Asphalt Ordenance Goes Flat

Gary Moore Speaks Against the Asphalt Plant!

Before I begin on the proceedings at the City Commisson and my flat. I want to comment on the Planning Board Meeting. I got a call to see if I was going. I could not due to previous engagement. I did get this report from a friend:

As far as Wawa, the City Commission was completely surprised by Wawas proposal. Wawa did not submit it to them ahead of time, as generally the accepted standards, and the plan was a far cry from what the City/residents/organizations had worked out a balanced compromise between development and open space. Tedesco on numerous occasions inaccurately represented the current Open Space Plan which is in draft form right now. Fortunately several members who sit on that committee were there to set the record straight. The meeting started at least an hour early - many of us missed that small notice in the paper - and we left at 9:30, as Rocco was just getting up to speak again after the public comments. It would have been really helpful to have more residents there, but I think everyone was blindsided.Wawa never gave the city a packet ahead of time so they were surprised by the plan, and wawa completely ignored the recommendations by the city and residents.

So it looks like WAWA just wants to clear-cut this land and just build on it and Commission and residents be damned. We have to keep an eye out on this. Wish I did not have to work or work so far as to miss this stuff.

Flat Tires Suck!

Anyhow, a funny thing happened on the way to the Commission meeting. I want to Harr's to pick up some food and other items. When I went back I could hear air hissing out of my right rear tire. I then went towards Millville. Affordable Tire was closed,NTB had an hour and a half wait and the man was very dismissive. I then turned around while the tire was losing air towards the Sears or the Pep Boys. I never made it. Instead, a man helped and plugged the hole. It took an hour but it was done and I paid him for the trouble.
At the Commisson meeting that I missed, was packed and they had to open up another room for folks to see the meeting. There was mention made of the postcards sent to every resident of Millvile from "Concerned Citizens of Millville" This was NOT created by anyone from Millville. A source who did see the meeting gave me this:

Stavola has about 25% of the area asphalt business, and South State 75%.
I don't know too much else but will say that MWW, the group ...that was circulating the original petition and I suspect is affiliated with DeCotiis/Concerned Taxpayers of Millville (see information on the principals (DeCotiis and Kempner of MWW) of "The Group" - democratic funders 2008, filed paperwork in 2009 listing Stavola as a client. Certainly not evidence but suggests the possibility of a connection.

A presentation was made by Noah Bronkesh, attorney for Arawack Paving Co., the company connected with the project and John Barratt, president of Arawack. They acted like it was a planning board meeting. They were somewhat rude to the Commission and the Audence was trying to get them to shorten their presentation. A person who went to the meeting gave this report on this:

We got to watch an 8 minute movie with children and school buses. The developer's attorney gave a presentation on the proposed plant, which, btw, has technically NOT been proposed. Which begs the question - why is the developer giving a planning board proposal of a proposal that has not yet been proposed, and doing so not at a planning board meeting, but at the public hearing for an ordinance. Is the tail wagging the dog?

As the presentation by Arawack went on and on here is what happened

The commission gave them leeway under the circumstances but the attorney just went too far. I brought it up to Jane, who said something to the solicitor, who finally said something to the attorney. By this point all of the commission was visibly upset. Mayor Shannon on several occasions tried to get the attorney to discuss the ordinance rather than being site specific. He refused, insisting Shannon was wrong in how he was handling the meeting.

Mayor Shannon had heard enough!!!

Went on like that for a bit until Shannon finally told him "It's my meeting and I'll handle it my way".

There went the Asphalt Plan. Just like this Tire

Boy, I wish I had been there to videotape THAT exchange for sure. Well, there will be more where that come from that is for sure.