Township Times
weekly edition
News for the next week...
8/14 - Recycling Center - open from 9 AM to noon - center closes when dumpsters are full **You must unload your own recyclables - no assistance will be provided**
8/19 - Curbside Recycling
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Each week we will include a fun fact or historic tidbit about our great hometown
Riverside Hospital Heliport
On July 26, 1978 the State's first Medivac patient was transported by helicopter to Riverside Hospital
L-R Raf Marzella, Riverside Hospital; Congressman Joseph Maraziti; Henry Ebert, Chairman Riverside Board; and Alvin Hopkins, Riverside Board Member
The heliport was installed in the mid-1970s in front of the Emergency Room
photo courtesy of Charlie Maraziti
If you have any old photos or newspaper articles about Boonton Township that you would like to share please let us know
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TAX BILLS HAVE BEEN MAILED
3Q 2021 TAXES ARE DUE NO LATER THAN AUGUST 31, 2021
Payments received after the extension date will be charged interest from August 1, 2021
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BOONTON TOWNSHIP CANNABIS ORDINANCES
in a nutshell
On August 9, 2021 the Township Committee adopted three ordinances relating to the regulation of cannabis in the Township. Here’s what you need to know.
The State Legislature enacted the recreational cannabis law that established six classes of cannabis licenses which municipalities must consider permitting in their community: 1) cultivation, 2) manufacturing/processing, 3) wholesale, 4) distribution, 5) retail and 6) delivery.
Two ordinances adopted by the Township address regulation and prohibition of cannabis. The Township now prohibits all six cannabis licenses in all zones throughout the Township, except that four of those licenses: cultivation, manufacturing/processing, wholesale and distribution, will be permitted only at the existing state-licensed medical cannabis facility at 130 Old Denville Road. Retail sales and delivery are prohibited from the site.
Neither ordinance authorized the expansion of the current operation at the Old Denville Road site. If the property owner of that site wants to expand its operation, a site plan application must be filed before the Planning Board with a public hearing.
The third ordinance revised our alcoholic consumption ordinance to include cannabis and prohibit public cannabis consumption anywhere in the Township, except at a private residence, which is permitted by law.
If the Township failed to adopt theses ordinances by August 21, 2021 (state-imposed deadline), we would have forfeited the right to zone for and restrict these types of business activities anywhere in the Township for five years.
AUGUST 9, 2021 STATEMENT CONCERNING CANNABIS ORDINANCES
Good evening:
Tonight, the Township Committee will hold the second reading for three ordinances concerning cannabis regulation in the Township of Boonton.
The timing of the ordinance adoption is controlled by State statute and not at the discretion of the Township Committee. The State law requires municipalities take official action to adopt ordinances related to certain cannabis business activities by August 21, 2021; otherwise forfeit the right to zone for and restrict these types of business activities at the local level for five years.
Two ordinances pertain to regulation and prohibition of cannabis activity within the Township while the third ordinance amends the alcoholic consumption ordinance to prohibit public cannabis consumption anywhere in the Township, except at a private residence, which is permitted by law.
The regulatory ordinances prohibit the licensing/operation of cannabis retailers and the licensing and business locations of delivery services throughout the Township. In addition, the ordinances ban licenses and business operations for cannabis cultivation, manufacturing, wholesale and distribution in all locations throughout the Township, except for one concurrent license of each class-type that the State Law has carved-out solely for pre-existing licensed medical alternative treatment centers. If applied for and approved, operations related to the concurrent licensees will only be permitted at the one pre-existing medical cannabis licensed location in operation at 130 Old Denville Road.
The consumption ordinance precludes the public delivery and consumption of cannabis at any indoor or outdoor public place or establishment throughout the Township. This includes in any public park, public building, and on any public roadway and businesses open to the public throughout the Township. While recreational consumption is permitted by law, these ordinances maintain that the delivery, sale and consumption of cannabis is only allowed at private residences.
It should be pointed out at the November 2020 election, 63% of the Township electorate (yes – 1769; no – 1034) voted to allow recreational cannabis in the State of New Jersey.
We would like to address some of the comments and concerns expressed by our residents at recent public meetings:
First, expansion of the facility at 130 Old Denville Road. None of these ordinances permit the expansion of the existing medical licensed facility. If the Township prohibits recreational licenses at the 130 Old Denville Road site, the existing operation can continue to as it has in accordance with the licenses and permits issued by the State of New Jersey – that is, the same facility, same intensity, same use, same productivity. The difference is, this business will also be taxed to the fullest extent permitted by law by the Township and that tax revenue would make up a significant part of the future budget for the Township. Thus, the site, as it stands today, will remain the same regardless of whether or not these ordinances are adopted.
If the owner wishes to expand its operation, it will require a site plan application, including a public hearing, before the Planning Board. No expansion will occur without approval from the Planning Board.
Second, odor and noise complaints. While there have been issues concerning odors from the site those issues have been addressed by the owner. Working in concert with Township officials, State Department of Health, NJDEP, Senator Bucco and the Morris County Department of Public Health, the owner has installed an upgraded odor mitigation system at the site. Since the implementation of these upgrades in April 2021 there has been only one odor complaint received by health officials since May 1st. That complaint was received in June from a resident located a mile from the site and health officials determined the complaint to be unfounded.
Noise complaints were received from surrounding property owners in early June after the upgraded odor mitigation systems was installed. The cause of the noise was determined to be a system malfunction which triggered the exhaust fans to operate at maximum speed resulting in noise levels heard off-site.
The issue has been corrected and since that time no noise complaints have been received by health officials.
In response to a concern about the air quality surrounding the site, the Township engaged an environmental consultant to conduct an air quality study to ensure the site is not emitting impurities into the air. The cost of the study was borne by the Township as to prevent any accusations that the results were determined by who paid for the study.
While the consultant’s report is not finalized, there have been two separate air sample days on June 23rd and August 6th. The results do not indicate any detectable impurities associated with the cannabis operation. The final report is expected by the end of the month.
In addition, the Township added noise meters to the sampling stations and has since added a full-time noise monitoring device near the property line. From the first round of monitoring none of the readings from the five sampling locations exceeded the day or night regulatory limits set by the NJDEP.
Lastly, concerns were raised about chemical processes used in the processing of cannabis at the site. Any chemicals that may be used must be permitted by NJDEP before the process can be implemented. Currently, NJDEP does not permit the use of butane in the process.
The Township Committee prepared and circulated a synopsis and FAQ statement which has been on the Township website, published in weekly newsletter since early June and has been published in local newspapers. Copies of the statement have been available in the Municipal Building and copies are available this evening from the Clerk, for anyone interested.
Thank you.
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TRIBUTE BENCHES INSTALLED AT RVA FIELDS
Thanks to all who supported the this program - it has certainly enhanced the RVA Flight Path
clockwise from marker 0.0
1) Wyca Family; 2) IMO Renato Febbi Sr; 3) Romanowicz Family; 4) IMO Adam Krasnomowitz;
5) Arndt Family; 6) Glander Family; 7) IMO John & Edna Johanson; 8) IMO Eric Johanson; 9) Rivera Family;
10) BT PBA Local #392; 11) IMO Lillian DeMarco; 12) IMO Frank & Barbara Spender; 13) Cabana Families; 14) Forte Families; 15) IMO James Cacciabeve
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Doolittle's Landing gets new swings
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Recreation Boot Camp at RVA Fields
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Sunday Morning Adult Softball - 10:00 AM- Noon at RVA Fields - All welcome.
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BOCCE
Thursday evenings at Leonard Park Bocce Courts @ 6:00 PM
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BOOK CLUB
Tuesday, September 14 at 7:00 pm
Meetings are held in the Conference Room at the Municipal Building
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BACA Summer Concerts
Grace Lord Park in Boonton
The 27-piece Morris Plains Community Band will close the Grace Lord Park Concert Series season Wednesday, Aug 18th @ 7:00 PM.
They will feature patriotic and traditional concert band music. Come and enjoy!
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BOONTON TOWNSHIP BOOK SWAP
we have plenty of books for your reading pleasure
Don't forget about the Township Book Swap. Stop by the Municipal Building during business hours (8 AM - 4 PM) to select any book(s) of your choice.
We are currently at capacity so we are not accepting any new books.
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Weekly Coronavirus Update
The cumulative number of cases as of the start of community transmission in Morris County of COVID-19 in early March 2020 now stands at 513 since August 11th.
For health related information visit the Morris County Public Health website at: https://health.morriscountynj.gov/coronavirus/#cases for up-to-date data and information.
Morris County Vaccine Mega site at Rockaway Townsquare Mall and the COVID testing site at County College of Morris are closed.
Go to https://www.morriscountynj.gov/Residents/Health/Coronavirus to find vaccination and testing sites in Morris County.
If you have any questions, call the County COVID Hotline at 973-829-8250.
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We'd love to include your community organization in our weekly newsletter
If your community organization has information you'd like to share in our weekly newsletter please let us know.
email submissions to: dcabana@boontontownship.com
media must be in jpeg form
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In search of old Boonton Township photographs
for display in the Municipal Building
we can certainly arrange to reprint your photograph if you cannot donate it to the Township
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A Message From the Boonton Township Police Department
BTPD VACANT HOUSE CHECK PROGRAM
Did you know that the Boonton Township Police Department offers a vacant house check program for all of our residents? If your residence or place of business in
Boonton Township will be empty for any period of time, we urge you to notify the Police Department of the dates and times that the premises will be unoccupied. Officers from BTPD will conduct periodic checks of your home while you're away, and will notify you or a designated emergency contact in the event of an emergency. As the summer season nears its end and residents are looking for one last getaway, we strongly urge everyone to take advantage of this program. Residents can provide as much or as little information as they prefer such as your destination, whether or not anyone else will have access to the premises, or if you'd like to designate an emergency contact. The form can be found on our website or by clicking here
| " ALERT BOONTON TOWNSHIP " |
STAY CONNECTED WITH…
BOONTON TOWNSHIP’S EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM
TOWNSHIP RESIDENTS ARE URGED TO REGISTER
This notification system allows residents to receive e-mail, text message, and/or other alerts regarding emergency notifications and other important messages regarding our community. With this program, you can choose to receive alerts by whatever method of communication you prefer.
Visit www.btpolice.org and click on the “emergency notifications” tab on the right side of the page. Follow the instructions to be redirected to the "Alert Boonton Township" registration page. Once redirected, ensure you are on the page for Boonton Township New Jersey and follow the step by step instructions on the web page to create an account and receive emergency alerts for Boonton Township.
"Alert Boonton Township" also automatically signs you up for Smart911 which provides you and your family with a potentially life-saving resource. Smart911 is a free emergency 911 component which helps our emergency dispatchers better assist you during an emergency. This service also allows residents to create a safety profile which can include any information they would like to share with first responders during an emergency.
FOLLOW THE BOONTON TOWNSHIP POLICE DEPARTMENT ON FACEBOOK!
Type in @BOONTONTWPPD IN YOUR FACEBOOK SEARCH BAR OR IN MESSENGER TO FIND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT PAGE
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