All-Inclusive Playground- Update: This item was removed from the Agenda on 2/6/2024

As we’ve reported, the Township appears to be moving forward with an “all-inclusive” playground at CMS; however, this did not appear to be an agenda item for either of the BOE Meetings in January, and the Town Council Liasion for the BOE (Gale Bradford) has not mentioned this in her reports to the community.

Questions we have:

Does the land belong to the Township or the Berkeley Heights Public Schools?  If the latter, can the Township vote on this resolution without approval or an agreement with the District?

Some residents have also raised concerns about the replacement material in response to the township survey. 

The plan is to replace the rubber mulch with a hard rubber surface – residents have communicated concerns about the potential increase in injury and surface temperature during the summer. Has there been a re-consideration of this aspect of the project?

If an injury occurs on the playground, which entity will be held accountable?  Would it be the District or the Township?

Increase in Spending for Lobbying Firm

Last year the Township paid $120,000 to “Winning Strategies” – an attorney-owned lobbying firm. 

This year, the number has increased to $132K plus incidentals. The argument for using this firm connects to increased grant money. However, some residents felt uneasy spending this money on a lobbying firm.

02/06/2024 Town Council Agenda

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