The deadly Emerald Ash Borer has officially arrived. A bug collected in the township was positively identified this month, and ash trees across town are at risk.
West Windsor has roughly 7,000 acres of woodland. Nearly 140 of those acres are comprised of ash trees, approximately 2,000 of them, according to landscape architect Dan Dobromilsky. This is based off forestry estimates for outer coastal plain areas such as West Windsor, where two percent of woodland are ash trees.
The Shade Tree Commission started an action plan when the Emerald Ash Borer was first discovered in New Jersey last year. The state has provided a management plan, and Dobromilsky is adapting one for West Windsor that will be released by July.
“The goal is to preserve and protect valuable specimens, remove potentially hazardous trees, and replant those removed,” Dobromilsky says.
At the June 22 Council meeting, resident Jim Brennan also raised concerns regarding the deterioration of pin oak trees in town. Falling tree limbs, he said might pose a hazard to residents, and he noted oak trees wilting in the area between the Maurice Hawk School and North Post Road.
Trees on private property are to be properly maintained by owners, and under the health code the township can require property owners to address any trees that pose a hazardous condition.
According to Dobromilsky, pin oaks are susceptible to bacterial leaf scorch, a pathogen that slowly kills trees from the top down.
“The bacteria is spread from leaf hoppers, which are impossible to control,” Dobromilsky says. “The bacteria travels with the bug from tree to tree, gets into the vascular system, and the infection gums up the circulation of the tree.”
A halo effect, with leaves colored brown, yellow, and then green, is a telltale sign that an oak is infected.
#b#Bond and Capital Ordinances Introduced.#/b# Council introduced a bond ordinance totaling $3.99 million for capital improvements and a capital improvement ordinance appropriating $525,000. A public hearing for both ordinances will be held at the next Council meeting Monday, July 13.
A majority of the bonds issued will fund roadway, hazard mitigation, and municipal facility improvements, while the capital appropriations are related to the maintenance and development of open space, and funded by open space trust funds.
Liquor license. Council approved the 2015-’16 renewal of liquor licenses for two retail distributors, Wegmans and Trader Joe’s. Six retail consumption licenses were also renewed: Chili’s; TGI Fridays; Hyatt Regency; Big Fish; On the Border; and PF Chang’s.
Council also approved the transfer of the Chili’s license from Grayling Corporation to Buffalo Wild Wings, owned by AntSul-BWW VII LLC.
#b#Municipal Energy Aggregation.#/b# Municipal electricity accounts have switched over to third-party suppliers this month, a move that is expected to save the township six percent in utility expenses this year, or roughly $20,000, in comparison to purchasing electricity from utilities. The third-party agreements are for one year, with one street light electric supply agreement spanning two years.
In March the township joined the New Jersey Sustainable Energy Joint Meeting (NJSEM), participating in the co-op’s scaled-up bid for third-party electric supply. NJSEM’s bid met the township’s price threshold.
“We joined NJSEM with the interest of lowering rates, costs, and increasing green content,” says Dobromilsky, who led the initiative. “From the bids, 20 percent of the energy portfolio is from green sources. The utility company default is around 10 percent. To get more savings and more green is pretty good.”
#b#Father’s Day Food Trucks.#/b# The Food Truck Fete will return next year, according to Parking Authority board member Alison Miller. Held in the Vaughn Lot on June 21, Miller called the event a “fantastic success,” with more than 2,500 people in attendance. In particular the beer truck, sponsored by the Arts Council, was “very, very popular.”
In other news, Council approved three residents for the Zoning Board, re-appointing Virginia Manzari and Daniel Marks, and adding John Church.
Council also approved the purchase and upgrade of 911 technology equipment from KML Technologies in West Deptford for $75,000 and subsurface investigation by ACT Engineers of the recently acquired 10.4-acre parcel at 125 Penn Lyle Road for $29,500. The township will also install a 200 kilowatt backup generator at the municipal complex. The $75,000 cost is covered by a federal grant.
Business Administrator Marlena Schmid announced two upcoming resurfacing projects. Resurfacing for the municipal parking lot will be completed by end of July, and PSE&G will begin resurfacing Scott and Berrian avenues in four to six weeks.
#b#SPRAB.#/b# The Site Plan Review Advisory Board (SPRAB) reviewed the application for the Korean Community Center of Greater Princeton. The center will be a one-story building with more than 10,000 square feet, located on a 6.4-acre lot at 555 Meadow Road. In 2011 the Korean Community Center Foundation purchased the parcel from the nearby Princeton Presbyterian Church.
The Foundation is expected to return before SPRAB to answer board inquiries regarding building architecture. SPRAB also requested in writing a list of current and anticipated programs.
“The biggest question is that it is not going to be a day care center, not a formal school,” Dobromilsky says. “They told us the use is for a cultural center. They will have classes teaching language, cooking, cultural activities. It is anticipated most of the activity is on the weekends and off peak hours in the evenings.”
Educational, social, and health services for adults and children will be provided, according to program director Ki Hoon Cha, and the center is expected to be completed by 2017.
Adult services include vocational training programs, social and medical services for the elderly, and a variety of self-sufficiency programs such as art, Korean dance, history, music, and technology programs. Similar education programs will be available for children and youth, as well as an ESL tutoring program.
