IMS nurwooD btch Plains - Fanvvood tut * 3fa«K* Fk&s. » J TttoraUy. February- 26. £598...

SCOTCH PLAINS PUBLIC UBR/UtI1327 BABTLE AVErrJE

SCOTCH PLAINS, N. J, 07C75

SGI IMS (9/ nurwooD

btch Plains - Fanvvood\vnmm

tmmgr tut * 3fa«K* Fk&s. » JTttoraUy. February- 26. £598 FDFTYCEPflfS

BOARD ADOPTS SCHOOL CALENDAR WITH SEPT. 8 START DATE

Superintendent Urges BOE to SupportProposed $41.8 MOlion Budget for 1998-99

HIGHER, FASTElt-Fedcnl Attethw Adraiatarsiias {FAA J Air Traffic East-ern BEgitm Drams Mwsger Fraak Hutfirfd, right, and Tom Bock, fcft, FAA*tksp#ce Braacfc Mmasgw, in^fc»&l^^feoraa«t8nated6W<i«%dej»rtmresoat of ? w « k IslKfmsIiBaal Airport t&st w l fly higher more {gsksijr afteritkmtf aader fte 2fifl-degree taim pta .

By SVS*\ M. BYC"KMAN

SupcnmcoderaofSchoeisDTB. ChqychasaskGdthc Board of Edu-cation toappttyiesS41 .S>5.Si; tad-get for ihe ! V98-1 -My school \ sir

Ifapproved, first by she boast 'Jve."b> Union Count}- and sstc odacauc-nofficials, and. ixlurvaieh. ty ScotchPlains-Farraood voters or. Tuesdsj.A.pni 21. the budges will geserfaes~A" percent tax rats increase

In Scofch Plasm, w bee ilsaverageassessed home value is S1J S.i'Ou. rhc-proposed I99S school tax rare perS100 ofassessed value ts $ ? 1 '*. ct sa-paiedtoS?. !2 in 199", an increaseef2.24percc&t

This Ktcass a JWSKWC acnaai sa-rrsase of JSa.5*> en as savage as-sessed haras UJ Scotch PIEJBS

the tedget JS apprm.ieEl. honKSPft-ncrsI d I 9 9 S f a ! f

rsside ?nScctcfc Plains

Taking -jn?c consideration tbsschool ta.it rs:s. she 2 2 pezccotiax te&sproposed in tie JKsskspai budgetasd a nmumaJ increase in VzuoaCcur.t> taxes. C»IKSS of an avsrageassessed hcitte m Scetcfe Ptssss aw!ce«.r~£ a; an ai&cspstcd arusaal tax

f M SI 15

S3 S9 per SI«0 c€^s^sed valuer, a4 01 percsst iiKreaae sver the I^/~school taximsofSj T4.

Tins traEsJates istc as jtanua! in-crease of % 124 5Ci on an average as-sessed bcrae in fa b k

tlse comiag school yeaiA cumber of scbocl btsarrf mem-

bers, indading Richard R. ^«fc sodEd*anf J Siida^* J r • fre^3^"^>okeaoion the imponaovC m creat-

t d b d l d

expectssi Jo formalK- irarpeface therfturaripsl budEget urai] "Hiursday.^ f i 12, prelimmarj fipircs frisjs

mgatwdgetbascdoQactuale^eiiditorcs rsirerthaHfKiorbaidgsts. as badbeen (tons m xfae pas

AccoFdEiag to School Busscssdminiafaior and B^rd Secreiarv

Far.wood rssdenSs Here, the aver-32c assessedPrcsae vsJixis$8?.<X>0 if

OCEAN'ROUTINGPUSHED BYSOMERESIDENTSATHEARING INTOWNSHIP

FAA Plans to implement Test of New Departure;es at Newark Airport Starting on March 15

qS25 per year oa a a%cn .c assssedhome is Faswaod However. Mis.McGcrrenj arssssd Uiai "these raun-bers could cten^f."

Inscrporatsd iirto budget m enoesS ? 4 * i l S 6 3 i d i d

afd for trau^xjnateSn. f e -rial sdocatkra. bilingual cducatioa.

3a6ili?atJQn. aod the

K.

\ YolzvA Av-aucn Adnaiasfraisoa• ? -\ A !_oii;c a; ".old Union Count) res-dents i ussdav at a foram in Scotcli?i;uns Tev-rrship. that the FAA vail~xz\n a six-month test on Sunday,V-irch 15. at Newark Iniernatioiiai.'.: rocn 'hat will allow departing air-;rs- :c- nse ;o higher altitudes morer.u-kl-> and:ndudea 260-cegreeturn•-:-_tt-.»cst cflhc a i r ^n

? jfcrrid ty tbe ag«nc>' as iheuihur Kill Tvto SID." the test will

;• 5p:.;. d2ai in sedting a reduction ctf•; : :s ; from low-Ejing aircraft for a&a:" --Cif.is -iCo-rdsngToFAA AirTiasf-•~.c Di% isicc \Ianager for the EasternRegion. FraukitnlX Hatfield.

"A-sund Newark. LaGaanlia andKennedy Aiiports. you have thnesrf•Ii-r busiest Tir spa-ess on the face of»h2_sarth." he declared._ .-A.* officials told City of lindenC cunc: iman Albert S. Youngjflood iarasponse to a question about the planthai the tracks or flight paths of air-craft vr.ll not change much, but theaiutudc for aircraft "taking eff will bedoubled from the end of the runwaj".

Theplan takes aircraft loS.000 feet".v j thin tivo milts of the nimvsy andJisds it along an industrial zone be-\--\ een Caitsret and Rahwa>; accord-:rg to Mr, Hatfield. Higher — faster,became the manna of the evening indescribing the plan.

If the 260-degreeturn plan were togo into effect year round, Mr. Hatfieldindicated. It'would affect about 45percenter air trafficat Newark Airport

over 60 percent of the >ear. or aboalseven months oat of II

A similar plan using a wider 250-degr« turn for aircraft out of Newarkvs.3S abruptly canceled last August'sviien departing plan» from New ark

and incoming aircraft to Lacrossed paths and c\pcr.enc$j ~*'.-*.iMr. Haificld called "a io^ of separa-tion" iaairspaceiwar Newark.

He said thai computer a«a!>si£ ofthe plan had looked good but in prac-

usc it f&lsd tjc prove s fe5afci>. dHaztzzy zsd espircnirr

tai iisp-a-c' ?HCis;'i are tfse sktee pn-n a n facttrrs Mr H&ftcid a id tfesF^»4 voH be sac^irgst usdcsertasnmg

fbr distance leanang programs Foa-eral aid figar^ imvz nsi teeu fioal-sasd.

Denijf budget piepsations. thesteanatrator? caiW upon budgetmva^erstoraofcaccurateh allocatellwir dollars to a\x?id the msed for

adjusirrisrtis dunag

pp999 biKfget felisSS.WOst^rt of the

cap srnpesed by the sateIf the board i-tre :o s^k additional

moneys from taxpayers to fund bigscket ioitas such as elevators, ter*doniforms, imptovements xo athleticfedlitics, or even aztmbcz f t edassroom, a oocrf cpsaiocha>-2io beadded totbetelktfor i-ctcrconsideration.

" I an reajsiuneadiBgappnr.-e the btKi^ i psaid Dr. Clwv-e. "fhsfs ira; ftm den-.sion. Will we jHtmde a «O0& edscs-tion sidtoat stretching 3 ^ limits oftfcc taaparyer**

Sfe addedttet the csv*-tw>e cxpea-diturcs tiut could fall uader a secondouesfcos axe "ihings list keep cran-ing up. and woo'i go awa>'.

"We're josi putting Asm oa U»table." said the stqiennteod

h

AUDIENCE CAPTIVATED BY BL4CK HISTORY MONTH PROGRAM

St. John's Youngsters Share HistoryOf Famei Underground RailroadSy CViDACE W.4LLER

The hiaorj' of ihe undergroundrailroad a cfandestiae network thatallowed Aftiean-Americarts to Eodtheir way to fr^om, same alive thispast Saturday night duringa programatSt. Jolin'sBa|5istCbarcbinSc«£hPlains.

Toddlers to teenagers all madeunique malrilHitioHS to the pro^aia,•ft'Mcli celAraied Fcbmaty as BlackHistory Month.

As recounted by the yoorsgsiers,travTjJing along tie underground radl-

d ^ d B k l

It lias been estimated that r•"conductors"" ted 10u.tA# S ifreedom.

a j d t h e } g p yis tee pj^grca ai Si Jctes's

fimmds were asxi to trade slaves aMreturn them to their masters, wherethey would be beaten or killed toyoverseers.

"Every flight from slavery repre-senled ifie brmest of actions," saidGloria YoungBiody, whowasdressedia African clothing. "Anything wasb i l l ig pto receive a beariag by the overseer."

County Worker Is KilledBy Tree While Clearing

Debris From Stream% SUffiTTE STALKER

A Union County Public Worksemployee \raskfifedFebruary ISwbeBa trss crashed tlaouah the*cab win-dow of an excavator he was using tociear debris from a stream in ScotchPlains.

John P. Stubbs, 30, of Clark, whov. orked for the Department of PublicV-brks* Bureau of Mosquito Control,v* as removing debris with three othermen ai a right-of-way easement oaWaverly Place when the accident oc-curredat9:39a.m..aadKrritiessaid.

Mr. Stubfos had gra^dafelien. 20-:> .-at ues with the excavator bucket top ill it CHS of the stream, according toUnion County Director of PublicWorks Frasik Darin. He said the treesuddenly slipped from the bucket,fiowevra; and crashed through thewindow of the excavator's cab.

WMle the site supervisor radioedfor medical assistance, the other twov,orksrs tried in vain to free their col-league, who had been pinned againstthe rear of the cab by the uee, Mr.D a i d

police, along with theVbluEteerRescue Squadf K l h i ly e n b e g g

MedicalCaaerinPlainfleldrespondedtoihecdi.

The victim, who exhibited QO vitalsigns «fasa medical units arrived, waspronoifaiceddeadatthesceneat 10:13a.m. by SBergency personnel, accord-ing ioas*atementby-the Scotch PlainsPolice Department.

An autopsy performed later thatday at University Hospital inNewarkrevealed thatMr. Stubbsdied ofposi-tional asphyxiation, according to po-lice. The victim had worked for theBureau ofMosquitoControlfor eightyears.

Mr. Darme5q)Iainedthatthe*saate-•what wooded" Waveriy Place atewhere the men were working is one of25 "hot spots" for mosquito infesta-tion in the county which are servicedannually by the bureau.

The Public Works Director saidthese areas typically involve bodiesof water which have become cloggedrjytrees,brusnandotherdebris. Whenthe water cannot move, it turns stag-nant and becomes a breeding groundfor mosquitoes, Mr. Dann stated.

Mr. Stubbs, who was born in TheBronx, had lived inRoselle Park beforemoving to Clark three years ago. Hewas a member of the Clark \folunteerFire Department for three years, andhad served as a fire inspector for thattownship as well.

He previously had been a Lieuten-ant with the Roselle Park \folunteerFireDepartmeat.

"His whole life was dedicated toPublic Service," remarfcedMr. Dann."These days, its hard to findpeople tovolunteer'I gave him alot ofcreditfordoing that."

The Public Works Director said thedepartment allowed Mr. Stubbs timeaway from his job to respond to callsfortheClarkFire Department "Hewasa wonderful guy/1 j ^ . Dann said.

Slaoghterexpiained thai. "Theundes--ground railroad toe* escaped slavesto northern states and Canada, it wascalled the underground rsilro^l be-cause it was swift and secretive."

The underground railroadAfrican-Amencaas fromsiates such as Virgin ia get to northernstales and Canada, explained TimGranderson in her address. Trails ledthrough Ohio. Indiana and Pennsyl-vania.

Doe to the danger, escape codewords were used when talking aboutthe subject. Hidingplaces were calledstations, and conductors were freeAfrican-Americans and some whiteswho led slaves into freedom.

The most famous underground rail-road conductor was Harriet Tubman.a former slave who eventually ledhundreds of other slaves to freedomwithout being caught.

Often beaten as a young girl,Tubman was seriously injured whenshe was struck on the head whilecoming to the aid of another slavewho was engaged in a heated argu-ment with the master.

As aresultofthatinjurv; she wouldoften have periods when she blackedout and suffered memory loss. Thisdisability, however, did not stop herfrom helping others to freedom.

There were huge bounties for thereturn of slaves, and slave catcherswere vicious in the handling of theircaptives. This forced many slaves touse their creativity and ingenuity toescape. Henry ""Boxed" Brownwrapped himself in a box with a fewprovisions and addressed the box toPhiladelphia.

"It took 26 hours for me to arrive inPhiladelphiafrom Virginia,"sald Kyle

.1

ride was sosem-fortafeJe when t&e be1? I was in wasturned upskie down I feave beenSaHKvsssHeiuy ' & s « f Brows evesrysince," lecsaledKyieiBhsrakas tieclevsrfcnaer stave.

N^gio sptrita&i soisgs were oftencodes tohgfp escaping slaves Slaveraasteia erssmragai siRging bscassetJsej thought the sJsvts were happy.but oftentrmas tfe^r weie used io woimessages.

The St. John's Children's Choir.under thedircctioacfStiarran Porter.sang~SwingLow SnoetCbanoC coesuch cock msz.

The St. John's Youla Choir p s -g

reconfcdbj KirkFrasifia,Scotch Plains" own Keva Otunga

performed a spiritual dance to thesong "O'Shea BaBa" whicn is Nige-rian for Thank Yoa Falter."

Ms. Otuaga has been dancing foronly a year, bat she captivated theaudience with her movement and fa-cial expressions.

Two Seek BOE SeatsAs Deadline for FilingPetitions Draws Near

% SfZETTE

Only twocandsiates solar have filed nominating petitions fortfoe tistrsem-silaSyle sssts on the Scotch Fkire-Fanwood Board of E<fucalicn, theoffice ofSdtool BasiiESs Adnunistratorand Board Secretan Manhew A.

^ ckaedliEs for fihsg petitions is this Monday. March 2, at 4 p.m.Paitioas.whicnrapdre 10 signatures, msj be pickedupataad returnedtotfaesdioddisEntt'scsairal itoinistration offices atEvergreen Aand C«ter Street in Scotch Flairs.

School elections will takcpIaceonTucsda>. April 21.I b d i d f I b>g g

them was Norman A. Ross of Kicholl Avenue in Scotch Plains, who filedMs petition last Mi-day in aaotber election bid.

The open seats this year are held by Dr. Donald E. Sheldon. Presidentof iheboardL Albert J. Sy^'srtsen and Richard R. Meads. Dr. Sheldon andMr. SyvertsenbGialjvem Scotch Plains, while Mr. Meade is a resident ofFanwcod. Fail terms on the board are three years each.

First elected in 1992, Dr. Snekton is seeking his third termontbeboarcLThe incumbent, who lives on Acacia Road, has been President of theschool board for five years. He filed his petition on February 2.

Dr. Sheldon, a township resident for 30 years, was formerly employedby the school district for 23 years as Director of Guidance and later asDirectorof Special Services.'

Mr. Ross, who has lived in Scotch Plains for sixyears. was a teacher ofen^onalfy-OJSturbedstiidenlsatRahwa>HighSchoolfor30years. Now-retired, the candidate hasalso taught adult school courses in variousNewJersey municipalities.

Proposed DevelopmentGenerates New ConcernOver Roadway Design

B? CANDACE WALLERS&W/TfrT

The Scotch HainsPianHingBoardheard additional testimoay Febraary18 concerning an appeal by ErnestFarMmforpernssacotode^op prop-erty he owns near Pheasant and Sleepy

SPIRITUAL SOKG...TIK ChBdreiTs Chaii of St. John's Baptist Chun.ii inScotch Flains, under Use direction of Sbaiynn Porter, perfoiroed tbe Nt^nospiritual "Swing Low Sweet Cbatkf daring a program last Saturday at thechurch. Youngsters fwaa prersdiori through adolesceace recaOed die sigaMI-caace of the underground rmflroad — a network trfaidb helped slaves escapenorth to freedran - in obstrvance of February as Btack Hfetory Moalb.

HbDowLanes.Theboardrejectedaproposal iden-

tified asHanAfor development of theproperty last HKHith^aEdMr.Fanririi isnow attempting to win approval forPlanB.Ukeits predecessor, this plancalJs&rpieapplicant'sproperrytobedivided into nine separate lots.

Theproperty, eannarkedforwhat isknown as the Better View Homes de-velopment, straddles the bonier be-tween Scotch Plains and Plainfield.Because of this, PlainSeld officialswill neartheapplicatioiiasweU.

Last week, traffic expert John^rtncenttaconsoltantwith EKA As-sociates in Scotch Plains, spoke onbehalf of citizens who are opposed tothe Fantini application. No decisionwas rendered at this meeting, how-ever.

Plan A of the Fantini applicationwas rejected on the grounds that all ofthe proposed homes, including theooesinPIainfieM, wouJdbebuiltfac-ingScotchPlains. Boardmembersalsodetermined that, under Plan A, tbelots would be of substandard size.

Joseph Murray, the attorney repre-senting Mr. Fantini, said last monththat he believed Plan B would be ac-ceptable to the board because it doesnot require any variances.

Mr. "VlnosntLhowever, pofceaboutcowrmED

Deadlines ToldFor SubmittalsTo The limes

Those persons preparing pressreleases for submission to TheIwnesarereininded that copy shouldbee-mailed orfaxedby4p.m. on theFriday prior to publication. TheTimes' e-mail address ispress@goleader.com. Thefaxnum-beris 908-232-0473.

Releases, pictures and letters tothe editor can alsobe dropped off atour oJESce located at 50 Elm Street,Westfield or through our mail slot.To ensure that submittals reach ouroffice prior todeadline, we encour-age e-mail orfased materials.

Sports stories which occur priorto the weekend must be in by theFriday deadline. Weekend sportsevents must be submitted by noonon the Monday prior to thepublica-DOQ date. Obituaries wiQbeacceptednp to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays.

All cop}' must be typed, double-spaced, upper and lower case, nomore than 500 words in length, axjdinclude a daytime telephone num-ber where the submitter can bereached.

For events which are plannedmonths in advance, we encouragesubmission of stories as early aspossble prior to the event-

Please note that in addition to'makingour deadlines, the publics-;lion of submittals may be delayed;

due to space considerations. All"submittals are subject to being cut-due to length, edited for style andclarificationat the discretion ofiheeditor.