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READYFOR LETTERS: Santa’s Mailbox, located at the Livingston Fire Department’s headquarters on South Livingston Avenue, will be available for letter drop-o s through December 19. Shown here, deputy chief Josh Lewis, his nephew Parker Lewis, Parker’s father Alex Lewis, and re chief Chris Mullin demonstrate the mailbox as Parker deposits his letter to Santa Claus. LFD Photo benefited everyone.Together we estab the candidates. A one year term and a two year term will be filled by Ronnie fire danger cago Fire, burned mo firefighters are shown working extricate Antoniello from with tractor-trailer Old West Pleasant Avenue Friday morning. T Stephen and ran t meaning were Kedrie, S the lane of traffic, where it collided There we SubScribe & Save 25% OFF Newsstand Prices! call 973-992-1771 or email : WeTribune@gmail.com for delivery! (Continued on Page A-6) LIVINGSTON, NEW JERSEY, DECEMBER 12, 2024 Check us out online! www.WestEssexTribune.net SUBSCRIBE TODAY! In print and online Follow Livingston’s news cycle with the Tribune! VISIT : westessextribune.net • EMAIL: tribunesubs@gma il.com CALL: 97 3.992.1771 VOL . 96, NO. 50 (TWO SECTIONS) LIVINGSTON’S AWARD WINNING NEWSPAPER • REPORTING ALL THE NEWS OF LIVINGSTON SINCE 1929 75 CENTS Township Council Amends Bond Ordinance, Authorizes Developer ’s Agreement; Honors Diner The Livingston Township Council passed an amendment to a bond or- dinance and approved a developer’s agreement during its Monday, De- cember 9, meeting. At the start of the meeting, a cita- tion was given to the Ritz Diner, which recently celebrated its 40th year of business in town. In addition to the town’s plaudit, Essex County commissioner Pat Sebold issued a citation to honor the diner and its owners, Marion and David Feldman. Bond Ordinance An ordinance was passed to amend Bond Ordinance 26-2024, which had initially been adopted on September 23. The amendment to the ordinance deletes the reference of “$7,050,000” for the appropriation and estimated cost and “$6,700,000” for the esti- mated maximum amount of bonds or notes. In its place would be the gures “$22,000,000” and “$20,900,000,” respectively. Also deleted would be the reference to “$350,000” for the down payment required by the Lo- cal Bond Law, instead substituting “$1,100,000.” Additionally to be deleted is a reference of “$2,000,000” for the Section 20 costs, substituting “$7,000,000.” Developer’s Agreement The Council authorized the execu- tion of a developer’s agreement with A&M Partnership for a 6,166 acre property that is identi ed as Block 107, Lot 8.011 on Livingston’s tax maps. The agreement a ects all or a portion of vacant real estate located along the eastern side of Eisenhower Parkway between Naylon Avenue to the north and Executive Parkway to the south. The developer plans to construct a four-story multi-family residential building. There will be three stories of residential dwelling units and resident amenities over a one story parking garage. In all, there will be 71 residential dwelling units. This resolution was on the agenda for the November 25 Council meet - ing, but the vote was pushed to the December 9 meeting after the exhib- its were not available to the public in time for the previous meeting. Recreation Fees A resolution was passed to estab- lish various fees for the Department of Recreation and Senior Services, Shown above, environmental demonstrators march up Volunteer Way in Livingston, near the U.S. headquarters of Formosa Plastics at the corner of Peach Tree Hill Road, on Thursday, December 5. The demonstrators claimed that the company’s plants cause environmental pollution. Below, one of the demonstrators, Dao Lee, is shown being searched after he was arrested and handcu ed by Livingston Police Of - cers for trespassing on Formosa Plastics’ property. Jerry Siskind Photos Three Protesters are Arrested at Formosa Plastics Demonstration Council Reorg Mtg. To Be Held on Jan. 1 The annual reorganization meeting of the Livingston Town- ship Council will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, January 1. The New Year’s Day meeting is open to the public and will be held at the Livingston Senior/ Community Center, 204 Hillside Avenue. The meeting will also be livestreamed on the Livingston Township NJ Facebook page and will be aired live on Cable 34, Fios 28, an d livingstontv.org. The agenda will include all usual organizational items and will be made available on living- stonnj.org o rat the clerk’s o ce. Formal action will be taken at this meeting. It’s your community. Know what’s really going on. Now more than ever, the source matters. Support real, local journalism with real local impact. Start or renew your subscription today at westessextribune.net e ective January 1, 2025. These include increases to various camps, sports, and dance programs hosted by the township. Originally, pickleball and tennis fees were set to increase from $10 to $20 annually for residents, $200 to $250 for non-residents, and $100 to $150 for senior non-residents. Coun- cil members expressed an interest in increasing those rates higher to raise funds for repairs to the courts. They agreed to increase the fees to $25 for residents and $300 for non-residents by passing an amendment to the resolution that had been approved earlier in the meeting. Little League Fields The Council agreed to apply for a $1.5 million grant from the Ne w Three people are facing trespassing charges following a protest that occurred last week at Formosa Plastics. At about 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, De- cember 5, a group of activists participated in a peaceful protest against Formosa Plastics, located at 9 Peach Tree Hill Road. The group of protesters, approxi- mately 30 people, started by protesting at three banks in town, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and Chase. They eventually moved to the Formosa Plastics building. Once there, Dianne Wilson, 76, of Seadrift, Texas; Camryn Edwards, 22, of Victoria, Texas; and Dao Lee, 46, of Humble, Texas, were arrested for de ant trespassing. They were all transported to Living- ston Police headquarters, processed, and released on a summons with a returnable court date at the Livingston Municipal Court. Angelina Rodriguez to Be Appointed as Director of Elementary Education Livingston Public Schools (LPS) has announced that K-6 math super- visor Angelina Rodriguez has been recommended for appointment as the district’s Director of Elementary Education. The Board of Education was expected to approve this appoint- ment during Wednesday evening’s public meeting, which was held after the print deadline for this edition of the Tribune . Rodriguez will begin her new job on January 21, 2025. She is replacing Jennifer Loniewski, who resigned from the position, e ective January 20, 2025. “I am honored to become the Di- rector of Elementary Education for Livingston Public Schools,” Rodri- guez said. “For the past ve years, I have witnessed rsthand what makes Livingston an incredible learning and working environment. I am deeply passionate about working alongside our talented educators, dedicated ad- ministrators, and extraordinary stu- Angelina Rodriguez dents. Together, we will continue to enhance our foundation of academic excellence, meet the diverse needs of all students, support our evolving fo- cuses, and continue to empower all to learn, create, contribute, and grow.” Rodriguez holds two master’s degrees: one in educational leader- ship from Montclair State University and another in K-12 technology in- tegration from Nova Southeastern University. Prior to being appointed as the dis- trict’s K-6 math supervisor in 2019, Rodriguez served as a PreK-6 STEM instructional coach, a math and lit- eracy coach, and as an elementary teacher in Englewood Public Schools from 2004 to 2019. “From facilitating professional development and planning with teachers and administrators to creat- ing resources for classroom instruc- tion, Ms. Rodriguez is present and collaborative in all that she does,” said Mark Stern, assistant superin - tendent for curriculum, instruction and innovation. Stern praised Rodriguez for her leadership in successfully guiding the district’s transition to the “Math in Focus” method over the past ve years. He noted her pivotal role in the success of the elementary math program. He also stated that, on a dis- trict level, she has been instrumental in introducing resources for universal student assessment and developing the “Livingston Lens” framework for instructions and re ection. Interim superintendent of schools Daniel Fishbein stated, “I am pleased to recommend Ms. Rodriguez for this (Continued on Page A-6) The Livingston Zoning Board held its nal Board meeting of 2024 on December 10, preceded by a special meeting at 6 p.m. covering four ap- plications the Board members were unable to hear on November 26. All four applications passed, while eight applications heard at the primary Zoning Board meeting passed as well. 54 Melrose Drive Square Group Realty LLC re- quested a 3.5 foot front yard setback variance and a 4.86 percent habitable oor area ratio variance to build a new single-family residence at 54 Melrose Drive. Following opening arguments by lawyer Matthew Posada regarding the need for a ratio variance, architect Ayman Sedra discussed the various levels of the proposed colonial-style home’s living spaces and additional features. These included a living room, dining room, coat closet, mud- room area, powder room, kitchen, and guest suite on the rst oor, a basement area, and four bedrooms – including a master bedroom with bathroom and walk-in closet – and laundry room on the top oor. Planner Nicholas Graviano de - scribed the property as de cient in lot area and width, existing conditions that can be granted under C1 criteria. The home’s established setbacks, meanwhile, can be granted under C2 criteria for promoting a desir- able visual environment and creative development techniques, he said. He said the applicant would reduce lot coverage by 2.6 percent, provide a dry well stormwater drainage system, and, by meeting habitable oor area square footage, it will “keep with the neighborhood aesthetic.” Amotion to approve Square Group Realty LLC’s application passed. 73 West Cedar Street 73 W Cedar NJ LLC asked the Board for two variances – a 3.78 foot rear yard setback and a 4.18 percent habitable oor area ratio variance – for a new single-family residence at 73 West Cedar Street. According to Matthew Posada, who Zoning Bd. Approves 14 Applications also represented this client, all bulk measurements for the property are compliant, but the applicant needed help with the ratio and deck setback despite not being an undersized lot. Sedra and Graviano again served as witnesses, with Sedra assessing the colonial-style house’s inner features, including a living room, two-car garage basement, and four bedrooms on the top oor with bathrooms and closets. In total, the house’s rst- oor measurement came to 1,561 square feet, while its second oor came to 1,659 square feet. Graviano, after visiting the site and reviewing mu- nicipal codes, felt that the minimum lot depth required 125 feet, which can be granted under a C1 criteria without substantial impairment to the zone plan. He also con rmed that the house was “right on the dot” for habitable oor area square footage, where a maximum of 3,220 square feet is permitted. Due to the home featuring an open deck with a roof, the Board requested a condition that the roof not be enclosed to ensure it is not converted into future living space, which 73 W Cedar NJ LLC accepted. A motion to approve the applica- tion passed. 15 Brookside Place Rodak Builders LLC requested an eight foot front yard setback variance and a 24.08 foot front/side yard (corner lot) setback to construct a new home at 15 Brookside Place. Sedra and Graviano were called up (Continued on Page A-6)