JACKSON – Township officials discussed an ordinance that will hopefully prevent injuries and even deaths in the future.
“Ordinance 21-20 prohibits parking, stopping and standing along the outside curb of an unlit street from one of our town communities. There have been 173 motor vehicle crashes in Jackson last month alone,” Council Vice President Andrew Kern said during a recent council meeting.
Kern added, “over the years we can all remember many horrific pedestrian accidents including one right outside this building. We vote for this ordinance tonight to make that area safer for our residents and the drivers who use our roads.”
“Most of the roads of our rural town are not designed to accommodate on street parking. The need for some residents to park in these locations stems from the fact these communities are not designed for residents to own more than two vehicles. Many of these units have a garage but however instead of housing cars they are used for storage by the residents,” Kern added.
Kern said there were many self-storage facilities for residents to use in town instead of their garages. “It is my hope that this legislation shines a light on the dangers of designing a community or any new facility or project without enough parking.”
The official said he’d like to see all future projects anticipate “multiple family types including some like my own that have three to four vehicles. Commercial projects or other facilities should be designed for the largest possible crowds so that people will not have to park on the street where it might be unsafe.”
Kern also shared concerns about some of the pavement being able to be permeable to accept rain water. “Jackson is not an overcrowded north Jersey town. We should all work hard to keep the rural aspects that we all enjoy.”
The ordinance was unanimously approved for its introduction and was scheduled for a November 24 public hearing. Councilman Kenneth Bressi was not present at this meeting.
In other news, Council President Alex Sauickie congratulated his fellow Republican Councilmen Steven Chisholm and Martin Flemming on their reelection. “While they ran unopposed the number of votes they received was record breaking and I think a testament to how the residents feel about how they are doing so far. I also want to Councilman-elect Nino Borrelli who was already volunteering a lot of his time on the Jackson Zoning Board of Adjustment.
“Come January I look forward to working with him on council. I want to also thank the residents for overwhelmingly passing our ballot question on open space tax. It passed by a very large margin and we appreciate your putting your faith in us and we hope to do some really good things with that,” Sauickie said.
Sauickie said that the governing body would continue to identify areas in the town that could be preserved and capture “the environment of Jackson.”
During the public comment period for resolutions, Councilman-elect Borrelli thanked the council for adopting resolution 274-10 that supported 12th District Assemblyman Ron Dancer’s bill calling for accountability and transparency on the part of utility companies.
Borrelli added, “this is why we are so fortunate to have Assemblyman Ron Dancer representing our best interests here in Jackson out in Trenton. I also want to thank Assemblyman (Gregory) McGuckin for co-sponsoring that legislation.” McGuckin also serves as Jackson’s attorney.
“Hopefully the legislature will act in taking up those bills. This forthcoming rate increase by JCP&L could not have come at a worse time. Here’s hoping that they do the right thing by us customers and reverse course,” Borrelli said. The resolution was later unanimously passed.
Borrelli added he was ecstatic about his future role as councilman. “I look forward to working with each and every one of you very soon.”
Rules regarding the governance of all dog parks in Jackson were also approved through a resolution. A new dog park is planned for the township on the opposite side of the township from the one based in Johnson Memorial Park.
A frequent user of that park is 85-year-old Jerry Schwartz who brings his dog Piper to the facility several times a week. His daughter Jodi Schwartz told The Jackson Times “he is the Grandpa of the dog park.”
She added that her father’s dog friends at the park may have saved his life. “They saw that my dad wasn’t himself and drove him home. Fortunately, my brother was there when they arrived.”
Jodi Schwartz said, “that’s how we see these people, as his extended family. He needed help and they responded. They have his back and that makes me have peace of mind. This is why Jackson Township needs more dog parks.”
