounds of her, didn't give up. She spun free and took down her attacker with a lunge that buckled his legs. This is a story not of a mugging, but of a wrestling match at Manchester Regional High School in Haledon. Perlmutter, a 14-year-old freshman, is the only female high school wrestler in Pasaaic County. She made history Tuesday when she challenged senior Mark Francisco, 17, for a spot on the varsity squad. She lost, 12-0, but coach Buster Pellegrino predicted she'll make the varsity "sooner or later." "She's an outstanding athlete, and I am proud of her effort," Pellegrino said after the match. "We've scrimmaged other teams, and the coaches couldn't believe how good she is. She's a legitimate 103-pounder and bench-presses 115 pounds." Perlmutter, a Haledon resident who has been wrestling since the age of 8, was not shaken by the loss. Wiping blood from her nose, she said calmly: "There will be other matches. I'm just happy that I was allowed to compete on an equal level." It was obvious that her teammates on the junior varsity - and her potential teammates on the varsity - admire Perlmutter, who trains as hard as the boys. "Hey, she has guts," said assistant coach Ron Jones, .noting that she had been weakened by a bout with the flu. "Just last week, she was flat on her back. If she hadn't been sick, it would have been a closer contest today." There was also praise for Francisco, who said he wasn't intimidated by wrestling a female. "A lot of guys would not have consented to wrestle a girl for macho reasons, just in case they lost," said Tim Stinson, an 18-year-old senior. Pellegrino made just that point before the 3 p.m. match. "I want to commend Mark Francisco, who could have turned down the match and could have asked us not to have the press here," the coach said. "He is a class person." Perlmutter, who changes in the trainer's room at Manchester, is no stranger to the world of male athletics. She also has played the infield on boys baseball teams in Haledon. "I never felt there was any competition playing softball with girls," she said. "I just like the competition." Her parents, Paula and Meyer, have encouraged her zeal for wrestling, she said. She has two brothers and one sister - "none of whom like to wrestle." Pellegrino said there have been times when some members of the varsity squad turned down a chance to compete against Perlmutter. "I told my kids that there's nothing to be embarrassed about, because she's a wrestler," the coach said. "She is that good. She just happens to be a girl." Photos by Ed Hill, The Record

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