The Prospect Park Police Department has been selected for a National
Highway Safety Administration Chiefs' Challenge Award for encouraging
the use of safety belts.

Its goal is to encourage safety belts use and to reward those
achieving 70% plus use rate among a targeted population.

The Prospect Park police qualified for this award by conducting two
unannounced seat belt observational surveys during 1994. The results
of each survey showed an average of 75% use of seat belts of drivers observed.
"Research shows that the use of seat belts has a significant effect on
reducing deaths and injuries in automobile accidents", said Police Chief
George Faso.

Faso said the local department made a commitment to educate the public
by distributing flyers that detail the advantages of uses seat belts.
Between May and September 1994, 50 summonses were issued for not using
seat belts to motorists who had been stopped for other motor vehicle
offenses. This compares to 19 citations given in the same period during
1993. The surveys were conducted by officers under direction of Sgt.
Fred Schwaner.

Numerous natinal studies prove that safety belts reduce the risk of serious
injury or death by nearly 50%. The economic impact of these deaths and
injuries is estimated at $137 billion annually.

The award will be presented at a police leadership conference in
Callicoon, New York later this month.

THREE NEW OFFICERS ON PATROL

Three Prospect Park police officers graduated from the Passaic County
Police Academy last week and began patrol in the borough on Monday.
Police Chief George Faso reported that Ptl. Shawn Mitchell was first in
academics among the class. Ptl. Richard Heyman and Ptl. William Rausch
also did well.

Superintendent Thomas V. Vannatta scans his modest, cramped offices and
sees enough room for two small classrooms.

It's not often that the head of a school district considers giving up
his office. But space is a precious commodity at the crowded, 90-year old
school, which is operating at maximum capacity.

Vannatta says the ability to create space and keep class sizes from growing
hinges on passage of the proposed 1995-1996 school budget.

He said the $4.2 million budget for the borough's only school needs to
exceed the state-imposed cap on property-tax-supported spending increases
by $353,000. The 1994-1995 budget is $3.6 million.

To cover the portion of spending above the cap - which needs the approval
of the state Education Department - taxes on a home assessed at $150,000,
the borough average, would have to rise by $110 a year.

The proposed increase would cover rising special-education costs, add
2 and a half teaching positions, maintain class sizes, and add a vice
principal. It also would pay for an $18,000 repair to the roof of the
American Legion Hall on 8th Street - a building donated by the veterans
group - where the superintendent's office is to be relocated.

"We are running out of space, and we need to get a waiver from the state,"
Vannatta said, adding that an influx of students in recent years has
resulted in crowded classrooms. Last year, the shop and home economics
classes were canceled to convert the space into classrooms.

The weathered, red-brick building has been expanded piecemeal since it
was erected in 1913. Three years ago, a $700,000 cafeteria extension was
built. The board has considered the idea of building additions, but trustees
say they doubt that the taxpayers can afford million-dollar expenditures.

Vannatta said enrollment has increased from 400 students five years ago
to 670 today.

Overall, the superintendent said, the changes in the school's population
illustrate the transformation of the old Dutch town by an influx of Latino
and Middle Eastern families from Paterson and South Paterson.
Also contributing to the enrollment boom are large numbers of children
from multiple families illegally living together in single-family homes,
Vannatta said.

The budget also has been driven up by special-education costs. "One year
ago, we had eight or nine special-education students, now we have 18", he said.
Board President Al Demarest supports the proposal to exceed the state cap.
"We have no choice but to go over cap, or we are going to have 35 to 40
kids in each class," Demarest said.

But board Vice President John Vander Molen said there is room to prune
the budget. He suggests, for example, elimination of a vice principal post.
"There is no padding whatsoever," Vannatta Said. "I know the town can't
afford to build new buildings, but getting the budget passed will help us
deal with this growth."

Members of a Paterson police task force caught an alledged armed robber
moments after he shot at and missed a victim early Wednesday, police said.
The officers also recovered a credit card machine and blank receipts,
along with a crack pipe and other drug paraphernalia.

The victim was not injured in the attack, which occurred shortly before
1 a.m. Wednesday at a city park off East Main Street, Detective Captain
Fred Holt said.

Sgt. Robert Drace and Patrolman John Maes, working a special anti-crime
assignment, were in an unmarked car near the park when they saw the suspect,
Keith Hill, 25, of Prospect Park, get out of a 1976 Ford LTD and approached
the victim in the park, Holt said.

Suddenly, they said, Hill drew a pair of handguns - one in each hand -
and fired a single shot from one of them, missing the 32-year-old victim.
"It was like the wild west," Holt said.

As people scattered, the officers chased and caught Hill, who had tossed
away the guns, a six-shot revolver and a .22-caliber pistol.

They charged Hill with aggravated assault with a handgun and several
illegal weapons counts, as well as possession of drug paraphernalia, which
included bags used in packaging cocaine.

Detectives were investigating the source of the credit card machine and
blank receipts, which Holt said they found in Hill's car.

Police did not file attempted robbery complaints because they could not
obtain information from the victim, who Holt said has refused to cooperate.

Faced with few ratables and too many residents opposed to new taxes,
Passaic County's smallest borough has adopted a $2.4 million budget, said
Mayor Al Marchitto. Marchitto said the new budget, up $47,164 from last
year, will not require a tax increase because the town is spending $200,000
from its surplus. The budget was adopted Monday. "We were fortunate we
didn't have to cut anything down and we maintained our essential services,"
he said. "We just cannot keep raising taxes because it hits the residents
directly." He added that the town does not have enough large commercial or
industrial taxpayers to absorb a tax increase.

Marchitto said he is upset that the borough was denied state discretionary
aid even though the state lists Prospect Park among New Jersey's 100 most
distressed municipalities. "We were advised [by the state] that we were not
entitled to discretionary funds because other municipalities were in more
need than we are," he said. Councilman Paul Laman, the finance committee
chairman, said the budget will pay for a new pickup truck for the Department
of Public Works and create another part-time building inspector's position.
"We need additional staffing to keep a closer eye on homes owned by
absentee landlords," he said, expressing concern that the town's
urbanization would devalue home prices. "It's a snowballing effect. We want
to make sure homes are kept in good condition."

In days long gone, when many borough residents were of Dutch descent, it
was not uncommon to see residents with soapy sponges in hand scrubbing their
porches and sidewalks. Today, officials claim that the sense of pride in home
and borough is disappearing as older generations die out and their children
turn family homes into profitable rentals.

"The absentee landlords are a significant element in the degradation of the
town and the urbanization of the town," said Councilman Paul W. Laman.
"The renter doesn't have a vested interest, and it is eroding Prospect Park".
Laman estimated that up to half the borough's 1,000 homes are owned by
absentee landlords, compared with just a small percentage of such
arrangements in the past. As for the effect, Laman said, once people
voluntarily cleaned streets; now a hired building inspector enforces lawn
mowing and trash collection. "One old lady moves out, one urban family moves
in with six rowdy kids," Laman said. "You can figure out what happens."
Mayor Alfred J. Marchitto said that, along with the problems of improper
maintenance and flimsy tenant screenings, absentee landlords have either
ignored or are unaware that some tenants are illegally housing other
families. Among other things, the mayor said, these illegal families have
helped swell the school population to the point that there may be a need
for additional space. Laman traces the increased numbers of absentee
landlords to children of the older generation growing up, finding good jobs
and buying homes in more exclusive municipalities.

When the parents die, the children rent the homes to those with the most
money, not necessarily with the best character.

"What we see - and not all, of course - is that there could be a number of
these out-of-town landlords only concerned with investment and not with how
it could impact seriously on the quality of life in our town," the mayor said.
In fact, one federal Housing and Urban Development program encourages
landlords to open their rentals to low-income families by offering to pay
$1,000 in rent. A telling sign of the urban encroachment on suburbia is
the "For Sale" signs on the lawns of 145 homes. "That," Laman said, "says
to me whoever's left is moving out and giving it over to the city."

School board President Al Demarest doesn't have a crystal ball, but he sees
hard times ahead for the district. If enrollment increases, Demarest
predicts that the K-8 district may run out of cash in the latter part of
the 1996 school year. The school has 670 pupils, but he did not know how
many new students are expected in the fall. "We are not going to have
enough money because all our line items are budgeted for just what we
needed," Demarest said. A sharp increase in enrollment could force the
school to enlarge classes, and could clean out its reserves, he said. If
that happened, the district would have to apply to the state Department
of Education for emergency funds.

"I don't want to hear the parents say that the classes are too large next
year," Demarest said. Some classes, he said, could have up to 40 pupils.
Many classes now have about 30 pupils. The Borough Council recently
approved the district's $4 million 1995-96 budget, which voters rejected
in April. The budget's tax levy is $1.7 million, which means the owner of
a $150,000 home, the borough average, will pay an additional $70 in school
taxes this year. Voters also rejected a $94,562 request to exceed the
state-mandated cap on spending increases. To keep school taxes low,
Demarest said, the district used $300,000 from its surplus account,
leaving it with $90,000 in reserves. Demarest said the waiver that voters
rejected would have supported 2 and a half teaching positions and paid
for converting the superintendent's and board secretary's offices into two
small classrooms. The offices were to have been moved into a nearby
building donated by a veterans group.

Demarest credited the involvement of the Parent Teacher Association, which
raised $20,000 in the past year for field trips, school functions, and the
installation of four basketball poles and hoops. The budget, he said, did
not provide for those extras. Currently, the students do not have shop or
home economics classes because those rooms were converted into regular
classrooms. "If they thought it was bad this year, wait until next year,"
Demarest said.

..Prospect Park
...Race for 2, three-year terms
....Andrew Georgiou (I) .. 260 votes
....Pamela Eruhow ........ 242 votes

...Tax-levy referendum .... $1,776,324
.....Yes: 156 ..... No: 353

...Public Question:
....If the tax levy is approved, should a cap waiver be granted to raise an
additional $94,562?.....Yes: 138 ..... No: 355

..Manchester Regional High School
...Tax-levy referendum .... $4,680,558
.... Yes: 1,240 .... No: 1,321

...Public Question:
....Should the school district modify the method it uses to raise funds for
annual or special appropriations based on the number of students enrolled in
the district from each community?
.....Haledon, Yes: 114 ... No: 337
.....North Haledon, Yes: 1,601 ... No: 110
.....Prospect Park, Yes: 41 ... No: 467
*note: all three communities needed to vote in favor of the question for it to pass.

Mayor Alfred Marchitto said he would be willing to consider almost anything
to help the borough move into the next century without drowning in higher
taxes. Marchitto, in a wide-ranging editorial board meeting at the North
Jersey Herald & News yesterday, said he would consider regionalization
and privatization as well as other ways to cut municipal costs.
"I'm strongly in favor of regionalization and cooperative efforts" the
mayor said. "We're in a cooperative purchasing agreement with the
(Passaic) county to buy gasoline, to buy salt, and we are looking to buy
paper. "Cooperative efforts and ultimately regionalization would be "
perfect. " One of the largest burdens to the taxpayers, Marchitto said, "
is the ever-growing school budget. "As far as taxes are concerned, the
problem with stabilizing taxes is the school system," the mayor said.
"I don't think the property taxpayer is going to be able to fund the
education system in the way it needs," he said, recommending that the
district needs to examine other fund-raising methods, such as a luxary tax.
Marchitto also said a large influx of young families with children has
swollen the schools to their maximum. While he said the elementary school
needs to be expanded, there is not enough money for the construction or to
cover the extra costs in services. The new families haved turned the once
predominately Dutch, Christian community into a multicultural borough,
including a strong Arab and Muslim presence.

He said it has been a challenge to educate this mix of people so that they
can deal with the borough's basic ordinances such as recycling. But
whatever the difficulties, the mayor said, the population's diversity
adds to the borough's overall quality. "I envision Prospect Park as a
quilt and the patches of the quilt are different cultures and
nationalities, and it makes a beautiful quilt," he said. "To witness
some of the cultures, I think they are fantastic. I think they enrich
our thinking and way of life."

Hours before attending graduation ceremonies Tuesday at Prospect Park
Public School, Principal James Barriale found his car's tires slashed,
police said. Police said Barriale discovered his driver's side tires
slashed at 3:30 p.m. The car was parked on Planten Avenue, behind the
school. Police had no suspects.

A State appeals court has struck down as unconstitutional a Prospect
Park ordinance that authorizes fines for homeowners with overgrown or
weedy lawns. The state Appellate Division overturned the town's ordinance,
which is more than 20 years old, because it was considered too vague and
broad to be applied objectively.

Under the ordinance, homeowners could be fined $25 whenever lawns, hedges,
or bushes were "overgrown and unsightly," or when weeds grew more than 12
inches high. "The ordinance provision suffers the constitutional
infirmities of vagueness and overbreadth," wrote Judge Arnold M. Stein
in the court's opinion. A housing inspector usually photographs the
offending lawn, bush, or weeds, and sends a warning giving the homeowners
15 days to remedy the problem or face a fine.

Over the years, the half-square-mile town with 5,200 residents has added
many ordinances to retain its small-town flavor despite a growing number
of absentee landlords. One such non-resident landlord is Estrella
Piemontese, 50, of Pompton Lakes, who owns a two-family home on Sixth
Street. It was her fight against the town's ordinance that wound up
before the appeals court.

"I'm so happy, it was a weed against the fence, and it was not more than
12 inches," said Piemontese, a real-estate broker. "Sometimes these
ordinances are against homeowners." Mayor Al Marchitto said that he would
not comment until he could review the three page decision. The town's
case was represented by the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office, said
Gary H. Schlyen, the chief assistant prosecutor. He said the court's
decision does not force the town to repay fines.

"(Homeowners) don't have an automatic right to get their money back,"
Schlyen said. However, Schlyen said he doesn't know how the court's
decision would affect other municipalities with similar ordinances.

Councilman Paul Laman, chairman of the ordinance committee, said he was
not famaliar with the decision. But he said the ordinance will be
reviewed and revised. He added that the committee recently reviewed the
ordinance, and had proposed tougher penalties - such as community service -
for repeat offenders.

"It's very important in our town to preserve the quality of the town. To
do so we have to have some of these laws on the books," Laman said.
Piemontese said her fight began when she received a warning letter dated
August 26, 1993, to cut the grass near her driveway's concrete apron.
She said her husband, Davey, cut the grass, but two days later she
received a summons for overgrown weeds in front of the house.
"The letter they sent said nothing about the weeds," Piemontese said.
"That law was not fair," she added. "What if I was sick or too old to
cut it? Does that make me a criminal?"

Chris Vander Gaag of Prospect Park American Legion Post 240 won the
Gordon Canfield Award presented by the Passaic County American Legion
for outstanding service to the community. The award, named for the late
congressman, has been presented for 40 years. All 26 American Legion posts
in the county can nominate members. This is the second time that someone
from the post in the county's smallest municipality has received this honor.

SAM PETRECCA APPOINTED TO BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT

Sam Petrecca has been appointed to the Prospect Park Board of Adjustment
replacing Mike Grouw who resigned when he moved out of town.

Democratic leader Mary Moore assigned Thomas F.X. Magura as Democratic
co -leader.

At Prospect Park Fire Company 1, volunteer firefighter Bob Weir hopes the
new, glossy red $267,000 pumper truck won't need the constant tinkering
that the recently retired, cantankerous old machine required after 25 years
on the job. "It's like having a new car," the 28-year veteran says proudly. It
also may serve as a recruitment tool, fire officials hope. "It's not only a sign
of pride for the town, but an incentive to attract new firefighters," said Mayor
Al Marchitto. Like many suburban fire departments, Prospect Park is
struggling to attract a new generation of firefighters and retain the volunteers
it has. And fire officials are considering some innovative recruitment
techniques - including an aggresive pitch to high school seniors and a
proposal to give volunteer firefighters a property tax break - in the quest to
replenish their ranks.

The new truck was not purchased for the purpose of being a moving
advertisement, but may spark new interest in joining the department, said
Assistant Chief Hans Emker. "Somebody may see something new and they
may get interested in joining," he said. "But we are not pushing that aspect."
Councilman Jim De Ritter, who is also the fire commissioner, said the
department has about 40 active members in its fire and hose company.
Over the years, there have been dips in membership, but during planning for
the new truck over the past two years, six volunteers joined. De Ritter said
most volunteer companies face problems drawing a steady flow of
members. Both Prospect Park firehouses usually are empty during the day
because most volunteers work out of town. Borough firefighters get backup
help from Paterson, Haledon, and North Haledon. "It's hard to join a fire
department," De Ritter said, "You're a fireman 24 hours a day."

Emker, a 23-year veteran who expects to become chief next year, said he
intends to look for volunteers in some new places. "we need to bring in fresh,
new blood," he said. "I want to get to the seniors in the high schools and get
them involved. "I think people have to be educated that there is a volunteer
fire department here and volunteers are needed." But attracting volunteers is
only part of the problem, Emker said. He said the shortage of affordable
housing drives many potential volunteers out of town. "It's hard enough to
attract young people, but when they get married, its hard to find a cheap
place to live in town," Emker said. He plans to ask the council to consider a
"tax-reduction" plan that would help keep volunteers in town. He did not
elaborate on how the plan would work. The volunteer fire department raised
$200,000 several years ago to build the Fairview Avenue headquarters in
anticipation of the new truck's arrival.

De Ritter said sagging morale among volunteers was reinvigorated by the
prospect of buying a new pumper, which helped "pull them together." "This
was a spark for them," he added. Emker and De Ritter credit the volunteers
for researching the type of truck the toen needed. "They did their
homework," De Ritter said. The new truck holds up to ten firefighters inside
the cab. It has an automatic transmission and a safety feature that stops the
truck if it hits something while backing up. The Passaic County Fire
Academy purchased the borough's retired truck for $15,000, where it will be
used for training exercises. "They chose ours over other towns' because it
was in good condition," Emker said. "But the department decided to give it
up because it was too costly to repair certain parts."

Weir, 58, said volunteers are elated with their new truck. "We worked hard
to look for this truck and to put the specs together for it." He doesn't know if
the new truck will attract new members, but believes it may stir some
interest.

*Paul Laman - R(I) - 438
*William Kui - R - 416
Thomas F.X. Magura - D - 394
Will Kubofcik - D - 361

34% of the borough's registered voters cast their ballots.
858 of 2,560 registered voters.

The Prospect Park Council has passed an ordinance setting standards for
maintaining lawns. No property owner shall allow grass, weeds or other
vegetation to exceed eight inches in height.